PING Anser Irons – Story, Video, and Pictures Inside!

[Bob57]

As far as reps. information (which isn't always accurate e.g. 2012 Anser irons) there won't be an S update this year. Possibly next spring even though that is longer than their usual 2 year product cycle. Eventually they could make the decision that the design and manufacturing costs don't support what amounts to very minimal sales...Most retailers I have dealt with say they sold more of the 2010 Anser sets than they did S56s.

Just pure speculation based on several previous years the S series often looks like the preceding new wedge. So the S55s might possibly look like the Gorge Wedges. I'm sure they have a preliminary design but the decision probably is a ways off as to whether to produce them..

[jimbonecrusher]

[quote name='jnradioactive' timestamp='1343238692' post='5351752']
at that price there better not be an up-charge for any shaft...
[/quote]

At that price, there better not be an up charge for anything. They are hitting the price point of Miura's. Seems like Ping definitely wants a mint on these ones.

[MK7Golf21]

i saw the head of the ping anser irons today. I must say they really cleaned up the top line from the one they released a few years ago. The topline is even thinner than the i20. Soles are about the same though, anser looked a hair bigger if any. I only got to hold the head, wasnt in a shaft but it seemed heavier than the i20 head, probably from the tungsten. Only problem I see is they might launch too high for most. I havent hit them but I launch the i20 really high and Ive heard these go even higher.

Im really impressed with the look from address though. Ive heard someone call the last anser iron a piece of texas toast from the top, lol, these look even better than the i20 from address.

[SheriffBooth]

I'm not really a shotmaker, but while we were at Ping with Marty Jertson we had to try to make shots, including low balls, with the new Anser and they seemed to be pretty playable with the 6.0 Project X. Definitely a more controlled trajectory than my old I15's with X100's. And Jertson was able to do whatever he wanted with them.

[Pleasedwith3putts]

[sup][quote name='SheriffBooth' timestamp='1345470401' post='5502592']
I'm not really a shotmaker, but while we were at Ping with Marty Jertson we had to try to make shots, including low balls, with the new Anser and they seemed to be pretty playable with the 6.0 Project X. Definitely a more controlled trajectory than my old I15's with X100's. And Jertson was able to do whatever he wanted with them.
[/quote][/sup]
[sup]The acid test will be whether they can get any touring pros to bag these. Most of the guys are either gaming the s or i series and it looks like Ping are re-positioning these to pick off the i series users and maybe tempt a few s series[/sup]

[greenjacket]

[quote name='Pleasedwith3putts' timestamp='1345552194' post='5508540']
[sup][quote name='SheriffBooth' timestamp='1345470401' post='5502592']
I'm not really a shotmaker, but while we were at Ping with Marty Jertson we had to try to make shots, including low balls, with the new Anser and they seemed to be pretty playable with the 6.0 Project X. Definitely a more controlled trajectory than my old I15's with X100's. And Jertson was able to do whatever he wanted with them.
[/quote][/sup]
[sup]The acid test will be whether they can get any touring pros to bag these. Most of the guys are either gaming the s or i series and it looks like Ping are re-positioning these to pick off the i series users and maybe tempt a few s series[/sup]
[/quote]

I looked like Cabrera was using them last week. He was using them in the images from last weeks tourney.

[Pleasedwith3putts]

[quote name='greenjacket' timestamp='1345600871' post='5513262']
[quote name='Pleasedwith3putts' timestamp='1345552194' post='5508540']
[sup][quote name='SheriffBooth' timestamp='1345470401' post='5502592']
I'm not really a shotmaker, but while we were at Ping with Marty Jertson we had to try to make shots, including low balls, with the new Anser and they seemed to be pretty playable with the 6.0 Project X. Definitely a more controlled trajectory than my old I15's with X100's. And Jertson was able to do whatever he wanted with them.
[/quote][/sup]
[sup]The acid test will be whether they can get any touring pros to bag these. Most of the guys are either gaming the s or i series and it looks like Ping are re-positioning these to pick off the i series users and maybe tempt a few s series[/sup]
[/quote]

