Tour New Ping S159 wedges - #2

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, SJP1 said:

There has not been any other wedge than a raw Vokey in my bag since 2013.

 

Tested the S159 today and trigger pulled on a chrome 54S - looks great, feels great and Quad was giving me over 8200rpm average on a 50m pitch.

 

We'll see how this goes and then the rest of the wedge set may follow.

 

With how often they need changing and the performance of Hydropearl, I can't justify paying for raw anymore either.  

 

 

 

If you want a raw look, you can get their midnight finish and then soak it in white vinegar for about 45 mins then brush off the black finish. However, I would think that would strip the hydropearl coating as well.

[PickItUpGolf]

7 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

If you want a raw look, you can get their midnight finish and then soak it in white vinegar for about 45 mins then brush off the black finish. However, I would think that would strip the hydropearl coating as well.

 

There is no hydropearl on the midnight though, so should be good!

[PickItUpGolf]

10 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Ping is one of the few oems that design their “stock” shafts then have them built by shaft companies to their specs.

 

Yeah it's pretty neat!

I know the Tour Black in my 3 wood is actually a UST Mamiya shaft

[SJP1]

1 hour ago, hammergolf said:

If you want a raw look, you can get their midnight finish and then soak it in white vinegar for about 45 mins then brush off the black finish. However, I would think that would strip the hydropearl coating as well.

 

I've stripped black Vokey's before and they don't turn out like a raw head, they end up looking like the new nickel finish in SM10 instead (which is also really nice).

 

End of the day, the Ping chrome finish is a nice satin, no glare, plus you then get the consistency benefit of Hydropearl. 

 

 

[elwhippy]

Just seen the 159s in our local store. Big step forward for Ping. Looks are much improved and soles have more heel relief. Could take some sales off TM and Vokey. 

[SkolChicago]

54 minutes ago, elwhippy said:

Just seen the 159s in our local store. Big step forward for Ping. Looks are much improved and soles have more heel relief. Could take some sales off TM and Vokey. 

More heel relief as in within the same grind, there’s more than the Glide 4.0?

[Flush-It-Fore]

I know what Vokey wedges I usually fit into, that being the S grind in the mid-50's and the M grind in the high-50's. Just looking at all the pictures of the Ping S grind, would this compare pretty close to the Vokey S grind? I know Vokey F grind is there m ore full sole PW & GW replacement, but the both the Ping and Vokey S grind seem to have a little more taken off the trailing edge. Am I right in thinking that these two are almost identical? 

 

I know that the Ping H and Vokey M are pretty much brothers, the only difference being that the Ping's bounce changes with the loft and the Vokey stays the same regardless of the loft. 

[SJP1]

56 minutes ago, Flush-It-Fore said:

I know what Vokey wedges I usually fit into, that being the S grind in the mid-50's and the M grind in the high-50's. Just looking at all the pictures of the Ping S grind, would this compare pretty close to the Vokey S grind? I know Vokey F grind is there m ore full sole PW & GW replacement, but the both the Ping and Vokey S grind seem to have a little more taken off the trailing edge. Am I right in thinking that these two are almost identical? 

 

I know that the Ping H and Vokey M are pretty much brothers, the only difference being that the Ping's bounce changes with the loft and the Vokey stays the same regardless of the loft. 

To me the Ping S grind looks like the trail edge relief is placed further back than the Vokey S grind, because the sole on the Ping is slightly wider.
 

The Ping S grind is like a blend of a Vokey F and S grinds.

[SJP1]

5 minutes ago, SJP1 said:

To me the Ping S grind looks like the trail edge relief is placed further back than the Vokey S grind, because the sole on the Ping is slightly wider.
 

The Ping S grind is like a blend of a Vokey F and S grinds.

And as seems to be a trend in the line, the Ping has slightly more aggressive relief in the heel.

[Flush-It-Fore]

2 minutes ago, SJP1 said:

And as seems to be a trend in the line, the Ping has slightly more aggressive relief in the heel.

I really don't mind the more aggressive heal relief. I played the Ping Forged pro's in the S grind and had trouble at times with the leading edge sticking too far up when opening up the club face. My main dilemma here is weather to try out the S or H grind in the 54-56 loft range. My main concern is which would be better suited for bunker shots, opening the face slightly on chips and pitches and also the occasional longer range full swing. 

