Equipment
Ping Vault Putters: What you need to know
There’s a vault at Ping’s headquarters in Phoenix that holds what’s arguably the most valuable putter collection in the world. Since the 1970s, the company has been commemorating wins with Ping putters by creating two gold-plated replicas — one for the vault, one for the player. The collection now holds more than 2,800 putters.
Ping’s new line of Vault putters ($325 each) includes four models that will appeal to the best golfers in the world, as well as those who aspire to be the best. The collection is split into two blades and two mallets, each of which is available in either Ping’s platinum or slate finish.
“The PING Vault Series recognizes our unequalled putter success on tour since 1959 and continues our focus to advance the design and process of making putters,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO.
The two blades are fully machined from 303 stainless steel, and have head weights of 350 grams. While both use Anser-style hosels, the new Voss model has a narrow, golf-ball-sized cavity and scalloped back bumpers that give the putter a clean, refined look. The Anser 2 is a more angular variation of Ping’s classic Anser putter, using a wider cavity and stepped bumpers to create what Ping calls a “modern square silhouette.”
The mallets also use a machined construction; their bodies are milled from 6061 T6 aluminum, and cast 17-4 stainless steel soleplates are added to the putters to improve consistency. The Oslo is the smaller mallet, with a deep cavity and low-sitting sightline that helps frame the ball at address. The Bergen has a sightline that extends all the way from the front to the back of the putter, reminiscent of Ping’s popular Ketch putter.
“The Oslo and Bergen are high-performance designs in the mallet category where we’ve enjoyed great success in recent years with models like the Ketsch,” Solheim said. “They are easy to align and offer tremendous stability due to the extremely high MOI. In addition to a primary sight line, the precise milling lines provide subtle reminders to improve alignment.”
Not to be overlooked with the Vault putters is Ping’s new Precision-Milled TR Face Technology, which uses variable depth grooves to offer golfers better speed control on the greens. The design includes shallower grooves on the perimeter of the putter face, which are said to speed up mis-hit putts so they roll at the same speed as putts hit on the center of the putter face.
The Vault putters also debut a new putter grip from Ping, the PP62, which weighs 68 grams and has an oversized pistol shape that is designed to fit naturally into a golfer’s palm and finger tips. It’s made from a soft, tacky polymer, and includes a UV coating that will resist fading.
“Since launching the Ping Vault putters on tour in June we’ve had considerable interest, which has put our delivery schedule a little behind,” Solheim said. “These putters require a lot of time and precision in the manufacturing process. The higher demand means golfers may have to wait a couple of extra weeks to get one in their bag. It will be well worth the wait.”
The Vault putters are currently available for pre-order, and will be released in limited quantities starting Aug. 25. Enjoy our in-hand photos of each Vault putter below.
Anser 2
- Head Weight: 350 grams
- Lie Adjustable: +/- 4 degrees
- Stroke Type: Slight Arc
Voss
- Head Weight: 350 grams
- Lie Adjustable: +/- 4 degrees
- Stroke Type: Slight Arc
Oslo
- Head Weight: 365 grams
- Lie Adjustable: +/- 2 degrees
- Stroke Type: Available for Straight or Slight Arc
Bergen
- Head Weight: 365 grams
- Lie Adjustable: +/- 2 degrees
- Stroke Type: Available for Straight or Slight Arc
Grip and Headcovers
Related: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the new Vault putters in our forum.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Jim O'Brien
Dec 20, 2016 at 3:46 pm
I just like the grip – it even has a cool name Ping Pistol 62- but can’t seem to get just a grip – what a RIP!!! Maybe someday.
Adizero
Aug 21, 2016 at 11:55 pm
I have an Anser and an Anser 2 from the 1990’s that I rotate. Nothing new to see here! Staying with what works and save the Three Benjamin’s and a Grant!
tom
Aug 16, 2016 at 11:49 pm
The Bergen looks almost exactly like the Seemore SB1.
Bob
Aug 16, 2016 at 12:00 pm
Does this mean Ping has given up on TRUE ROLL technology?
gunmetal
Aug 16, 2016 at 2:19 pm
Nope. As indicated in the article, instead of using an insert, the variable depth grooves (TR tech) is milled into the face.
Pub
Aug 16, 2016 at 9:49 am
Hate the names. How about some local Arizona names instead? Or just invented names like what Japanese cars have
Uncle Buck
Aug 16, 2016 at 1:42 am
These 3 hundy putters, I mean, how much longer can this over valuing go on? Buck 99 tops yuh axe me! Have these companies not learned anything
from Taylormade, Golfsmith, and Nike?
4puttfor90
Aug 15, 2016 at 11:37 pm
Actually milled and cheaper than Scotty Cameroon? I might have to put my Spalding TP Mills TPM 5 in my Sunday bag.
Lester Diamond
Aug 15, 2016 at 6:20 pm
If the Ketsch is the bomb diggity in terms of feel and stroke repeatability, why change putters?
To each their own I guess.
golfraven
Aug 15, 2016 at 4:31 pm
Still a fan of the Anser 2. Like the new face and finish.
Justin
Aug 15, 2016 at 1:43 pm
I’m glad everyone hates them… means I’ll be able to get one quicker! If the Oslo is anything like the Ketsch in terms of feel and stroke repeatability, I’ll bag one immediately. I think they look awesome and have been patiently waiting for them to be released. But… to each their own I guess
Clemson Sucks
Aug 15, 2016 at 11:03 am
Swing and a miss
alexdub
Aug 15, 2016 at 10:52 am
I’m a Ping homer and want to like these, but don’t.
snowexcuse
Aug 15, 2016 at 11:38 am
Me too. Too many unnecessary random milling lines on that anser, especially around the bumpers. I didn’t think it was possible to make an ugly anser putter.
Flip
Aug 15, 2016 at 10:37 am
Fugly waste of money