We've launched the new forums! Read more here

PING Sigma 2 Putters Bring Adjustability

SeeMore Golf
This afternoon, I took the Anser to the putting green at The Tribute in The Colony, TX, my home course. This is a Links course and the greens are tough. They are very well kept but you could be on the green and still have a long way to go uphill, downhill, to the side: it’s practically a roller coaster but a lot of fun. The putting green here is sloped and challenging. I took a few pictures of it but it’s hard to tell by looking at these.
I used 5 Chrome Soft Truvis and started from 5 feet out. I did this twice and hit 7 of 10. I like the control of the face and I barely had to tap it. I used the 5 again and hit twice from 10 feet. 4 of 10 but only missed within 6 inches mostly to the left.
I moved to the top of a slope from 20 feet away and hit the 5 twice. Made 1 of 10 as it was a right to left slope. 2 went past by 4 feet and the rest stayed within 1-2 feet. It took a bit to get used to how much force to hit the Anser. Anything I missed I tapped in.
I moved farther up the slope aiming at the same hole but from a different angle. You had to hit wide right for it to curve left. The first four of 10 went wide left by several feet. The next 6, I barely gave the ball a shove and 1 went in with the other 5 staying with a two foot range.
I then moved to the bottom of the slope and went 30 feet away uphill where you had to hit it past 20 feet for it to stay near the cup without rolling back down. This is where I had the most problems. I am used to hitting a Toulon Indy with added weight so using the lighter Anser blade was an adjustment. The first three got to the crest of the hill and rolled back down. I then had to hit the next 7 pretty hard to get it up the slope. I didn’t have a lot of control and only one went near the cup. I started over and hit another 10 times. Only one rolled back down and the others stayed within range of the cup and I was able to putt 8 of 10 in.
From the hour I was out there, I can say that anything close I really like the feel and control. Middle distance or downhill putts and I was able to steer the ball to a manageable distance. Uphill putts got the best of me as I had to move from little force to more than what I expected to get the ball close enough to the hole. I’ll have to keep this in mind the next time I play 18 here. The grip was very comfortable and I like how my hands gripped the club. The next post should be during a round I can hopefully play this week.
723e46068b905cfd4040c8e77603df12.jpg
58d020ecc039d52ccf8167bbfb36f0b5.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Good stuff so far guys. Sorry if this is a skin but have any of you played previous Ping putters with their previous inserts? How would you compare them?
 
KEV said:
Good stuff so far guys. Sorry if this is a skin but have any of you played previous Ping putters with their previous inserts? How would you compare them?
Click to expand...

This is my first Ping so no comparison from previous models.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
KEV said:
Good stuff so far guys. Sorry if this is a skin but have any of you played previous Ping putters with their previous inserts? How would you compare them?
Click to expand...

Can’t help here, as I have never played a Ping putter before the Sigma 2. I do think that the insert on this putter is great, however, and those that have tried it in my group have agreed.
 
KEV said:
Good stuff so far guys. Sorry if this is a skin but have any of you played previous Ping putters with their previous inserts? How would you compare them?
Click to expand...

Way more of a blended feeling at impact now for me, not clicky/harsh, but not like a marshmallow like so many inserts. I honestly believe PING is THE most overlooked when it comes to inserts and what they’re doing. I’ve been blown away at the pace and quickness of the roll off the face, I legitimately feel like it requires a smaller and more controlled stroke. In fact, I can count on one hand so far how many outs I’ve left short.

The ZB has been fun, I’m a long time sucker for a flow neck and this one is so much clean class mixed with high tech that it works. That said, I think long term the Kushin would be the way I’d lean but that’s me being a big believer in what center shaft does for my game on the greens.
 
Ok, so I took the Wolverine out for its first round yesterday. I had plenty of time on the practice green to get a feel for it and I was feeling good going into the round. I think I had it set at 33.5" and my normal putter is 33". Not much difference, but a little. All in all, I putted fairly well with it. I did have a 4 putt, but that's because A) I was rushing some short putts and not taking my time because we were running out of light and, B) I feel like the ball jumps off this face a little more than expected on shorter putts. In time, I might get used it, but it's an adjustment. As far as distance control, I feel like I had decent speed on longer putts with it. I had several 20'+ putts that I lagged very close.

