I was hitting them around 250 on average. The heel misses were in the 235ish range and pretty low. My normal miss is usually on the toe, so the heel misses were pretty new to me. All the drivers I've played this year measure 45" in length.
Ping Anser Driver Review - Forum Testing
I was hitting them around 250 on average. The heel misses were in the 235ish range and pretty low. My normal miss is usually on the toe, so the heel misses were pretty new to me. All the drivers I've played this year measure 45" in length.
Grant, sounds like the TFC might not be for you, I'll be curious to see the monitor numbers.
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
I am excited to see them too. I hope to get on the monitor after my lesson. If not, I am going to find one around my area to use.
I am about to get off of work in a bit. I am going out for another round this afternoon. The 'Ahina is going back in the driver and I wonder if I will see longer distances and better accuracy?
mikedean441
6X HOF
9 hole Full Round with the Anser
Date: 9-22-2012
Location: Hamilton Elks Golf Club, Red Course, Blue Tees 35.2, 131
Club Tested: Ping Anser driver 9.5* Diamana Ahina, set to 10*
Previous Club: Nike VRS
Ball used: Titleist ProV1
Conditions: 62* and WINDY
Against my better judgement I went out and played 9 holes Saturday with the Anser. I was hoping to continue the solid performance that I had experienced just 24 hours prior to. This was going to be difficult to duplicate as according to the pro shop the wind gusts were between 35 and 40 mph. In hindsight it might have been a good time to try the lower loft at 9* to help fight the wind, but I stuck with what worked the day before.
Hole #1 359 yards par 4-Hole doglegs tot he right to an elevated green
--Hit a very high ball here started in middle of fairway and by the time the wind was sdoen I was heading towards the far right rough, but lucky for me it hit the cart path and bounced out into the open. Official distance was 267 with only sand wedge to go into the green.
Hole #2 397 yards par 4--Doglegs to the right, bunker at corner and in frount of green.
--This hole gives me fit, usually my slice swing sends one towards the weeds on the right, but I hooked this one a bit to the left into the rough, didnt catch it well at all and was only 220 off of the tee with a LONG ways to go. Had to hit 7I just to get out to civilization.
Hole #6 514 yards par 5--Hole goes right off of the tee, kind of narrow until you get inside 150ish.
--With the wind howling I tried to tee the ball down...this was a FAIL, as I barely made contact and hit a work burner out only 202 off of the tee.
Hole #7 309 yards par 4--Short par 4, water in front of green, usually a 3W off tee leaves you abuut 10-15 yards in front of the water.
--hti driver just for the heck of it, shorted my swing both coming back and then through the ball to keep it down, it worked and I hit it right were I was aiming, I caught it a little better than expected and it rolled throught he fairway trap and up into the rough, but only 54 yards to center of the green. Didnt GPS this one as it took awhile to find in the rough.
Hole #8 499 yards par 5-- Straight off of the tee then dog legs left and green sits up every high on a hill.
--Finally hit a fairway as the widn didnt push the ball all the way it to the right side rough again. Wasnt long at 238 but wasnt to be expected after hanging out in the wind for awhile.
Hole #9 365 yards par 4--Straight away par 4 with hills in the fairways, normally resulting in awkard approaches
--Thought I hit back to back fairways with this low line drive but got up tot eh ball and just missed it by about 3 feet. Distance was 234 off of the tee down the left side.
All in all I only hit 2 fairways, but the swind stopped me from having at least 1 more so I cant be too mad. I didnt feel as thought I was swinging the club as well as the day before and my contact on the clu face was lower center than usual. Not sure if I was teeing it up too low or what but there was just no consistency with that which lead to inconsistent shots.
Going forwrd if Im in those conditions again, I will certainly try the 9* loft as the wind kicked my butt and I need all of the help I can get.
Date: 9-22-2012
Location: Hamilton Elks Golf Club, Red Course, Blue Tees 35.2, 131
Club Tested: Ping Anser driver 9.5* Diamana Ahina, set to 10*
Previous Club: Nike VRS
Ball used: Titleist ProV1
Conditions: 62* and WINDY
Against my better judgement I went out and played 9 holes Saturday with the Anser. I was hoping to continue the solid performance that I had experienced just 24 hours prior to. This was going to be difficult to duplicate as according to the pro shop the wind gusts were between 35 and 40 mph. In hindsight it might have been a good time to try the lower loft at 9* to help fight the wind, but I stuck with what worked the day before.
