PING Ketsch (2014 putter)

[maxfli985]

so i have 2 rounds in w/ the ketsch. Simply a great putter all around. My only issue is getting used to the face...it's a little soft compared to my recent putter. Alignment is so easy and the feel is great. 3 putts are hard to come by now.

[SDL]

[quote name='maxfli985' timestamp='1402458351' post='9471315']
so i have 2 rounds in w/ the ketsch. Simply a great putter all around. My only issue is getting used to the face...it's a little soft compared to my recent putter. Alignment is so easy and the feel is great. 3 putts are hard to come by now.
[/quote]

Which version of the Ketsch are you using?

[dmblanch]

I've been playing my 35" Black Dot slight arc 355 gram Ketsch for about a month and so I'm tickled to log in and see what others think of it. I am not surprised to read that many others find that its standard miss is short. That's what I found too.The TR grooves really seem to grip the ball and this causes the ball to really hug the turf. This makes for putts that are much more susceptible to break, grain, surface imperfections, and blade height. I can totally understand how the one guy had trouble on shaggier greens.

Initially I had a hard time adjusting to the ketsch's tendency to come up short. But this tendency also comes with an up-side. The Ketsch is a great lag putter and phenomenal on speedy downhill sliders. If you have a flat putt or and uphill putt or longer greens, then you have to train yourself to focus on an imaginary hole 1 to 5 feet behind the real hole. When you do this, your Ketsch putts hold their line and roll true right into the cup and they never seem to get out of control.

Now it's deadly and the change in my putting game is shocking. I used to average 1-2 birdies per round. Now I'm averaging about 4.

[maxfli985]

[quote name='SDL' timestamp='1402460313' post='9471433']
[quote name='maxfli985' timestamp='1402458351' post='9471315']
so i have 2 rounds in w/ the ketsch. Simply a great putter all around. My only issue is getting used to the face...it's a little soft compared to my recent putter. Alignment is so easy and the feel is great. 3 putts are hard to come by now.
[/quote]

Which version of the Ketsch are you using?
[/quote]

i've got slight arc 35 in. w/ red dot. I had a great round w/ it today. Speed control is so easy w/ this putter.

[mswmn]

I have a 33" standard Ketsch. Recently I put a Garsen G-Pro Edge on it. Played 18 yesterday and really liked this set up. I have also had a tendency to come up short with the Ketsch, but did not have this problem yesterday. Don't know if the new grip helped with this, or I'm finally pulling my head out of my butt and putting a good solid stroke on these 7-15 footers. Lagging has been pretty good. I've been tinkering a lot lately with putters and grips, but I think I'm going to stick it out with this set up to see if I can get dialed in...

[dmblanch]

The Ketsch is just a new putter this April, an addition to a stable of Ping putters with dozens of horses already in it. Here's the curious thing though, the list of Ping staffers who are switching to the Ketsch is long and getting longer every day. Miguel Angel Jiminez was spotted gaming one in Europe this week. Westwood, Oosthuizen, Calcavecchia, Lingmerth, Loar, Munoz, Clyburn have already switched. They don't have to switch, all they have to do is play Ping putters. Seems like they are seeing something when they visit Phoenix.

[Golfhackers]

I got this putter in 33 inch non CB for my 11 year old son who has been playing around 9 months.... His problem in tourneys has consistently been his putting... Aimline... 1st tourney he made 8 pars and his lags were 110 % better.... LOVE LOVE LOVE this putter.

[johnnybogey]

Really digging the three white lines to help alignment. Can't wait to get my hands on one of these.

Question is, to go counterbalance or not. hmmmm.....

[Geaux Gators]

here is my new Ketsch... oops..

 

here is my new Golo ... oops

 

here is my new Darby (what the Golo could call its grandaddy) TR (cuz that tech is legit)

 

[mws92]

For everyone leaving putts short, do you have the correct LOFT?

If you can, get on iPing and make sure the loft (or "Shaft Lean") is dialed in. This will make a huge difference especially on slower greens.


Black n' Gold
City of Champions

[agadawg17171]

Just picked one up yesterday after being fitted on a SAM Lab over the Weekend. SAM Lab recommended a Face Balanced putter and less loft…. I'm currently putting with a Scotty Newport 2 Select and we adjusted the loft down on that to get the launch on the putts right. I went to PGA SS yesterday and spent about 2 hours on their green having a Face Balanced shootout… Ketsch won so it's in the bag. The Ody Tank Cruiser V-Line CB was a close second as was the Ody 330m CB which is not face balanced… The Counter Balance seems to keep the head more stable and I don't get the outside in and face rolling closed as much. But I made the most putts with the Ketsch. I wanted the CB version but like many have said they are back ordered 5 weeks… Went ahead and purchased a 35" Straight Stroke Model and they are going to let me exchange it for the CB when my order comes in… Took it out on the green for awhile tonight and it is as advertised! Alignment is stupid easy and the confidence factor went way up. The only thing I did notice was putts missed were short as others have said. I will have to get used to the speed or have the loft adjusted down so I don't have to change my stroke to adjust to the speed. I'll report back after a few rounds and some more practice time!