Also, before the round, on the practice green, I approached a couple of randoms and asked them to give me a couple minutes to hit the putter. Texted them a link to THP and asked them to stop in and put their $.02 in this thread. Hopefully, they'll stop in. They seemed to really like the feel of the putter and were impressed with the ease of adjustability.
 
Reviews hit the home page directing readers here.
Looking forward to continued feedback from testers.
 
PING Sigma 2 Putters Bring Adjustability

After my 54 hole golf-a-palooza two weekends ago, I have not had much opportunity to get the Ping Sigma 2 Kushin C out to the course due to holiday and work obligations. But I have been able to roll a few balls on my indoor mat and have continued to love the decision to move back to a center shafted putter.

I keep thinking about a buddy of mine who during our last round was taking a look my Kushin C, seemingly perplexed as to why I would prefer the center shaft over the more popular goose neck design. I told him to give it a try without thinking about it, and he sunk a 15 footer like it was nothing. He then proceeded to miss the next 5 putts he tried with it. Personally, I think that a lot of what happened was a result of his thinking. When he had no expectations, his natural stroke was right in line. But when he was overthinking about having an “unorthodox” putter fit him better than his goose neck Scotty blade, he began to strike the ball off center.

This got me to thinking about why center shafted putters seem to have such a stigma. So I did a bit of google research and came across some interesting information about their history. For example, you know who won the 1999 US Open using a center shafted putter? Payne Stewart. Perhaps you have heard of him. In fact, center shafted putters were apparently all the rage in the 60’s and 70’s. But just like bellbottoms and vinyl records, the passage of time has moved center shafted putters to the status of “niche”. According to the information I found, much of this shift in popularity was the result of, ironically, Ping’s introduction of the Anser, effectively the cousin of the Kushin C.

The Anser is undoubtedly a great putter and has been wildly popular for a large number of years. But just because most people like it does not mean that there isn’t something better FOR YOU out there. Surely, if you asked me for a recommendation for a new car and I blindly replied “Toyota Camry” without learning a bit about your needs, you would discount my opinion, in spite of the Camry being the best selling passenger car by volume. Point being, just because one size may fit most, it does not mean one size fits all.

Another fun fact I learned through my research: Bob Bettinardi himself has used a center shafted putter for past few years. Crazy to think that a person who can literally use any style, shape or type of putter uses a face balanced center shafted putter, but yet he does.

After using a center stated mallet for a number of years, then changing to a heel balanced blade putter, and now back to a center shaft mid mallet, I can certainly feel the difference. The biggest benefit I have seen so far is the size of the sweet spot, with even the miss hits tending to travel close to the intended distance. So far, my biggest dislike is that my ball is tending to skip slightly on impact, which is indicative of me striking down on the ball a bit too much. However, I am still getting a consistent and tight roll when it gets going, so I am not sure how much it is impacting my results, if at all.

If you are open to it, I recommend giving the Kushin C chance to change your mind about what a putter should feel like. Be patient and give it a fair chance, as it’s face balanced feel is certainly different than the more popular heel balanced set up. If you do that, you may be just as surprised at the results as I am that people still buy vinyl records.
 
BigDill said:
After my 54 hole golf-a-palooza two weekends ago, I have not had much opportunity to get the Ping Sigma 2 Kushin C out to the course due to holiday and work obligations. But I have been able to roll a few balls on my indoor mat and have continued to love the decision to move back to a center shafted putter.

I keep thinking about a buddy of mine who during our last round was taking a look my Kushin C, seemingly perplexed as to why I would prefer the center shaft over the more popular goose neck design. I told him to give it a try without thinking about it, and he sunk a 15 footer like it was nothing. He then proceeded to miss the next 5 putts he tried with it. Personally, I think that a lot of what happened was a result of his thinking. When he had no expectations, his natural stroke was right in line. But when he was overthinking about having an “unorthodox” putter fit him better than his goose neck Scotty blade, he began to strike the ball off center.

