A Ping wedge for better players? Ping s159 Wedge Review
Last updated:
-
At a glance
- TG Rating
- Owner Rating
-
Pros
- Very consistent spin numbers
- Sleek looks
- Nice feel
-
Cons
- Only two finishes available
- Less forgiving than some wedges
What we say...
Can the tour-inspired Ping s159 wedge tempt purists away from Vokey?
Ping have been making excellent and very popular wedges for quite some time now, with the Ping Glide 4.0 being named the best forgiving golf wedge in our test of the best golf wedges.
The Ping Glide 4.0’s versatility means it’s a great option for mid and high handicappers while also being used by tour pros like Viktor Hovland. But if you’re an elite ball-striker who uses some of the best blade golf irons, the Glide 4.0 with its fairly long blade length and slightly clunky design might not be to your taste.
That’s where the new Ping s159 wedge comes in.
Through extensive testing with their tour players, Ping have created a wedge that will appeal to golfers of all abilities, but especially those who are pretty handy with a wedge. Ping say the s159 wedge blends seamlessly into the new Blueprint S and Blueprint T irons, which are aimed at tour players and elite amateurs, giving you an idea of where the s159 is positioned.
A wedge that will appeal to golfers of all abilities
Pros
- Very consistent spin numbers
- Sleek looks
- Nice feel
Cons
- Only two finishes available
- Less forgiving than some wedges
| Availability: | 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°, 62° |
| Stock shafts: | Ping Z-Z115 wedge | PING Alta CB Black (SR, R, S) | ALTA Quick (35, 45) |
| Stock grip: | Ping 360 Dyla-Wedge Lite grip |
Everything you need to know about the Ping s159 wedge
The Ping s159 wedge is cast from 8620 carbon steel. Although cast wedges aren’t considered to feel as soft as their forged counterparts, the s159 features an elastomer insert behind the face which softens the feel and sound.
The compact head shape, fairly straight leading edge, and minimal offset all support the notion that this wedge is aimed at the better player.
Wheel-cut grooves are precision-milled to varying dimensions, depending on the loft. 54° to 62° lofts feature more tightly spaced MicroMax grooves, while 46° to 52° wedges have a 20° sidewall, milled to maximize groove volume for greater control on full shots.
The Ping s159 is available in Ping’s very popular ‘Hydropearl 2.0’ chrome finish, or ‘Midnight’, a new darker option that looks great and reduces glare on bright days.
There are six grinds to choose from:
New “H” or Half-Moon Grind: A shot-saving option for players with steeper angles of attack who like to manipulate the handle and play with versatility. It performs best in softer conditions. Available in 54°, 56°, 58°, and 60°.
New “B” Grind: For a shallow angle of attack and neutral face delivery. Low-bounce design sits low on the turf on square face shots, providing forgiveness via the sole width to deliver performance in firmer conditions. Available in 58° and 60°.
“T” Grind: The most versatile option allows players to manipulate the face for shot-making precision around the greens. Ideal for medium to firm turf conditions. Available in 58°, 60°, and 62°.
“W” Grind: Maximum forgiveness through the turf. Best fits a steep angle of attack who might also have a lot of handle lean and a player who prefers the look of a specialty wedge but relies on a little more forgiveness in their scoring clubs. Available in 54°, 56°, 58°, and 60°.
“E” or Eye2 Grind: Continues to be the ultimate bunker club, carrying on a 40-year tradition of helping golfers get up and down from the sand. It plays with relatively low bounce on square or slightly open-face shots. Available in 54°, 56°, 58°, and 60°.
“S” Grind: Fits a wide variety of conditions and techniques. Designed with ample bounce in the mid-section to play full shots and provides greenside versatility due to heel/trail edge relief. Available in 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, and 60°.
Details: Ping s159 wedge
RRP: £175 / $197 (steel shaft) | £185 / $212 (graphite)
Availability: 46°, 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58°, 60°, 62°
Stock shafts: Ping Z-Z115 wedge | PING Alta CB Black (SR, R, S) | ALTA Quick (35, 45)
Stock grip: Ping 360 Dyla-Wedge Lite grip
Video: How does the Ping s159 compare to other leading 2024 wedges?
