Ping Anser Driver Review - Forum Testing

[sharkwrestler]

Thanks man. I am excited too. I am having such good results with both shafts. I really need some numbers to settle my dilemma.

This will be interesting to see how different the numbers turn out for you Grant.
It's good that you've waited a bit to get the numbers to get your groove on with both the shafts.
I believe this will provide a truthful results chart of what these shaft's will ultimately produce for you.

 

[mikedean441]

great writeups Grant and Kmac

Grant, if Ping called you and demanded today you send back the shaft you dont want, which one would it be at this point in time?

 

[GrantD]

great writeups Grant and Kmac

Grant, if Ping called you and demanded today you send back the shaft you dont want, which one would it be at this point in time?

I would probably keep the 'Ahina. I just see a better consistency for me out of it. The ball flight is great out of both shafts, I just get a little bit more side to side results out of the TFC. I think that is mostly due to the torque of the shaft.

 

[mikedean441]

I would probably keep the 'Ahina. I just see a better consistency for me out of it. The ball flight is great out of both shafts, I just get a little bit more side to side results out of the TFC. I think that is mostly due to the torque of the shaft.

I noticed a better consistency with it as well. Will be interesting to see if your opinion changes over the next few weeks as you make your decision.

 

[GrantD]

I noticed a better consistency with it as well. Will be interesting to see if your opinion changes over the next few weeks as you make your decision.

Yeah. I am interest in my round next Monday. I am just going to play the TFC during that round to see how it fairs out for me.

 

[ddxu]

Ping Anser (RH)
9.5* set at + (10*)
Fujikura Blur Stiff Shaft
Shoal Creek Golf Club
75* & Winds 20-25 mph (left to right)


I was able to spend about 15 mins on the range last night hitting the Anser driver before they closed the range to complete an aeration on it. I wanted to specifically test several different theories we've discussed on here and see how they translated to my game. It was so windy, the tripod my Flip was holding kept falling over, so there wasnt any usuable video I could post.

I warmed up hitting a few drives like I typically would with my 910. I would tee the ball the same height, same ball position, same tempo, etc. I saw about 90% of these shots have a nice draw on them. Granted, they were pretty low and not the normal distance I usually see, but I am sure the wind was playing a big factor there. They were about 5 yard draws so it made me wonder if those wouldve been hooks if not for the left to right wind.

Tee height:
Next I dug into my bag and took out my THP Epoch tees. I teed the ball up a bit higher than usual (last green line on the tee) and I did see a higher flight than I saw previously. These balls were landing a bit more right of my first shots, but that may be caused by the higher ball flight riding the wind more than my first set of shots. I hit one ball pretty high on the face and it didnt go near as far as the rest and it had the loudest 'pingy' sound to it. I then teed the balls up one line higher and it just felt so weird at address, I couldnt make decent swings without thinking about marking it up.

Sound:
Next I wanted to test the sound. Like I said, it was so windy, the flip couldnt catch good clips of the sound because the wind was masking all the other sounds. After every shot, I looked at the face and tried to make a correlation to where on the face you hit and what changes in the sound. The high ball ont he face I noted above was the loudest ping. IT almost sounded like my old Nike SQ 5900 driver. The most distinct crack was when I hit one dead on the screws. Thats the sound I expect to hear when I hit one on the button, loud, solid, crack. The other balls out on the toe or a bit on the heel often varied in sound. Some were just muted, some had a tingy sound, but I couldnt find a consistent pattern. Granted, sound doesnt bother me at all, I just wanted to mention it because it has been discussed so heavily here. I would never buy/not buy a driver based on sound.

Other notes:
I love how the face leaves little impressions on contact. The marks are easily wiped away with a finger swipe, but it really helps to know where on the face you made contact.

I havent warmed up to the stock Ping grip yet. I do like how its the same pattern regardless of what position the head is set to, but it just feels harsh to me (and I game the NDMCs). They look like a different version of a tour velvet, but the treads are much harsher. I could see these working much better in the humidity/rain than the tour velvets, but I find them rough.

Grooves on the sole. I hit probably about 40 balls total and I didnt see much dirt/grime in the sole grooves. The tee grass was dry and clean, so I am sure that played a role.