This got me to thinking about why center shafted putters seem to have such a stigma. So I did a bit of google research and came across some interesting information about their history. For example, you know who won the 1999 US Open using a center shafted putter? Payne Stewart. Perhaps you have heard of him. In fact, center shafted putters were apparently all the rage in the 60’s and 70’s. But just like bellbottoms and vinyl records, the passage of time has moved center shafted putters to the status of “niche”. According to the information I found, much of this shift in popularity was the result of, ironically, Ping’s introduction of the Anser, effectively the cousin of the Kushin C.

The Anser is undoubtedly a great putter and has been wildly popular for a large number of years. But just because most people like it does not mean that there isn’t something better FOR YOU out there. Surely, if you asked me for a recommendation for a new car and I blindly replied “Toyota Camry” without learning a bit about your needs, you would discount my opinion, in spite of the Camry being the best selling passenger car by volume. Point being, just because one size may fit most, it does not mean one size fits all.

Another fun fact I learned through my research: Bob Bettinardi himself has used a center shafted putter for past few years. Crazy to think that a person who can literally use any style, shape or type of putter uses a face balanced center shafted putter, but yet he does.

After using a center stated mallet for a number of years, then changing to a heel balanced blade putter, and now back to a center shaft mid mallet, I can certainly feel the difference. The biggest benefit I have seen so far is the size of the sweet spot, with even the miss hits tending to travel close to the intended distance. So far, my biggest dislike is that my ball is tending to skip slightly on impact, which is indicative of me striking down on the ball a bit too much. However, I am still getting a consistent and tight roll when it gets going, so I am not sure how much it is impacting my results, if at all.

If you are open to it, I recommend giving the Kushin C chance to change your mind about what a putter should feel like. Be patient and give it a fair chance, as it’s face balanced feel is certainly different than the more popular heel balanced set up. If you do that, you may be just as surprised at the results as I am that people still buy vinyl records.
Click to expand...

I agree that the look of the center shaft may seem unnatural and that is why I wouldn’t pick one up at first. Based on reviews like this I’ll definitely give one a try the next time I’m at the PGA Superstore.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
BigDill said:
After my 54 hole golf-a-palooza two weekends ago, I have not had much opportunity to get the Ping Sigma 2 Kushin C out to the course due to holiday and work obligations. But I have been able to roll a few balls on my indoor mat and have continued to love the decision to move back to a center shafted putter.

I keep thinking about a buddy of mine who during our last round was taking a look my Kushin C, seemingly perplexed as to why I would prefer the center shaft over the more popular goose neck design. I told him to give it a try without thinking about it, and he sunk a 15 footer like it was nothing. He then proceeded to miss the next 5 putts he tried with it. Personally, I think that a lot of what happened was a result of his thinking. When he had no expectations, his natural stroke was right in line. But when he was overthinking about having an “unorthodox” putter fit him better than his goose neck Scotty blade, he began to strike the ball off center.

This got me to thinking about why center shafted putters seem to have such a stigma. So I did a bit of google research and came across some interesting information about their history. For example, you know who won the 1999 US Open using a center shafted putter? Payne Stewart. Perhaps you have heard of him. In fact, center shafted putters were apparently all the rage in the 60’s and 70’s. But just like bellbottoms and vinyl records, the passage of time has moved center shafted putters to the status of “niche”. According to the information I found, much of this shift in popularity was the result of, ironically, Ping’s introduction of the Anser, effectively the cousin of the Kushin C.

The Anser is undoubtedly a great putter and has been wildly popular for a large number of years. But just because most people like it does not mean that there isn’t something better FOR YOU out there. Surely, if you asked me for a recommendation for a new car and I blindly replied “Toyota Camry” without learning a bit about your needs, you would discount my opinion, in spite of the Camry being the best selling passenger car by volume. Point being, just because one size may fit most, it does not mean one size fits all.

