ULTIMATE REVIEW! – PING ANSER DRIVER

Damn! Those guys at PING seriously know how to make a driver. – GolfSpy T

Written By: Tony Covey (@GolfSpy T) Over the last few seasons, as one company after another introduced adjustable drivers to the market, we heard plenty of grumbling about PING’s unwillingness to jump into the fray. Despite their track record of undeniable innovation, my view of PING is one of a company that is detailed, deliberate, and meticulous. PING is a company who, in-spite of a hyper-competitive marketplace does everything on its own terms. PING wasn’t going to release an adjustable driver because everyone else was doing it, or because someone else felt they needed to remain competitive. Nuh-uh PING was only going to release an adjustable driver when they were damn good and ready.

Since we’re talking about the new Anser adjustable driver, it’s safe to say that PING finally thought the time was right. And while we’ve certainly dinged PING drivers (and other PING clubs) for minor aesthetic details in the past, as is just about always the case when PING brings a new driver to market; where performance is concerned, they basically nailed it.

From a positioning standpoint, the Anser’s place in the PING lineup isn’t cut and dry. It doesn’t fit exactly in the middle. While from a forgiveness perspective it’s slotted between the G20 and i20, PING also claims the Anser is its lowest spinning driver…ever. That’s actually quite remarkable when you consider exactly how low spin the i20 is.

When you’re talking retail (non-tour issue stuff), none of the big golf companies are even close to PING when it comes to minimizing driver spin.

The Marketing Angle

At some point you actually need to hit the damn thing to see what it can do, but here’s the stuff that PING thinks will motivate you to give the Anser Driver a go:

• Performance Engineered The size, efficiency and simplicity of the hosel sleeve provides the benefits of adjustability (±½°) without sacrificing the performance that’s often lost in clubs with larger, bulkier, hosel designs.
• Lightweight The hosel design is optimized using a lightweight titanium screw and aluminum hosel sleeve. The design maintains the same outer diameter and mass as PING’s traditional fixed hosels.
• Shaft Optimization PING offers four high-performance shafts: PING TFC 800D, Mitsubishi Diamana ‘ahina, Aldila Phenom, and Fujikura Blur Red. They vary in weight, stiffness profile, and the trajectory they deliver.
• Designed for Distance To ensure greater clubhead speed, ball velocity and distance, crown curvature was optimized in the 460cc Ti 8-1-1-1 head to reduce the turbulent wake, which minimizes the overall aerodynamic drag.

Head Material: Titanium

How We Tested

For our test of the PING Anser Driver  we collected detailed performance data from 4 testers who were asked to hit a series of shots on our 3Track Equipped simulators from aboutGolf.  Detailed data for each and every shot for which we collected data is viewable just below the performance section of this review. This data serves as the foundation for our final performance score.  Our testers were also asked to rate the PING Anser Driver and provide feedback in our subjective categories (looks, sound & feel, perceived forgiveness, and LOP (likelihood of purchase).  This information is used as the foundation for our total subjective score.  Testing was done using 8.5°, 9.5°, 12.0°, drivers in Regular, Stiff, and X-stiff flex. All four stock shafts were used by one tester or another during our tests.

PING basically doubled their standard number of stock shaft offerings for the Anser driver. The addition of new shafts to the lineup illustrates PING’s commitment to proper fitting. The four offerings are distinct in weight, stiffness, and the trajectory they deliver. PING deliberately chose 3 shafts (‘ahina, Phenom, and Blur) that would compliment their own TFC 8000, expanding their fitting options, and by extension, offer quality zero cost upgrades for the consumer.

With PING’s new Anser Driver, our testers averaged 251.83 yards (240.35 Carry). When we remove our senior tester from the equation, the group average jumps to 263.44 yards, with 253.56 of that being carry.

With the acknowledgement that this is probably the best fit we’ve ever had for him, our longest hitter averaged over 300 yards (300.67 to be exact), with 295.91 resulting from carry.

Our senior tester also put up some fairly solid distance numbers (205.40/187.48 carry). Given the tremendous difference in their swings, the fact that both high and low ball-speed players put up comparatively excellent numbers suggests that the PING Anser driver, when paired with the right shaft can work for a broad variety of golfers.

The 3 remaining testers also put up very solid numbers, but none quite as good as what we saw from the previously mentioned testers.

