The post How Ping’s new alignment design promotes better focus and stability appeared first on Golf.

The post How Ping’s new alignment design promotes better focus and stability appeared first on Golf.

Through work with Tour pros and a deep dive into eye-tracking techniques, Ping Putting Lab developers have determined that quiet eyes promote a more stable putting stroke.

That’s what the new Scottsdale TEC (Tour Elevated Concepts) putter series is all about. Its new Eye-Q alignment sys- tem features a single dot placed ahead of a line on the crown that leads to the sweet spot of the new putters (Ally Blue, Ketsch, Hayden).

By focusing your eyes on the dot at address — PING refers to this as a “discrete anchor” — your stroke will be more relaxed and steady through the strike. A stable stroke equals more putts that go in. That’s intelligence we can all get behind.

Shop Ping’s Scottsdale TEC putters at Fairway Jockey

PING Scottsdale TEC Ketsch Onset Custom Putter

$399.00 from Fairway Jockey

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PING Scottsdale TEC Hayden Custom Putter

$399.00 from Fairway Jockey

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PING Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset Custom Putter

$399.00 from Fairway Jockey

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The post How Ping’s new alignment design promotes better focus and stability appeared first on Golf.

The post The one club that’s dominated my bag for years | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post The one club that’s dominated my bag for years | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Fit 2026, GOLF’s new platform for providing you with real-golfer insights into what 2026 gear might be best suited for your game. To this end, we assembled six GOLF content creators of varying abilities and ran them through the gauntlet of six full-bag fittings (driver to putter!) at six major club manufacturers in Phoenix and Carlsbad, Calif. Our hope: that you might see shades of your own game in one of our panelists’ and take some learnings and inspiration from their fitting experiences. In this installment (below), Jack Hirsh details the one club he can’t live without from Fully Fit 2026, his Cobra 3DP MB 5-iron. You may browse each of our panelists’ full 2026 dream bags here:

Jake Morrow (0 handicap) | Johnny Wunder (2) | Wadeh Maroun (2) | Jack Hirsh (2.4) | Maddi MacClurg (5.6) | Sean Zak (7.8)

MORE FULLY FIT: Fully Fit hub page | Why we’re ‘testing’ golf clubs differently this year | Inside 6 days of fittings and testing | Browse 2026 drivers | Browse 2026 irons | How 5 days of club fittings changed my mind on golf equipment

My golf bag is ever-changing. Week to week, I’ll have different clubs; hell, there was a stretch where I played a different set every day, even playing a set once that had a different brand for all 14 slots in the bag. There is, however, one single club that you won’t see leave my true gamer bag; my Ping hybrid.

Currently, the G440 4-hybrid has dominated its place in the bag, and the 5-hybrid still wants to join the party, but I’ve had a Ping hybrid in the bag dating all the way back to the G410. Replaced by a G425, G430, and now the G440 series.

It just does what I need it to do

The biggest reason why the Ping hybrid is so important to my bag is the consistency that it delivers. Sure, they’ve gotten faster over the years, definitely easier to launch, too, but they’ve always been extremely consistent. Spin values across the face stay very true, and some of that is due to the more shallow profile that a Ping hybrid provides, which is also a great visual for me behind the golf ball.

My hybrids are all built to do one job: go up, and go left. All I want is a big high-tower draw that lands softly on the green. In the current bag, that’s at about 220 yards, but I can also float it down to 210 or absolutely rip one to about 230 when I need to.

Another advantage of the new G440, and one of the reasons that I upgraded, was that they’ve now gone with a progressive face angle. Using Arccos player data, they realized that a player using a 7-hybrid isn’t the same player using a 2-hybrid.

They took that knowledge and transformed the lineup so the 2-hybrid has more right-bias in it, and the higher lofted hybrids are meant to help turn the ball over. The 4-hybrid falls right in the middle. Where my G430 and previous 4-hybrids were a little bit shut, the G440 4-hybrid is very square, which is a helpful visual to see behind the ball. I play my hybrids in the standard loft, flat setting to help start the ball a bit right and let it draw back.

Another huge benefit for me with the hybrid, particularly in this distance category, is the ability to hit it from anywhere. You can tell when you look at the face of my hybrid that it’s been well-loved, but lots of those marks are from me using the hybrid out of fairway bunkers, in the trees, off of some concrete-like conditions, and even a couple of balls in some bushes.

There is nothing I am afraid of going after if I have the chance to bring out the hybrid. The club definitely comes away with some war wounds, but I’m a big believer in the tools-not-jewels strategy on course.

The Final Build

Thanks to Adam Harding of the Ping truck, my hybrid also gets a little bit of tour-sauce credit with a custom blacked-out face. That’s something the internet made controversial when I posted about it, but they didn’t understand the rules.

To me, it makes an incredible difference. Blacking out the score lines hides the loft on the face. That’s actually counterintuitive to how I like to set up the rest of my bag, but with the hybrids, it just works. It worked even better on the 5-hybrid we built, and in that case, it helps to make the face not look so closed.

I match my G440 4-hybrid up with a Fujikura Ventus HB Red Velocore + 9X. I’ve now installed this exact shaft in about 8 different clubs, and I absolutely love what it offers. Since the very first swing I took with it, there was something special about the shaft.

It’s a slightly differnet profile than it’s wood shaft counter-part so to me it feels a little bit softer in the hands while remaining stiff enough to really attack the transition in my swing, and it provides a stiffer tip section than you would think with a softer mid that allows for assistance in launch, but also remains stable enough to be able to flight the ball down or get a bit more steep on the ball too. It’s a wonderful pairing for a hybrid for players like myself who really need the hybrid to work different flights and create some more scoring ability.

My final build specs
Ping G440 4-Hybrid (23° Loft)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Red Velocore + 9X
Length: 39.25″ EOG
Ping Trajectory Tuning 2.0 hosel: FLAT, Standard Loft
Swingweight: D3

PING G440 Custom Hybrid

The G440 hybrids appeal to a variety of skill levels, each engineered to deliver different ball- flight characteristics – from the slightly fade-biased 2 hybrid for off-the-tee performance to the draw-inducing 5, 6 and 7 hybrids that help optimize gapping. They all share a new, shallower and thinner face design, which improves face contact for more ball speed and higher-launching shots that hit and hold the green.  FLIES HIGH LANDS SOFT Optimized launch and spin ensure distance with stopping power.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.  ROUNDED SOLE  Ensures pleasing face angle in all hosel settings  CARBONFLY WRAP  Lightweight carbon crown saves weight to increase MOI, lower CG. 

$319.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore

Ready to overhaul your bag in 2026 like our Fully Fit panelists? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post The one club that’s dominated my bag for years | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post These clubs were built just for Augusta National | Masters Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

The post These clubs were built just for Augusta National | Masters Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.

Augusta National presents a unique challenge to the best in the world every year, but with near-perfect conditions, the test is even more demanding.

With a fairly dry lead-up to the Masters and the rare occurrence of no rain in the forecast for this weekend, Augusta National will be as firm and fast this weekend as the club wants it, meaning pros are searching for more height to stop the ball.

That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that 11 players chose to drop 4-irons this week in favor of high-lofted fairway woods or hybrids. A few of those players are guys who don’t typically play a 4-iron, like Tommy Fleetwood, Zach Johnson and PGA Tour Champions players Vijay Singh, Mike Weir and Freddie Couples, who has his normal three-hybrid setup this week.

But other players, including Akshay Bhatia, Brian Campbell, Jason Day and Matt Fitzpatrick, have all dropped the 4-iron for clubs they’ve had built specifically for Augusta National.

Bhatia added a new Callaway Apex UW ’26 21-degree this week in place of his normal 22-degree X Forged UT 4-iron.

“Basically, he was looking at incoming second shots to Nos. 13 and 15 and needing something hitting a higher apex to land softer on those greens,” Callaway Tour Content Manager Johnny Thompson told GOLF.

Bhatia’s gamer OG prototype UW, which is closer to 17 degrees in loft, remains in the bag as his 5-wood alternative. Despite the roughly three-degree gap between the two clubs, the new UW is more than two inches shorter, which provides an optimal carry yardage gap.

Akshay Bhatia’s new Apex UW specs
Apex UW ’26
Loft: 21˚ @ 20˚
Lie: 58.2˚
Sole weight: 14 g
Hot melt: 2 g crown
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 10-X
Length: 39.375”
Tipping: 2”
Swingweight: D1.8

Campbell, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour last season, like Bhatia, also does not play a traditional 4-iron week-to-week, opting instead for Ping’s iDi long iron replacement. But this week, he’s got a G440 Max 9-wood to help him get even more stopping power on the firm greens.

“When he hits it on No. 4 or into 5, that 9-wood is just going to allow it to stop so much faster than even that [iDi]4-iron,” Ping Tour Rep Kenton Oates told GOLF. “The 4-iron gets in there fine, but it still spins like a 4-iron — it’s just not going to react the same.”

Oates said the spin is the real difference maker when it comes to switching from an iron to a fairway wood or hybrid. He could build a 4-iron that nearly reaches the same height a high-lofted metal wood, but it’s the extra spin that really gives a player control on the greens.

PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood

The G440 fairway family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances PING’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while maintaining a CG location that delivers high- launching performance off the ground. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions.  HIGH MOI Easy to launch, stable design increases forgiveness.  FLEXING FACE Maraging steel face flexes for more ball speed, optimizes spin.  TALLER FACE PROFILE Improves performance off the tee, maintains low CG.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness. 

$369.00 from Fairway Jockey

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“It’s probably not a huge difference on a TrackMan peak height number — maybe only about 15 feet — but that extra height is coming from spin. When the height is coming from spin, that’s when you really start to see the ball actually react on the green and stop. That’s the difference,” Oates said. “That extra 15 feet can end up being 15 feet closer to the hole when it lands.”

Ping had three 9-woods in play this week, 10+ 7-woods and Carlos Ortiz gamed a 26-degree G440 5-hybrid.

Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jason Day all used TaylorMade 7-woods, but the interesting note there was that Fitzpatrick and Day both kept the 5-woods they already had in the bag, bucking the trend of either having a 5- or a 7-wood. Lowry dropped his Srixon ZXiU 3-iron for the Qi4D 7-wood.