Hole #1 359 yards par 4-Hole doglegs tot he right to an elevated green
--Hit a very high ball here started in middle of fairway and by the time the wind was sdoen I was heading towards the far right rough, but lucky for me it hit the cart path and bounced out into the open. Official distance was 267 with only sand wedge to go into the green.
Hole #2 397 yards par 4--Doglegs to the right, bunker at corner and in frount of green.
--This hole gives me fit, usually my slice swing sends one towards the weeds on the right, but I hooked this one a bit to the left into the rough, didnt catch it well at all and was only 220 off of the tee with a LONG ways to go. Had to hit 7I just to get out to civilization.
Hole #6 514 yards par 5--Hole goes right off of the tee, kind of narrow until you get inside 150ish.
--With the wind howling I tried to tee the ball down...this was a FAIL, as I barely made contact and hit a work burner out only 202 off of the tee.
Hole #7 309 yards par 4--Short par 4, water in front of green, usually a 3W off tee leaves you abuut 10-15 yards in front of the water.
--hti driver just for the heck of it, shorted my swing both coming back and then through the ball to keep it down, it worked and I hit it right were I was aiming, I caught it a little better than expected and it rolled throught he fairway trap and up into the rough, but only 54 yards to center of the green. Didnt GPS this one as it took awhile to find in the rough.
Hole #8 499 yards par 5-- Straight off of the tee then dog legs left and green sits up every high on a hill.
--Finally hit a fairway as the widn didnt push the ball all the way it to the right side rough again. Wasnt long at 238 but wasnt to be expected after hanging out in the wind for awhile.
Hole #9 365 yards par 4--Straight away par 4 with hills in the fairways, normally resulting in awkard approaches
--Thought I hit back to back fairways with this low line drive but got up tot eh ball and just missed it by about 3 feet. Distance was 234 off of the tee down the left side.
All in all I only hit 2 fairways, but the swind stopped me from having at least 1 more so I cant be too mad. I didnt feel as thought I was swinging the club as well as the day before and my contact on the clu face was lower center than usual. Not sure if I was teeing it up too low or what but there was just no consistency with that which lead to inconsistent shots.
Going forwrd if Im in those conditions again, I will certainly try the 9* loft as the wind kicked my butt and I need all of the help I can get.
Nice updates Mike and Grant. You guys are doing better then me right now. I hit this well on the range as well as my irons too. I was ready to lay a hurtin on Buckjob and then the snap hookers came back. I fought it all day long and at the turn I even gave up on hitting the Anser. That didnt help me much either as I was hitting everything in my bag left. I was so frustrated I went with PGA Pro Buckjob to the range to work things out afterwards. I was striping everything. He even laughed at me because he saw how bad things went during our round. Its all tempo and timing. I was getting quick on the course, not finishing my backswing, not taking the club back correctly and that was causing the hooks. On the range I was hitting bombs again. I did seem to be losing my ball to the right a lot though. Starting to wonder if I should have gone stiff flex with the TFC now. Good thing was I left feeling better because I did like how things went during the round.
10YardDraw
Ex Club Ho
Some great updates in here testers! Have been really busy at work so I have not been able to THP as much as I would like lately but getting caught up. Hopefully you get this all figured out Kmod, nothing worse than having the driver woes.
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
5th Round with Anser- 'Ahina shaft
Highland Creek Golf Course, Charlotte, NC
75*, no wind
Blue tees, 6520 yds, 71.7/ 133
I made it out to a local course I had a voucher too. I really like this course and it has tight fairways. I figured it would be a really hard test for the 'Ahina shaft in the Anser. I figured if I could have good FIR stats on this course, I would be able to make it anywhere. Last time I was at this course, I only had 6/14 fairways with my last driver. I had about a 57% FIR status with that driver too.
I jumped right on the course without a warm up, since I was able to play till after I got off work at 3. I was a bit hurried at first, trying to get out in front of another group, so I wouldn't get slowed down. It took me a little a few holes to get settled in and my tempo down. Once I got it to a groove it was going great. I really felt like the Anser/'Ahina combo did a great job out there today. Here is the score card for the day.
