Ping Anser Fairway Woods Review

Tested by Jon Greathead (8 h’cap)

With all the adjustable goings-on of late, a part of me has wondered why Ping hadn’t followed the likes of Nike, TaylorMade and Callaway. Well, now they have.

Last month we told you that the brand wanted full confidence in the product before putting it to market, hence why the Anser fairway wood has taken a tad longer to join the adjustable party. But fashionably late is good, and when it looks as good as this, it’s a welcome guest.

The obvious starting point is the adjustability – at just plus or minus 0.5°, Ping aren’t ripping up trees but where they are blazing a trail is that the Anser really doesn’t look adjustable. Some other products feature a highly-visible hosel design, whereas Ping’s latest creation doesn’t – it blends beautifully with the shaft, and looks part of the product rather than a bolt-on.

Over the years, Ping’s custom-fitting process has become legendary and now they’ve gone a step further by introducing four sensational shaft options; golfers can be fitted for the TFC 800D (Soft R, R, S and X flexes), the Aldila Phenom (R, S flexes), Fujikura Blur Red (R, S and X flexes) and the Mitsubishi Diamana ‘ahina – and for no additional cost.

Ping have also launched an adjustable fairway wood that also features the same matte black finish – like the driver, it comes with a very subtle alignment aid on the crown but produces a slightly more penetrating ball flight. At £220, it’s pricey but the performance is sensational and it was also very effective off the tee.

Pros: Sensational entry into adjustability, done with subtlety and with great shaft options.
Cons: The adjustability could be seen as a little limited; the fairway wood’s price will make some baulk.

It’s not only the new Ping Anser driver that will be making headlines thanks to adjustability, but the Anser fairway wood as well.
 
The club is Ping’s first adjustable fairway wood and features the same trajectory tuning as the Anser driver to adjust ball flight. Golfers can adjust the club by plus or minus 0.5° and a rear sole weight optimizes the centre of gravity to promote a slightly lower, more penetrating trajectory with lower spin for greater distance.
 
The back of the sole benefits from a tapered design that provides extra relief for clean contact from the tightest of lies, and the stunning black finish certainly adds a touch of class to the product.

Available: 3-wood, 4-wood and 5-wood.
Website: ping.com