I looked like Cabrera was using them last week. He was using them in the images from last weeks tourney.
[/quote]

That guy is an incredible talent in full flight and you wonder why he hasn't won more

[Dizz]

[quote name='Bob57' timestamp='1345411678' post='5499540']
As far as reps. information (which isn't always accurate e.g. 2012 Anser irons) there won't be an S update this year. Possibly next spring even though that is longer than their usual 2 year product cycle. Eventually they could make the decision that the design and manufacturing costs don't support what amounts to very minimal sales...Most retailers I have dealt with say they sold more of the 2010 Anser sets than they did S56s.

Just pure speculation based on several previous years the S series often looks like the preceding new wedge. So the S55s might possibly look like the Gorge Wedges. I'm sure they have a preliminary design but the decision probably is a ways off as to whether to produce them..
[/quote]

I don't wanna start a war again but PING sold S56 4.5:1 over the older Anser forged. If you think about it, how does one even sell the Anser product? Every account that has a fitting cart will have an S56 head in it... same cannot be said for Anser. Very few accounts have them... then when you factor in 75% of PING's Tour staff use S56 while they're at a much higher price point it becomes a challenge. I will say this, the new Anser iron is a much better overall iron than the one before it. I think at that price point its always going to be a niche market club.

[jaydub]

If the target audience is the better golfer, why did Ping increase the bounce so much? How does this affect the play of this new model compared to the old?

[Pleasedwith3putts]

I got to see a full set of these for the first time today and they were on a rack next to the old model which I have also used extensively over the last 18 months.

I have to say I felt a bit diappointed. Dealing with the key issues;

Topline - No difference in thickness at all. Ping have put a camber on the topline to try to create an illusion of it being thinner but it isn't
Sole thickness - All of you who are saying it is thinner look again. It is certainly not any thinner but the move from negative to positive camber is notable
Feel - I got to hit a load of shots with a demo 7 iron and struggled to tell the difference
Offset - the 3 and 4 irons have notably less offset but the rest of the set is marginal

As I say, disappointed as I was ready to pull the trigger hearing that these would be a big step up on what I have. The offset improvement on the 3 and 4 iron would be nice but this really is a minor facelift on the old model rather than a redesign so I will be holding off to see what happens with the next S line.

I would restate my view though that these are a great set of forgiving irons, so my comments are disappoitment that the changes are being overhyped, I would not dissuade anyone from buying a set

[Bob57]

[quote name='J.W.' timestamp='1345688016' post='5519296']
[quote name='Bob57' timestamp='1345411678' post='5499540']
As far as reps. information (which isn't always accurate e.g. 2012 Anser irons) there won't be an S update this year. Possibly next spring even though that is longer than their usual 2 year product cycle. Eventually they could make the decision that the design and manufacturing costs don't support what amounts to very minimal sales...Most retailers I have dealt with say they sold more of the 2010 Anser sets than they did S56s.

Just pure speculation based on several previous years the S series often looks like the preceding new wedge. So the S55s might possibly look like the Gorge Wedges. I'm sure they have a preliminary design but the decision probably is a ways off as to whether to produce them..
[/quote]

I don't wanna start a war again but PING sold S56 4.5:1 over the older Anser forged. If you think about it, how does one even sell the Anser product? Every account that has a fitting cart will have an S56 head in it... same cannot be said for Anser. Very few accounts have them... then when you factor in 75% of PING's Tour staff use S56 while they're at a much higher price point it becomes a challenge. I will say this, the new Anser iron is a much better overall iron than the one before it. I think at that price point its always going to be a niche market club.
[/quote]

Couldn't give cr@p about your data where ever it came from. I was speaking about retailers I deal with not Ping's total volume numbers. 4 dealers to be exact (two in the midwest and 1 on each coast). All of them do well over $40 million a year in sales so while not the largest they are far from dinky. While they didn't have Anser (2010) irons in their demo cart (so what) they were able to get as many sets of the Ansers that they needed. Of the 4 only 1 has a set of Ansers left. All have sets of S56s. At the one retailer out west they sold 4 sets of S56s (I bought 2 of them) and 6 sets of Anser irons.. And what the fact there are a lot of S56s on the tour has to do with anything is like your photos---a red herring at least and nothing to do with the discussion at best.