 

[GrantD]

Nice write up ddxu. It is tough getting solid results on windy days out there. I am glad to hear that you had good ball flights in the wind. What is that below the 9.5 on the sole of the driver? Dirt?

 

[Kmac]

Nice write up ddxu. So you saw better results with the ball teed more lower then higher? Or about the same place you normally tee it up?

 

[mikedean441]

great writeup ddxu, I saw you have it set closed at 10* like I am, have you tinkered with going the other way yet at all?

 

[IceyShanks]

ddxu, looks like a nice grouping on there. Do you find it easy to groove the swing and find the same spot on the face each time?

 

[ddxu]

Nice write up ddxu. It is tough getting solid results on windy days out there. I am glad to hear that you had good ball flights in the wind. What is that below the 9.5 on the sole of the driver? Dirt?

Yes, it was a little piece of dried dirt.


(waiting for a flight, so I can't multiquote)

Kmac - I found better results teeing the ball higher than normal but not teeing it away too high.

Icey - I was able to get very repeatable ball flights pretty easy. I was on the range too, so we will see this weekend how repeatable it is under actual round pressure.

 

[mikedean441]

Yes, it was a little piece of dried dirt.


(waiting for a flight, so I can't multiquote)

Kmac - I found better results teeing the ball higher than normal but not teeing it away too high.

Icey - I was able to get very repeatable ball flights pretty easy. I was on the range too, so we will see this weekend how repeatable it is under actual round pressure.

hey, u missed my ? lol

 

[ddxu]

great writeup ddxu, I saw you have it set closed at 10* like I am, have you tinkered with going the other way yet at all?

I haven't tinkered with going the other way at all.

 

[Wicked Cool Bearded Man]

nice write ups and thoughts guys. The low ball flight issue is interesting. I personally like lower launching drivers.

 

[GrantD]

nice write ups and thoughts guys. The low ball flight issue is interesting. I personally like lower launching drivers.

I don't know if it is an issue, but I seem to lift up on this club more than ones before. I am going from a D4 swing weight to a D3 swing weight. I wonder if that would make a difference like this.

 

[SW]

I thought I made this post last night but apparently not. Grant and Kmac, those two updates were great dudes. Grant I've been interested in your reviews especially as you have two shafts to compare. Your results with the TFC mirror what I saw, more of a fade bias compared to the other options.

 

[GrantD]

I thought I made this post last night but apparently not. Grant and Kmac, those two updates were great dudes. Grant I've been interested in your reviews especially as you have two shafts to compare. Your results with the TFC mirror what I saw, more of a fade bias compared to the other options.

Yeah, I think it is due to the torque of the shaft. The 'Ahina is a little lower.


Tapatalkin

 

[Kmac]

Got in a full 18 yesterday with the Anser, saw some interesting results. I'll try to get the recap up here in the next few days but I like what Im seeing from this driver.

 

[GrantD]

Got in a full 18 yesterday with the Anser, saw some interesting results. I'll try to get the recap up here in the next few days but I like what Im seeing from this driver.

Nice dude.

 

[sharkwrestler]

Got in a full 18 yesterday with the Anser, saw some interesting results. I'll try to get the recap up here in the next few days but I like what Im seeing from this driver.

This post sounds positive Kmac looking forward to your write up.

 

[mikedean441]

Got in a full 18 yesterday with the Anser, saw some interesting results. I'll try to get the recap up here in the next few days but I like what Im seeing from this driver.

glad to hear, looking forward to seeing how it unfolded

rain coming this afternoon, been sick for 4 straight days, forcing myself to get out there and swing this club again, worst case I get 9 or range time in (assuming its open again). I'll be sure to report back

 

[ddxu]

This bad boy is getting the start tomorrow in STL. I am leaving my other driver at home, this should give me a good check to see how it performs for me.

 

[mikedean441]

Yeah I like this thing...a shame the fairway trap stopped ithe ball

 

[IceyShanks]

Yeah I like this thing...a shame the fairway trap stopped ithe ball

Nice drive, looks like you and the Anser is getting along fine!!!

 

[mikedean441]

Fact...this driver is awesome


41-43-39 today

Phone dying ill be back later with more details