When we look at the launch angles produced by the PING Anser we find some interesting results. Our lowest handicap golfer for this test tends to be a low ball hitter, however; with the Anser driver he was able to bump his launch angle up to over 12° (approximately 2° higher than his average). Conversely, our highest swing speed player (also our highest handicap tester) actually dropped his launch angle significantly to 13.81 degrees (down from the 18° range). It goes without saying that the lower loft coupled with a better fitting shaft played a significant role in the change.

What’s interesting is that while one golfer reduced loft, and another added it, both were able to keep their spin numbers is relatively good position (under 2100 RPM).

As a group, our testers average launch angle was 13.01, which again is generally higher than we see. The most telling aspect of the Anser’s performance however; is that for most testers the increase in launch angle did not produce a detrimental amount of spin.

Overall, the PING Anser driver produced slightly above average distance numbers across the board, and well above average numbers for 2 of our testers.

As a group, our testers missed the center line by an average of 14.74 yards, which basically borders on stupid good. The average is significantly aided by our senior tester who averaged less than 8 yards (7.49) offline. Our biggest hitter proved to be the least accurate (20.26), while the other testers ranged between 13.68 and 18.55 yards offline.

While these numbers probably aren’t the absolute most accurate we’ve seen for any of the drivers we’ve tested, they’re certainly above average, and definitely suggest that accuracy won’t be an issue for most with the Anser driver.

Not surprisingly, for the majority (4 out of 5), the PING Anser Driver proved to be very low spinning. The 5th was me, and the PING Anser driver basically proved that I need to stop swiping the ball from the outside in, but I basically knew that anyway. Unfortunately GI Joe was wrong. Knowing probably isn’t even 8% of the battle.

As a group our testers averaged 2691.25 RPM of what our launch monitor calls backspin. When you remove the ridiculousness that is yours truly (I was the only tester to average over 3000RPM…and I didn’t stop there) from the math, the average drops to a stunningly low 2332.73 RPM. Damn.

Looking for a low spinning driver that is golfer-friendly enough for the average guy to play? Have I got a PING for you.

While the PING Anser didn’t put up quite the number of the previously reviewed i20, we found plenty of similarities. Like the i20, the Anser offers low spin, plenty of distance, and is one of those clubs that is (for most of our testers anyway) endlessly fun to hit. With the added element of simple adjustability, from a performance standpoint, this isn’t simply a driver PING fans should look at, it’s one everyone should add to his demo list.

The Interactive Data

The charts below show the individual and group averages (black dotted line) for each shot our golfers took during our test of the PING Driver. If you click on the “PING Anser Driver Range” tab, you can see where each shot came to rest on our virtual driving range. Hovering over any point will give you all the details of that particular shot. You can use the filters on the right-hand side to show and hide individual golfer based on handicap and clubhead speed. Clicking on the “PING Anser Driver Raw Data” tab will show you the individual numbers and group averages for our testers.

It’s been quite a while since we’ve dinged PING for releasing what some might consider to be clubs with plenty of personality, but not much for looks. Those days are clearly over as the Anser once again proves that PING is more than capable of producing a serious driver that looks the part. I figured my testers were going to like it, I just didn’t realize how much.

Whether or not we’ve reached the point where an all black club can be considered old school is debatable, but with the Anser, PING stuck to formula that has made the i20, visually speaking anyway, popular with consumers. Looking down at the Anser it’s almost impossible to not find strong similarities to the i20. The matte black finish is the same. The alignment aid is the same, and the adjustable hosel doesn’t add any visual bulk.

When viewed side by side, there are clear differences in shape (the Anser’s is generally more rounded particularly as the club transitions from the toe to the rear, and the curve is more gentle moving from the rear to the heal side of the face.  Although PING lists the i20 as the more traditional of the pair, apart from a very subtle bump out along that curve, the Anser, to my eyes anyway, is actually the more traditional looking (whatever that means anymore) of the two.

For the sole design PING went for a stealthy black on black with Silver lettering. Unlike other PING drivers, the Anser also has a weight port PING can use to tune in the proper swing weight for lighter/heavier or shorter/longer shafts. The weight is not user replaceable, at least not by any method supported by PING.

Just as they did with the i20, our testers loved the matte finish, as well as the previously mentioned traditional shape. Unlike some adjustable designs we’ve seen in the past, PING’s implementation is not the slightest bit bulky, and if not for the alignment markets, and the slight gap between the ferrule and the head (depending on where the shaft is set), the hosel would be virtually indistinguishable from PING’s glued offerings.

While a couple testers once again mentioned they could live without PING’s Klingon Battle Axe alignment aid, the rest of the package more than made up for any annoyance they might have felt.