“Sometimes I feel like you need it, especially with the added length,” Day said on Wednesday of the extra fairway wood. “You kind of need a better gap at the top end for some of these holes around Augusta National. So nothing too dramatic, but just the top end.”

TaylorMade’s Adrian Rietveld told GOLF that both Day and Fitzpatrick have shorter builds on their 7-woods, but otherwise, there’s nothing different about the spec for it to cover both a 3-iron and 4-iron distance. Rietveld said both players are using shot-shaping to hit higher, more floaty shots when they need to cover 4-iron yardage.

Basically, the 7-wood acts as two clubs in one.

Mini Mania at Augusta National

Mini driver usage has been growing steadily on the PGA Tour over the past two years, but it seems like it might be peaking at the Masters.

A total of 23 players played a mini driver at Augusta National and it seems the consensus is that the clubs are built for the modern game at the historic course. Callaway lead the way with 10 while TaylorMade had eight.

While several of those mini drivers were from players like Fleetwood, Max Greyserman and Min Woo Lee who game one every week on the PGA Tour, other players like Justin Rose, Harris English and Tom McKibbin had them built in the weeks prior specifically for this course.

“I think it’s all about predictability when it comes to a mini driver,” Callaway Tour Representative Kellen Watson told GOLF. “You have a driver where you know it’s going to carry this bunker, but you don’t know how much it’s going to roll out. With this, you want to know the carry number and have the total be very tight — like nine yards or so — which is perfect.”

Even as the Masters tees have been lengthened over 500 yards in the last 20 years, the bends in the fairways — and the firmness of those fairways — make several holes ideal for players to use a mini driver.

The most obvious case is the long downhill dogleg left par-4 10th, where a drive down the left benefits from the steeper slope. But because a mini driver is easier to work right-to-left, it’s also favored on Nos. 5, 7, which have awkward run-outs and slants in the fairways.

TaylorMade R7 Quad Custom Mini Driver

PERFORMANCE FOR THE MODERN PLAYER Inspired by one of the most iconic models in TaylorMade history, the R7 Quad Mini Driver pays homage to what’s come before, while creating its own modern identity in the same breath. It’s that very modern design that incorporates proven TaylorMade technologies to give golfers versatility and playability. R7 QUAD WEIGHTING SYSTEM The new quad weighting system features four movable weights (13g x2, 4g x2) that provide the ultimate in spin management and shot shape control. Forward CG creates a penetrating flight best suited for maximizing distance whereas rear CG helps prioritize control and ease of use from the deck. Shot shape can also be fine-tuned helping create the most optimal flight. Additional weights can be purchased for a wider range of adjustability. INFINITY CARBON CROWN A new satin Infinity Carbon Crown has been added to the R7 Quad Mini Driver chassis creating a stunning look while saving weight for better mass optimization. The cosmetic package is clean, elegant, and confidence-inspiring.

$479.99 from Fairway Jockey

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For many longer players, there’s also only one hole where a 3-wood off the deck comes into play: The uphill par-5 8th. But No. 8 allows players to hit a low approach and chase it up, a shot well-suited to a mini driver.

“If you’re a longer player, there are basically no 3-woods off the ground here,” said Oates. “So now the mini driver fills that gap, especially when you combine that with the number of tee shots where you have to work it right-to-left. That combination makes it really valuable.”

Oates said English, who primarily plays a fade with his driver, was hitting his mini driver on 6-7 different holes during practice rounds.

Max Homa also tested out a Cobra King Tec mini that Ben Schomin said was to give him an option off the tee to move the ball right to left.

“The idea was to be able to make a stock swing and have the ball turn over without having to do anything differently with setup or alignment,” Schomin said. “But also have the ability to really swing it around when you need to, like on 10. He felt very comfortable doing both.”

Schomin and Homa had the club dialed for an 8˚-10˚ launch and 2800-3100 spin, but Homa ultimately decided on a 3-wood instead.

Quiet week on the trucks

One common theme with all of these new clubs players have in their bags this week is that the vast majority weren’t built this week.

In fact, Masters week, like most major weeks, is a fairly quiet one on the Tour Trucks.

“There’s really not much going on. I mean, there’s really not much we can do,” Watson said. “At this point, if you haven’t done your job already, then you probably shouldn’t be here.”

Much of the work is validating or re-validating clubs that were built for this week, or minor maintenance jobs like re-grippings and loft and lie checks.

Justin Rose is a perfect example as he had clubs, like his Callaway Quantum Mini Driver and prototype Cleveland RTZ wedge, built for him weeks ago specifically to get ready for the Masters.

The Ping Tour Truck built 109 clubs this week, but the majority of those were players like Vijay Singh, who doesn’t get serviced regularly, or guys like Sandy Lyle, who aren’t even playing this week.

“A lot of the stuff you’re seeing built this week is for past champions or guys we don’t see as much,” Oates said. “The Conners and the Hovlands, they’re already dialed. There’s really not much for us to do.”

Harry Hall goes nuclear on the bag after Round 1

Harry Hall started his Masters with a brand new driver, a Ping G440 LST, one that helped Ping tie Titleist for the lead in driver count for the week, a first in roughly two seasons for Ping.

He also had Ping’s prototype mini in the bag as he continues his torrid pace of gear switches throughout this season.

Already this year, Hall has switched between no fewer than four different drivers, two sets of irons, three sets of wedges, two putters and a golf ball change just for this week.

After Round 1 at Augusta, where he shot 77, he seemed ready to do all of that between then and his Friday morning tee time.

“I’m going to change my driver. I’m going to put two drivers in play tomorrow, different ones. I’m putting a new putter in play and going to figure out on the range,” Hall said Thursday. “I don’t think I spin my irons enough either. I went into a spinnier ball this week, but I still, you know, can’t stop it on a dime like I need to. So I probably need to add off to my irons or do something to compete in these majors.”

Hall appeared to only use the TaylorMade Qi4D driver he was playing most recently before this week and he did switch from his longtime Odyssey O-Works putter to a TaylorMade Spider that he started using at Bay Hill.

After all of that, Hall had a wild Round 2 of five birdies, five bogeys and eight pars for an even-par 72 that puts him at five over for the week and likely to miss the cut.

Golf Pride continues major dominance

No surprise here as Golf Pride continues to dominate grip counts at majors.

Of the top 10 betting favorites heading into the week, eight of them used Golf Pride grips with multiple models represented, including the Tour Velvet, MCC and Align Max families.

Overall, 80 of the 91 players in the field are using a Golf Pride grip.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to cool photos we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out some more of the Cleveland prototype RTZ offset wedges that are sneaking into multiple bags on the PGA Tour. Take a guess who this one is for. Check out the full story behind them.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Justin Thomas (GTS2), was among three players to add a new Titleist GTS driver this week. The others were Dustin Johnson (GTS2) and Cam Smith (GTS3) … Cameron Young added a Titleist GTS3 7-wood in place of his GT1 hybrid … Thomas also gamed a Vokey WedgeWorks 60L lob wedge, a grind that sits between his normal 60T and 60K* gamers … Vokey had 114 gap, sand and lob wedges … Ping and Titleist tied for the driver count lead with 25 and the G440 LST was the most played model… Vijay Singh had a new Ping G440 K … Keegan Bradley tested a TaylorMade Qi4D LS driver but stuck with his G430 LST … Wyndham Clark has a new TaylorMade Qi4D Tour 3-wood, replacing his G440 Max … Justin Rose has one of Cleveland’s prototype RTZ wedges with a 588 Wide sole … Aldrich Potgieter has a new TaylorMade Spider, one of 16 in the field … as he continues a search for a new putter … U.S. Mid-Am champ Brandon Holtz asked the USGA to send him his Callaway Paradym Ai-Smoke TD that he won the Mid-Am with an donated to the USGA Museum, but chose not to use it … TaylorMade had 79 fairways in play, including two from Rory McIlroy, who switched back to his Qi10 3-wood … Odyssey led the putter count with 28 … Fujikura swept the counts for driver (36/39.6% of field), woods (116/41.3%) and hybrid shafts (10/62.5%)

3 things you should read/watch

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Cameron Young’s bag is constantly evolving. Dive into how he got here | Bag Spy – In the latest edition of Bag Spy, take a deep dive into Players champion Cam Young’s golf bag, with his high-lofted driver, game improvement wood and hybrid and prototype golf ball.

Titleist GT3 Custom Driver

GT3 – Speed-Tuned Distance & Control GT3 offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization. With a speed-tuned design that allows you to precisely match performance to your most frequent contact location, you can make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping. For players with a relatively consistent impact location, GT3 offers a precisely adjustable CG Track to max out distance and directional control. Seamless Thermoform Crown A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The tunable acoustic properties of this unique composite allow Titleist engineers to realize new material gains while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All wrapped in a clean look that inspires total confidence. Split Mass Construction A breakthrough in internal weighting unlocks longer drives and enhanced directional control in GT3. The Adjustable CG Track now sits closer to the face for more dynamic CG control, while additional discretionary mass is pushed to the back of the club to maintain optimal stability through impact. Advanced Aerodynamics GT3 features a new raised tail contour that represents a dramatic shift in driver aerodynamics. Previously impossible to execute due to design constraints, this advanced shaping results in a driver that swings faster while still providing optimal CG control.

$649.00 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Why Rory McIlroy decided on these clubs – Take a deep dive in Rory McIlroy’s bag as he defends his Masters title with his fitter, Adrian Rietveld.

‘Failure’s not an option’: Augusta National chairman reaffirms club’s rollback stance – At his annual Masters press conference, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley called for action to end the uncertainty around golf’s rollback.

The author welcomes your comments at Jack.Hirsh@golf.com.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post These clubs were built just for Augusta National | Masters Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

The post A Ping G Le4 fitting introduced a brand new club to my bag | I Tried It appeared first on Golf.

