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What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Jack Backhouse brings you the low down on the Ping PLD Anser 2 putter
The Ping Anser is a classic. There have been so many brilliant iterations over the years it must be so hard to know what to improve, but improve it they have. The PLD line is Ping’s premium putter line, and Jack Backhouse got his hands on the Anser 2 model to test. So how did he find it? Find out in our Ping PLD Anser 2 Putter Review.
Blade putters are simple but incredibly complicated to get right. Time and time again, Ping gets it right with their Anser and Anser 2 putter head shapes.
Walking onto the putting green with the PLD Anser 2, you want to hole putts just to it justice. The lines are so clean, it sits very square behind the ball and with Ping’s face milling the putts you strike feel great and rolls beautifully.
Blade putter fans are going to want to get their hands on this.
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Like me, blade putter fans will have seen this flat stick in the pro shop or from afar and wonder if this putter is worth the money. Getting it in my hands, I immediately know it is worth every penny.
The putter feels wonderfully balanced in my hands, and they seem to have got the grip just right somehow. It sits in my palms perfectly.
The milling on the Ping PLD milled face is deep, and you do feel like the putter is going to help you get the ball running on the green quicker.
I cannot walk past a blade putter in a shop without picking it up and having a look. It is not a life-ruining addiction, but it is a strange obsession that I’ve developed and cannot get over.
To add another layer to this interest, I have had many Ping putters in my putter timeline, and still have an old-school Ping Zing putter that gets a run out in winter for fun. Being sent this by Ping is very exciting for me.
The Ping PLD putter I received is the 34-inch Anser 2 in satin finish designed for a stroke with a slight arc. It differs from the Anser with a slightly longer and narrower profile and sharper corners but shares its clean square lines. The white centre alignment line is quite narrow but looks very good. It is also available in a matte black finish.
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The Ping PLD milled putter review started on the putting green at my home club Sand Moor in North Leeds, with some lengthy lag putting. I really liked how nicely balanced the putter felt in my hands at address and in the swing.
After a few putts adjusting to the feel, my pace control was really good with the putter. This could be thanks to the deep AMP aggressive milling pattern on the face, which helps the ball roll quicker and more consistently.
Short putting is usually where people tend to go off-blade putters; with the head being so small, golfers generally have a hard time aiming them well and therefore miss short putts. I personally really enjoyed the short putts with the PLD Anser 2.
On the short strokes, I really liked the feel of the slight toe hang and was quite successful at knocking the must-make short putts in. I don’t personally mind the short alignment line, having used a blade for so long and was able to get my putts started online and moving in a good direction quite regularly.
The second part of my review was out on the golf course playing 18 holes in my usual Sunday early morning knock. Things started extremely well when I single-putted 6 of the first nine greens. I found it really easy to match up the pace with the desired line on this putter and just had one of those mornings where you make pretty much everything you look at.
Things did dry up slightly on back 9 with a three-putt and a large number of two-putts, but I did really enjoy using this putter. I was pleasantly surprised with how forgiving I found the Anser 2 to use.
Often a drawback with blades is a lower MOI with the head being smaller, but Ping has weighted the head appropriately to allow my slight toe and bottom strikes still perform almost as well as a centred hit.
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This putter might feel expensive compared to the other putters in Ping’s lineup this year, but what you are getting with the PLD (which stands for putting lab design) is real quality. A solid block of forged 303 stainless steel requires more than four hours of milling time.
Ping’s PLD series has a wide variety of putter models and head shapes designed for different arc strokes that will help you shoot lower scores. The Anser 2 head suits my eye, but there is absolutely something for everyone who is looking to upgrade to a real premium putter, and you should definitely get a custom fitting if you are serious about getting one.
Available: Now
RRP: £399
Length: Standard is 34 but custom lengths available
More info: Ping Website
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