Another fun fact I learned through my research: Bob Bettinardi himself has used a center shafted putter for past few years. Crazy to think that a person who can literally use any style, shape or type of putter uses a face balanced center shafted putter, but yet he does.

After using a center stated mallet for a number of years, then changing to a heel balanced blade putter, and now back to a center shaft mid mallet, I can certainly feel the difference. The biggest benefit I have seen so far is the size of the sweet spot, with even the miss hits tending to travel close to the intended distance. So far, my biggest dislike is that my ball is tending to skip slightly on impact, which is indicative of me striking down on the ball a bit too much. However, I am still getting a consistent and tight roll when it gets going, so I am not sure how much it is impacting my results, if at all.

If you are open to it, I recommend giving the Kushin C chance to change your mind about what a putter should feel like. Be patient and give it a fair chance, as it’s face balanced feel is certainly different than the more popular heel balanced set up. If you do that, you may be just as surprised at the results as I am that people still buy vinyl records.
Click to expand...

I'm a big fan of center shaft putters but was recently told something with toe hand would work better for my stroke. Having the shaft in the center of the putter face just seems to make sense to me and gives me confidence. I agree with you, I think more people should try a center shafted putter and this seems like a good option.
 
KEV said:
I'm a big fan of center shaft putters but was recently told something with toe hand would work better for my stroke. Having the shaft in the center of the putter face just seems to make sense to me and gives me confidence. I agree with you, I think more people should try a center shafted putter and this seems like a good option.
Click to expand...
By "recently", do you mean on Sept 14th?

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
PING Sigma 2 Putters Bring Adjustability

I went to a driving range near work during a long lunch where they have a sloped putting green. I took some lessons here earlier this year and the owner put a lot of slight breaks in this green for tougher practice.
7ee553290ec8f8de03bce2c9e662dce4.jpg

I had about 30 balls left from a 100 bucket from doing some irons work. I took some pictures to show what I was leaving short or long. I started with 8 or 9 from 10 feet away and made 2 with leaving the rest close.
23f89b7781d60d0e9cbbfe1f2e2632cd.jpg

I stayed in the same spot and hit about 20 feet away to the right where it slopes left to right. I made one, 2 went left or right by a few feet and left the rest close.
dbdc34c241a1375f0ea9e9b5753bd3ac.jpg

I collected the balls and went down the green about 20 feet from 3 cups and hit from an angle so it curved right to left or left to right. I left most within 6 inches and a few within 2 feet and got one in two of the cups.
94cefc3b55b1ccd4c4d479b7c54cfbfd.jpg

I then hit a few balls from the top right of the green to the bottom left. It’s at least around 60 feet with at least one break and two different slight slopes. You don’t have to hit it too hard and surprisingly got 3 out of 9 very close.
15017f7c2fad05f2e01ee36d62883b1f.jpg

I found that I am pushing quite a few putts left of the cup but it only took a moment to dial in the distance for most of them. I worked on adjusting my follow through and it helped. I also realized that if I heard a click upon impact from hitting the metal surrounding the face, I was off target. If I hit the soft face in the center, which led to a good putt, I could barely hear a muted “dunk” type of sound: that’s the best way I could describe it. The sound for me is a good indicator of what will happen to the ball’s path.
Hitting uphill after barely tapping the putter for downhill or to the side putts, was a slight challenge but quickly remembered after my first practice round to give it a heavier follow through. Again, I have been using a weighted Toulon Indy and uphill putts were not a big deal. From the spread and pattern of the balls during this practice session, I was pleased with what I saw. I like the control, weight and balance of the Anser. I’d have to say that about 80-85% of these were gimmies with the guys I play with or at least, within 6-24 inches for a simple tap in. From having good control and results from 5-10 footers, I would be good with those odds. Leaving 3 in a row from around 60 feet downhill made me pretty happy to say the least. The grip was still very comfortable and the 35” length was solid: no movement at all with the grip locked in place.
I’m trying to get a round in this weekend so I’ll have the Anser in play for a full 18.
Hope I can achieve some good results then and maybe shave a few strokes off the score.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
PING Sigma 2 Putters Bring Adjustability

So, what do you do when a crazy blizzard in Chicago forces your sons to change plane tickets and not head back to college just yet?