Oh the reps. did get one thing right, no S model update this fall.. So about 45% accurate with what they told retailers early on..

[Dizz]

[quote name='Bob57' timestamp='1345932232' post='5534143']
[quote name='J.W.' timestamp='1345688016' post='5519296']
[quote name='Bob57' timestamp='1345411678' post='5499540']
As far as reps. information (which isn't always accurate e.g. 2012 Anser irons) there won't be an S update this year. Possibly next spring even though that is longer than their usual 2 year product cycle. Eventually they could make the decision that the design and manufacturing costs don't support what amounts to very minimal sales...Most retailers I have dealt with say they sold more of the 2010 Anser sets than they did S56s.

Just pure speculation based on several previous years the S series often looks like the preceding new wedge. So the S55s might possibly look like the Gorge Wedges. I'm sure they have a preliminary design but the decision probably is a ways off as to whether to produce them..
[/quote]

I don't wanna start a war again but PING sold S56 4.5:1 over the older Anser forged. If you think about it, how does one even sell the Anser product? Every account that has a fitting cart will have an S56 head in it... same cannot be said for Anser. Very few accounts have them... then when you factor in 75% of PING's Tour staff use S56 while they're at a much higher price point it becomes a challenge. I will say this, the new Anser iron is a much better overall iron than the one before it. I think at that price point its always going to be a niche market club.
[/quote]

Couldn't give cr@p about your data where ever it came from. I was speaking about retailers I deal with not Ping's total volume numbers. 4 dealers to be exact (two in the midwest and 1 on each coast). All of them do well over $40 million a year in sales so while not the largest they are far from dinky. While they didn't have Anser (2010) irons in their demo cart (so what) they were able to get as many sets of the Ansers that they needed. Of the 4 only 1 has a set of Ansers left. All have sets of S56s. At the one retailer out west they sold 4 sets of S56s (I bought 2 of them) and 6 sets of Anser irons.. And what the fact there are a lot of S56s on the tour has to do with anything is like your photos---a red herring at least and nothing to do with the discussion at best.

Oh the reps. did get one thing right, no S model update this fall.. So about 45% accurate with what they told retailers early on..
[/quote]

My point about tour use was a discussion about selling the product and has quite a bit to do with the conversation since we're talking about sales of 2010 Anser irons and S56 irons. Lots of people when purchasing clubs want to know what the best players are playing. Very few if any Anser irons are in the bags of those players meanwhile you see tons of S56, handful of i20 and a couple G20 and G15 sets sprinkled in. Anser is a tough sell (goes back to the 4.5:1 ratio) was my entire point to all of this and is very much a niche market club when you factor in its price, availability to demo with multiple shafts and lack of presence on the tour. I fit clubs 7 days a week so I'm giving you my opinion as a guy that deals with customers on an every day basis. Anyone I see that's spending $800-900 on a set of irons is getting custom fit... $1200-1350+ is on another level. The ratio I quoted was straight from the horse's mouth.

My previous picture was showing the look of Anser 4 iron which is smaller than i20 4 iron with less offset. My source was 100% right with his knowledge of the product coming out that's why I was surprised reading your comments before release of Anser because they were so off base... I would think the 4 reps you speak to would be getting the same info as the one that I speak to. Fire up Bob, we're both S56 fans.

[2011USAMPlayer]

I have the new set of Anser Irons 4 thru PW.
I have hit the 8 Iron and was nice. I will have time tomorrow to make a big write up.
Wont allow me to post picture over 10 mg.

[Marks23]

"My previous picture was showing the look of Anser 4 iron which is smaller than i20 4 iron with less offset. My source was 100% right with his knowledge of the product coming out that's why I was surprised reading your comments before release of Anser because they were so off base... I would think the 4 reps you speak to would be getting the same info as the one that I speak to. Fire up Bob, we're both S56 fans."