 

I know the usual response will be, hey go get fit, and if I did I wouldn't be asking on here... so If I had to ask GolfWRX to build my bag, would you go:

 

Ping 50S (for sure)

Ping 54S or 54H - 56S or 56H (picking only one loft option to go with)

Ping 60H or 60T

 

These would be playing off the Blueprint S irons with a PW at 45*

[SJP1]

18 minutes ago, Flush-It-Fore said:

I really don't mind the more aggressive heal relief. I played the Ping Forged pro's in the S grind and had trouble at times with the leading edge sticking too far up when opening up the club face. My main dilemma here is weather to try out the S or H grind in the 54-56 loft range. My main concern is which would be better suited for bunker shots, opening the face slightly on chips and pitches and also the occasional longer range full swing. 

 

I know the usual response will be, hey go get fit, and if I did I wouldn't be asking on here... so If I had to ask GolfWRX to build my bag, would you go:

 

Ping 50S (for sure)

Ping 54S or 54H - 56S or 56H (picking only one loft option to go with)

Ping 60H or 60T

 

These would be playing off the Blueprint S irons with a PW at 45*

Based on only opening the face a little, I’d go S grind in 54-56. 

 

As for the H and T in the 60, it really depends how much bounce you want. Both can be laid open.

 

46S, 50S, 54S, 60B would be my set up. I like bounce and play mostly straight-faced wedges, but in the 60 I like a lower bounce option for tight lies/trouble shots, with a wide sole to still be forgiving out of sand.

[SaVo_]

what would the closest be to the Vokey D grind?

 

S? 

[SJP1]

21 minutes ago, SaVo_ said:

what would the closest be to the Vokey D grind?

 

S? 

H grind. 

[hammergolf]

21 hours ago, SJP1 said:

 

I've stripped black Vokey's before and they don't turn out like a raw head, they end up looking like the new nickel finish in SM10 instead (which is also really nice).

 

End of the day, the Ping chrome finish is a nice satin, no glare, plus you then get the consistency benefit of Hydropearl. 

 

 

I’ve stripped several Glide Stealth 2.0 wedges and they definitely become raw. The QPQ finish that Ping use might be different from what Vokey use however.

[SJP1]

5 hours ago, hammergolf said:

I’ve stripped several Glide Stealth 2.0 wedges and they definitely become raw. The QPQ finish that Ping use might be different from what Vokey use however.

Nice one. I can’t talk to a Ping wedge, I’ve only had Vokey’s until now.

My understanding of Titleist’s QPQ process is the application doesn’t just give a finish, it permeates/impregnates the steel beneath. That explains my experience of how stripping a black QPQ Vokey didn’t give the same finish as a factory raw wedge. It just strips the outer layer, exposing steel underneath that was still darker (like a blackened grey) than factory raw, because it’s been discoloured by the QPQ application. That “finish” gets baked in to the head material.

 

Regardless, all this is completely irrelevant to my change in direction 😂

 

I like the visual of a patina’d finish. But with the advancements in hydrophobic tech, my view is it’s now entered the realm of non-sensical for amateurs to pay more for a raw wedge that doesn’t have the performance benefit of hydropearl, and, when you’re not bagging a new wedge every month. 
 

For me, it’s time to put function over aesthetics. In my view, the benefit of hydropearl isn’t just 200-300 rpm on a like for like shot on dry numbers, it’s about when moisture gets involved - which on the course, is every single shot. 
 

Satin chrome is not as pretty as raw, but what I’m saying to myself is would I rather pay less? Yes. For a better performing wedge? Yes.
 

That’s lead me to a view of putting my game ahead of my tour-issue cosplay and saying goodbye to raw.

[sweetness]

Does anyone know / have a guess as to whether the H grind would be closer to the Vokey M, or to the Vokey D?

 

Based on bounce number I would think the M, but seems like Ping is saying their H is best for steeper actions / softer turf. 

[mogc60]

31 minutes ago, sweetness said:

Does anyone know / have a guess as to whether the H grind would be closer to the Vokey M, or to the Vokey D?

 

Based on bounce number I would think the M, but seems like Ping is saying their H is best for steeper actions / softer turf. 

It’s closer to the M but it has much more heel and toe relief. From what I saw it has alot of forward bounce the M has bounce further back 

[hammergolf]

12 hours ago, SJP1 said:

Nice one. I can’t talk to a Ping wedge, I’ve only had Vokey’s until now.

My understanding of Titleist’s QPQ process is the application doesn’t just give a finish, it permeates/impregnates the steel beneath. That explains my experience of how stripping a black QPQ Vokey didn’t give the same finish as a factory raw wedge. It just strips the outer layer, exposing steel underneath that was still darker (like a blackened grey) than factory raw, because it’s been discoloured by the QPQ application. That “finish” gets baked in to the head material.