What Ping say about the s159 wedge
“The new wedges represent our most extensive and versatile wedge line to date, significantly advancing wedge performance and expanding fitting options,” says John K. Solheim, Ping CEO & President. “They are already winning on tour and we’re seeing a lot of players converting to them around the world. They love the clean look, the soft feel, and, most importantly, the ability to launch and spin their shots with precise control. With six grinds designed to perform in a variety of playing conditions and techniques, we have a wedge to fit every golfer.”
Verdict: Ping s159 wedge
Ping have a lot to shout about when it comes to making top-performing golf equipment for club golfers, but if there’s one category they feel they haven’t quite excelled at over recent years it’s got to be wedges. For 2024 the brand is relaunching itself into the wedge market with a new s159 marquee, and from what I’ve seen their decision will pay dividends at retail and out on tour.
Throughout their life span, and there were more than four generations, the previous Glide family never quite hit the spot with us here at TG. Even though the company talked up their brilliant Hydrophobic finish tech, which neutralized the effects of damp conditions reducing spin, their blade lengths had a tendency to be a little long and often to my eye looked a little clunky. That’s all changed with the brilliant new s159 in 2024.
If your game can justify buying into tour-level wedges the s159s are one of the best-shaped and most desirable wedges I’ve seen this year. Our test numbers are pretty impressive too.
With a backspin rating 300 RPM above our test average, the s159 has the capability to get approaches zipping across the dancefloor. The model also posted the lowest backspin drop-off of all 20 (52° lofts) wedges hit which means you can expect good shot-to-shot spin consistency and predictability too, which of course will ultimately lead to lower scores.
Make sure you take Ping up on the opportunity to get properly fitted as there’s a good selection of sole grinds, lofts, and shaft options to dial into your perfect set-up.
Data comparison: How do the Ping s159 wedges compare to leading competitor models?
| Model | Loft | Ball Speed | Launch Angle | Backspin | Backspin Drop Off | Height | Descent Angle | Carry Distance | Carry Distance Drop Off | Shot Area |
| Vega VWX | 52° | 78.8 MPH | 24.6° | 8974 RPM (1) | 1212 RPM | 18 YDS | 43.4° | 94 YDS | 11 YDS | 62.7 SQ YDS |
| Ram Tour Grind | 52° | 78.4 MPH | 24.2° | 8402 RPM (2) | 1746 RPM | 17 YDS | 42.3° | 94 YDS | 15 YDS | 64.5 SQ YDS |
| TaylorMade MG4 | 52° | 78.3 MPH | 25.8° | 8003 RPM (3) | 1092 RPM | 19 YDS | 43.9° | 94 YDS | 8 YDS | 60.8 SQ YDS |
| Mizuno S23 | 52° | 81 MPH | 26.1° | 7987 RPM | 1289 RPM | 20 YDS | 45.2° | 99 YDS | 6 YDS (T1) | 23.4 SQ YDS (1) |
| Tour Edge Wingman | 52° | 80.5 MPH | 25.1° | 7982 RPM | 1382 RPM | 19 YDS | 43.9° | 98 YDS | 12 YDS | 100.8 SQ YDS |
| Ping S159 | 52° | 77.5 MPH | 24.9° | 7974 RPM | 791 (1) | 18 YDS | 42.5° | 93 YDS | 12 YDS | 68.4 SQ YDS |
