Ping 2021 Putters £250
GM Verdict
Ping is looking to crack the putter market with its unimaginatively named 2021 putters. There are 12 models in the range and we were sent, by request, the Fetch and Anser 4 to test on the putting green at Burghley Park Golf Club in Lincolnshire.
The first point to note is that these putters are not adjustable for length. While grips that adjust the length are available for a £40 upcharge, Ping has decided to blend back in with the crowd and only offer fixed-length putters. This is a shame, as the system was really clever, discrete and easy to implement, but there’s no point in going to considerable effort and cost to implement a feature golfers aren’t using. The Anser 4 has a short-slant hosel, which really suited our eye and strong-arc stroke. The Fetch has a markedly different look to the Sigma 2 version, with the visible cavity now being hidden by three white sightlines that sit on a ribbed crown. This arguably does a better job in assisting with aim and framing the ball centrally. Plus, you can still pick the ball out of the hole using the ball-sized cavity if you wish.
Hit a few putts and the first thing that strikes you is the feel, more specifically how soft it is. On short putts, the Anser 4 barely registered a sound, but this did increase the longer the putt attempt was. Thankfully, this was not to the detriment of speed. In fact, putts came off surprisingly fast for a soft-feeling blade, but not
excessively so. The heel and toe weights in the Anser putters are obvious, framing the face insert, and they definitely contributed to a stable feel.
The performance output from this was noticeably better control of distance on mid- and long-range putts. Lagging putts stone-dead can take a while to achieve with regularity when switching to a new putter, but we quickly became accustomed to the pace at which the ball came off the face.
In our first round using the putter, we came off the course feeling like we holed out much better from short range and that our lag putting had also improved. Our Arccos data told us that we gained a shot versus a previous round using our old putter – so the gains were immediate.
Ping is known for its forgiveness with its drivers and irons, but this has been transferred successfully into its 2021 putter range. Many will enjoy the soft, responsive feel and the speed with which the ball comes off the face, while the 12 options mean all visual tastes and stroke types are catered for. Has Ping cracked it? It’s getting closer, for sure.
“I GAINED ONE STROKE PER ROUND AFTER SWITCHING, SO THESE PUTTERS WORK!”
Joel Tadman, GM technical editor