Equipment

Ping launches new Glide 3.0 wedges

Published

5 years ago

Jul 15, 2019

Ping has launched its new Ping Glide 3.0 wedges, which, according to the company, feature a higher-spinning, more forgiving, and lighter overall design. The new additions from Ping also feature multiple sole grind options in order to custom-fit golfers of all skill levels.

Confirming much of what our Ryan Barath suspected about the wedges last month, new Glide 3.0 wedges have been created through the process of leveraging the multi-material construction that combines a 431 stainless steel head with a larger and softer elastomer Custom Tuning Port (CTP) insert. The additional volume of the CTP allows for a larger insert covering more of the back of the face, resulting in activation of the elastomer at impact in a bid to produce a soft yet solid feel.

The new cavity design and larger CTP expand the perimeter weighting to increase the MOI and position the center of gravity higher in order to provide lower-launching, and higher-spinning trajectories for more control, says Ping.

Speaking on the construction and attributes of the new Glide 3.0 wedges, John K. Solheim, Ping President stated

“We approached the design with a goal of creating higher-spinning, great-looking wedges that also deliver more forgiveness with the improved feel from our other proven technologies.

“The Glide 3.0 wedge is a great blend of a players-style design and game-improvement technology. At address, it provides the clean look of a tour-style wedge. We’ve added some offset based on tour player feedback to provide a more captured look.

“At the same time, we’ve increased the perimeter weighting and improved the feel with the softer insert material to ensure golfers have the forgiveness they need to play with confidence on approach shots. The combination of those attributes really sets the Glide 3.0 wedges apart and gives them a much broader appeal.”

The new additions from Ping also feature wheel-cut grooves for a sharper edge radius, which is designed to increase interaction with the ball at impact—resulting in more friction for maximum spin and trajectory control.

The grooves in the lower-lofted wedges (46, 50, 52 degrees) are milled with a 20-degree sidewall and a .005″ edge radius for optimal full-shot performance, while the higher-lofted versions (54, 56, 58, and 60 degrees) feature an extra half groove at the bottom of the face bidding for added spin and are milled to a .004″ edge radius with a 28-degree sidewall to impart more spin, especially around the greens.

More photos of Ping Glide 3.0 wedges (and comparison pics) in the forums.

The Glide 3.0 wedges feature four distinctly different sole grinds as the company look to better custom-fit golfers. Each sole grind aims to best match a player’s angle of attack and typical turf conditions while providing performance and versatility on full and partial shots around the green.

Speaking in regards to the four versatile options golfers have when choosing their preferred grind, Solheim stated

“With the new sole grinds and multiple loft options, a fitter can really dial in the wedges to help improve the player’s performance based on how they dynamically deliver the clubhead and the type of conditions they typically play in. During the process, they can also determine the best combination of wedges to provide proper distance gaps between each club.”

Ping Glide 3.0 grind options

Standard Sole (SS) grind: (46°/12°, 50°/12°, 52°/12°, 54°/12°, 56°/12°, 58°/10°, 60/10°) Mid-bounce sole with heel relief, and designed for golfers with a moderate angle of attack.
Wide Sole (WS) grind: (54°/14°, 56°/14°, 58°/14°, 60/14°) The most forgiving grind option through the ground, according to the company, while it’s round and cambered sole offers significant bounce. Designed for golfers with a steep angle of attack and who typically play in soft turf.
Eye2 grind: (54°/10°, 56°/10°, 58°/8°, 60°/8°) High toe design matches the original Eye2 SW sole/face profiles and narrow hosel transition in a bid to provide maximum performance for bunker shots and touch shots near the green.
Thin Sole (TS) grind: (58°/6°, 60°/6°) With extreme heel relief with bounce grind, the TS grind is designed for golfers with a shallow angle of attack and best suited to firm conditions.

The Glide 3.0 wedge’s grip and shaft have been lightened by six and five grams, respectively, which has led to an overall weight reduction of 15 grams for the entire club. The Dyla-wedge Lite grip is ¾-inch longer than a traditional grip and features a reduced taper, and is designed to allow golfers to choke down for more versatility and trajectory control.

Created by Nippon, the Ping Z-Z115 wedge shaft has been custom engineered with a lower balance point closer to the tip—engineered with the aim of providing lower launch with more control and enhanced feel.

Speaking on the weight reduction in the new wedges from Ping, Solheim said

“The lighter overall weight allows the Glide 3.0 to better blend into a golfer’s full set and help them swing the club easier. We’ve also reduced the head weight by approximately four grams while maintaining our traditional wedge swing weights to ensure golfers still benefit from the clubhead feel they need to play with control and precision.”

Additional Ping Glide 3.0 specs

Multi-material construction: 431 stainless steel head, elastomer insert, Hydropearl 2.0 finish.
Swingweight: D2 – D4, depending on loft.
Stock grip: Ping 360 Dyla-wedge Lite in three sizes (Aqua -1/64″, White Std., Gold +1/32″)
Stock steel shaft: Ping Z-Z115 Wedge made by Nippon.
Stock graphite shaft: Alta CB Red (SR, R, S)
Aftermarket shaft options (no upcharge): True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), True Temper Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), Project X LZ (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5), True Temper XP95 (R300, S300), Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (S, X), KBS Tour (R, S, X)

Available in 10 color codes (lie angle). Black is standard.

Ping’s Glide 3.0 wedges are available for custom fitting and pre-sell beginning today at authorized golf shops around the world, and cost $160 per club with steel shaft and $180 per club with graphite shaft.

More photos of Ping Glide 3.0 wedges (and comparison pics) in the forums.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

Published

2 days ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

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

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

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)

Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Tway’s clubs here.

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?

Published

2 days ago

May 10, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

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

Published

2 days ago

May 10, 2024

Andrew Tursky

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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