J.W., can you post a link to the comparison picture of the anser and i20 4 irons?

[bouche03]

I'd also like to see the comparable 4 irons...

[MK7Golf21]

[quote name='javierruis' timestamp='1343306422' post='5356668']
I think the irons are beautiful, definitely a huge improvement over the original. One thing I would like to know is why Ping would choose 8620 instead of 1025 or 1020? Is there a design/ performance reason? I only ask because I always here how 8620 is not in the same league as the other 2 in terms of feel, and at that price point, you normally only see forgings out of 1025 or 1020...
Thanks!
[/quote]

Im just guessing but I think they probably went the 8620 route because they thought it would be more durable over time which is what Ping is known for. 8620 is more expensive than 1025 or 1020

[eerogolf]

Saw the irons for the first time in person at a local golfsmith. after seeing the specs online I was really pissed that I had ordered my second set of s56 irons with c-tapers. after seeing the whole set I am not so upset anymore. Topline is still a bit bigger then the s56 irons, and for some reason I am not liking the shape of the wedge. Also saw the Gorge wedges, like the finish on these and considering ordering 3 of them 52SS,56SS and 60TS.

[MK7Golf21]

[quote name='eerogolf' timestamp='1346207145' post='5552501']
Saw the irons for the first time in person at a local golfsmith. after seeing the specs online I was really pissed that I had ordered my second set of s56 irons with c-tapers. after seeing the whole set I am not so upset anymore. Topline is still a bit bigger then the s56 irons, and for some reason I am not liking the shape of the wedge. Also saw the Gorge wedges, like the finish on these and considering ordering 3 of them 52SS,56SS and 60TS.
[/quote]

yea the shape is nearly identical to the i20, soles the same width but topline of the anser looks a hair smaller than i20. The s56's have way thinner soles than anser and slimmer all around, they are Pings blade iron.

[bjackson]

[quote name='2011USAMPlayer' timestamp='1346112550' post='5545618']
I have the new set of Anser Irons 4 thru PW.
I have hit the 8 Iron and was nice. I will have time tomorrow to make a big write up.
Wont allow me to post picture over 10 mg.
[/quote]

There is no reason to post a file that large. It would take forever to load. Resize it so the max dimension is 1024.

[eerogolf]

[quote name='Redjeep83' timestamp='1346207490' post='5552535']
[quote name='eerogolf' timestamp='1346207145' post='5552501']
Saw the irons for the first time in person at a local golfsmith. after seeing the specs online I was really pissed that I had ordered my second set of s56 irons with c-tapers. after seeing the whole set I am not so upset anymore. Topline is still a bit bigger then the s56 irons, and for some reason I am not liking the shape of the wedge. Also saw the Gorge wedges, like the finish on these and considering ordering 3 of them 52SS,56SS and 60TS.
[/quote]

yea the shape is nearly identical to the i20, soles the same width but topline of the anser looks a hair smaller than i20. The s56's have way thinner soles than anser and slimmer all around, they are Pings blade iron.
[/quote]


I guess will wait to see the S55 they might replace my S56 irons. Ofcourse I ordered a 6 iron of the Anser iron for my collection.

[hambone1124]

hit them today..they are amazing (look, feel, everything)..only difference is softer feel and less offset than the i20..paying double for that is insane but hopefully they will come down on some used sets.

[WildDog06]

I tried them out yesterday, and they are pretty solid and felt good to me. I was hitting CMBs, MP59s, and the Ansers, and the CMBs and the Ansers were pretty close together in feel to me. I didn't like the MP59s much, but given that the CMBs had CTaper S, Ansers PX 6.0, and MP59s had S300, that probably explains some, since DG S300 and I don't really get along.

Overall I liked them, but I'm not sure I could get around paying 50% more for the Ansers over pretty much anything else.

[ritz0019]

Just a bought a set.

