468 replies to this topic

[keith723]

 Blades Runner, on 16 August 2012 - 07:11 PM, said:

I like the I20 better. The feel and sound are much better for me. I hit the Anser shorter than my I20, Classic and Razr Fit TA.

What shaft did you hit the Anser with?  I just did a LM fitting and I picked up over 20 yards over my current gamer with the 9.5/Ahina 70-S and the 9.5/TFC-X.  I'll go with the Ahina as the dispersion was better but slightly better launch with similar spin in the TFC.  A Kai'li 70 might be a good fit too but they did not have that to demo.  Had good launch with my gamer but spin was 3400 - similar launch with Anser and spin was closer to 2200-2400.  pretty big increase in carry and mis hits were not spinning off the planet.  Was hitting it much more consistent than my gamer too...many more drives straight down the line - Ahina is solid

Edited by keith723, 16 August 2012 - 08:53 PM.

[Golfjunki71]

I hit it with TFC x

 keith723, on 16 August 2012 - 08:48 PM, said:

 Blades Runner, on 16 August 2012 - 07:11 PM, said:

I like the I20 better. The feel and sound are much better for me. I hit the Anser shorter than my I20, Classic and Razr Fit TA.

What shaft did you hit the Anser with?  I just did a LM fitting and I picked up over 20 yards over my current gamer with the 9.5/Ahina 70-S and the 9.5/TFC-X.  I'll go with the Ahina as the dispersion was better but slightly better launch with similar spin in the TFC.  A Kai'li 70 might be a good fit too but they did not have that to demo.  Had good launch with my gamer but spin was 3400 - similar launch with Anser and spin was closer to 2200-2400.  pretty big increase in carry and mis hits were not spinning off the planet.  Was hitting it much more consistent than my gamer too...many more drives straight down the line - Ahina is solid

[creecool]

 nfmoto, on 16 August 2012 - 01:52 PM, said:

Got to hit the Anser on the launch monitor today. Absolutely love this thing.


Best Ping Driver I have ever hit.

Ordered one, here's the specs I Specs I settled on.

9.5 (will close to 9)
Diamana Ahina X
1.5" over standard

[creecool]

Did you mean open to 9...closing it will raise it to 10*

[toddba11]

Just purchased the 8.5 with Ahina S.  Looks great, can't wait to hit it.  I am gaming the 910 D3 now and mixing two shafts (Ahina X70 and Fujikura V2 Tour Spec V7.2).  I do not see myself having to buy another driver for a long time with these two in the bag, or least I hope not....    Favorite Ping driver in the past was the G10 and I20.

[Lobber]

i posted some initial launch monitor results on Monday or Tuesday.  Was fit for 8.5 stock X which gave me much better numbers in terms of spin, launch, distance, etc.  At that time I did not try the Ahina X.  Went back today just to satisfy my curiosity and picked up 15 yds with the Ahina X in a 9.5.  Cancelled the order for the 8.5 and walked out with the 9.5 Ahina X.  First round Saturday.  Will report back Sat afternoon.  Being the owner of an I20 I can say imo that the Anser feels much better and just wants to go straight at least on the launch monitor.

[texcrom]

Got to Watts this evening to hit th Anser.

Grabbed a 9.5 w/ Ahina stiff, and stepped into simulator, which usually reads about 30 yards shorter than my normal distance. (Average on course is 275-280; in simulator is 245-250).

First drive dead center and straight at 250, second 258, third was 260.Hit 5 or 6 more; one right, on slight pull, the rest center cut.

Wow!

Grab an 8.5 and take one swing - 270 dead center!

Proceeded to the cash register to check out!

[DoYouKnowTheMuffinMan]

I hit it tonight 9.5 delofted all the way with Ahina 70x and I couldn't match my current gamers numbers consistently. Spin was too high except for a couple shots. Best I got was 13 launch, 2600 spin, 181 mph ball speed, 329 yards and 1.46 smash factor?!!! ( i dont believe the smash factor because i annihilated it on that swing dead nuts on the screws) My gamer hits up to 184 ball speeds, with 11 launch and 2400 spin. I do like the head a lot, just need a different or 1" tipped shaft and the 8.5 head the rep said would beat my gamer but I'm not sold on that idea.

I did however fall in love with the new wedges... Will be ordering those tomorrow with some heavier shafts

[nfmoto]

 creecool, on 16 August 2012 - 09:04 PM, said:

Did you mean open to 9...closing it will raise it to 10*

Yes, this always confuses me because I don't sole my club, so in my mind to get back to square my swing/grip must close the face. I misspoke.

I will be setting it to the " - " position

[keith723]

 station2station, on 16 August 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

 Blades Runner, on 16 August 2012 - 07:11 PM, said:

I like the I20 better. The feel and sound are much better for me. I hit the Anser shorter than my I20, Classic and Razr Fit TA.

