WELL PLD PING!

When it comes to finding a putter, tour players are a notoriously picky bunch. They need to find the best putter for their stroke, to use on some of the fastest, more technically challenging greens in the world. While some golfers swap putters regularly, PING created the PLD line-up to help craft each of their tour staff the perfect putter for them. The PLD Milled line-up are the closet you’ll get to a tour-crafted putter without having one custom designed for you.

When the putters first launched last year, PING chief executive John K Solheim had this to say about the line-up. “We’ve identified a couple of our most popular models from the past and some newer designs that have attracted a lot of attention in the last couple of years. We’ve given the new putters a very clean, premium look to emphasise the precision process they undergo before they are ready for play. As we collaborate on new designs with our engineers and tour staff through the PLD programme, we’ll add new models to bring golfers the latest in tour-proven performance on the putting green.”

These are those new models. “We’ve been very pleased with the results and feedback across the entire program”, explained Solheim. “It allows us to bring golfers more of what we do best – design and build the highest-performing putters in the game. In the case of the PLD Milled line, we’re continuing to add tour-inspired models to bring golfers the latest in score-lowering performance on the green.”

PLD stands for ‘PING Lab Design’, and all of these putters have been produced after countless sessions refining the designs in PING’s Putting Lab in Phoenix, Arizona. All seven designs in the family are fully machined from forged stainless steel. Each model features Deep AMP (Aggressive Milling Pattern) face technology, precisely milled for tour-preferred sound, feel and speed. These putters are super soft, yet extremely responsive. More than four hours of milling time are required for every model, precisely shaping every surface and radius to achieve the high quality and premium look expected in a precision-milled putter.

The three new PLD Milled models (RRP £399) join four tour-validated models introduced last year, which represent a combination of standardsetting favourites like the Anser and Anser 2, plus newer, tour-inspired models like the DS72, the choice of multiple winner Viktor Hovland and the Prime Tyne 4.

A fresh take on the classic Anser, the winningest putter of all time, and it’s fair to say the most copied putter of all time. Designed with tour pro input, in particular Bubba Watson, as a hybrid between the classic blade and a mid-mallet.

Tony Finau has found a lot of success on the PGA Tour with its added forgiveness. The single white alignment line contrasts against the matte-black head, which in combination with the deeper (D) profile makes it easier to line up. More mass in the head (365g) helps stabilise the stroke and assists in delivering more consistency. The putter features a PING black graphite shaft.

The matte-black head contrasts against the short, single white alignment line to draw the eye forward, eliminate distractions and make aiming easier. It differs from the classic Anser with its longer, slimmer profile that appeals to the eye and inspires confidence at address. It shares the Anser’s heel-toe weighting to provide stability and forgiveness.

A favoured mallet shape of tour pros, the highly forgiving Oslo is equipped with an Anser 4-style hosel to make it a good fit for strong-arc stroke types. The putter was produced in collaboration with current world no.17 Tyrrell Hatton. The fulllength alignment line contrasts with the matteblack head to form an appealing address profile and draw the eye forward.

PXG’s new drivers feature a strong titanium alloy face, a material that has an exceptionally high yield strength and a low elastic modulus that helps generate significant face deflection to create ultra-fast ball speeds. They also feature a carbon crown to save weight that can be positioned elsewhere in the head. The feature adjustable weights.

Offering the two models, the 0311 and 0311 XF, PXG has tried to create two drivers that really cater for different types of player.

The 0311 features a classic shape at address, with a noticeably deeper face and shorter heel to toe than many current drivers. It looks mean behind the ball. Aerodynamic shaping to the crown is really pronounced in comparison to the The 0311 XF features a flatter, more symmetrical driver head, designed to maximise forgiveness and raise launch. If you’re looking for a driver that wants to find every fairway, rather than one that can be hammered an extra 10 yards occasionally, this is the driver you’re looking for. Adjustable weighting in both drivers can be used to create a shot bias or create more forgiveness as well as be utilised for finding the perfect swing weight. Internally, sound has been improved by the use of a new rib structure, while a variable thickness face helps generate more ball speed across the face.

RRP: £469RRP: £469