 

Regardless, all this is completely irrelevant to my change in direction 😂

 

I like the visual of a patina’d finish. But with the advancements in hydrophobic tech, my view is it’s now entered the realm of non-sensical for amateurs to pay more for a raw wedge that doesn’t have the performance benefit of hydropearl, and, when you’re not bagging a new wedge every month. 
 

For me, it’s time to put function over aesthetics. In my view, the benefit of hydropearl isn’t just 200-300 rpm on a like for like shot on dry numbers, it’s about when moisture gets involved - which on the course, is every single shot. 
 

Satin chrome is not as pretty as raw, but what I’m saying to myself is would I rather pay less? Yes. For a better performing wedge? Yes.
 

That’s lead me to a view of putting my game ahead of my tour-issue cosplay and saying goodbye to raw.

Yeah I agree that having the hydropearl performance on a satin wedge would outweigh having the preferred raw look.

[kilword]

Did more extensive testing for about an hour in the sim with pings vs sm10s. Tried multiple grinds and compared same lofts with similar grinds. The head feel on the sm10s is way heavier. The sm10s worked good but the pings to me were just easier and had more a neutral ball flight. Where the sm10s had more shape. Pings were easier to hit perfectly straight. Maybe it’s cause I like a lighter club? One thing that was very apparent was the pings launch higher easier. Probably cause the lighter heads. But was easy to still flight down partial swings and kept under 30 degree launch angle. To me the pings where more consistent and I could predict the spin range just by feel after a bit. Spin wise the ping spun a little more for me and I loved the consistency. Seemed the sm10 had more variance could be I didn’t like the heavier head and couldn’t control swing speed as easy. 
 

I like looking at what all the pga ping players use and I noticed for sandwedge they all use S grind and I came to the same conclusion the S felt the best at that loft. S should stand for simple. Cause it’s really easy to hit that grind. 
 

For lob wedge I was going back and forth between S-10 and H-08. I still need to do more testing. Both felt nice. The H felt I could pick it up on turf with little interaction but with occasional little dig being my fault. But the S is just easy swings and hits. Zero pros are using the H grind for lob. Either the T-06 or the S. I tried the T but it’s too low of bounce for me. 
 

The 50 degree gap wedge is also great. I play Mizuno pro 243s and the full shots with the gw give a closer softer smoother feeling than the sm10s which are a denser harder heavier head feeling. One thing I’ll note is that stock “wedge” style ping grip sucks for full shots and the rubber was wearing off onto my hands. Was hitting the 50 degree 110 yards with ease. With 20-25 degree launch angle. Stock shaft is nice. But a little light. Feels like a nippon shaft for loading which is who makes the shaft. Also found the pings ate up the ball more. Rougher face/grooves. 
 

I was originally getting the pings. Then tried the sm10s and thought maybe those. Now with more extensive testing I’m back on the ping train. They’re both good. Just depends on what you like feel wise and works better for you. 
 

Edited February 24 by kilword

[sweetness]

40 minutes ago, kilword said:

Did more extensive testing for about an hour in the sim with pings vs sm10s. Tried multiple grinds and compared same lofts with similar grinds. The head feel on the sm10s is way heavier. The sm10s worked good but the pings to me were just easier and had more a neutral ball flight. Where the sm10s had more shape. Pings were easier to hit perfectly straight. Maybe it’s cause I like a lighter club? One thing that was very apparent was the pings launch higher easier. Probably cause the lighter heads. But was easy to still flight down partial swings and kept under 30 degree launch angle. To me the pings where more consistent and I could predict the spin range just by feel after a bit. Spin wise the ping spun a little more for me and I loved the consistency. Seemed the sm10 had more variance could be I didn’t like the heavier head and couldn’t control swing speed as easy. 
 

I like looking at what all the pga ping players use and I noticed for sandwege they all use S grind and I came to the same conclusion the S felt the best at that loft. S should stand for simple. Cause it’s really easy to hit that grind. 
 

For lob wedge I was going back and forth between S-10 and H-08. I still need to do more testing. Both felt nice. The H felt I could pick it up on turf with little interaction but with occasional little dig being my fault. But the S is just easy swings and hits. Zero pros are using the H grind for lob. Either the T-06 or the S. I tried the T but it’s too low of bounce for me. 
 

The 50 degree gap wedge is also great. I play Mizuno pro 243s and the full shots with the gw give a closure softer smoother feeling than the sm10s which are a denser harder heavier head feeling. One thing I’ll note is that stock “wedge” style ping grip sucks for full shots and the rubber was wearing off onto my hands. Was hitting the 50 degree 110 yards with ease. With 20-25 degree launch angle. Stock shaft is nice. But a little light. Feels like a nippon shaft for loading which is who makes the shaft. Also found the pings eat up the ball more. Rougher face/grooves. 
 