I am out 60% FIR with the driver for the day, but my misses were very minimal. I didn't miss to the right the most, I think this was mostly a fade I have been playing lately. It was very small with the 'Ahina vs the TFC the last round. The ball flight was lower too. This helped with this miss.
Here are my distances for the day. I didn't get as much roll out on these fairways I as I did the last time I played the 'Ahina shaft. I think my average roll out was around 10 yds.
2- 250, left of fairway, I aimed a little to far left and it when dead straight.
4- 250, right of fairway in fairway bunker. Small fade.
5- 260, middle
7- 250, middle
8- 263, middle
9- 215, middle, hit on the bottom of face, low runner
10- 267, middle
12- 310, middle on down hill fairway, a lot of roll out
16- 210, right, hit on the bottom of the face again, low runner in to the rough
18- 240, short, hit a fairway bunker 230 that I was trying to clear.
Overall- I felt like today was a really good day with the driver. My swing wasn't totally on and I kept missing to the right, but not bad. I was either in the center of the fairway or the right rough. I was able to get GIRs on 50% of the times I missed right. I really think this is the gamer shaft for me off of feel and playing. I have an appointment next week on a launch monitor. It should give me concrete results on which shaft is the best for me numbers wise. I am going to make my decision at that point.
Previous post
Highland Creek Golf Course, Charlotte, NC
75*, no wind
Blue tees, 6520 yds, 71.7/ 133
I made it out to a local course I had a voucher too. I really like this course and it has tight fairways. I figured it would be a really hard test for the 'Ahina shaft in the Anser. I figured if I could have good FIR stats on this course, I would be able to make it anywhere. Last time I was at this course, I only had 6/14 fairways with my last driver. I had about a 57% FIR status with that driver too.
I jumped right on the course without a warm up, since I was able to play till after I got off work at 3. I was a bit hurried at first, trying to get out in front of another group, so I wouldn't get slowed down. It took me a little a few holes to get settled in and my tempo down. Once I got it to a groove it was going great. I really felt like the Anser/'Ahina combo did a great job out there today. Here is the score card for the day.
Spoiler
I am out 60% FIR with the driver for the day, but my misses were very minimal. I didn't miss to the right the most, I think this was mostly a fade I have been playing lately. It was very small with the 'Ahina vs the TFC the last round. The ball flight was lower too. This helped with this miss.
Here are my distances for the day. I didn't get as much roll out on these fairways I as I did the last time I played the 'Ahina shaft. I think my average roll out was around 10 yds.
2- 250, left of fairway, I aimed a little to far left and it when dead straight.
4- 250, right of fairway in fairway bunker. Small fade.
5- 260, middle
7- 250, middle
8- 263, middle
9- 215, middle, hit on the bottom of face, low runner
10- 267, middle
12- 310, middle on down hill fairway, a lot of roll out
16- 210, right, hit on the bottom of the face again, low runner in to the rough
18- 240, short, hit a fairway bunker 230 that I was trying to clear.
Overall- I felt like today was a really good day with the driver. My swing wasn't totally on and I kept missing to the right, but not bad. I was either in the center of the fairway or the right rough. I was able to get GIRs on 50% of the times I missed right. I really think this is the gamer shaft for me off of feel and playing. I have an appointment next week on a launch monitor. It should give me concrete results on which shaft is the best for me numbers wise. I am going to make my decision at that point.
Previous post
Spoiler
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Good stuff Grant! Solid numbers all the way around man.
When you say the 'Ahina is lower launching than the TFC, how would you categorize it? Low-Mid or more like mid plus? Also, what loft were you set at today?
When you say the 'Ahina is lower launching than the TFC, how would you categorize it? Low-Mid or more like mid plus? Also, what loft were you set at today?
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
I would say the 'Ahina is at a Mid and the TFC is at a Mid-High. I was set at 9.5 neutral.
Cool, thanks for that. I was hitting the TFC a hair higher than I am used to so the 'Ahina may be a better fit for me. I was still impressed with the TFC though, no ballooning and definitely a solid stock offering.
