2012 PING Nome Review

[GetmeouttaJersey]

GetmeouttaJersey's Editor's Review!

PING NOME 355

The PING Nome was released in early April after it exploded onto the scene when Hunter Mahandismantled the field at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. It then gained even more praise a few weeks later when he putted his way to an impressive victory at the Shell Houston Open. Needless to say, the hype and demand have been through the roof with the success the Nome has seen inthe past couple of months, so let's take a look at this new release from PING.

• Tungsten Weighted Sole – a lightweight frame made of high-grade aluminum features tungsten sole weighting that optimizes the CG (Center of Gravity) and creates a high MOI (Moment of Inertia).
• Alignment Bar, Sightline – A black alignment bar with white contrasting sightline make it easy to aim and align this mallet-style, precision milled head to improve accuracy.
• Fit For Stroke – The Nome 355 Putter is available in 3 different shaft bends to fit YOUR putting stroke, whether it's Straight, Slight Arc, or Strong Arc.

PROS

Looks -Ping really made an effort to ensure that this putter is easy on the eyes. Its smoother lines are a vast improvementover the Sydney (released in 2011) and the Alignment Bar is absolutely perfect without being overbearing. Feel - PING also nailed it in the feel department. The C805-aluminum design feels soft yetresponsive, everything we're looking for in a putter. For those that prefer a non-insert designlike me, this could be an option for you… Fitting – Having the option to choose from 3 shaft bend designs, best fit for your stroke is invaluable, something no other company can offer. Typically, all face-balanced putters are designed to promote a SBST (Straight Back, Straight Through) putting stroke, but PING has changed all that, giving the mallet option to players with varying stroke types…

CON

Weighting - For me, a face-balanced mallet needs to have some "heft" to it. I would attribute the lighter feel to the Midsize WINN AVS grip (a very, very nicegrip). Despite how great the grip felt, I was surprised to notice that the heavy grip took away from the heavier feel of the putter head. Obviously, this is something that can be easily remedied with a lighter-weight grip of your choice to give the club head a little more of a heavy feel.

REVIEW

For a player that is interested and/or tends to gravitate towards a face-balanced putter, I really think that you should give the PING Nome a long, hard look. When I'm looking for a Mallet-design, I'm looking for something that can give me the forgiveness and confidence I need on putts inside of 10 feet. In my testing, if I mishit a putt, I found that I was still able to consistently start the putt on my intended line, which is a huge benefit. In terms of the alignment aid, I couldn't ask for a better design. As you can see in the pictures, the long, white sightline makes lining up short putts a breeze. In the 4 rounds I played with the Nome, I didn't miss those short, pressure-filled putts. That, in combination with the exceptional balance and high MOI catapulted this putter to the top of my wish list.

While I don't always use a mallet, when the pressure is on,nothing is more forgiving than a face-balanced, high MOI mallet. I'll definitely be giving the Nome a chance to stay in my bag…

LOOKS

We've all seen the photos and by now, I'm sure many of you have seen it in person. In my opinion, if you're a "mallet guy", it is one great looking putter. With all the wacky-looking mallets on the market today, it was nice to see a simple but functional design with the Nome. The biggest hit for me, other than the incredible balance, is the alignment bar. As someone who has always utilized a line on my ball when putting, PING has hit a home run. When I'm looking for a putter, I'm always looking for something that will give me confidence in my intended line and the Nome delivers. The white line contrasts perfectly off of the black bar and creates an impressive blend of good lucks and functionality. For those that liked the performance of the PING Sydney last year, you'll be even more impressed with the Nome. I was impressed with the Sydney in 2011, but I couldn't bring myself to game it based on the looks. With the Nome, you get the same performance packed in a great looking and improved design.

PERFORMANCE

Like I said earlier, if you're in the market for a mallet-style putter, you're usually looking for two things, face-balanced and high MOI. With this putter, you're getting the total package. As part of my initial testing, I took the Nome out to my club's practice green and dropped 10 balls at about 4 feet. For me, if I can get these in the hole, the putter has passed the first test. As we all know, those pesky 4 footers in a tournament, your club championship, or even your Saturday skins game are what can make or break your round. So, for me, if I can get comfortable sinking the short ones, I know I'm on the right track. The next order of business is to stretch out the length to the 25-30 foot range to see how well I can control speed and get putts on-line when I'm not as close to the hole as I'd like. This portion of the review is typically where an insert putter (for me) loses my confidence. With the Nome however, the feel off the putter face was consistent and I was regularly hitting my desired line. After getting a feel for the speed, I was definitely intrigued by the putter.

**One note Iwanted to mention. Since I happen to fitinto the "Straight" stroke category, PING designed this model with a fairly noticeable amount of 'forward press'. For example, when I sole the putter, the grip is much, much farther infront of my hands than I would typically be comfortable with. Initially, this took a few hours to get used to, but once I was comfortable, I started to really benefit from the concept of ensuring that your hands remain in front of the putter head as you make your stroke. I did a little research and visited my local retailer and noticed that the "Slight Arc" and "Strong Arc" did not feature this same hand positioning as the "Straight" model, so that maybe something to pay attention to when you're looking into the Nome. **

THE BOTTOM LINE

The PING Nome will be in my bag (if they let me!) I tend to play on fast, undulating greens in the Spring, Summer, and early Fall. With the unmatched balance and exceptional alignment aid built into the Nome, I haven't found a putter design that has given me a more confidence on the putts that matter. If you're a mallet fan andeven if you aren't, please take the time to demo this putter, you may be surprised at how well this putter performs.