You make a putting contest with the Sigma 2 putter.


Fetch reviews:

With rain making my outside putting reviews more difficult, we had to improvise to inside putting. Might as well have some competition fun too.

Two things about myself and those in my family are 1. We are way too close. Like Happy Days meets Everyone Loves Raymond close. and 2. We are very competitive.

For our Sunday night I setup my Puttout Six and Nine feet away and gave each person (6 in all) the Sigma 2 Fetch putter and created the point system of 1 pt for in the hole and 4 pts for in the hole to stay.

Not to bore everyone with how this played out, lets just leave it as I was surely not the winner. Lol

What I did want from each person was to give me feedback on the Fetch putter.

Here are the common pros from the group:

The ball comes off the putter smoothly and true.

Feel was very good at the distances of six and nine feet. (We need to get outside to judge longer distances and lag feel)

The adjustable grip makes getting the exact length very easy to adjust.

The Pistol grip felt very comfortable

The putter head weight was easy to keep the club head keep a straighter line through the putt.

Most in the group really liked how the Fetch hole made it so easy to pickup the ball off the floor. Especially, my 70 year old Dad. He absolutely loved that feature and can’t wait to borrow the putter on the course to see it in action on the greens.


There were a couple cons from the group:

A couple of the guys felt the sound from the putter was too muted and didn’t give enough feedback on solid strokes versus off the toe or heel.

The putter head being somewhat small gave a feeling of hitting off center. They felt the smaller face made it more difficult to hit the center consistently.

The circle hole was distracting for a few of the guys. They said all they could see was a big hole in the middle of the putter.

f93c0d661f5526c454616313e35dc468.jpg


All in all, the group gave the Fetch two thumbs up. However, this review is still limited to inside putting and I need to get outside. Hopefully this weekend I can get on the greens.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
fflmaster said:
So, what do you do when a crazy blizzard in Chicago forces your sons to change plane tickets and not head back to college just yet?

You make a putting contest with the Sigma 2 putter.


Fetch reviews:

With rain making my outside putting reviews more difficult, we had to improvise to inside putting. Might as well have some competition fun too.

Two things about myself and those in my family are 1. We are way too close. Like Happy Days meets Everyone Loves Raymond close. and 2. We are very competitive.

For our Sunday night I setup my Puttout Six and Nine feet away and gave each person (6 in all) the Sigma 2 Fetch putter and created the point system of 1 pt for in the hole and 4 pts for in the hole to stay.

Not to bore everyone with how this played out, lets just leave it as I was surely not the winner. Lol

What I did want from each person was to give me feedback on the Fetch putter.

Here are the common pros from the group:

The ball comes off the putter smoothly and true.

Feel was very good at the distances of six and nine feet. (We need to get outside to judge longer distances and lag feel)

The adjustable grip makes getting the exact length very easy to adjust.

The Pistol grip felt very comfortable

The putter head weight was easy to keep the club head keep a straighter line through the putt.

Most in the group really liked how the Fetch hole made it so easy to pickup the ball off the floor. Especially, my 70 year old Dad. He absolutely loved that feature and can’t wait to borrow the putter on the course to see it in action on the greens.


There were a couple cons from the group:

A couple of the guys felt the sound from the putter was too muted and didn’t give enough feedback on solid strokes versus off the toe or heel.

The putter head being somewhat small gave a feeling of hitting off center. They felt the smaller face made it more difficult to hit the center consistently.

The circle hole was distracting for a few of the guys. They said all they could see was a big hole in the middle of the putter.

f93c0d661f5526c454616313e35dc468.jpg


All in all, the group gave the Fetch two thumbs up. However, this review is still limited to inside putting and I need to get outside. Hopefully this weekend I can get on the greens.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Great stuff man!

