Employing high-pressure aluminium casting for the first time in the manufacturing of its putters, PING have introduced the Heppler putters, an eye-catching, nine-model family of blades and multi-material mid-mallets and mallets differentiated by solid- face technology and extremely high inertia properties.
The new putter family is named in honour of Rick Heppler, a long-time PING employee who began his career with the company as a teenager in 1966. The son of a General Electric co-worker of PING Founder Karsten Solheim, Rick was hired by Karsten to help John A. Solheim build putters in the family garage. Rick eventually held several management positions at Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, before passing away in a motorcycle accident in 2013.
“Rick was part of the PING family for almost 50 years,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “He was a dear friend who contributed greatly to our success in all that he did. Naming this putter series after him is a tribute to his dedication to our company and its employees.”
“With the Heppler series, we’re providing golfers a firmer-feeling putter in highly forgiving models to ensure a choice that fits their stroke and eye,” he added. “We’ve chosen a very precise manufacturing process that has significantly advanced our ability to create high-MOI mid-mallets and mallets by combining aerospace-grade aluminium with steel. The contrasting copper and black finish provides alignment cues and a visually appealing, premium look that’s attracting a lot of interest on tour.”
“Fitting continues to be an important part of our putter technology as well,” Solheim said. “We’ve made improvements to the feel of our adjustable-length shaft technology and the new putters are available to fit every stroke type so golfers can find a putter to match their stance and stroke.”
Solid-Face Technology
A firmer feel and sound is the result of the machined, flat face. The face material – either aluminium or steel – varies by model, depending on the placement of the materials, which is strategically positioned to maximise forgiveness and optimise the centre of gravity.
Extensive testing revealed the auditory feedback of the flat metal face had a positive effect on the player’s confidence by providing a distinct impact experience, without compromising performance.
“We saw a high percentage of testers improve their ‘Strokes Gained’ results with a Heppler model, indicating that many golfers prefer the firmer sound and feel of a solid-face design,” said Solheim. “We see the new putters as an appealing alternative to our Sigma 2 series, which offers a softer feel and sound through its dual-durometer insert and TR face technology. Our primary goal is to provide golfers a custom-fit putter with their desired feel and sound, while delivering the performance and consistency they need to hole more putts.”
Pressure-Cast Aluminium; Multi-material Designs
PING engineers combined a lightweight aluminium with steel through strategic shaping and weight placement to produce extremely high MOI designs. The aluminium casting process creates precise detail and exceptional quality in the mid-mallets and mallets. The new Tomcat 14 has the highest MOI in the line and features a 14-dot alignment aid inspired by the lights on an airport runway.
“The advantage of pressure casting is we can achieve highly precise design details, while allowing our engineers much greater freedom to position weight where it benefits the putter’s performance the most,” said Solheim. “As a result, we improved the performance of existing models and developed two entirely new designs. Golfers will also find a variety of alignment features to help ensure accuracy and match their preferred look.”
Black Chrome, Adjustable-Length Shaft
Advancements to the adjustable-length shaft technology introduced in the Sigma 2 family produce a firmer feel with less flexing. Finished in an eye-catching black chrome, the adjustable-length shaft is lightweight, easy to use and sleekly concealed beneath the grip, allowing golfers to customise length between 32″ and 36″ to fit their stroke and posture. The process is quick and intuitive, through the use of an adjustment tool that inserts into the top of the grip. One full turn causes approximately a ¼” adjustment up or down and the grip remains perfectly aligned during the adjustment process.
“We’ve taken a very complex technical challenge and simplified it for the benefit of golfers,” said Solheim. “It allows you to experiment with various lengths and ultimately fit yourself. You simply adjust it until you’re comfortable, ideally with your eyes directly over the ball, or slightly inside the line. The performance improvements with a putter fit to the proper length are significant. We strongly encourage golfers to take advantage of this innovative feature.”
PING Pistol Grip Options
Four PING grip designs allow golfers to find their optimal fit and feel. The PP59 is the standard grip, inspired by the popular PP58. The PP60 is midsize and lightweight, designed to fit the contours of the hands with flats on the top and sides. Slightly heavier, the PP61 has an exaggerated pistol shape. The PP62, while still lightweight, has a larger, more rounded shape to promote quieter hands.
Heppler Models and Specifications
Anser 2
Bearing the same heel-toe weighting that helped make the original Anser 2 so popular, the Heppler version also shares the original’s angled heel ballast. The all-steel Heppler Anser 2 stands apart with colour blocking that creates its own eye-pleasing alignment assistance.