[Medson]

Aluminum does seem like the way to go for non-insert mallets nowadays. I'm referring to the full mallets, Futura X, BB54, this one.

[quote name='BombTechGolf' timestamp='1404300439' post='9621909']
[quote name='ShortSticks' timestamp='1388680857' post='8384875']I just noticed this on PINGs website and did not see any information on this one in any of the new PING threads. I guess this one flew under the radar. Interesting.[/quote]

This is made out of aluminum.. Feel wont compare to a putter that is CNC milled out of carbon steel.

I do like the finish though.
[/quote]

[Medson]

Just want to pick your brain a little bit on using aluminum to make full mallet.

Scotty Cameron said aluminum is lighter and making a full mallet with steel will be too heavy. I'm not saying Scotty Cameron is the most authoritative voice in putter making, but it does seem Bettinardi and Ping go down the same path that is to use aluminum to make full sized mallet.

I don't know how much truth this link is (http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-the-price-per-pound-for-stainless-steel). Even we 10X the unit price, 5 lb of stainless steel only costs $25. It seems the cost of stainless steel is pretty cheap too. Hence, there is other reason putter makers choose aluminum.

Thoughts?

[quote name='BombTechGolf' timestamp='1404315192' post='9623323']
[quote name='Medson' timestamp='1404309705' post='9622651']Aluminum does seem like the way to go for non-insert mallets nowadays. I'm referring to the full mallets, Futura X, BB54, this one.

[quote name='BombTechGolf' timestamp='1404300439' post='9621909']
This is made out of aluminum.. Feel wont compare to a putter that is CNC milled out of carbon steel.

I do like the finish though.
[/quote][/quote]

That's because they are cheap to make.. If they Cnc milled a solid piece of steel it would sell for $499 and up
[/quote]

[Medson]

Ah, cool. Good to know. Thanks.

[quote name='BombTechGolf' timestamp='1404323894' post='9624405']

It's not the cost it's the machining time. The time to machine out of steel is where the cost comes in.
[/quote]

[dmblanch]

I agree that machining and weight are the reasons the Ketsch is aluminum except for the sole plate. Those TR grooves are wide, sharp and deep. Even with their CNC tolerances, they do not look uniform when visually inspected in person and they are VERY fragile. Sand grains can get stuck in the face and deform the grooves. The aluminum heads are light and give a soft feel, so they bump the weight up with that steel/tungsten sole plate of varying weights.

On the "short" putts topic. I played 18 yesterday with 3 other guys and we intentionally tested this concept with my Ketsch. 3 newbies to the Ketsch and me. We all noticed how we came up short unless we FORCED ourselves to hit 1 - 3 feet past the hole. When we maintained pace we had great success. If we were weak with Ketsch, it's putts curled and died strongly with the break and grain, producing misses that were uglier than they were with other putters hit the same pace.

[agadawg17171]

[quote name='dmblanch' timestamp='1404341773' post='9626293']
I agree that machining and weight are the reasons the Ketsch is aluminum except for the sole plate. Those TR grooves are wide, sharp and deep. Even with their CNC tolerances, they do not look uniform when visually inspected in person and they are VERY fragile. Sand grains can get stuck in the face and deform the grooves. The aluminum heads are light and give a soft feel, so they bump the weight up with that steel/tungsten sole plate of varying weights.

On the "short" putts topic. I played 18 yesterday with 3 other guys and we intentionally tested this concept with my Ketsch. 3 newbies to the Ketsch and me. We all noticed how we came up short unless we FORCED ourselves to hit 1 - 3 feet past the hole. When we maintained pace we had great success. If we were weak with Ketsch, it's putts curled and died strongly with the break and grain, producing misses that were uglier than they were with other putters hit the same pace.
[/quote]

That's interesting results... I've never been one to try to kill putts to get them to the hole... I think I'll be using some ghost tape when I play today in case this putter doesn't make the cut...

[DNice26]

I dumped mine....just couldn't get along with it...back to my tride and true Scotty Kombi s.

[Geaux Gators]

My Darby TR is made from Stainless Steel. It definitely has a different feel than that of my Nome TR. But i prefer it. My wife has a Selita TR... I dont think its aluminum, as its pretty heavy. but it is a nice putter too.

[agadawg17171]

[quote name='agadawg17171' timestamp='1404394427' post='9629583']
[quote name='dmblanch' timestamp='1404341773' post='9626293']
I agree that machining and weight are the reasons the Ketsch is aluminum except for the sole plate. Those TR grooves are wide, sharp and deep. Even with their CNC tolerances, they do not look uniform when visually inspected in person and they are VERY fragile. Sand grains can get stuck in the face and deform the grooves. The aluminum heads are light and give a soft feel, so they bump the weight up with that steel/tungsten sole plate of varying weights.