This - It sat wide open, went high and right, and sounded TERRIBLE.  I had some really good players demo'ing it with me. Nobody was on board and everyone loves the i20.

(Anser 8.5, TFC Stiff)

terrible is a bit of a stretch.  you may try it with an Ahina.  I demo'd it today with a teaching pro who is currently gaming an i20.  He'll be making the switch, going down in loft and he also fits in to the Ahina well but in an X.  He was getting much more consistent ballspeed and dispersion was better too.  I actually hit it pretty inconsistent with the TFC in S, but the TFC in X was better...Ahina is just silly consistent though

[Fatz]

It does sit slightly open to dead square, not shut looking like all previous Ping editions G15/G20.

Head is not for everyone, especially those who like the shut heads at address.

Shows each driver is different to the player.  For me the i20 spun like my other current heads, not lower nor hotter.  Never worth an upgrade.

Absolutely hate callaway fusion, though the Fit was a serious improvement, the shafts are crap.  And I spun it a tonne.

Anser spin rates for my steep swing were jaw dropping low.  Took me back to my J33R / AD Throttle combo, but forgiving like a G20, and sits square.  Not the new idea of square, which is shut.

 station2station, on 16 August 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

 Blades Runner, on 16 August 2012 - 07:11 PM, said:

I like the I20 better. The feel and sound are much better for me. I hit the Anser shorter than my I20, Classic and Razr Fit TA.

This - It sat wide open, went high and right, and sounded TERRIBLE.  I had some really good players demo'ing it with me. Nobody was on board and everyone loves the i20.

(Anser 8.5, TFC Stiff)

[station2station]

 Fatz, on 17 August 2012 - 06:30 AM, said:

It does sit slightly open to dead square, not shut looking like all previous Ping editions G15/G20.

Head is not for everyone, especially those who like the shut heads at address.

Shows each driver is different to the player.  For me the i20 spun like my other current heads, not lower nor hotter.  Never worth an upgrade.

Absolutely hate callaway fusion, though the Fit was a serious improvement, the shafts are crap.  And I spun it a tonne.

Anser spin rates for my steep swing were jaw dropping low.  Took me back to my J33R / AD Throttle combo, but forgiving like a G20, and sits square.  Not the new idea of square, which is shut.

 station2station, on 16 August 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

 Blades Runner, on 16 August 2012 - 07:11 PM, said:

I like the I20 better. The feel and sound are much better for me. I hit the Anser shorter than my I20, Classic and Razr Fit TA.

This - It sat wide open, went high and right, and sounded TERRIBLE.  I had some really good players demo'ing it with me. Nobody was on board and everyone loves the i20.

(Anser 8.5, TFC Stiff)

Head sits open to dead square?  Which is it - it's not both.  FYI @ neutral it sits 1* open on the Anser, not square.  

"Shut like all previous PING editions..."???  The i15 was open .5*, i20 is neutral, Rapture V1 and Rapture V2 were dead square as well.

PING i20 spinny?  I have an i20 currently with a Matrix Ozik xCon 6 and its tough to get the spin above 2000.  i20 is very low spinning.

Go play it outdoors in a game situation before you declare it the holy grail.  I got fairly good LM number too.  Outdoors it was fickle and the sound was harsh.  R11-esque.

Edited by station2station, 17 August 2012 - 08:35 AM.

[MarkCPA]

I must have hit 35 or so balls on an indoor simulator yesterday using a combonation of shafts and lofts of the new Anser driver.    Got in a few swings with the hybrid too, but the store did not have a demo in the FW.

I've been playing the G20 since last fall.    No combo of shafts or lofts I tried felt anywhere near as hot or forgiving as my current G20 set up. The numbers I was getting (spin rates, launch angles, distance) were not as good either.

Bad day?   Possibly.    I'll try it again this weekend.

[Golfjunki71]

I hate shut heads. My fit is almost 3 degrees open. Don't cry because not everyone loves the Anser.

 Fatz, on 17 August 2012 - 06:30 AM, said:

It does sit slightly open to dead square, not shut looking like all previous Ping editions G15/G20.

Head is not for everyone, especially those who like the shut heads at address.

Shows each driver is different to the player.  For me the i20 spun like my other current heads, not lower nor hotter.  Never worth an upgrade.

Absolutely hate callaway fusion, though the Fit was a serious improvement, the shafts are crap.  And I spun it a tonne.

