Ping JAS alley max?

PixlPutterman · January 23, 2007

anyone got one

I recently putted with one at a tournament. Some guy had one and i handnt seen one before so i asked if i could try it. WOW. I WANT ONE. Unforntunatly i cant find them in stores. Reason being is that i want to play a few rounds before i decide to buy one, so i dont want to search for one online. Does anyone know how much these things run for, i forgot to ask the guy, and where can i find them.

thanks

Skaffa77 · January 23, 2007

I had one awhile back with a Ping Interlocking Grip (grip title??), but sold it.

Overall it was a good putter and I had a few golf buddies mention that there were times that I'd have God-like putting with it. But in the end, I just couldn't get comfortable with the feel, especially on those putts where speed was crucial. Often I'd blast it through my line and miss those "easy" putts.

A couple things I noticed - the Ping JAS had a different sound at impact, more of a high pitched "ting" sound. Not bad, just different. I'm used to a more muted sound from my Cameron putters (Studio Design).

I also didn't get the feedback I like. It was never really soft and again, it wasn't terribly harsh. At times, I wasn't sure if I hit the sweet spot or not. With my other putters, the sweet spot feels like butter and you can tell when you mishit it. With the JAS Alley Max, I always had the same feel for every hit and wasn't sure. Could be related to the different sound at impact or the metals used for this putter. Not sure.

Again, the putter was good, it just wasn't for me. You can find one on eBay anywhere from $150-$250.

Last thing, I do not believe Ping will do resurface work on this putter because of the metals used for this line. I'd recommend that you be 100% certain about the condition of a JAS putter before you buy it.

PixlPutterman · January 24, 2007

i wish they werent so expensive. i really want a lefy one bad

Skaffa77 · January 24, 2007

I hear you. The real problem is that you most likely won't find a local place that carries them. Maybe a 2nd Swing or a place that buys used (or collectable) putters, but even that is stretching it. I spent a 2-3 weeks at different golf shops asking about it a couple years ago and the response was, "JAS what?"

I finally broke down and bought one on ebay. Knowing that you'll need a lefty makes it even tougher to find. Keep your eyes on ebay and maybe the price will be reasonable.

Cheers.

cleek-man · January 25, 2007

Pix,

The JAS line has been out of production for quite a while.

When they were available, very expensive (for Ping) but they

were pricey because of the production costs. Something like

a thirty step process to produce the multiple materials head.

But if you felt one they were ahead of their time in perimeter

weighting. Finding a lefty (not many made) and the Ally (Not many

made) is going to take some serious hunting. Every once in a while

a Tess will pop up on Ebay, and they can still go for $300. The answer

model will show up once a week, but I don't see many Ally's come by.

Never saw a lefty version come up.

Good luck in your hunt.

M

Geo · January 29, 2007

I absolutely love the Ping JAS. I've got a the JAS Anser and it's probably the best feeling Ping I've ever owned, and I've owned a few. I know Reid (Pitbull808) feels the same way, and his is an opinion I actually buy a little. :cheesy: My opinion and experience is very different than Skaffa's though. I don't know how much different the Anser is from the Ally, but I find the JAS to be the most muted of non-insert Pings. It has the thickest face (from face-to-cavity) of any of my Anser-style putters, sooo...not too much vibration going on to produce a high-pitched tone. But again, different heads altogether. :)

Lefty availability is a big old PITA. I've seen a couple of Allys in the last 2-3 years, as well as a pair of Tess's and a handful of Ansers. But I check every week almost without fail. But the dedication has payed off a time or two. :rolleyes:

Skaffa77 · January 29, 2007

Interesting. I love hearing different people's experiences. I always thought the higher pitched sound might have been the result of the titanium/tungsten face vs. Soft Carbon I've been used to playing...maybe it is more of a result of the shape of the putterhead.

A buddy of mine had the JAS Tess model and loved it. I tried it a few times and thinking back, it did feel a bit different (not as soft as carbon) and didn't have the "ting" sound mine did. As far as the feel...my comparison was against my history of soft carbon putters and I was using a Ping Interlocking Grip which felt a bit thicker then the average putter grip I generally use. Not sure if the grip affected the feel more then I would have thought, but I would guess that my experiences with soft carbon gave me a different perspective.

Anyway, I was looking on Ping's website this morning to find some info on the JAS models. I noticed a little area on the bottom right hand of the screen that mentioned "JAS availabilty". It listed the Ally Max only available in a Left Handed model. Not sure if that means Ping has some available for sale, but it might be worth checking out. I've listed the URL below.

http://www.pinggolf.com/putters_jas.html