The post A Ping G Le4 fitting introduced a brand new club to my bag | I Tried It appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to I Tried It, a GOLF.com series about golf items — apparel, gear, accessories and more — that we’ve recently taken out for a spin. We’re here to give our honest, no-frills takes on the latest and greatest golf or golf-adjacent items. So, scroll down to read about what we love about golf’s newest (or new to us) products.

Two-and-a-half years ago, I visited Ping’s Proving Grounds in Phoenix, Ariz., to test the new G Le3 family of clubs as a part of GOLF’s 2024 ClubTest. The women’s-specific line was specially engineered to be both forgiving, lightweight, and distance-enhancing.

At the time, I was still gaming clubs I had been fit for in 2015, so needless to say, the new gear was a revelation. Not only did I gain more carry distance with every club, I also radically improved my dispersion on solid shots and mis-hits alike. I was thrilled!

Those G Le3s have been in my bag ever since. So when Ping introduced the next generation, the G Le4s, I wondered how much my numbers could possibly improve in the span of just two years. To put it bluntly: I haven’t been practicing, my playing days are sporadic, and my physical conditioning certainly hasn’t made any gains. Is it possible that technology alone could bridge that gap and deliver better numbers anyway?

I was excited to find out. So in March, I ventured back to Ping’s Proving Grounds to give the G Le4s a go.

My Ping G Le4 fitting experience

My fitter for this test day was Ping’s James Lee, who is not only talented, but a fun hang as well. He made me feel comfortable right away, and had me warm-up with my current set before turning on the launch monitor to make some comparisons.

The new G Le4s offer a number of additional enhancements when compared to the G Le3s, but the most relevant to my fitting was new loft options in the longer clubs, and the addition of Carbonfly Wrap crowns — a first for a Ping women’s driver. Carbonfly Wrap enables Ping engineers to move the CG closer to the force line for higher-launching, longer results. Not only can you go all the way to 8 in a hybrid (!), new lofts in the fairway woods (5-wood at 23 degrees, 7-wood at 28 and 9-wood at 33) also help improve playability and gapping.

One detail about the clubs that must be mentioned before I go on: They’re so pretty! Photos can’t really do them justice. In person, they have a beautiful iridescent sheen. Ping’s name for the color: Galactic Lilac. It fits!

Even though I generally always play from the forward tees, my hybrids and fairway woods see a lot of action. And my naturally flat swing means I tend to prefer hitting those clubs more than my short irons — weird, I know! But that made me an ideal candidate for the new short-iron hybrid options — especially the 7 and 8. And the launch monitor results spoke for themselves.

My misses tend to be to the left in the form of snipe-hooks, pulls or drop-kicks — even with my short and mid-irons. But with the G Le4s, the snipe basically disappeared. Instead, if anything, I was a little right on misses. Not only did I launch the ball with ease, I also improved my shot dispersion — and gained 10 yards!

I should also mention that the G Le4s are designed for women with swing speeds of 80 mph or lower, which turns out to be an ideal wheelhouse for me. James clocked my mid-iron swing speed at 67 mph. The G Le4s are designed to work with speeds like mine to maximize distance and launch. I was amazed. Each swing I made felt great, well-balanced and launched like crazy. I was even able to achieve great trajectory with the G Le4 irons, which isn’t as common with my current set.

I was impressed with every club in the lineup, but the true star for me was the hybrid selection. What a joy it was to step up to the ball, looking down at that confidence-inspiring hybrid head shape — all the way up to an 8-iron loft! That’s a club I’ve never hit before, and a first for Ping too. I loved it. Also, that extra launch — which, as I mentioned above, I could rarely achieve with my irons — means softer landings on the green, which in theory should mean shorter putts and more scoring opportunities.

Another standout feature of the G Le4s: forgiveness. I caught a few shots a little thin, and they still launched nicely and delivered great distance.

On the fairway wood front, thanks to above-mentioned newly increased lofts, I actually fit into a 3-wood, which I haven’t had in the bag for years.

The only club we ended up adjusting at all was the driver in order to bring down the launch a touch. James manipulated the 11.5-degree default setting down to 10.5. That small change resulted in an increase of 2 mph of ball speed and 10+ yards of gain. My carry distance improved, and my dispersion was better. Incredible!

The G Le4 line includes three putter styles too — Oslo, Louise and Anser 2D. At my last fitting, a stroke assessment revealed that the Louise, a mid-mallet, was the best fit for my strong-arc stroke, and James said that wasn’t likely to change. The updated G Le4 Louise has a slightly bigger face and a new, softer face insert.

Ultimately, having a full-bag fitting is a great reminder of just how much the latest technology can benefit our games. I came away from Proving Grounds fit into a set that was longer, higher-launching and more accurate than what I arrived with, all with the same swing. That’s simply amazing — and supremely rewarding.

You can check out the full configuration of my Ping G Le4 fitting below, as well as links to buy the clubs for yourself! To see the full Proving Grounds fitting experience, check out the video below.

My Ping G Le 4 specs

G Le4 Driver
10.5-degrees

PING Women’s G Le4 Driver

G Le4 is our longest and most forgiving women’s driver to date. The Carbonfly Wrap crown, a first in PING’s women’s driver, reallocates weight to position the CG lower and deeper, generating faster ball speed and more distance from swing speeds of 80 mph or less. Higher, longer, straighter results off the tee are generated by a lighter overall club build that makes the powerful 460cc, 11.5° driver easy to swing and square the face at impact.

$599.00 from Fairway Jockey

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G Le4 Fairway Woods
3-wood
7-wood

PING Women’s G Le4 Fairway Wood

In the multi-material G Le4 women’s fairway woods, four lofts are optimized to the target swing speeds to maximize distance through more ball speed and consistent spin. A Carbonfly Wrap crown on the G Le4 fairway woods saves weight to lower the CG and increase the MOI for longer, straighter, higher-launching results.

$329.00 from Fairway Jockey

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G Le4 Hybrids
5-hybrid
6-hybrid
7-hybrid
8-hybrid

PING Women’s G Le4 Hybrid

G Le4 women’s hybrids, now deeper and re-shaped, are engineered to be easy to swing and easy to launch, fitting slower swing speeds and delivering consistency and accuracy that lead to lower scores. 

$186.00 from Fairway Jockey

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G Le4 irons
9-iron
PW
AW
SW

PING Women’s G Le4 Irons

Continuing the success of previous generations of our women’s line, the G Le4 is designed as an iron/hybrid combo solution, allowing golfers to create the ideal set make-up with optimal gapping to help ensure success with every swing.

$1,300.25 from Fairway Jockey

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G Le4 Putter
Louise

PING Women’s G Le4 Louise Putter

The G Le4 Louise putter, a mid-mallet design named in honor of PING co-founder Louise Solheim, borrows its weight and shaping properties from the DS72 but differs with a flared hosel and parallel-tip shaft to best fit a strong stroke type.  

$299.00 from Fairway Jockey

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The post Ping Scottsdale TEC Putters aren’t ‘zero torque.’ They claim this is better appeared first on Golf.

The post Ping Scottsdale TEC Putters aren’t ‘zero torque.’ They claim this is better appeared first on Golf.

Ping’s latest putters aren’t “Zero-Torque,” but their take on the putter industry’s biggest craze has loads of other ways to help you get it in the hole.

The company is bringing its first Onset putters to a full retail release in the new Scottsdale TEC line after teasing the technology with a PLD limited release last year. Of the three head shapes in the line, two are in Ping’s Onset configuration, which moves the shaft back behind the putter face, but not directly through the center of gravity of the putter.

The striking white mallets also feature Ping’s new EyeQ alignment technology to help focus your eye and deliver the putter more accurately.

“The new Scottsdale TEC putters represent an exciting new opportunity for golfers to improve their putting,” Ping CEO & President John K. Solheim said in a release. “The use of eye-tracking research has given us some great insights into the best ways to help golfers improve their focus and sink more putts. We’ve also chosen to make this line exclusively mallets to better serve the growing market for these types of designs while continuing to offer stroke-type fitting through optimal CG placement. All the Scottsdale Tec models are designed with proven Ping performance, including high MOIs and a fantastic feel. We’re seeing some nice Tour adoption as well as we come into the key season.”

Scottsdale TEC, which stands for “Tour Elevated Concepts,” has already made a splash on the PGA Tour after being first teased at the RSM Classic last November. Tony Finau and Matthieu Pavon led back-to-back PGA Tour events in SG: Putting in February and Wyndham Clark just added the Ally Blue Onset to the bag last week.

Keep reading below for more on the Ping Scottsdale TEC putters, including my take on the release.

What’s actually new with Ping Scottsdale TEC putters — and why you should care

Why Ping’s Onset putters aren’t “Zero-Torque”

Ping Principal Design Engineer Tony Serrano describes the difference between Ping’s Onset putters and “Zero-Torque” putters by imagining you need to haul a trailer with your car. You’re always going to tow it, and it goes where you lead it. But when you have to reverse your car, maneuvering that trailer in front of you becomes very difficult.

Ping’s approach to Onset putters is the same: the shaft sits in front of the Center of Gravity, rather than directly through it, as in other low-torque putters on the market.

“With zero torque, the shaft axis is going directly through the CG,” Serrano told GOLF. “That’s not what we want. We still want to pull the CG, because that’s what creates stability through the stroke. So even though the shaft is set back, the CG is far enough behind it that you’re always pulling it, not pushing it.”

That means Ping can push the CG farther back in the head to add stability and by moving the shaft back, that frees up the face to help you align the club (more on this in a bit).

The configuration also means the shaft and CG relationship is very similar to a blade putter, while still having mallet stability. Despite the center-shafted design, the Ally Blue Onset has five degrees of toe hang while the Ketsch Onset has 15 to fit Ping’s straight and slight arc stroke types, respectively.

“Because we can move the CG so far back with the aluminum body and steel sole, that shaft-to-CG relationship gets closer to what you see in a blade,” Serrano said. “So you kind of get the balance and feel of a blade, but with the forgiveness of a mallet.”

The Hayden, a new shape for Ping, is a more traditional round mallet shape with a double-bend shaft.

Keeping a Quiet Eye

One of the major benefits of the Onset is the ability to afford the golfer a completely unobstructed view of the face, making alignment easier.

