For the complete write up on GolfWRX’s trip to PING HQ, click here.

…As we entered the conference room, in front of us was an array of clubs. With a full set leaning against the wall and examples cut in half (showing the inner workings) on the table.  I immediately went for the driver, the Anser. All I could think of was PING, the foremost OEM yet to offer an adjustable driver, has now gone adjustable.

Of course a popular question is why has PING taken so long to bring an adjustable head to market. The answer is simple – John Solheim, PING’s Chairman and CEO – wasn’t ready to do so until the engineers could get to a point where there was no performance loss. You see, when you modify the head to allow for interchangeable shafts and tweaking of loft, lie, and face angle, there is additional weight allocated to the heel/hosel area that is no longer available for use in the rest of the head. PING is now at a point where that is not an issue.

The Anser driver, which performs tremendously well, is a real looker. The Anser fills a void between the popular G20 and i20, giving the best of both worlds. It has been optimized to give the best of all types of performance – forgiveness, distance, workability – in a manner that trumps anything out there. While the words cannon, beast, rocket launcher, etc. often get thrown around whenever a new driver comes to market, the Anser is truly deserving of these titles. The Anser will be available in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, and 12 degrees of loft. There are four standard shaft options, PING’s TFC proprietary, Aldila RIP Phenom, Fujikura Blur, and Mitsubishi Rayon ‘ahina – all shafts are the real deal, with none of the ‘Made For’ nonsense that ruffles many feathers here. No upcharge either! The adjustability gives players the ability to change loft (which is main point of the adjustability) +/- .5 degrees of loft. This allows launch conditions to be optimized for wet or firm conditions when a player may want to carry the ball a little farther or have the ability for the ball to run a little more once on the ground. With these stock options, every level of player can find something that fits their swing. To top it off, PING has introduced a 360º round grip, their first non-ribbed grip in forever, for a consistent set up no matter how the club is tweaked. Clean headcover too!

After going through the fitting process, I got put into an 8.5º head with an ‘ahina 70x shaft (very similar to my current setup, just bumping up from 60x to 70x). Keep posted to this thread to see how it’s treating me. Now I’m not quite ‘Bubba Long’, but I get it out there a good ways (not everyone on the internet lies). This driver is the real deal. I know my game quite well and am pretty analytical when it comes to launch monitor numbers, and these are the best launch conditions I’ve ever had. See below for a picture of my launch monitor numbers (click the picture as the numbers are larger when the photo is expanded).

In the fairway wood, PING uses the same adjustability as in the driver. Again this new Anser fairway bridges the gap between G20 and i20, giving a launch and trajectory many players will enjoy. Great club that I thoroughly enjoyed hitting as it reminds me of my i20 3 wood that I like a lot. It has slightly less forgiveness than G20 but retains the penetrating trajectory of i20

In the hybrid, it acts as it should, a hybrid between fairway wood and iron – that said, it is not adjustable. It’s a great club that, again, reminds me of my i20. Solid, solid, solid.

I only had limited range time and did not have any other drivers, fairways, or hybrids to compare. With numbers like I was getting, everyone who has given thought to this club really, really needs to give it a whirl! I hope you enjoyed my write up and please fire away any comments or questions you may have.

I hope that was enough text for y’all. That said, I will let the videos and pictures do the rest of the talking!

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING IN THE GOLFWRX FORUMS.

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