Equipment
Ping launches “PLD1” custom-putter program
Attention, putter collectors, creative minds and golfers with deep pockets: Ping has a new custom-putter program called PLD1 (stands for Putting Lab Design) that may be right up your alley.
PLD1 allows golfers to customize a milled Ping putter, a concept that’s “inspired by the one-off, milled putters that Bubba and several of our tour players use,” according to the company.
Using the PLD1 microsite, I created this digital beauty.
On the PLD1 microsite, golfers have their say over the following design aspects:
- Dexterity (right- or left-handed)
- Alignment Aids (line vs. dot)
- Heel/toe bumper engravings (max 6 characters each bumper)
- “Ping” cavity color
- “Ping” hosel color
- Eyemark logo color
- Length (28-38 inches, standard is 35 inches)
- Loft (standard is 3 degrees, adjustable +/- 2 degrees)
- Lie (standard is 70 degrees, adjustable +/- 4 degrees)
- Grip (30+ options, including Ping, SuperStroke and Salty)
The putters, which will be handcrafted by Ping machinists, will sell for $600 plus tax, regardless of your custom selections. Each putter also comes with a PLD1 box and putter cover, as pictured above.
Visit puttinglab.ping.com to learn more.
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Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x Buy here.
(Photo courtesy of TaylorMade)
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
View this post on Instagram
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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- 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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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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Bert
Jan 15, 2017 at 8:32 am
Marketing gone crazy? Guess it will work if golfers buy them; after all they buy other Ping replicas for big bucks; just add milling!
booya cornflakes
Jan 13, 2017 at 12:38 pm
So…400 bucks for stamping? It feels like all of the other options can be had off the rack, other than the paintfill color which takes all of what, 25 minutes to change? This seems badly planned, especially when $600 buys a LOT of putter fro anyone number of boutique brands that are actually, you know, custom.
MuskieCy
Jan 13, 2017 at 12:31 am
I get one of these, PXG irons and stupid expensive JDM titanium.
Viola, the first GOLFWRX $10K bag championship.
I win and am a total loser at the same time.
Blake
Jan 12, 2017 at 2:41 pm
Go to edel instead and get a completely custom putter. $600 is ridic
tlmck
Jan 12, 2017 at 11:25 am
Hopefully there is something different about these otehr than the paint job of grip choice. If it is like the milled ones I hit at the store, mu 1990 stainless with no grooves walks all over those turds.
Cwolfs
Jan 11, 2017 at 7:03 pm
You lost me at the price tag. Never
John
Jan 11, 2017 at 4:37 pm
A $600 Ping Anser?! Kingston Putters about to get PAY-EDDD
Anthony Polakov
Jan 11, 2017 at 1:29 pm
A big waste of money. But what else do golf equipment company’s have to do but try every way to get more of our money!
Shanks for the Memories
Jan 11, 2017 at 12:42 pm
I was hoping there would be more options or models or something. Basically a milled anser with stamped bumpers and your choice of siteline… oh, and colors. Your choice of colors.
rymail00
Jan 11, 2017 at 8:43 pm
Agree. $600 for your choice of paintfill, bumper stamping and alignent choice is not what I’d consider a custom putter worth that price point JMO.
Maybe if other options like carbon, different finishes, and choice of head weights with adding tunsten or whatever. Might be asking a lot though.
Rich
Jan 11, 2017 at 12:38 pm
Literally a Rife Vault 001 Iconic Putter
John
Jan 11, 2017 at 1:16 pm
RIFE doesn’t have an iconic putter. Nobody thinks RIFE is iconic.
Smith
Jan 11, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Rekt.