Scottsdale TEC takes that concept even further by introducing EyeQ alignment technology.

The EyeQ technology came from studies linking the phenomenon known as Quiet Eye where the longer duration a player can lock their gaze on the ball during the stroke, the stronger the correlation to skill and better performance.

Ping engineers found a dot on the topline of the putter, followed by a line that significantly improved Quiet Eye when compared to a solid line or a blank top.

“What we found with the dot is that it really helps quiet the eyes,” Seranno said. “When players had nothing or just a line, their gaze was moving around a lot more, but with the dot it just locked in. Right before they start the stroke, everything is focused in one place.”

Until I saw the putters, I was confused what the eye was supposed to do once you started the stroke and moved the putter, but I found my gaze immediately locked on the ball in that moment.

The bright white finish helps the alignment feature stand out even more and grabs the consumer’s attention at retail.

Same name, new TEC

The Scottsdale name is an important one for Ping, whose founder, Karsten Solheim, began designing putters in a Scottsdale garage.

It was used last year for the initial line of Scottsdale putters, which featured a soft PEBAX insert, a material commonly used for superior energy transfer in running shoes.

But the new Scottsdale TEC line stands out from its predecessor with multi-material construction. Instead of the bodies being cast steel, the rest of the putter is milled from aluminum with steel sole plates.

Milling out of aluminum allowed Ping much more flexibility with the CG properties, one of the reasons they were able to create the stability from the Onset configuration.

“The biggest thing is going from a cast head to a milled aluminum head with a steel sole,” Serrano said. “That gives us a lot of discretionary weight to move around, so we can really maximize MOI and place the CG exactly where we want it. It’s just a higher level of precision and performance compared to cast.”

The Ping Scottsdale TEC putter lineup

There are three shapes in the Scottsdale TEC line with two being in the Onset configuration. The Ally Blue Onset is also available with a counter-balanced setup.

Ally Blue Onset

What is it: A square mid-mallet shape with an onset shaft and 5 degrees of toe hang for players with minimal stroke rotation. Also available in a counter-balance model.

Who it’s for: Players who want an ultra-stable and easy-to-align mid-mallet to match a straight-back and straight-through stroke.

Ketsch Onset

What is it: A larger mallet with 15 degrees of toe flow to match strokes with a slight arc.

Who it’s for: Players looking to take advantage of the alignment and stability benefits of onset, but with more of a feeling of release through the stroke.

Hayden

What is it: A more traditional round mallet shape with a double-bend shaft for face balance.

Who it’s for: Players with minimal arc who want to take advantage of alignment aids but in a traditional configuration.

My take: Something in between low-torque and conventional

As someone who has been using a low-torque for the better part of the last six months, both of the Scottsdale TEC Onset putters really intrigue me.

With both, you’re able to get the extreme stability that has been a staple of this new putter category, get the aiming benefits of having the shaft off the face all the while retaining the feel of the putter releasing that I’m so used to.

I’ve been experimenting with low-torque putters as a way of resetting my hands, similar to what Rickie Fowler talked about in his switch back to a center-shafted putter. These Scottsdale TEC Onset putters offer a way of doing that while still having an awareness of the putter face.

In my testing, I’ve also found the PEBAX insert, which I thought was a bit soft on the original Scottsdale line, so be a little more responsive and feel more like a milled putter, which is something Tony Finau mentioned when he switched to the Ally Blue Onset this year. It’s definitely still on the softer side, something I prefer, but not mushy, making it easier to transition from a milled face to this.

The thing you notice right away is how easy these putters are to aim, thanks to both the high contrast white look and the EyeQ alignment aids. It’s very easy to lock onto the dot before your stroke and then lock onto the ball when you take it away.

I look forward to seeing where this configuration goes. Ping has been taking their time with their Onset models, with this being the first full retail release after the PLD Milled Special Edition Ally Blue Onset last year. The Ketsch is a nice additional option to the Ally Blue, but I’d love to see what other shapes the configuration would work with as well as the alignment aids.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more to come here.

Price, Specs and Availability

Ping’s new Scottsdale TEC putters are available for pre-order starting March 31 and will arrive at retail locations on April 9.

Each putter will cost $399.99.

Stock specs are as follows:

Loft: 3˚
Lie: 70° 
Lengths: 35″ (37.75″ for Ally Blue CB)

Head Weights: 370 g (Ally Blue Onset and Ally Blue Onset CB), 360 g (Hayden), 350 g (Ketsch Onset)

Stroke Types: Straight Arc (Ally Blue Onset, Ally Blue Onset CB and Hayden), Slight Arc (Ketsch Onset)

Want to find the best driver for your game in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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The post 6 putters our staff loved during testing | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post 6 putters our staff loved during testing | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Fit 2026, GOLF’s new platform for providing you with real-golfer insights into what 2026 gear might be best suited for your game. To this end, we assembled six GOLF content creators of varying abilities and ran them through the gauntlet of six full-bag fittings (driver to putter!) at six major club manufacturers in Phoenix and Carlsbad, Calif. Our hope: that you might see shades of your own game in one of our panelists’ and take some learnings and inspiration from their fitting experiences. In this installment (below), check out the putters that each of our Fully Fit 2026 panelists chose for their golf bags. You may browse each of our panelists’ full 2026 dream bags here:

Jake Morrow (0 handicap) | Johnny Wunder (2) | Wadeh Maroun (2) | Jack Hirsh (2.4) | Maddi MacClurg (5.6) | Sean Zak (7.8)

MORE FULLY FIT: Fully Fit hub page | Why we’re ‘testing’ golf clubs differently this year | Inside 6 days of fittings and testing | Browse 2026 drivers | Browse 2026 irons | How 5 days of club fittings changed my mind on golf equipment

Of all the decisions our Fully Fit panelists had to make to start off their 2026 dream bags, the putter was easily the most personal.

Perhaps that’s why both Wadeh Maroun and I ended up committing to putters that we had brought with us on the trip, although that doesn’t mean we didn’t take any new contenders during our week of fittings.

While other categories during our project were more split, the bottom of the bags was dominated by two brands. While Vokey wedges took home the wedge spot for four of our testers, TaylorMade Spider putters found a spot in half of our setups.

Keep reading below for our entire detailed putter setups.

Jack Hirsh’s putter

Head: Scotty Cameron Studio Style ’25 Fastback OC
Length: 35″ EOG
Loft: 3˚
Lie: 70˚
Hosel: Onset Center
Shaft lean: 1˚
Swingweight: F6.5
Grip: Golf Pride Reverse Taper Medium Pistol

Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback OC Putter

As an extension of the popular Studio Style Fastback design, the Studio Style Fastback OC is a low-torque model featuring the same ring-weighted, high-alignment, multi-material design of the other Fastback models, but with Scotty’s tour-validated OC technology package. Featuring onset center shaft placement behind the putter face’s leading edge, the straight shaft is precisely positioned in line with the putter head’s CG location and leans 1° forward. This allows for low-torque performance and face alignment that stays square to the path. STUDIO CARBON STEEL (SCS) FACE INSERT The Studio Style Fastback OC includes a chain-link milled Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) insert for soft sound and feel, treated with an electroless nickel plating for enhanced durability with aerospace-inspired vibration damping for tuned sound, feel and performance. CUSTOM BLACK SHAFT Custom made for the new OC putters, each model includes a special black KBS x Scotty Cameron shaft with optimal flex, unimpeded alignment and precise feel. CUSTOM MATADOR GRIP With a debossed chain-link texture built-in, each new OC putter includes a custom 11-inch mid-size Matador grip in black with racy red and cool gray accents.

$549.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist

Why it’s in my bag: This was honestly not a putter I ever thought would end up in my bag full-time. I came into this trip with two putters. A Scotty Cameron Studio Style Catalina, a face-balanced blade, and this Fastback OC. I thought I was doing an experiment to see what it would be like to try low-torque for the winter months and then switch back to see if it could improve my putting. But two experiences during Fully Fit really sold me that low torque might be a long-term decision for me. The first was at TaylorMade when I scored a 0.1˚ face angle score with the Spider ZT. This wasn’t a fluke either. I was constantly returning the face square every time. It was eye-opening because I didn’t feel like I was doing anything different.

The second was back at TPI, where, when running through the Scotty Cameron matrix, there was no putter I rolled better than the Fastback OC I came with. Every putt was end-over-end, the 360˚ line the Scotty Cameron fitters were using on the golf balls locked in place.

It’s no surprise the Fastback and the Spider ZT were the two low-torque options I liked the most as they both have a soft feel, minimal shaft lean and minimal onset. I love the super soft feel of the new SCS Chain-link inserts and, given I’ve already had a few months of playing with the Fastback, it’s going to be in the bag for now. But the Spider ZT Black I got has a good chance of giving me a serious putter controversy later on.

See Jack’s full bag here

Jake Morrow’s putter

Head: TaylorMade My Spider X
Length: 34.5″
Loft: 3º
Lie: 70º
Hosel: L-Neck
Shaft: BGT Stability One
Grip: SuperStroke 1.0P Claw

TaylorMade 2025 Spider Tour X Black L-Neck Custom Putter

  SPIDER TOUR X L-NECK For nearly two decades Spider putters have been delivering championship-winning stability and performance to professionals and amateurs alike. Scottie Scheffler recently joined this group by stepping into the winner’s circle for the third time in four starts with a Spider Tour X L-Neck in the bag. TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT Navigate the greens with clarity with the optically-engineered True Path™ Alignment system. This legacy tech from TaylorMade helps you better visualize the line to the hole while also making it easier to aim the putter towards your target. WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT Experience a softer feel with our White TPU Pure Roll™ insert. Crafted from a blend of Surlyn and aluminum, it features grooves angled at 45° for optimal forward roll and better overall roll characteristics. PRECISION WEIGHTING AND DESIGN A thin wall undercut and steel wireframe allow for precision CG placement, creating a superstructure with enhanced stability and forgiveness.

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, TaylorMade

Why it’s in my bag: This was the toughest switch, and I can’t say that it’s going to be a permanent one, but if there’s a mallet I am going to play this year, it’s going to be this one. I went into the trip and told each fitter that I was only interested in finding a mallet, which is not something that has been accomplished in my game up until this point.