Putter Type: Blade
Material: Steel
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 350g
Stroke Type: Slight Arc
Lie Angle: 20° ±4°
Loft: 3° ±3°
RRP: €299.00
ZB3
A larger section of the cavity was carved out and the heel-toe ballasts are larger than those in the ZB 2 to achieve a high MOI in this strong-arc blade. The alignment dot is a product of our research showing this cue makes aiming easier for strong-arc players.
Putter Type: Blade
Material: Steel
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 355g
Stroke Type: Strong Arc
Lie Angle: 20° ±4°
Loft: 3° ±3°
RRP: €299.00
Piper C
Players who prefer centre-shafted putters will find the Piper C gives them a performance edge. Relative to other centre-shafted models, the CG is lower and MOI is higher because of steel heel and toe weights integrated with the aluminium body.
Putter Type: Mid-mallet
Material: Aluminium/Steel face
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 365g
Stroke Type: Straight
Lie Angle: 20° ±4°
Loft: 3° ±1°
RRP: €299.00
Tyne 3
At address, the ratio of aluminium to steel appears to be 50/50; in fact, steel accounts for 2/3 of the weight, created by a thick back flange, resulting in a lower, much deeper CG and a higher MOI.
Putter Type: Mallet
Material: Aluminium face/Steel
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 360g
Stroke Type: Slight Arc
Lie Angle: 20° ±4°
Loft: 3° ±3°
RRP: €329.00
Fetch
To elevate MOI over the Sigma 2 Fetch, which has steel bordering the centre cut-out, designers used aluminium, then steel in the heel-toe ballasting for increasing forgiveness. The colour contrasting helps golfers focus on the alignment lines, causing the holed-out section to fade and not be the primary focus.
Putter Type: Mallet
Material: Aluminium/Steel face
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 365g
Stroke Type: Straight
Lie Angle: 20° ±2°
Loft: 3° ±3°
RRP: €329.00
Ketsch
Its sole is steel, which also wraps the perimeter; a big reason this ½ steel, ½ aluminium Ketsch nearly doubles the MOI of the PING Vault 2.0 Ketsch. Like all the Heppler mallets, it effectively utilises multi-material construction and is the only putter in the family with three alignment lines, which frame the ball.
Putter Type: Mallet
Material: Aluminium face/Steel
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 370g
Stroke Type: Slight Arc or Straight
Lie Angle: 20° ±2°
Loft: 3° ±3°
RRP: €329.00
Floki
The strong-arc mallet is enjoying popularity and the Floki expands a player’s fitting options, while boasting the second-highest MOI in the Heppler line, owing to its 2/3 steel, 1/3 aluminium construction. Significant steel around the perimeter prevents twisting and its copper colour contrasted against the black aluminium is designed to inspire confidence.
Putter Type: Mallet
Material: Aluminium face/Steel
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 365g
Stroke Type: Strong Arc
Lie Angle: 20° ±4°
Loft: 3° ±3°
RRP: €329.00
Tomcat 14
Airport runway lights inspired the alignment dots in the highest-MOI model in the Heppler family. The dots get closer together front to back to simulate motion, help with eye tracking and frame the ball. The back ballasts are cored out and steel filled in this ½ steel, ½ aluminium putter.
Putter Type: Mallet
Material: Aluminium face/Steel
Adjustable-Length Black Chrome Shaft: 32″ to 36″ range
Head Weight: 370g
Stroke Type: Slight Arc or Straight
Lie Angle: 20° ±2°
Loft: 3° ±3°
RRP: €329.00
Piper Armlock
A mid-mallet is the predominant putter style among armlock players for its desirable head shape and this Piper relies on the same low-CG, high-MOI, heel-toe weighted Piper C head. The difference is a double-bend shaft (std. length 41 ½”) and it attaches heel-side as opposed to the centre, a 21-inch grip and standard loft is 6°.
Putter Type: Mid-Mallet
Material: Aluminium/Steel face
Standard length: 41.5” (Non-adjustable. Custom lengths available)
Head Weight: 355g
Stroke Type: Slight Arc or Straight
Lie Angle: 20° ±2°
Standard Loft: 6° (custom lofts available)
RRP: €329.00
The custom-fit putters are available for pre-order at authorised PING golf shops around Ireland now.
Leave a comment