MGS Looks Score: 99.44

My opinion is that Anser and i20 drivers are virtually identical where sound and feel are concerned. Balls struck on the center of the face are rewarded without outstanding feel (it’s like a smash factor bonus prize or something). Misses are noticeably duller, and don’t sound nearly as crisp.

Guys moving over from G series drivers are going to lose a degree of consistency, but will pick up loads of actual feedback. With the Anser there’s never a doubt about your quality of contact.

It really boils down to personal preference. If you want that constant reminder that you’re not good enough to hit the ball consistently with the center of the club face, then the Anser is ideal. If, however, you’re more inclined to pretend everything is just peachy while clanking shots of the heal, then you’re probably not going to love what the Anser has to offer.

Our testers appear to be coming around to the former as they actually rated the Anser slightly higher in this category than the i20. Me…I rated them the same, because, as I said, I find them to be almost indistinguishable, and that’s a good thing.

MGS Sound & Feel Score: 95.41

If there’s one area where the PING Anser absolutely shines above the i20, it’s where forgiveness is concerned. Some have described the Anser as the perfect blend of the i20 and the G20, and nowhere is that more true than when you consider the Anser’s ability to mitigate questionable swings.

Absolutely, you will lose distance, and yeah, despite the low spin, it’s still possible to flare one out to the nether regions of even the easiest hole on the golf course, but all things considered, the PING Anser is certainly more forgiving than the i20, and nearly the equal of the G20.

Almost certainly as the simple result of liking it more than the others, our testers actually rated the Anser as the most forgiving of the 3.

Tester Perceived Forgiveness Score: 91.38

The bottom line here is that the PING Anser is a driver that should probably be on most golfers’ short list. It’s as long as anything and more forgiving than most, so I can’t say I was totally surprised when two of our testers told us they would absolutely buy the Anser. Hell, I wasn’t really surprised when one of our testers actually did.

“I have 3 words to describe this club…I bought it“. – Brian

Even with one tester who was only luke warm at best on the Anser (we drop the low rating, and we’ve yet to find a PING driver he really loves anyway), our test pool overwhelmingly told us they don’t just like…or even love the PING Anser driver; they’re pretty sure they want one.

Tester LOP Score: 100

When it comes to offering an adjustable driver, I think it’s fair to say that PING came a little late to the party. And when you consider PING’s track record of innovation, I’m sure some were expecting PING to offer up something truly revolutionary on adjustability. They didn’t.

Instead PING elected to keep things amazingly simply. While some of PING’s competitors are offering up to 1.5° degrees of adjustability, and others are going with a single-head, multiple loft model, PING’s designers elected to keep things very simple. There are no movable weights, no adjustable sole technology, and no over-abundance of settings.  The Anser is adjustable by only ½ degree in either direction (the 4th settings is unlabeled, but is upright flat).

Some have suggested that PING’s decision to limit adjustability to .5° up or down amounts to mailing it in (creating an adjustable driver just to say they have one). On the contrary, PING feels that .5° is enough to modify/optimize trajectory, without significantly changing the look of the club at address, or adding bulk in the hosel area. They point out that the .5° adjustment is perfect for bridging the gap between their static loft offerings (8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 12°). The suggestion is that adjustability should not be used as a replacement for proper fitting. While PING’s system does allow for some fine tuning (adjust for subtle swing changes or course conditions), it’s not designed to be a one-loft-fits-all solution.

Functionally, PING’s implementation is as easy to use as anything else, and simplicity of the system makes it extremely easy to determine where you’ve got your driver set.

Some golfers may feel a sense of outrage over the lack of OEM adapter availability at retail, but I wouldn’t expect anything different from PING.

The numbers basically speak for themselves, and they say that the PING Anser is a damn fine driver that blends distance, forgiveness, and good looks into a tight little package capable of  keeping even the more errant among us well placed in the fairway. PING’s first foray into adjustability has proven every bit worthy of the PING name.

Beyond the amazing low spin numbers, what’s most telling for me is how well the PING Anser performed for each of our testers. From our low speed senior tester, to our higher swing speed player, to the guys in between, with a reasonably good shaft fit (from the stock selections no less), the Anser proved capable of producing excellent numbers across the board.

Minor gripes about the alignment aid aside, the Anser is one of those rare clubs where there’s truly nothing not too like. It’s capable of producing consistent numbers, the occasional huge drive, and is endless fun to hit.

What more could you want?

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