I actually walked into the TaylorMade Kingdom on our fitting day asking for a Spider Tour Black with no sight lines or alignment aids. The original plan was to recreate Tommy Fleetwood’s putter. The problem was that no matter how hard I tried, the Tour X just performed better for me than the Tour did. So we went with the performance and stuck with the Tour X.

I was able to use their My Spider Tour X platform to build this beauty. I have the firmer face insert, a black head with zero alignment features — including an unpainted Tru Path — with a BGT Stability One graphite putter shaft and a SuperStroke 1.0P Claw. I may be swapping this out soon for one of those new TPT Pulse shafts, but more on that soon. For right now, this is in the bag, and I’m going to dedicate some time to it. It’ll probably even make the trip with me to Battle at the Beach, but we’ll have to see if it makes it in play or if it gets benched at game time.

See Jake’s full bag here

Johnny Wunder’s putter

Head: Taylor Made Spider Tour X
Length: 36″ EOG
Loft: 2.5˚
Lie: 70˚
Hosel: L-neck
Swingweight: 654 G Total Weight
Grip: Super Stroke Tour 1.0 17-inch

TaylorMade 2025 Spider Tour X Black L-Neck Custom Putter

  SPIDER TOUR X L-NECK For nearly two decades Spider putters have been delivering championship-winning stability and performance to professionals and amateurs alike. Scottie Scheffler recently joined this group by stepping into the winner’s circle for the third time in four starts with a Spider Tour X L-Neck in the bag. TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT Navigate the greens with clarity with the optically-engineered True Path™ Alignment system. This legacy tech from TaylorMade helps you better visualize the line to the hole while also making it easier to aim the putter towards your target. WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT Experience a softer feel with our White TPU Pure Roll™ insert. Crafted from a blend of Surlyn and aluminum, it features grooves angled at 45° for optimal forward roll and better overall roll characteristics. PRECISION WEIGHTING AND DESIGN A thin wall undercut and steel wireframe allow for precision CG placement, creating a superstructure with enhanced stability and forgiveness.

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, TaylorMade

Why it’s in the bag: I judge all putters by two things: aim and contact. That’s it. My putter debate was between two options. A one-off Scotty Cameron that may still find its way in, but the Spider Tour X was apples to apples with the Scotty across the board — but with a softer pure roll insert. The soft face enabled me to dial in my speed a bit. I played an Odyssey Jailbird with MicroHinge for about 2+ years, so a soft face is preferred. I play a heavy putter, 650g total, as I want the putter to feel draggy or heavy down the line, which enables me to use my shoulders more. When I can’t feel a heavy head, my hands take over and chaos ensues.

See Johnny’s full bag here

Maddi MacClurg’s putter

Head: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Santa Fe
Length: 33″
Loft: 3.5º
Lie: 70º
Hosel: Flow neck
Swingweight: 2 x 35 grams
Grip: Scotty Cameron Grey Full Contact

Scotty Cameron Studio Style Santa Fe Custom Putter

$499.00 from Fairway Jockey

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SIMILAR TO: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist

Why it’s in my bag: I selected the Scotty Cameron Studio Style Santa Fe for the feel and control it provides. The toe hang and blade-style design create a smooth, consistent roll, and the classic, old-school look gives me confidence over every putt. It strikes the perfect balance between tradition and performance.

See Maddi’s full bag here

Sean Zak’s putter

Head: TaylorMade Spider Tour X
Length: 34″
Loft: 3˚
Lie: 70˚
Hosel: L-neck
Grip: SuperStroke Flatso 2.0

TaylorMade Spider Tour X L-Neck Custom Putter

  SPIDER TOUR X L-NECK For nearly two decades Spider putters have been delivering championship-winning stability and performance to professionals and amateurs alike. Scottie Scheffler recently joined this group by stepping into the winner’s circle for the third time in four starts with a Spider Tour X L-Neck in the bag. TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT Navigate the greens with clarity with the optically-engineered True Path™ Alignment system. This legacy tech from TaylorMade helps you better visualize the line to the hole while also making it easier to aim the putter towards your target. WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT Experience a softer feel with our White TPU Pure Roll™ insert. Crafted from a blend of Surlyn and aluminum, it features grooves angled at 45° for optimal forward roll and better overall roll characteristics. PRECISION WEIGHTING AND DESIGN A thin wall undercut and steel wireframe allow for precision CG placement, creating a superstructure with enhanced stability and forgiveness.

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, TaylorMade

Why it’s in my bag: Thanks to an hour-long fitting exclusively spent on the putter, I learned just how natural it is for me to leave the face slightly open, just a hair of a degree. That’s my stroke, though! I needed a putter with a lot more face stability and something with plenty of squareness to it. As discussed above, my eyes, hands and instincts work best with perpendicular lines. It feels comfortable looking down at something with sharper edges.

See Sean’s full bag here

Wadeh Maroun’s putter

Head: Ping PLD Milled Piper
Length: 34”
Loft: 3˚
Lie: 70˚
Hosel: Long Slant
Grip: Ping P2

PING 2025 PLD Milled Anser 4D Custom Putter

This deeper, perimeter-weighted blade design has the look and feel of a traditional Anser with the added weight, forgiveness and accuracy of a mid-mallet. Clean heel-toe ballasts, less-rounded corners and the ball-width cavity with alignment line create a confidence-inspiring look. The shallow-milled face ensures a firmer feel and consistent ball speeds.

$449.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist

Why it’s in my bag: I am on a journey to find THE ONE. I have had this PLD for just over a year now and as of right now it feels right to be in this putter (I think). I know that I like a mallet/mid mallet but I feel like I leave a lot of putts out there that I need to convert. This is one of the putters that I think can really get me there — I hope.

See Wadeh’s full bag here

Watch Fully Fit 2026 below!

Ready to overhaul your bag in 2026 like our Fully Fit panelists? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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The post Ping’s G Le4 clubs for women offer more speed (and intriguing new hybrid) appeared first on Golf.

The post Ping’s G Le4 clubs for women offer more speed (and intriguing new hybrid) appeared first on Golf.

Ping’s new G Le4 family of clubs is here — a full line, from driver to putter, designed and engineered exclusively for women.

Two years ago, as part of GOLF’s 2024 ClubTest, I got fit into the G Le4’s predecessor, the G Le3. It was my first-ever in-person fitting at Ping’s Proving Grounds in Phoenix, and the results were revelatory. For one thing, it’s rare to have a chance to test premium equipment that is designed specifically for female players, so that was very cool. And for me, a former college golfer turned far-too-occasional recreational player, the G Le3s provided the distance and forgiveness I was seeking, given my non-existent practice time and sporadic play.

The G Le3s have had a happy home in my bag ever since. But now the next gen is here — the G Le4 family — and I’ve already arranged a fitting appointment for next week.

What do G Le3 fans have to look forward to with G Le4? Keep reading below for more on Ping’s latest addition, including my take on the release.

What’s new with Ping’s G Le4 — and why you should care

Optimized gapping

No one likes unwieldy gaps between clubs, and that’s one of the first things Ping aims to eliminate with the G Le4. A new “WebFit Ladies” app designed by Ping’s fitting science group is intended to make it easier than ever to optimize yardage gaps in your set.

All you have to do is answer a series of questions about your game and preferences, and the app will generate club and set make-up recommendations.

“The WebFit Ladies app is a great starting point for the fitting process before visiting an authorized Ping fitting specialist to determine your ideal set make-up and specifications,” Stacey Pauwels , Ping executive vice president, said in a release. “The app takes only a few minutes and helps educate golfers on the importance of custom fitting.”

Carbonfly wrap crown

The addition of the Carbonfly Wrap crown — first introduced in the G430 line of clubs in 2023 — in the G Le4 driver is a first for a Ping women’s driver. The crown reallocates weight to position the CG lower and deeper, helping deliver faster ball speeds and higher launch with tighter dispersion for women with driver swing speeds of 80 mph or less.

The result: the G Le4 driver is Ping’s longest and most forgiving women’s driver to date, with 15 percent higher MOI than the G Le3.

New fairway wood lofts

Utilizing Carbonfly Wrap crowns on the G Le4’s fairway woods enabled Ping’s engineers to move the CG closer to the force line for higher-launching, longer results. New lofts in the 5-wood (23 degrees), 7-wood (28) and 9-wood (33) also help improve playability and gapping.

There’s also “Spinsistency” built into the clubs’ face profile — a technology described by Ping as a variable-roll-radius innovation that better accommodates mishits, especially those low on the face. More consistent spin results and faster ball speeds will help boost performance on those unfortunate swings that don’t make center contact.

Lightweight design

A lightweight, easy-to-swing iron is achieved with a thin face and high-density tip and toe weights that position mass low and to the perimeter. A lower CG position and custom-engineered lofts help produce faster ball speeds and measurable distance gains throughout the set.

New 8-hybrid option

The G Le4 set enables players to incorporate hybrids up to an 8-iron. There are four total loft options in hybrids, each of which is designed to combine seamlessly with the iron set depending on a player’s gapping needs.

Highlights of the hybrids’ design features include a shorter hosel and a deeper front-to-back shape to inspire confidence while also delivering distance and high launch with a maraging-steel, dual-roll face that is optimized to the target swing speed to provide consistent spin.

3 new putters

Three distinct, high-MOI G Le4 putter models are available in a variety of shapes, materials and alignment options, and all three putters are engineered with a one-piece elastomer insert that delivers a soft yet responsive feel.

My take: That 8-hybrid is intriguing!

I used to joke with anyone who would listen that I would play a full bag of hybrids if I could. My naturally flat and sweepy swing has given me occasional fits with my irons. I’ve never been able to take a natural divot, and hybrids have been a boon for my mid-length approach game over the years. Having the potential to go all the way to an 8 in a hybrid is an exciting prospect.

I’m also excited about that MOI increase Ping cited in the driver performance. The last time I clocked my swing speed, I was in the low 80s, and I can’t imagine any gains have been made since then, so the potential to add some yards off the tee by doing absolutely nothing is awesome! Overall, given the current state of my game and my let’s-just-have-fun-out-there aspirations these days, I think I may be an ideal candidate for what the G Le4 aims to offer: distance, forgiveness and flexibility, with a confidence-inspiring design.