I was originally getting the pings. Then tried the sm10s and thought maybe those. Now with more extensive testing I’m back on the ping train. They’re both good. Just depends on what you like feel wise and works better for you. 
 

Super helpful write-up, thank you. I did notice none of their pros are playing the H grind, but that’s not really surprising. Most will gravitate towards the T or start with an S and custom grind it how they like. 

[PickItUpGolf]

Saw them on the shelf for the first time today and do look super awesome!

Will see if I can hit them during the week.

Didn't see any E grinds on the rack sadly, but might just take a gamble on one of those anyway.

[ob1soccer]

anyone have more info about the stock shafts, i currently have dynamic gold tour spinner is my zipcores and they are way too heavy. Love Nippon in my irons though

[hammergolf]

2 minutes ago, ob1soccer said:

anyone have more info about the stock shafts, i currently have dynamic gold tour spinner is my zipcores and they are way too heavy. Love Nippon in my irons though

https://ping.com/en-us/clubs/wedges/s159

[nova6868]

19 hours ago, ob1soccer said:

anyone have more info about the stock shafts, i currently have dynamic gold tour spinner is my zipcores and they are way too heavy. Love Nippon in my irons though

 

If you have Modus 105s in your irons you'll probably like the stock shaft. It's a good match. 

 

If you're used to heavier/stiffer wedge shafts like S400 or Modus 125 you probably won't like it as much.

 

[Konklifer]

Messed around with these at my local Golf Galaxy. It wasn’t too busy so I took a couple over to the putting green. I can see why so many wedges snobs like them. The profile is outstanding, with a nice leading edge. 
 

I had all of the 58°’s in a lineup. Going in, I thought I would gravitate toward the H but, the B grind was my favorite, followed by the E. Their leading edge sat nice and low and did not raise up when opened. Straight and open faced chips with the B were excellent off the tight turf. As someone with a shallow AoA, I think this will be an excellent short game tool. 
 

I like the E quite a bit but the rounded leading edge might have me worried on fuller shots. However, it in a 62° could be deadly. 

Edited February 25 by Konklifer

[Foxx]

Devastated the Ping don't have the same bounce options as my Vokey SM9 wedges.

 

I have a 54.08 and 58.04 bounce setup that really works for my shallow swing. 

 

The Ping only have 54.10 and 58.06.

Although it's close, I'm concerned it won't be quite the same and won't have as good results.

 

Bending wedges is not something I like doing for obvious reasons.

Edited February 25 by Foxx

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

Devastated the Ping don't have the same bounce options as my Vokey SM9 wedges.

 

I have a 54.08 and 58.04 bounce setup that really works for my shallow swing. 

 

The Ping only have 54.10 and 58.06.

Although it's close, I'm concerned it won't be quite the same and won't have as good results.

 

Bending wedges is not something I like doing for obvious reasons.

Measured bounce and “actual bounce” are two different things. Sole width, camber, and bounce all combine to actual turf interaction. For example, the T grind on the Ping wedge has a much more narrow sole and more sole camber so it may actually play with less actual bounce than your Vokeys. I would try them out before you right them off.

[FletchJoy]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

Devastated the Ping don't have the same bounce options as my Vokey SM9 wedges.

 

I have a 54.08 and 58.04 bounce setup that really works for my shallow swing. 

 

The Ping only have 54.10 and 58.06.

Although it's close, I'm concerned it won't be quite the same and won't have as good results.

 

Bending wedges is not something I like doing for obvious reasons.

Get the 56 and bend it to 54 (lose 2 degrees of bounce, loft and bounce changes in a 1:1 ratio)

Get the 60 and bend it to 57 (lose 2 degrees of bounce, same concept)

But, I agree with the other commentator, don't focus on the number so much. There are a lot of different variables that change how a wedge plays on the golf course besides a "bounce" number. 

[Foxx]

21 minutes ago, FletchJoy said:

Get the 56 and bend it to 54 (lose 2 degrees of bounce, loft and bounce changes in a 1:1 ratio)

Get the 60 and bend it to 57 (lose 2 degrees of bounce, same concept)

But, I agree with the other commentator, don't focus on the number so much. There are a lot of different variables that change how a wedge plays on the golf course besides a "bounce" number. 

 

As I said I'm not buying bent wedges for the obvious reasons.

Edited February 26 by Foxx

[Konklifer]

2 hours ago, Foxx said:

 

As I said I'm not buying bent wedges for the obvious reasons.

Have Ping do a custom grind.