On the "short" putts topic. I played 18 yesterday with 3 other guys and we intentionally tested this concept with my Ketsch. 3 newbies to the Ketsch and me. We all noticed how we came up short unless we FORCED ourselves to hit 1 - 3 feet past the hole. When we maintained pace we had great success. If we were weak with Ketsch, it's putts curled and died strongly with the break and grain, producing misses that were uglier than they were with other putters hit the same pace.
[/quote]

That's interesting results... I've never been one to try to kill putts to get them to the hole... I think I'll be using some ghost tape when I play today in case this putter doesn't make the cut...
[/quote]


Glad I used the Ghost Tape! This may be one of the biggest disappointments I have had with a club between the store and the course. On the Synthetic green in the store that was smooth with no grain the putter was amazing... On the course it was the complete opposite. Everything I hit was short. Had to kill it to get it to the hole and I was playing fast greens. The feel of the ball coming off the face just got worse the harder you had to hit it. Hit a couple that jumped and flew by the whole but that was trying to kill it. Maybe it's great for some but for me it was a major no go. I actually put it in the car at the turn.

[nova6868]

So what's the reason that putts would come up short?

Maybe it's just the 355-gram head and 85-gram grip? A bit more overall weight than most?

[duke8192]

Went on Ping's website and they suggested the Nome, Ketsch, and the Senita. Tried them out, liked the Ketsch the best going back again today to make sure that is the one.

[dubbledxu]

Has anyone tried to cut down the CB model? Is the weight attached to the end of the grip or the end of the shaft?

[johnnybogey]

[quote name='dubbledxu' timestamp='1405162151' post='9685787']Has anyone tried to cut down the CB model? Is the weight attached to the end of the grip or the end of the shaft?[/quote]

I believe the weight is in the butt end but keep in mind, the head weight of non bc is about 355gm. Cb model is around 400gm.

[agadawg17171]

[quote name='nova6868' timestamp='1404934592' post='9668235']
So what's the reason that putts would come up short?

Maybe it's just the 355-gram head and 85-gram grip? A bit more overall weight than most?
[/quote]

I believe it has more to do with Grooves in the face and and where the weight and CG are placed in the putter. Haven't done the research to really understand it but that's my quick opinion.

[rodney24]

Finally got my ketsch cb yesterday. Got to play a 9 hole scramble with it last night. Greens at the course are notoriously hairy and of the slower variety. Made two 15 footers for birdie and all my other misses were right at the hole. It is very easy to line up and the weighting makes for a very smooth stroke, which is what I am after. I tend to get kinda wavey on my backstroke. This thing swings itself. I did notice that it seemed to take a little harder stroke on the ball then my Betti Sig Series but it wasn't anyth I no drastic. I noticed right away the grooves do drive the ball into a very quick roll. Probably not the best for the hairy greens but I see great things for quick true greens.

The feel definitely isn't in the same ball park as my DASS Betti but it doesn't feel bad in anyway just kinda thuddy. Goes right where you aim which is great. I play this slow green course alot and my home course that has very quick greens with alot of break. Will definitely be keeping my updates posted. This is my first long putter. And although it was only one night. I am feeling pretty good about my purchase.

[9woodfan]

Can anyone compare the Nome TR to the Ketsch TR for me? I was fit into the Nome TR (still using the Shea H TR) but then the Ketsch came out. I've tried both in store and liked them both.. any feedback from those who've tried both on real grass?

[pkshooter]

[quote name='rodney24' timestamp='1405519070' post='9711815']
Finally got my ketsch cb yesterday.
[/quote]

Our putters must have come from the same batch because I finally got my Ketsch CB yesterday too. I got the slight arc version, 1* flat, at 37". I played a quick 9 holes and spent a little time on the practice green. This is my first CB/long putter, and I can tell it will definately take some time to get used to. I noticed even at the 37", the butt of the grip got caught in my shirt a few times. One thing I know I need to work on is finding a consistent length to grip at and a consistent shaft angle/posture/distance away from the ball/etc. Now it is just a matter of being patient and practicing to see if these new CB putters can really help my game. This is the first putter I have actually custom ordered.

[dubbledxu]

[quote name='9woodfan' timestamp='1405540580' post='9714873']
Can anyone compare the Nome TR to the Ketsch TR for me? I was fit into the Nome TR (still using the Shea H TR) but then the Ketsch came out. I've tried both in store and liked them both.. any feedback from those who've tried both on real grass?
[/quote]

To me, the Nome TR is easier to line up with the big white stripe on the back. The Ketsch requires a bit more of a hit to go the same distance as the Nome TR from what Ive seen. The Ketsch seems a bit more stable on short mishits, maybe because the head is a bit heavier (5g) than the Nome TR. I like the stock cord grip on the Nome better than the tour velvet type stock grip on the Ketsch. Both headcovers are ugly and use the loudest velcro Ive ever seen on a headcover.

[typhoonoid]

did ping re-relase the ketsch yet?

[Geaux Gators]

Yes. It looks like the milling was not up to par. They have re-tooled to make the grooves a little deeper I think. Happened about a month ago if I remember correctly.