Price, Specs and Availability

The G Le4 family of clubs includes Ping’s proprietary ALTA LE Lite and Ultra Lite premium graphite shafts as standard throughout the metal woods and irons.

Golf Pride Soft Tack Lilac grips are available in four sizes: Aqua (stock) -1/64″, Red -1/32″, Blue -1/16 and White – (Standard).

The clubs’ color combo is described as Galactic Lilac and Milky Way Midnight. The woods and irons also include gold accents on the clubheads.

The Ping G Le4 family of clubs

Ping G Le4 driver
$599; 11.5 degrees

Ping G Le4 fairway woods
$329 each; available in 3-wood (18 degrees), 5-wood (23 degrees), 7-wood (28-degrees), 9-wood (33-degrees)

Ping G Le4 hybrids
$186 each; available in 5H (22-degrees), 6H (26.5-degrees), 7H (31-degrees), 8H (36-degrees)

Ping G Le4 irons
$1,300.25 for set, inclusive of 6-PW, as well as UW and SW

Ping G Le4 Oslo putter
$299

Ping G Le4 Louise putter
$299

Ping G Le4 Anser 2D putter
$299

Ping’s new G Le4 clubs are available for pre-order starting Tuesday and will begin shipping on March 26.

Want to find the best clubs for your game in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Ping’s G Le4 clubs for women offer more speed (and intriguing new hybrid) appeared first on Golf.

The post Ping’s new i540, G740 irons provide same benefit for different abilities appeared first on Golf.

The post Ping’s new i540, G740 irons provide same benefit for different abilities appeared first on Golf.

Whether you’re an aspiring competitive player or a weekend hacker, hitting the ball higher is usually something that will help you get your next shot closer to the hole.

Ping’s latest irons accomplish that very task — but in two different ways.

The company has announced the addition of the i540 (player’s distance) and G740 (super game-improvement) irons to their lineup, two irons that help golfers in two different ways: more speed for the players’ distance golfer and ultra-forgiveness and launch for super-game-improvement players.

“i540 is the iron that has the look of that i240, that Blueprint-inspired shaping at address, but we try to pack it with all the distance that our game-improvement construction can give us,” Travis Milleman, Ping senior manager, design engineering, told GOLF. “G740 is our longest iron and our highest-launching iron. The goal was super-game improvement — how do we help the player who needs the most help get the ball in the air?”

Keep reading below for more on the Ping i540 and G740, including my take on the release.

What’s actually new with Ping i540 and G740 — and why you should care

The lightest and heaviest materials you can put in a club

The design of the i540 relies on both the lightest material and the heaviest material you can put in a golf club.

The iron retains the hollow-body design that players have come to know for the players’ distance category, but to help sound and feel, Ping utilized its InR-Air insert. The inflated air pocket insert was first used in the iDi driving iron last summer, and Ping prefers it over a foam or ceramic insert because of its weightlessness.

“Air is one of the lightest things you can put in anything,” Milleman said. “It lets us dampen the vibrations without restricting the face bending that we designed into the club. It is not there to help make the face thinner and it’s not there to change the bending. It’s there to dampen feel and sound.”

The inR-Air insert frees up mass that is then reallocated low in the sole of the club, specifically in the 4-7 irons, which is done with tungsten weighting.

Ping wanted the i540 to be a distance first iron, but with that came the need for height, because distance isn’t very useful if your ball is bounding through the green. By lowering the CG with tungsten, one of the densest materials used in a club, Ping can achieve higher peak apexes for increased stopping power.

“The way you get more height in an iron, if you don’t want to change the loft, is to lower the CG,” Milleman said. “The lower you can go on the CG, the more efficient the impact is going to be. You get more ball speed, higher launch angle, and that drives peak height.”

An iron with A LOT of sole

A lower CG was also a focus of the G740 to help players launch the ball in the air.

Players using G740 usually need all the help they can get, so the iron is the lowest CG in the Ping lineup.

Instead of using tungsten, Ping engineers accomplished this through the iron’s shape by shortening the face height and dramatically widening the sole.

“If we’re trying to get a low-CG iron, we need to take mass away from the top rail, we need to take mass away from the hosel, and we need to put it in the area that’s the lowest on the club, which is the sole,” Milleman said.

While game-improvement irons typically have wider soles for extra forgiveness through the turf, Ping made the G740’s sole even wider to push more mass low.

Had Ping designed a traditional sole, it likely would have been too bulky for many players and gotten stuck in the turf.

To combat this, Ping created a dual-camber where a large portion of the trail edge is angled away, reducing the effective sole width of the club.

“The extra mass we added you kind of see on that back edge,” Milleman said. “We tried to get it out of the way so the club gets into the turf and out of the turf the same way. On the toe side we tried to add a little bit more relief, but on the heel side, we actually flattened it to get even more CG-lowering feature.”

The new Ping iron lineup

i540

What is it: A player’s-distance iron with similar shaping and sizing to the i240, but with a hollow-bodied design, stronger lofts and ultra-low CG for increased launch and distance.

Who it’s for: Players who want to prioritize speed and distance above all else with their irons, or golfers who would like to regain lost distance.

G740

What is it: A super game-improvement iron with the longest blade length, thickest topline and widest sole of any Ping iron for maximum forgiveness.

Who it’s for: Players who need help launching the ball in the air or who miss all over the face.

My take: Helping golfers hit it higher is becoming a theme

You could argue the i540 and the G740 accomplish the same thing for different types of players.

The i540 is for the more accomplished ball striker who wants to hit it farther; the G740 is for the beginner who needs to hit it farther.

Both of these irons help their targeted golfer by lowering the CG and getting them to hit the ball higher. It seems like a trend more and more companies are following to help players hit the ball higher, which in turn will help them be more precise in holding greens.

Both irons fill distinct roles in Ping’s iron lineup, which is now complete from the Blueprint T to the G740. No matter what type of player you are, Ping has a set of irons that will help your game.

Price, specs and availability

PING i540 Custom Irons

$214.25 from Fairway Jockey

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PING G740 Custom Irons

$185.75 from Fairway Jockey

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Ping’s new i540 and G740 irons are available for pre-order starting March 10 and will arrive at retail locations on March 26.

The i540 will cost $214.25 per club, while the G740 will cost $185.75 per club.

Both irons are available in all three of Ping’s loft specs: Power, Standard and Retro.

i540
Power: (4i) 18, 21, 24, (7i) 27.5, 31.5, 36, (PW) 41, (UW) 46
Standard: (4i) 19, 22, 25.5, (7i) 29, 33, 37, (PW) 42, (UW) 47
Retro: (4i) 20, 24, 27.5, (7i) 31, 34.5, 38, (PW) 42.5, (UW) 47.5

G740
Power: (5i) 19.5, 23, (7i) 26.5, 30.5, 35, (PW) 40, (UW) 45, 50, 56
Standard: (5i) 21, 24.5, (7i) 28, 32, 36, (PW) 40, (UW) 45, 50, 56
Retro: (5i) 23, 26.5, (7i) 30, 33.5, 37, (PW) 40.5, (UW) 47.5, 50, 56

Want to find the best driver for your game in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Ping’s new i540, G740 irons provide same benefit for different abilities appeared first on Golf.

The post The 8 hybrids and utility irons our staff loved during testing | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post The 8 hybrids and utility irons our staff loved during testing | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Fit 2026, GOLF’s new platform for providing you with real-golfer insights into what 2026 gear might be best suited for your game. To this end, we assembled six GOLF content creators of varying abilities and ran them through the gauntlet of six full-bag fittings (driver to putter!) at six major club manufacturers in Phoenix and Carlsbad, Calif. Our hope: that you might see shades of your own game in one of our panelists’ and take some learnings and inspiration from their fitting experiences. In this installment (below), check out the hybrids and utility irons that each of our Fully Fit 2026 panelists chose for their golf bags. You may browse each of our panelists’ full 2026 dream bags here:

Jake Morrow (0 handicap) | Johnny Wunder (2) | Wadeh Maroun (2) | Jack Hirsh (2.4) | Maddi MacClurg (5.6) | Sean Zak (7.8)

MORE FULLY FIT: Fully Fit hub page | Why we’re ‘testing’ golf clubs differently this year | Inside 6 days of fittings and testing | Browse 2026 drivers | Browse 2026 irons | How 5 days of club fittings changed my mind on golf equipment

The spot between a player’s fairway woods and irons can be tricky, and for many of our Fully Fit panelists, hybrids and utilities were where they had to make the toughest decisions.

This category is crucial for players to gap out the rest of their bag. Have a utility club that goes too far and you’ll struggle to gap your iron set after it. Have one that goes too short, and you’re going to be left with lots of awkward fairway wood yardages.

Not everyone will need a club in this space, but all six of our panelists did.

Everyone was looking for something different. Johnny and Sean wanted 4-iron replacements that went higher and farther. Johnny stuck with his longtime gamer hybrid, while Sean found a new utility iron. Wadeh and I were looking for secondary wood options that we can land softer than our mini drivers.

There was something for everyone.

After fittings with six manufacturers, here are the hybrids and utility irons our six panelists chose for their bags in 2026.

Jack Hirsh’s 3-Hybrid

Head: Ping G440 3H
Shaft: Nppon N.S. Pro Modus3 GOST Hybrid TX
Loft: 20 @ 19
Trajectory Tuning 2.0 Setting: Flat –
Length: 40.25″ EOG
Tipping: 0″
Swingweight: D3

PING G440 Custom Hybrid

The G440 hybrids appeal to a variety of skill levels, each engineered to deliver different ball- flight characteristics – from the slightly fade-biased 2 hybrid for off-the-tee performance to the draw-inducing 5, 6 and 7 hybrids that help optimize gapping. They all share a new, shallower and thinner face design, which improves face contact for more ball speed and higher-launching shots that hit and hold the green.  FLIES HIGH LANDS SOFT Optimized launch and spin ensure distance with stopping power.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.  ROUNDED SOLE  Ensures pleasing face angle in all hosel settings  CARBONFLY WRAP  Lightweight carbon crown saves weight to increase MOI, lower CG. 