For years, I was putting with toe-weighted blades (nothing wrong with that), but only after I spent a few bucks on the iPING cradle did I realize that I was better off with a face-balanced mallet design. I think that it's critical to your success on the greens to take the time to either get fit at your local retailer or invest in the iPING App and Cradle to get a better idea of where your putting stroke stands. After analyzing your stroke and pin-pointing your weaknesses, give the PING Nome a shot. I think you'll be extremely impressed with the forgiveness, alignment aid, and feel. In my opinion, it's the best all-around mallet putter released in 2012 and trust me, I've tried them all…















Thanks for the read and I hope you learned a little bit about PING's newest face-balanced mallet, the Nome. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have. Cheers.

[Sean2]

Very nice review Jersey.

I have a Nome and love the feel, balance, and weight. Ping also sent me a very nice black head cover. :-)

[GetmeouttaJersey]

[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1336003795' post='4835664']
Very nice review Jersey.

I have a Nome and love the feel, balance, and weight. Ping also sent me a very nice black head cover. :-)
[/quote]

Thanks man! If only I was lucky enough to get a nice black head cover. I got the Sydney cover and in my rough draft, I made it a point to mention that the cover I received does NOT fit well at all. I later learned that it [i]should [/i]come with a "Nome" head cover, so I removed it from the review...Jealous.

[GetmeouttaJersey]

1 comment?? Check out the NOME!

[Colby327]

[quote name='GetmeouttaJersey' timestamp='1336573512' post='4879480']
1 comment?? Check out the NOME!
[/quote]

I'll give you a bump. Great job on the review Sir. Well done.

I would love to hear some thoughts or comparisons on how this plays & feels compared to the Golo. Anyone tried both?

[newportbeach]

I'd love to try one but they have been sold out at all the shops around me.

[mdgboxx]

Great, thourough review [size=5]BUT,[/size][size=2][size=3] [size=4]tried it side by side [i]vs[/i] my Craz-E iWi and, it's not worth the extra expense....IMHO. If I didn't already have my gamer, I'd be all over it. The big difference for me is in the grip, I'll be changing to Midsize on mine soon[/size][/size][size=4].[/size][/size]

[Sean2]

[quote name='GetmeouttaJersey' timestamp='1336010813' post='4836528']
[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1336003795' post='4835664']
Very nice review Jersey.

I have a Nome and love the feel, balance, and weight. Ping also sent me a very nice black head cover. :-)
[/quote]

Thanks man! If only I was lucky enough to get a nice black head cover. I got the Sydney cover and in my rough draft, I made it a point to mention that the cover I received does NOT fit well at all. I later learned that it [i]should [/i]come with a "Nome" head cover, so I removed it from the review...Jealous.
[/quote]
A bit late getting back to you Jersey. I didn't like the Sydney cover either. I called Ping and the customer service rep told me they had a limited number of black headcovers and he'd send me one. It fits so much better, is a nice soft leather, and simply has the word "Ping" on it. I like the black color a lot better too. I'm not a fan of white.

By the way, the Nome is a terrific putter, as I said earlier. Mine will stay with me for a long time to come.

[GetmeouttaJersey]

[quote name='Colby327' timestamp='1336576681' post='4879850']
[quote name='GetmeouttaJersey' timestamp='1336573512' post='4879480']
1 comment?? Check out the NOME!
[/quote]

I'll give you a bump. Great job on the review Sir. Well done.

I would love to hear some thoughts or comparisons on how this plays & feels compared to the Golo. Anyone tried both?
[/quote]

I actually have tried both and thanks for the bump.

The Nome has an entirely different feel, due to the difference in metal used. The feel of the Nome is very much similar to that of the old SC Futura with a tad firmer feel to it. They were both made of some form of aluminum, so it makes sense. The GOLO feels significantly different, but they're both very nice. The GL is very soft feeling while still having a nice firm, but soft feel. I felt that the feel of the '12 California and the new SC GL/Select lines were almost identical. I love the new SC lines, but I think it will ultimately come down to which mallet is more pleasing to the eye personally. I don't think the Nome is going to stay in the bag. It's a nice putter but I really struggled with the amount of "forced" forward press of the "straight" Nome model....

[knex]

Loved the review. loved this club. really gives you confidence when you look down and know your going to sink the putt

[socalyphd]

This is a great putter I love it. I almost thought about returning it at one point until I figured out the weighting as I initially thought it was really light and it did not have the feel I was looking for. After two trips to Golfsmith finally buying the Winn Jumbo Lite grip made all the difference. I bought the 33" straight version and it is finally feeling like the putter I thought it was going to be. If it feels light just grab the Winn Lite or Super Stroke Light and it should solve the problem. I even tried lead tape but took it off as the Winn Jumbo Lite solved the problem.

[parkbear1]

The Nome has moved me from the ranks of the worlds worst putter that can consistantly hit greens to someone to be feared by the masses that I play with !!!! I had played S. C. putters for years but after watching what it did for Hunter M. I was excited to try it. I make far more 10 - 20 ft putts than I ever have but am still having issues with 3 footers only because this putter rolls the ball so well that sometimes it won't take the side door drop in's that I'm use to seeing
Great Job Ping

[dardenpdx]

[sup]Using the iPing App, I'm right on the cusp of SBST and Slight Arc. I'm leaning towards the Slight Arc model. Any suggestions?[/sup]

[123tony]

used IPing App and said strong arc for me. Finally took the time to go to Golfsmith to try an Anser 4 and the Nome. They only had the Nome available to try, was a little learry as the TM Spider didnt work well for me so i went back to a blade. With no Anser 4 to try, grabed a Nome and began dropping everything from about 15 feet. I will have to go back and try this again but i an very encouraged by the intial results. Maybe there is something to the IPing App that works