Black dot 3-PW
Tour Issue S400 shafts

I bought a set of the new Ansers and absolutely love them. I actually think its the best of both worlds with this iron. They have the feel of a forged iron, but you can also still tell you are hitting a PING. That is the best way I can describe them and I think that is probably what PING was looking for in their design of these irons. I hit plenty of fades & draws with long-mid irons. Working the ball either direction was not a problem, yet they were super easy to hit. My dad had the old Ansers & I can tell a difference in hitting his old Ansers & mine. These sit better visually at address for me personally.

I think the iron was a homerun! I was using MP59's with X100's before using the Ansers. I have more feel & distance control with these irons hands down. Great clubs! Unfortunately a little lofty in price, but what irons aren't these days.

[winfield]

[quote name='ritz0019' timestamp='1346427777' post='5565873']
Just a bought a set.

Black dot 3-PW
Tour Issue S400 shafts

I bought a set of the new Ansers and absolutely love them. I actually think its the best of both worlds with this iron. They have the feel of a forged iron, but you can also still tell you are hitting a PING. That is the best way I can describe them and I think that is probably what PING was looking for in their design of these irons. I hit plenty of fades & draws with long-mid irons. Working the ball either direction was not a problem, yet they were super easy to hit. My dad had the old Ansers & I can tell a difference in hitting his old Ansers & mine. These sit better visually at address for me personally.

I think the iron was a homerun! I was using MP59's with X100's before using the Ansers. I have more feel & distance control with these irons hands down. Great clubs! Unfortunately a little lofty in price, but what irons aren't these days.
[/quote]


Just ordered basically the same thing. 4-pw S400 yellow dot D3 swingweight. can't wait.

[2011USAMPlayer]

Here is one of my new sets.
[attachment=1328307:20120830_121656.jpg]
[attachment=1328309:20120830_121649.jpg]

[javierruis]

Bought a set: 3-PW with Nippon Modus 3 Stiff. Have had them for 2 weeks. Absolutely wonderful clubs!!! I love the minimal offset in the short irons, and the design of the club really does help to increase the launch angle in the longer irons. Distance wise, they are on par with the I20's, which is great! As for looks, I'm a huge fan of how they sit at address. The lines are soft and flowing with a thinner top line than it's predecessor. The back cavity is milled and beautiful, and it is easy to see that PING spent extra $$ on this step in the club making process. With respect to feel, I think Ritz0019 got it right, they feel forged soft but in a PING sort of way. It really is the best of both worlds! The PING 2012's are my favorite irons to date... I just love'em!

[Dizz]

[quote name='2011USAMPlayer' timestamp='1346430386' post='5566163']
Here is one of my new sets.
[attachment=1328307:20120830_121656.jpg]
[attachment=1328309:20120830_121649.jpg]
[/quote]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you didn't pay for them but if you did those are some pricey sticks! Nice, my favorite iron shaft right now. Really good in that head too.

[JinxyJ08]

I keep hearing no upcharge for shafts, but when i go to Golfsmith's website and do their custom club order process it is adding and upcharge of $30 per club for PX flighted. That's insane if so.

[Foreleft]

[quote name='JinxyJ08' timestamp='1346600788' post='5574341']
I keep hearing no upcharge for shafts, but when i go to Golfsmith's website and do their custom club order process it is adding and upcharge of $30 per club for PX flighted. That's insane if so.
[/quote]

I wish we could get a definitive answer on this, also. I heard no upcharge for any shaft, except for PXi.

[javierruis]

[quote name='Foreleft' timestamp='1346637796' post='5576657']
[quote name='JinxyJ08' timestamp='1346600788' post='5574341']
I keep hearing no upcharge for shafts, but when i go to Golfsmith's website and do their custom club order process it is adding and upcharge of $30 per club for PX flighted. That's insane if so.
[/quote]

I wish we could get a definitive answer on this, also. I heard no upcharge for any shaft, except for PXi.
[/quote]

The definitive answer was given July 24th, the day this post began by bjackson. There is NO upcharge for shafts with the exception of PXI. I was not charged for my Modus 3's when I got these clubs. Golfsmith has it wrong.