$319.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore

Why it’s in my bag: I struggled to find a replacement for my 3-wood for a long time until I got fitted for this hybrid last year at the Proving Grounds. Surprisingly, during Fully Fit 2026, I walked away with three other really good options for this spot in the bag, including a 21-degree Callaway UW, an 18-degree Cobra OPTM hybrid and a 19-degree TaylorMade Qi4D hybrid. But honestly, the G440 has such an advantage with a year of playing with it already in my back pocket.

I’m stoked to have four great options here, so while I’m happy with the Ping right now, I wouldn’t be shocked if I make a change when I start playing more regularly again in the spring. I do have some lead tape on the toe just to guard against that left miss, but for the most part, it keeps me on the right side of the golf course. This thing also explodes off the face.

1 key data point: 254 to 224 yards carry distance. That big of a carry dispersion is usually not considered a good thing, but the fact that I’m able to dial up a 250-plus carry out of a club that fills my 240 gap is super advantageous when I’m far away from the green. While I’m rarely hitting the mini off the deck, knowing I can still get pretty close to the target if I’m just inside a comfortable yardage and even chase it up with the hybrid is awesome. That shot is pretty low spin, but when I’m trying to close the gap between my Mini driver and 4-iron, versatility is key.

See Jack’s full bag here

Jack Hirsh’s Utility Iron

*Utility Iron swapped for hybrid on a course/conditions-dependent basis

Head: Titleist U505 3-iron
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Hybrid Gen. 4 80 g 6.5
Loft: 20˚
Lie: 58.5˚
Length: 39.25″ EOG
Swingweight: D4

Titleist 2025 U•505 Custom Driving Iron

U505 plays like an iron but performs like something more. From threading the needle off the tee to getting home from unfathomable distances, U505 gives players the speed and control to hit clutch shots with confidence.  Pure Muscle Look   A hollow high-strength steel body concentrates immense power in a pure package. Long-Range Speed  A new forged L-Face design heightens ball speed and launch to take on distant targets with confidence.  Consistent Performance  Improved Max Impact Technology helps generate consistent launch, speed, spin, and carry to expand your shotmaking ability. Controlled Trajectory  Split high-density tungsten produces optimal CG with high stability for more forgiving shotmaking. Iron Set Blending The U505 and T250U feature a player-preferred profile with minimal offset, allowing you to blend into the top end of a mixed setup seamlessly.

$279.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Titleist

Why it’s in my bag: If I’m going to play a utility iron, then I want it to actually be a utility club and not a one-trick pony. Yes, hitting it high is almost never an issue for me, but the shots I can hit with the U505 are just silly. I can hit as high as all of my other irons, and I can hit down below 70 feet when I need to hit a frozen rope into the wind. I really just didn’t hit anything that has come close to it. I got fit for this club when the 2025 T-Series was launched and it took about three swings.

1 key data point: 157 mph ball speed. This was the fastest ball speed number I’ve recorded with this 3-iron. I was trying to get this number, but I’m more typically in the lower 150s. Just to be able to have that kind of speed with an iron tells me I can hit it off the tee and not have to worry about leaving myself way far back.

See Jack’s full bag here

Jake Morrow’s Driving Iron

Head: Ping iDi #3
Shaft: Ping Tour 2.0 Black 90 X-Stiff
Loft: 20º
Lie: Black Color Code – 59º
Length: 39.25″
Swingweight: C9+

PING iDi Custom Driving Iron

The iDi marks a big step forward in driving iron and long-iron performance, giving better golfers the flexibility of three loft choices to fit their distance number and trajectory window. Loft offerings are optimized for launch and spin in 2, 3 & 4 irons with a thinner, forged maraging steel face that flexes to increase ball speed and distance. The 2 is a traditional driving iron, delivering low launch and spin. The 3 (mid launch, mid spin) is designed as a driving iron or long-iron replacement. The 4 launches higher with more spin, making it easier to hold greens and is also recommended as a long iron replacement. The 17-4 stainless steel head is both deeper front to back and shallower, which allows for 15% higher MOI on high/low impacts, and makes room for the new inR-Air technology. inR-Air is a pocket of air in the clubhead that damps sound and improves feel. The covered cavity and i-Beam structure help reduce vibration. In addition, iDi is shorter heel-to-toe to make it easier to tun over. For control in shot making, each iDi is approximately 1/4″ shorter and 1° flatter. 

$269.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore

Why it’s in my bag: I haven’t had a driving iron in the bag for a while. I’ve toyed with the Mizuno FliHi (the new one is really good, fyi) and the older Ping iCrossover (of which I was internally at Ping called the biggest fan of), but they just didn’t really stick after I found love in the Qi35 5-wood and a Ping G440 hybrid. When we tested the iDi, though, it just felt super easy. I could choke up and hit low cutty fairway finders or play it at length and hit super high draws. It also feels much better off the face than you might expect. I have to give credit to Adam Harding on the Ping PGA Tour truck for this. He’s the one who told me that I absolutely needed to hit it, and that’s really the only reason that I did when we went for our fittings. Turns out, he was correct.

1 key data point: Not really a data point, but how easy it is to change flights is what ended up selling me. The one downside to hybrids is that they are sort of one-trick ponies. Into the wind, or shots where you have to make a certain flight happen, aren’t really their strong suit. The iDi checks that box.

See Jake’s full bag here

Johnny Wunder’s 4-hybrid

1/2

2/2

Head: Ping G430 4H
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI HY 9X
Loft: 22
Setting: Flat
Length: 39.5 EOG
Tipping: 0
Swingweight: D3

PING G440 Custom Hybrid

The G440 hybrids appeal to a variety of skill levels, each engineered to deliver different ball- flight characteristics – from the slightly fade-biased 2 hybrid for off-the-tee performance to the draw-inducing 5, 6 and 7 hybrids that help optimize gapping. They all share a new, shallower and thinner face design, which improves face contact for more ball speed and higher-launching shots that hit and hold the green.  FLIES HIGH LANDS SOFT Optimized launch and spin ensure distance with stopping power.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.  ROUNDED SOLE  Ensures pleasing face angle in all hosel settings  CARBONFLY WRAP  Lightweight carbon crown saves weight to increase MOI, lower CG. 

$319.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore

Why it’s in my bag: Security blanket. I’ve had this in the bag for two seasons now, and it’s become my favorite club. It can get up, go down, hold ball speed up and down the face, and it spins. It’s the most efficient 4H I’ve ever tested, and I really tried to kick it out. Contenders were Cobra OPTM (really close) and a TaylorMade Qi4D (also really close). Where they fell short was on their ceiling, with the 430, I can chip it and hit it 205, or munch it and hit it 225. The other had the floor, but the ceiling was 218. I’ll take the extra few yards.

1 key data point: 138-143 mph, 4200-4800 RPMs, 212-225 yard carry

See Johnny’s full bag here

Maddi MacClurg’s 4-hybrid

Head: Callaway Quantum Max
Shaft: Denali Frost Silver 70G 6.0
Loft: 21º
OptiFit4 Setting: NS
Lie: 59.375°
Length: 40.125″
Swingweight: D2

Callaway Quantum Max Custom Hybrid

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Callaway

Why it’s in my bag: I’ve never had the kind of reliability with other hybrids that the Quantum Max gives me. Standing over shots, I feel confident because I don’t have to worry about my ball speed dropping on off-center hits. It also launches the ball high with a penetrating trajectory, making it easier to carry hazards on the course. Between the forgiveness, consistent speed and high launch, I can see this quickly becoming a club I rely on round after round.

1 key data point: I’ve always struggled with consistency when hitting hybrids, especially on off-center strikes. But the Quantum Max was a different story. Even on shots that were slightly off the toe or low on the face, the ball still carried with consistent, predictable speed. This makes it easy to trust the club from both the fairway and off the tee. That kind of reliability will be a game-changer for me —especially in competition rounds.

See Maddi’s full bag here

Sean Zak’s Utility Iron

Head: TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron
Shaft: KBS Tour Lite S
Loft: 22°
Lie: Standard
Length: 38.75″

TaylorMade P-UDI Custom Utility Iron

Tour inspired shaping for a playable and balanced look at address. Strategically positioned CG for a penetrating ball flight with backspin for players who demand shot making with long irons. INDIVIDUAL MASS OPTIMIZATION Featuring advanced thick-thin back wall construction, sound stabilization bar, and deliberately distributed mass to maximize forgiveness. Each iron is uniquely designed with every gram strategically placed to achieve specific performance goals with premium forged feel. OPTIMAL LAUNCH AND FORGIVENESS Designed to deliver easy launch, increased forgiveness and enhanced consistency. The new internal weighting structure combines with proven technologies such as the forged 4140 OptiFace, Speed Pocket™ and up to 26g of tungsten. THRU-SLOT SPEEDPOCKET The Thru-Slot Speed Pocket™ provides increased face flexibility while preserving ball speed and distance on low face strikes.

$249.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, TaylorMade

Why it’s in my bag: I play a lot of golf in Scotland. Have been making the annual (and privileged) Open Championship pilgrimage for the last four years, and I find myself hitting a lot of 4-irons on that trip. It’s such a great exercise — to play firm courses for weeks at a time. It forces you to understand your carry distance, but also to understand how far your shots can run if you just get them started on the right line. So I really enjoy having a club I can hit extra shots with, low and hooking at times, higher and fading at others. This club has a good bit of meat on the bone, if you will. Some real mass that sits behind the clubface and helps me launch it. But I can also get plenty of distance out of that mass simply by pulling it back in my stance a bit and stinging one low and striking. Versatility is what we love.

1 key data point: This may not feel like a data point, but there is something particularly pleasing about just filling in the gap, loft-wise, in my bag. If we were to remove that Adams driving iron, which I really should have done years ago, then there was about a 13-degree gap in my set when it came to modern clubs. The 22-degree 4-iron (and the 16.5-degree 5-wood) work hand-in-hand to make my gapping more sensical. We like that!