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
I think the TFC is a great shaft. I just tend to lose it to the right and higher than the 'Ahina. I think this would not be good at all on a windy day. I think the 'Ahina would be a great shaft for you dude. It is a mid height missile bomber. I am loving it.
- Moderator
- #412
5th Round with Anser- 'Ahina shaft
Highland Creek Golf Course, Charlotte, NC
75*, no wind
Blue tees, 6520 yds, 71.7/ 133
I made it out to a local course I had a voucher too. I really like this course and it has tight fairways. I figured it would be a really hard test for the 'Ahina shaft in the Anser. I figured if I could have good FIR stats on this course, I would be able to make it anywhere. Last time I was at this course, I only had 6/14 fairways with my last driver. I had about a 57% FIR status with that driver too.
I jumped right on the course without a warm up, since I was able to play till after I got off work at 3. I was a bit hurried at first, trying to get out in front of another group, so I wouldn't get slowed down. It took me a little a few holes to get settled in and my tempo down. Once I got it to a groove it was going great. I really felt like the Anser/'Ahina combo did a great job out there today. Here is the score card for the day.
Spoiler
I am out 60% FIR with the driver for the day, but my misses were very minimal. I didn't miss to the right the most, I think this was mostly a fade I have been playing lately. It was very small with the 'Ahina vs the TFC the last round. The ball flight was lower too. This helped with this miss.
Here are my distances for the day. I didn't get as much roll out on these fairways I as I did the last time I played the 'Ahina shaft. I think my average roll out was around 10 yds.
2- 250, left of fairway, I aimed a little to far left and it when dead straight.
4- 250, right of fairway in fairway bunker. Small fade.
5- 260, middle
7- 250, middle
8- 263, middle
9- 215, middle, hit on the bottom of face, low runner
10- 267, middle
12- 310, middle on down hill fairway, a lot of roll out
16- 210, right, hit on the bottom of the face again, low runner in to the rough
18- 240, short, hit a fairway bunker 230 that I was trying to clear.
Overall- I felt like today was a really good day with the driver. My swing wasn't totally on and I kept missing to the right, but not bad. I was either in the center of the fairway or the right rough. I was able to get GIRs on 50% of the times I missed right. I really think this is the gamer shaft for me off of feel and playing. I have an appointment next week on a launch monitor. It should give me concrete results on which shaft is the best for me numbers wise. I am going to make my decision at that point.
Sounds like the Ahina is the way to go man, and 310 is a BOMB! What do you think was the major cause of your two screamers?
Kmac hitting bombs again is awesome. I wonder if the folks at Ping would mind if Grant sent you his extra TFC shaft for you to try (should he decide make his decision final on the 'Ahina)?
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
I just caught them low on the face. I think I didn't stay down on the ball on these swings.
Tapatalkin
mikedean441
6X HOF
Well at least you identified the problem, I can normally feel when my tempo is off, and the results are usually similar to yours...snap hook
good luck next go around
mikedean441
6X HOF
same here man, I love seeing the ball mark on the face to validate when Im catching them thin. I should be thankful to get 200 yards out of these as Ive had other drivers that are a lot less forgiving when you miss down there
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
Yesterday was the first time that I have caught balls that low. I was satisfied with the results, but not happy with the swing. I made sure I stayed down and through on the next drive.
mikedean441
6X HOF
yeah I think mine is a combo of that and tee hight. Still getting used to having to see it up higher than the previous few drivers I have owned
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
Yeah, I think I had it teed up high enough. I think it was just user error. That happens here and there. HAHA
I sure wouldnt mind trying the stiff. That was what I was hitting at Golfsmith actually now that I think about it and it worked really well.
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
Let me do the launch monitor next week and I will let you know which one wins. If Ping is cool with it. I will send the other to you.
Sounds good Grant. Buck and I were watching my ball flight on the range and both agreed the stiff might help me out a bit. That and a new swing. lol
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
We all could use a new swing. Tiger included! My Golf Tec pro said he could get me on a launch monitor next week. I was going to do it tonight, but the store I am going to LM is struggling.
I hate when the LM is struggling because when that thing is struggling you know things are bad.
GrantD
Formerly Known as DMB012
That is true dude.