I’m actually the opposite with the small face. I enjoy it being smaller as it allows the great feedback of not hitting center.

I have 3 rounds with it now and I have had some pretty good success with it. Mostly with alignment/starting point. Still working on speed control but mainly from leaving putts short haha. Also hard as the greens are starting to get slower here. More moisture and lower temps you know haha. Plus they don’t cut it nearly as tight.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Great stuff guys! @fflmaster, you referred to off center hits and I'm curious if you or anyone else notices a positive impact from that TR Face pattern? If I remember correctly it's supposed to help give more consistent speed control on off center hits, any feedback on this?
 
KEV said:
Great stuff guys! @fflmaster, you referred to off center hits and I'm curious if you or anyone else notices a positive impact from that TR Face pattern? If I remember correctly it's supposed to help give more consistent speed control on off center hits, any feedback on this?
Click to expand...

Me personally i am seeing some added benefit in terms of distance. Is it coming from the insert/grooves or the overall design/moi of the putter I don’t know and certainly not qualified to try and say haha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
KEV said:
Great stuff guys! @fflmaster, you referred to off center hits and I'm curious if you or anyone else notices a positive impact from that TR Face pattern? If I remember correctly it's supposed to help give more consistent speed control on off center hits, any feedback on this?
Click to expand...

There was a video developed by ping that measured ballspeeds off a TR and non TR face that showed the grooves Maintained more consistent ballspeeds across the face. The important note is that ballspeeds are slower on center hits. I’ll have to look for the video again since I saw it quite a few months ago.
 
PING Sigma 2 Putters Bring Adjustability

KEV said:
Great stuff guys! @fflmaster, you referred to off center hits and I'm curious if you or anyone else notices a positive impact from that TR Face pattern? If I remember correctly it's supposed to help give more consistent speed control on off center hits, any feedback on this?
Click to expand...

The ball comes off very hot in my testing so far.

I actually tried hitting off the toe and heel to see the differences. I am very happy to say the Fetch does a fantastic job of keeping similar speed and line for the off-center hits.

Once I get on a green I am going to make a couple videos to see how off-center hits roll. My plan is this Monday I think it will finally stop raining and I can get out for some good testing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
fflmaster said:
The ball comes off very hot in my testing so far.

I actually tried hitting off the toe and heel to see the differences. I am very happy to say the Fetch does a fantastic job of keeping similar speed and line for the off-center hits.

Once I get on a green I am going to make a couple videos to see how off-center hits roll. My plan is this Monday I think it will finally stop raining and I can get out for some good testing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This is part of the impressiveness of the TR face, PING has really grooved (pun intended) the design and having been a minute since I’ve tried it I have been thoroughly impressed with the consistent results of misses compared to center putts.
 
After reading this thread, I may have to stop in a local store and try one out. Like the adjustability.
 
KEV said:
Good stuff so far guys. Sorry if this is a skin but have any of you played previous Ping putters with their previous inserts? How would you compare them?
Click to expand...

I haven’t played a ping insert model before but have played non-insert models before and had been eyeing a vault 2.0 b60 before testing out the Arna and rolled that quite a bit. The b60 is definitely firmer than this obviously since it’s milled and has a bit more feel. As I rolled the Sigma more I am dialing in the feel a bit more, but it’s still very fast off the face.

I plan on taking my current spider which has the firmest of their 3 inserts and doing a side by side test, all with equal backswings and see if there is a noticeable difference in distance and feel. Will try with a few different ball brands as well.

Adjustable grip is still sturdy after several tweaks in height.
 
I know that @HuddieJ bought one of these in the Anser style, it might be coming my way, bc the insert might be too soft for him...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
crazygolfnut said:
After reading this thread, I may have to stop in a local store and try one out. Like the adjustability.
Click to expand...

You should really try it to feel the insert. It has a really nice feel and roll.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top