Ping – incremental improvements pay off
March 7, 2025
Erik Henrikson, Ph.D., Director of Science for Ping
This January’s PGA Show in Orlando, FL included my annual pleasant conversation with Ping engineer Erik Henrikson, Ph.D., discussing the Arizona company’s new offerings.
We focused on the G440 line of woods and irons, with time left over to chat about a new line of Ping putters.
The Director of Science for Ping first discussed the G440 drivers, all of which feature the company’s new carbon fiber Fly Wrap element. The lightweight material covers most of the top and parts of the sides of the club heads – hence the name.
“The wrap freed up some more discretionary weight, so we could play around with where we put it back, if at all,” he said.
The designers changed the sleeve connections for the club head, altering the face dynamics in the heel area. That part of the club face became a bit more reactive and therefore more forgiving.
G440 Max Driver
Henrikson said this and other changes allowed them to “create the thinnest face we’ve ever made.” The faces are also a bit shallower from top to bottom. “We took the mass and moved it, giving us an MOI boost and good launch numbers,” he said.
Ping was already well-known for its center of gravity (CG) location, placed well-back and helping to preserve its reputation as a forgiving driver.
Henrikson said the new models moved the CG a bit lower but not further back, which should maintain the forgiveness and promote a bit more launch angle at impact. “It’s the lowest CG we’ve ever had in a driver,” he said.
The weight savings continued by removing a few grams of the counterweight placed in the grip end of the shafts, which were also lengthened an average of ¼ inch on all models. The total weight reduction came to 10 grams.
These incremental changes across several elements had a good result. Clubhead speed increased about 1 mph for all drivers in the 440 line.
G440 Irons
As for loft options, Henrikson said the SFT model now includes a 9-degree setting in addition to the prior 10.5 and 12-degree options. He suggested the new lower launch is better suited for faster swinging “refugees from other sports,” who can generate decent speed but still need the SFT’s help with control.
The G440 fairway woods and hybrids also use the new Fly Wrap design.
Henrikson discussed the G440 irons, Ping’s newest version of its game-improvement models. “We shrunk them a bit more than the last time,” he said. “These are our thinnest yet.”
The iron tweaks included lowering the CG location for a higher launch. Henrikson said they also changed the tip and toe weighting to make the clubs a bit smaller. The strong steel face uses a polymer/aluminum badge on the back side to maintain a decent noise profile.
Ping’s Scottsdale putters
We also looked at the new Scottsdale putter line, which Henrikson said will be available in nine design options.
Each one uses what he called a PEBAX insert. “It’s a soft, acoustic feel, not a dead feel. They have a little more weight and are a little bigger. They’ll come with a SuperStroke 2.0 Tour grip,” he said.
Ping sells its clubs with its own line of shafts, while offering other shaft options during the fitting process.
Henrikson said the company is currently building a shaft lab on its Arizona business campus. “We plan to do our own prototyping there. We hired a former VP at Aldila to work with us,” he said.
Ping does not plan on building the shaft designs coming from the new lab. Henrikson said it seeks to have a much more direct role in the shaft design process to coincide with the company’s continuous R & D effort with its clubs.
Voodoo golf
This week the folks at SuperStroke introduced a new limited-edition putter grip design that should appeal to fans of New Orleans and Creole culture.
Mardi Gras Voodoo grip and putter covers
The Mardi Gras Voodoo collection of putter grips and putter head covers feature the classic colors of purple, green, and gold, complete with fleur-de-lis patterns and what the company calls “whimsical voodoo dolls and masks.”
The grips and headcovers went on sale at SuperStrokeUSA.com on the evening of March 3, one day before Fat Tuesday – in other words, just in time.
The new grips retail for $34.99 and come in three shapes: Tour 2.0, Pistol 1.0, and Pistol. 2.0. The headcovers are offered for $70. Combined sets are available for $100.
The Michigan company bills itself as the “the No. 1 Putter Grip in golf.” Last May it took a large step toward assuring that status when it acquired Lamkin, a century-old golf grip maker headquartered in San Diego, CA.
I met SuperStroke sales reps at an event during this year’s PGA Show. They discussed another initiative aimed at taking advantage of Lamkin’s intellectual property. The new REVL line offers three options, Fusion, Player, and Comfort, hoping to attract the widest range of golfers’ preferences. To honor Lamkin’s long history, each grip will display a “Lamkin 100” badge, which should appeal to the traditionalists among us.
Look for the REVL models later this year.