Anser spin rates for my steep swing were jaw dropping low.  Took me back to my J33R / AD Throttle combo, but forgiving like a G20, and sits square.  Not the new idea of square, which is shut.

 station2station, on 16 August 2012 - 08:43 PM, said:

 Blades Runner, on 16 August 2012 - 07:11 PM, said:

I like the I20 better. The feel and sound are much better for me. I hit the Anser shorter than my I20, Classic and Razr Fit TA.

This - It sat wide open, went high and right, and sounded TERRIBLE.  I had some really good players demo'ing it with me. Nobody was on board and everyone loves the i20.

(Anser 8.5, TFC Stiff)

[Brettasaurus]

Went to GG yesterday where they had 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and even the 12 degree to try. I was surprised at how sleek the hosel integration really is in person. The engineers earned their pay on that one alone. Yes, the adjustability is a bit elementary but I do understand Ping's position that if you need more than what the Anser offers then you weren't properly fit in the first place.

The 8.5 looks slightly open and the other lofts look perfectly square, even the 12*. I love the simplicity of the design. No orange, yello or lime green anywhere on the head. The matte black is beautiful!

I was surprised at how soft the Ahina felt. A friend whose SS is around 120 was hitting the 9.5 with the stiff Ahina and still getting a LA around 12 and spin in the 2800 range. He was also flying it 310-317 and getting another 10 of rollout. The Anser is clearly a low spin head. I am a pedestrian 107-110 and got the best numbers with the TFC and the 10.5 but preferred the feel of the Ahina.

The head feels pretty hot and to me feels similar to the i20. I find the G20 to feel somewhat hard and dead but the Anser and i20 feel more "springy" off the face. The sound is a muted thwack, similar to my Fast 12 LS.

[keith723]

seems like some are getting crabby because they don't like the Anser...

we'll have to wait and see if the LM data turns into reality.  I boosted my carry from 265 with my gamer to 282 with the Anser and didn't lose any rollout so I'm pretty pumped.  As it turns out though I was way overspinning my gamer (3400 w/ roughly a 14-15* launch) so I probably could've gotten the same results with a different shaft in my current club or a properly fit i20...either way I like the extra forgiveness the Anser offers and I have no problems with the sound

[whitbrow]

Bought 9.5 w/Ahina S. To sum, low spin. Usually hits 240~255 with my Razr fit 8.5 S, but one of the draw shot got me 270. AVG 250~260.

[stk123]

What is the deal with the Ahina shaft, is the real deal or is it a made for?

I know that people here claim that it is the "real deal", but how come the numbers are different from the real deal?

I am getting sceptical that these manufacturers are actually getting real deal shafts. It is probably all a marketing ploy (Titleist with "real deal" Project X, Adams with "real deal" Black Tie 6m3.1, even though real deal does not have a .1, Ping with Ahina, etc.).

I mean how often can you buy a $299 driver that has a $400 shaft in it?

[Lobber]

 stk123, on 17 August 2012 - 01:58 PM, said:

What is the deal with the Ahina shaft, is the real deal or is it a made for?

I know that people here claim that it is the "real deal", but how come the numbers are different from the real deal?

I am getting sceptical that these manufacturers are actually getting real deal shafts. It is probably all a marketing ploy (Titleist with "real deal" Project X, Adams with "real deal" Black Tie 6m3.1, even though real deal does not have a .1, Ping with Ahina, etc.).

I mean how often can you buy a $299 driver that has a $400 shaft in it?

Doubt they are lying.  It is a real Ahina.  Keep in mind Ping or no manufacturer is going to pay full retail for a shaft so they can very well afford putting a real shaft in their clubs

[stk123]

Ahina 70 specs from the Ping Website:

Material Flex Torque Weight graphite S 2.3° 68g graphite X 2.3° 69g

Ahina 70 specs from Mitsubishi Rayon website:

Material Flex Torque Weight graphite S 2.7° 71g graphite X 2.7° 72g


So, how in the world is this supposed to be the real deal? It sounds like a made for shaft to me...

Am I missing something here?

edit: sorry about formating, it looked good when I pasted it in:

Ping =   Flex=S  Torque=2.3 Weight  68

vs.

Mitsubishi Rayon = Flex =S   Torque = 2.7   Weight =71

similar difference for X flex

Edited by stk123, 17 August 2012 - 02:41 PM.

[stevemorse]

Uncut vs. 45.25

[SheriffBooth]

The weight difference is because Ping uses the cut weight and Mitsubishi Rayon is using the uncut weight.

The torque difference is because Ping measures torque itself, they aren't just using Mitsubishi Rayon's number.

My opinion is that if it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.  The Anser Ahina shaft certainly looks, feels and performs like Ahinas that I've hit in the past so I have no reason to doubt that it is "real".

