PING’S new aluminum putter series offers a high-tech take on the traditional putter that’s highly forgiving. Rick Heppler was a longtime PING employee who passed away following a motorcycle accident several years ago. It seems fitting that PING, a company whose progressive engineering has long set it apart, would honour Heppler with a putter that showcases the company’s commitment to development and demonstrates there are gains in putters than can be made through inventive techniques.

The Heppler line, which is available March 30, is a nine-model line that sports an intriguing aesthetic and is made from multi-materials and high-pressure aluminum that makes the putters highly forgiving, with a firmer feel on the putt.

Key technologies

Solid-face

With a firm feel, the face on the Heppler is made from either aluminum or steel (depending on the model). The goal is the same—offering maximum forgiveness and optimizing the center of gravity. PING says testing of the faces demonstrated a “distinct” impact experience that improved the golfer’s confidence.

Aluminum and multi-material design

Lightweight aluminum is combined with steel through a strategic shaping process to create highly forgiving designs. The Tomcat 14 with its 14-dot alignment aid is the highest MOI version in the line.

Adjustable shaft

The new adjustable shaft, which makes fitting the putter very simple, is improved with a firmer feel and less flexing. It can be customized between 32 and 36 inches. There are four pistol grip options in the line.

Models

Anser 2 (blade)

Bearing the same heel-toe weighting that helped make the original Anser 2 so popular, the Heppler version also shares the original’s angled heel ballast.

ZB3 (blade)

A larger section of the cavity was carved out and the heel-toe ballasts are larger than those in the ZB2 to achieve a high MOI in this strong-arc blade. The alignment dot makes it easier for arc putters to find the target.

Piper C (mid-mallet)

Players who prefer center-shafted putters will find the Piper C gives them a performance edge.

Tyne 3 (mallet)

At address, the ratio of aluminum to steel appears to be half and half, but in fact two-thirds is steel, creating a deep CG and high MOI.

Fetch (mallet)

To elevate MOI over the Sigma 2 Fetch, which has steel bordering the center cutout, designers used aluminum, then steel in the heel-toe ballasting for increasing forgiveness.

Ketsch  (mallet)

Half steel, half aluminum, this putter doubles the forgiveness of the PING Vault 2.0 Ketsch.

Floki  (mallet)

The strong-arc mallet is enjoying popularity, and the Floki expands a player’s fitting options while boasting the second-highest MOI in the Heppler line.

Tomcat 14 (mallet)

Airport runway lights inspired the alignment dots in the highest-MOI model in the Heppler family. The dots get closer together front to back to simulate motion, help with eye tracking, and frame the ball.

Piper Armlock (mid-mallet)

Preferred for armlock players given its desirable head shape, and this Piper relies on the same low-CG, high-MOI, heel-toe weighted Piper C head.