See Sean’s full bag here

Wadeh Maroun’s Hybrid

Head: Callaway Apex UW 2021
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7-X
Loft: 19˚
Length: 41”
Tipping: 2”
Swingweight: D0

Callaway 2025 Apex Custom Utility Wood

The Apex UW is designed for serious, avid golfers seeking the perfect blend of a fairway wood’s power and a hybrid’s versatility. Engineered with Tour feedback and loaded with performance technologies, it delivers a higher, more neutral ball flight with the control all players demand.  TUNGSTEN SPEED WAVE A dynamic, 41g+ tungsten wave structure positions mass low and forward, enhancing ball speed and launch—particularly on low-face strikes where players tend to lose distance. STEP SOLE DESIGN A redesigned sole with a stepped geometry reduces turf interaction, helping to maintain swing speed through impact and promoting more consistent contact across different lies. TRIAXIAL CARBON CROWN The lightweight carbon construction allows for strategic weight redistribution, creating a more forgiving clubhead while refining launch and spin for greater shot-making control. TOUR-INSPIRED SHAPING Designed with input from the world’s best, the compact, refined shape and neutral face angle inspire confidence at address and deliver workability from tee to turf.

$369.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Callaway

Why it’s in my bag: This has been in my bag for three years now, and it is my most trusted club in there. I use it for 240-yard distances, mostly hitting into greens on par 5s. The new 2025 UW is great. I just have so much confidence in this club; I didn’t feel the need to make a switch.

1 key data point: The north and south dispersion is so tight that a fitter from a different OEM, who will not be named, said, “If anyone tries to tell you they can beat this club, they are lying to you.”

See Wadeh’s full bag here

Wadeh Maroun’s Utility Iron*

Head: Srixon ZXiU
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD-VF Hybrid 95-S
Loft: 18˚
Length: 40”
Swingweight: D0

Srixon ZXiU Custom Utility Iron

$249.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Srixon

Why it’s in my bag: Living in Arizona, you play a lot of desert golf, which usually means tight and hard fairways. I have this in my bag for when I am playing tight courses where I need 240+ off the tee and I know it is going to go straight. I do not use this a lot as it’s very much the “15th” club and used on a course-by-course basis.

1 key data point: Ball speed was the highest out of any of the driving irons I hit. I also love the mirror on the back, which removes the bulk through an optical illusion.

*Utility iron goes in for UW based on course/conditions

See Wadeh’s full bag here

Watch Fully Fit 2026 below!

Ready to overhaul your bag in 2026 like our Fully Fit panelists? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post The 8 hybrids and utility irons our staff loved during testing | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post PGA Tour pros do this to their wedges every week, should you? | Bag Builders appeared first on Golf.

The post PGA Tour pros do this to their wedges every week, should you? | Bag Builders appeared first on Golf.

I recently took a trip to PING headquarters in Phoenix and had an incredible experience having Adam Harding, from the Ping tour truck, custom-grind me a wedge.

When we visited Ping previously for Fully Fit, I was having trouble finding the right lob wedge, which was disappointing because I liked how they felt off the face and they were spinning more than anything else that I had tried the rest of the week. Thankfully, we were on another trip out west, and I got to work with Adam, whom I had been texting for weeks about my quest to dial in the wedge.

I’ve already gotten comments from viewers and followers that this isn’t a “normal” thing, and it’s tough to compare the experience to what a consumer can get. That, however, is wrong, and I’m really happy to let you guys in on this little secret.

How did I know I needed a custom grind?

When we went out for Fully Fit at Ping, I really, really enjoyed the new S259 wedges. On full shots with the gap wedge and the sand wedge, I was impressed by the feel, and more importantly, the penetrating flight the wedges produced with more spin than I had seen from anything I tested. This was confirmed throughout the week-long trip.

The problem was that we couldn’t figure out the lob wedge. I typically play a lower-bounce lob wedge to prioritize the ability to open up the face without exposing the leading edge. This helps add effective bounce while allowing me to be creative.

Weirdly enough, the best option of the day at Fully Fit ended up being the W grind, but it was mostly because I could make the wedge work for more types of square-face shots. Leaning the shaft, keeping the hands back, or going toe down was easy and the wedge was very forgiving, but I had to abandon the option of opening the face on little shots around the green. With that wide of a sole and that much bounce, it just wasn’t something I was comfortable looking at or executing.

This is where the custom grind comes in.

A friend of mine used to work on all my golf clubs, and a couple of years ago, we discovered that a significant reduction in the heel of any lob wedge is good for my game. I love to swing the face way open, and knocking down the heel helps a lot with that.

I also like to add a bit of skid to the leading edge to ensure that I don’t create a knife that digs into the ground and never comes out. In 2024, I played a Mizuno T24 that was custom ground with leading-edge camber and heel relief, and for 2025, I did the same with a Cobra King, a fresh grind of which is the current front-runner for the bag.

There was just something about these Ping S259 wedges that I really liked, so I texted Adam about potentially making some changes to the H-Grind, which was really close in testing. It worked well around the greens, but it was too sharp on longer pitch shots or full shots. Digging really hard and not getting out of the turf properly is a common issue with the H-Grind, and I had the same problem.

Adam was confident that he could help. He texted me to say that he had explored some options for that exact problem whenever I was able to see him next. You can see the entire interaction in the YouTube video we created.

Figuring out what the custom grind needed to be

We started by hitting a couple of shots with the “contenders”. Adam wanted to use the S259 S-Grind as the base test because it’s PING’s “standard” grind. It’s something that works for lots of players and has a unique way of showing what a player may need from a wedge. It’s not quite the grind for me.

Sure enough, I shanked one off the hosel. Definitely not the one we were going to move forward with. Next, we went back to test the H-Grind. We were pretty sure this one was going to work for me around the green, so it was more of a fun test just to show off a little bit. The H-Grind has about 90% of what I am looking for on the shorter shots around the green, but I could still feel the heel making contact with the turf before the ball.

Lastly, Adam, for his own research, wanted me to hit the newly designed E-Grind.

The E-Grind takes the classic Ping Eye-style grind and modernizes it for today’s game. It still has the Eye grind-style material cutout in the sole, which gives it two leading edges and two trailing edges in a way.

The idea is to keep the front of the wedge lower bounce for ease of use around the greens, but high enough in bounce to hit the fuller shots. Unfortunately for me, the shape of the leading edge was still just a bit too sharp for how steep I get on pitch and full shots. Even trying to open it around the greens, I struggled to get past that “second cut” on the sole. We moved back to the H-Grind to hit a few more shots and decided that was going to be our starting point.

From there, Adam went to work.

He started by grabbing a fresh S259 H-Grind from the truck drawer (with no weight port installed) and taking it to the grinding belt. Using a coarser, more aggressive belt, he began removing material.

Since Adam had done a similar grind for himself, it didn’t take him long to get there. He took a bunch of material off the heel, and what used to be a bit of a knuckle in that area became nice and flat. He then smoothed the rest of the wedge with a finer, less-aggressive belt to help blend before tackling the leading edge.

To make it less sharp without adding too much additional bounce, he had to be careful about the angle he chose to grind this new “skid”. By blunting the front edge a bit more and creating a skid, I can stay aggressively down in attack angle without worrying about the wedge getting stuck in the ground on pitch shots or more full shots.

Again with this, he started with a coarse belt to get the shape down and take away material, and then finished it up with a finer belt for blending it back into the wedge. Since this was a Hydropearl 2.0 Chrome finish, it’s easy to spot the work done, but Adam did a fantastic job blending the grind, even with the finish removed.

1/4

2/4

3/4

4/4

Making sure we didn’t screw it up

After Adam ground up the new wedge, he built it up to my specs with a Project X 6.5 Wedge shaft and a GolfPride Tour Velvet Cord grip.

The cool part about building up a PING wedge from scratch is the access to the CTP weights (pictured above). The heads start without a weight in the port, so they can build the wedge without having to worry about tip weights or swing weight at all, really, and then the appropriate CTP weight can be placed in the build at the very end to ensure proper swing weight.

This is especially cool when it means that there’s zero trouble in building a unique length and, in my case, building it to the same length as a gap wedge.

Once the wedge was dry, we headed back to the PING Proving Grounds chipping green to hit the same shots we had started with.

I could feel the difference immediately.

It was so easy to open up the wedge and get aggressive on my attack angle without ever fearing that I was going to stick the wedge into the ground. We quickly hit some fantastic shots and then headed over to the range to hit some full shots. This is where we were going to find out if the entire experiment was worth it.

The good news: it was a breeze. The wedge didn’t get stuck in the ground a single time. It got into the turf fast, which helps me make confident ball-first contact, but came out quickly enough that spin values stayed consistent, impact location and strike consistency improved. The flight window I was seeing was nearly perfect. One shot after another, Adam’s leading-edge grind proved its worth. I was a very happy golfer with a new tool.

Tour experiences are great… but how can the regular golfer get this?

One of the common comments I’ve received since this content went live is that it’s not fair to show an experience the average consumer can’t get.

But that’s not true.

There are lots of private bay fitters who do custom wedge fittings and grinds, as well as plenty of online resources for places to send your wedge with notes of how you want it ground. Remember, some things will require more investment. If you really think that you have no options in the wedge market, investing a few more bucks to get one ground the way you need it is absolutely worth it. It is to me, anyway. But that’s not even the best part.

PING s259 Custom Wedge

$199.00 from Fairway Jockey

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The cooler news is that this type of experience is available through Ping Custom. An authorized Ping dealer can work with Ping through what’s called the Ping WRX program. It’s sort of an “if you know, you know” program, but it’s one of the cool ways that Ping separates itself.

Offerings like it are part of the reason that Ping doesn’t sell directly to the customer. They want to make sure the gear has been properly tested or, preferably, fitted. Working with authorized dealers on things like Ping WRX, it allows customers and their fitters to get specific about what they are looking for from Ping and bring this sort of experience to the regular consumer.

For more information on that program, visit your local authorized PING dealer. I’d probably stay away from the big box stores with this one, though, and find a local fitter or a local golf shop near you to help order properly.

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