Equipment

Mahan didn’t win, but he still got a gold Ping putter

Published

11 years ago

Aug 20, 2013

Hunter Mahan’s unselfish decision to withdraw from the RBC Canadian Open in July didn’t add to his tally of five PGA Tour victories, but it earned him and his daughter a spot in Ping history.

Ping welcomed newborn Zoe Olivia Mahan into their gold plated-putter tradition today when Hunter Mahan was presented with a gold-plated Scottsdale TR Anser inscribed with her name, birthdate and vital statistics.

Despite holding the 36-hole lead, Hunter Mahan commendably withdrew from the RBC Canadian Open when he received a call, while standing on the range during a weather delay, that his wife Kandi was going into labor with their first child in Dallas, Texas.

Brandt Snedeker went on to win the tournament and pocket the multi-million dollar check, but Hunter was able to experience the birth of his daughter, while gaining the respect and praise of his fans.

“We’ll never know if Hunter would have held on to win that week,” said John Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “But the circumstances were so unique, we wanted to create a lasting memory for Hunter, Kandi and Zoe that would forever remind them of that special day.”

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The gold-plated putter tradition started when Karsten Solheim wanted to commemorate a player that used a Ping putter en route to victory. He began creating two gold replicas of the putter they used, engraved with their name and the tournament he/she won. He presented one to the champion, and kept one for the headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz.

As more professionals won with Ping putters, the collection began out-growing its storage space. After several moves to larger rooms, over 2,800 golden putters now sit in what is called “The Golden Putter Vault.”

The vault contains putters used in 47 major championship wins, including each of the four majors in 1988. Over 500 Ping Anser-model putters are in the vault, while the oldest putter is a Model 69, belonging to John Barnum, winner of the Cajun Classic in 1962.

On Tuesday, Hunter was presented with the first golden putter replica that was not used in victory — a Scottsdale TR Anser 2 — vaulting him and his daughter in the Golden history.

“The birth of a child is a win any way you look at it, so we thought we’d have some fun with it,” said John Solheim. “As is our tradition, we made two gold-plated versions of his Scottsdale TR Anser 2 putter. One was given to Hunter and the other will reside in our Gold Putter Vault with more than 2,800 PING putters in Phoenix.”

Mahan called Ping’s decision to make him a gold putter ” really cool and above and beyond.”

It should be noted that the gold putter is not Mahan’s first — he’s earned five of them as a member of the Ping Tour Staff since 2007. It likely won’t be his last either, but it’s safe to assume that this one will be the most special to him.

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Equipment

Limited-edition gear spotted at the PGA Championship

Published

16 hours ago

May 15, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

The second major of the season is here, and with it, custom gear aplenty! Taking inspiration from both Louisville, Kentucky, and host course Valhalla, the OEMs have been having some fun with the designs.

Check out PGA Championship staff bags, some custom kicks, and a very cool putter grip from SuperStroke.

2024 PGA Championship staff bags

Callaway

PGA Championship Staff Bag Giveaway ? See below how you can win the bag and headcovers being used this week by #TeamCallaway at the second major of the year:

-Follow @callawaygolf
-Tag 2 friends in the comments pic.twitter.com/8HbGdPHiFK

— Callaway Golf (@CallawayGolf) May 13, 2024

Cobra

TaylorMade

From the stables to the fairway. ?

This year’s PGA Championship staff bag and accessories pay homage to the Derby City with callouts to the run for the roses, the fastest lap in track history and more.

Dive into all the details of this beauty: https://t.co/afhEVKHWLj pic.twitter.com/8eoP6tDZq1

— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) May 13, 2024

Scotty Cameron’s putter cover features the Scotty Dog in Viking helmet

Bettinardi’s KFC-inspired putter covers

Ping’s bourbon-inspired putter cover

Rory McIlroy’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 shoes

FootJoy x Todd Snyder Mint Julep Premier Series

(Photo courtesy of FootJoy)

Brooks Koepka’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour shoes

(Photo courtesy of Nike)

SuperStroke’s PGA Championship grip

Check out all of our photos from Valhalla here.

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Whats in the Bag

John Daly WITB 2024 (May)

Published

19 hours ago

May 15, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

John Daly WITB accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 6-Dot

3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 4-Dot

Hybrids: Ping G430 (17, 22, 26 degrees)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold

Check out more in-hand photos of John Daly’s clubs here.

Irons: Sub70 659-CB (6-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Wedges: Sub70 TAIII (50, 54, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300

Check out more in-hand photos of John Daly’s clubs here.

Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Milled One T CH
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0

Grips: SuperStroke custom

More photos of John Daly’s WITB in the forums.

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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Equipment

Toulon Golf collaborates with Valhalla Golf Club for latest Small Batch putter

Published

19 hours ago

May 15, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Toulon Golf has today officially announced its latest Small Batch putter — the Valhalla.

Discussing the putter, Preston Toulon of Toulon Golf said: “This putter is a collaboration with the club at Valhalla and incorporates three of the many things that make the state of Kentucky great – horseracing, bourbon and championship golf. The head of the putter and headcover have several allusions to a jockey’s silk and there are thoroughbreds on the sole.”

Inspired by Toulon’s classic tri-sole Santa Monica design, the company sought to modernize the profile and design leveraging its 904 stainless steel and 6061 aircraft aluminium across the sole. Toulon describes the Valhalla’s profile as “slightly oversized blade whose proportions are meticulously balanced to maintain the look and feel of the Santa Monica, while increasing the putter’s inertia to create one of the most forgiving putters we have ever designed.”

Throughout numerous prototypes, Toulon paid particular attention to the L-neck, with its full shaft of offset, adding a bit of length for better blending with the slightly wider and longer blade.

On the rear of the putter are homages to horse racing in the form of jockey silk diamonds and Churchill Downs-inspired font.

The sole of the putter features a large cavity covered by a 6061 aircraft aluminum sole plate. According to Toulon, this allowed for the addition length to the putter and improved inertia as well as moving more mass to the perimeter for greater forgiveness.

In another nod to Valhalla, Toulon uses a milled watermarked limestone pattern, a reference to stone featured widely on the property.

As with all the Toulon Small Batch putters, the team paid particular attention to the topline thickness and radius to achieve a desired look. “Soft yet crisp was the design intent,” according to the company.