[stevemorse]

Yes, stk123, you are missing something

[stk123]

I was just asking a legitimate question. I kind of guessed the weight difference, but I still don't understand the torque difference; Why would Mitsubishi's measurements be different from Ping? 2.3 and 2.7 is a pretty big difference.

[stevemorse]

Length affects torque

[Fatz]

Length totally does affect torque and perhaps also the prepped and sleeved tip intodriver?

Everyone measures different.

I remember reading Accra measuring different so their torque did not really compare to what others listed.  It would seem Accra was a higher torque, but in fact wasn't.

As for the driver, some will prefer i20 and maybe find it spun less.

But I prefer the metallic louder feel.  And with the 4 real deal shaft options, you can find a great fit with no upcharge.

I saw one skeptic above who poled at my i20 comment.  Nice to see it took a pricey Matrix to knock down spin.  My stock Ahina in the anser took care of it. And I prefer the head greatly.  That being said, i've hit an i20 with a Whiteboard 73X. Meh.  I hated the feel and it did not outdo what I owned.  Anser did.

All this to say, unlike Nike or Titleist, this is a real Ahina.  Specs are listed as the cut and built 45.25" length.

 stk123, on 17 August 2012 - 03:11 PM, said:

I was just asking a legitimate question. I kind of guessed the weight difference, but I still don't understand the torque difference; Why would Mitsubishi's measurements be different from Ping? 2.3 and 2.7 is a pretty big difference.

[stk123]

 stevemorse, on 17 August 2012 - 03:13 PM, said:

Length affects torque

Thanks man, that would make sense:

In an Adams Fast 12ls thread someone claimed that Adams said that the 6m3.1 shaft is 66.5g and 3.4 torque, when the Matrix website stated 70g and 3.6 torque.

If cutting down on length really does decrease torque (which would make sense) then it would explain the discrepancies for both Adams and Ping.

Good to know that they are the real deal shafts (I hope).

[Fatz]

Could it be the Anser was designed to be lower spin for steep swingers?!

Noticed a few guys who swear by other clubs or i20 demo'ing and not necessarily seeing the same results as some steeper or more aggresive swingers.

Feel is a very personal and subjective thing.  I hated i20 and was so disappointed yet others love it.  Vice versa with Anser.  

As a side note, in the TM SFTP2.0 was and continues to be my favourite. R11s and RBZ I was not keen on.  I20 and fusion Razr not a fan.

Cleveland Classic I preferred 310 over 290 for the face feel.  Seemed like 310 was more metallic and springy.  Yet 290 spun less.  

I'm not crying because some don't like the Anser.  I couldn't care less what others game or think.  I am just amazed at what it did both in sim and outside (got 4 holes and a serious range session with a demo).  It is a beast (for my aggressive and steeper swing).  I saw carry increase, and roll out still there or better at times.  With a great flight and forgiving as hell.  

To each his own.  But given the shafts, the i20 sorta loses here.  The PX Black was a spinner and stock ping I still spun a lot.  Found the head to be a nudge too square to almost closed, which is what some call square.  I got knocked for the same thing in the Classic 290 threads.  To me, the new square is slightly shut.  Was it that the older drivers were open?  Like say early Callaways and 975D?  And I am
Just used to those at address?

I pick up G20 and it looks like it has a hockey curve to the left, same with Classic 290.  I20
Not as much but it liked to leak left.

To my eye Anser sat perfect, not as open as some of my older low spin combos, but certainly not shut looking.

I'm retiring from this thread until I have mine in hand and the honeymoon ends.  If anyone has a link for Anser sleeves or tips PM i'd love just one for my Tour Z.

[igman]

I picked up a 9.5 with an Ahina yesterday.  I wasn't planning on purchasing one, but one of the stores I frequent had 4 drivers with Ahina shaft and were down to one.So I had to make a quick decision;)  Not to mention there were a lot of good stories coming from the launch monitor with people comparing their existing drivers.  I was in suit and tie, so didn't take any swings...  Risky purchase, perhaps? I played 9 holes last night (front) and 9 holes tonight (back) at my club.  While still getting used to the different feel, it performed extremely well.  The course was wetter than usual with a little wind on Thursday night and I found myself consistently gaining about 10 yards of carry. Some holes more, but none shorter than my usual set up (G20 9.5* with Graphite Design AD DI). Tonight was more of the same.  The Ahina feels a little more stable than my stiff AD DI, which over time gave me the confidence to jump on it a bit without over cooking it left.  What surprised me was how high I was hitting it.  I am looking forward to trying the -.5 setting tomorrow and see if there is an appreciable difference.  In terms of feel, it reminds me of the i20 sitting in my trunk.  So far so good.

[dblung]

Got in 18 yesterday with the new ANSER ahina 70s. I'm very impressed. Very nice distance but even better ball flight. Great purchase for me.