| Cleveland RTX 6 | 52° | 77.4 MPH | 26° | 7911 RPM | 1791 RPM | 18 YDS | 43.7° | 93 YDS | 9 YDS | 44.1 SQ YDS |
| Sub 70 286 Forged Raw | 52° | 77.9 MPH | 25.5° | 7820 RPM | 2339 RPM | 18 YDS | 43.3° | 94 YDS | 7 YDS | 58.8 SQ YDS |
| Cleveland CBX 4 | 52° | 78.4 MPH | 26.5° | 7800 RPM | 949 RPM (3) | 19 YDS | 44.6° | 95 YDS | 9 YDS | 53.1 SQ YDS |
| Bettinardi HLX 5.0 | 52° | 78.5 MPH | 24.3° | 7797 RPM | 2109 RPM | 17 YDS | 42.1° | 95 YDS | 10 YDS | 45 SQ YDS |
| PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II | 52° | 79.2 MPH | 25.7° | 7741 RPM | 2240 RPM | 19 YDS | 44° | 96 YDS | 10 YDS | 44 SQ YDS |
| Titleist Vokey Design SM10 | 52° | 78.2 MPH | 26° | 7653 RPM | 1926 RPM | 19 YDS | 43.9° | 95 YDS | 15 YDS | 139.5 SQ YDS |
| Vega Alcor | 52° | 79.9 MPH | 25.7° | 7633 RPM | 2006 RPM | 19 YDS | 44.1° | 97 YDS | 9 YDS | 64.8 SQ YDS |
| More MOD 1 | 52° | 79.2 MPH | 25.4° | 7512 RPM | 894 RPM (2) | 19 YDS | 43.4° | 96 YDS | 6 YDS (T1) | 28.8 SQ YDS (2) |
| Callaway Jaws Raw | 52° | 78.9 MPH | 26.3° | 7408 RPM | 2805 RPM | 19 YDS | 44.3° | 96 YDS | 7 YDS | 30.1 SQ YDS (3) |
| Ping Glide Forged Pro | 52° | 78.8 MPH | 26.2° | 7165 RPM | 2246 RPM | 19 YDS | 44° | 96 YDS | 11 YDS | 119.9 SQ YDS |
| Mizuno T24 | 52° | 76.3 MPH | 26.2° | 7059 RPM | 2131 RPM | 18 YDS | 43.1° | 92 YDS | 6 YDS (T1) | 44.4 SQ YDS |
| Wilson Staff Model ZM | 52° | 77.8 MPH | 26.4° | 7003 RPM | 1963 RPM | 19 YDS | 43.8° | 95 YDS | 13 YDS | 81.9 SQ YDS |
| Callaway CB | 52° | 78.9 MPH | 26.1° | 6856 RPM | 1672 RPM | 19 YDS | 43.7° | 96 YDS | 11 YDS | 90.2 SQ YDS |
| Inesis 900 | 52° | 78.8 MPH | 27.6° | 6685 RPM | 2168 RPM | 20 YDS | 45.2° | 97 YDS | 16 YDS | 172.8 SQ YDS |
| Average | 78.6 MPH | 25.7° | 7668 RPM | 1738 RPM | 18.7 YDS | 43.7° | 95.3 YDS | 10.2 YDS | 69.9 SQ YDS |
Comparable models
I’d put the Ping s159 alongside other tour-shaped wedges like the Titleist Vokey Design SM10, Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore, and TaylorMade MG4 Milled Grind.
If you love Ping wedges but want a bit more forgiveness, the Ping Glide 4.0 might be just the ticket.
Ping have a new fitting app to help you find the best wedge
Ping’s new ‘WebFit Wedge’ app gives golfers a quick and easy way to determine the wedge grind that best fits their game. The app doesn’t require downloading, logging in, or signing up for anything; you simply answer a series of questions about your short game and are given two grind suggestions. You can then take those recommendations to a fitter who can help validate them and further fine-tune the specs of the wedge. The app, which takes just a few minutes to complete, also provides gapping information to help the player build out the bottom of their bag.
The app was developed in-house by Ping’s data scientists and relies on their massive collection of wedge data, much of it mined from their relationship with Arccos.
“It’s no secret shopping for wedges can be confusing as golfers try to understand all the nuances of a wedge’s design and what’s best for them,” says Solheim. “With our new WedgeFit web app, our goal is to simplify the process of finding a wedge that fits the golfer while also educating them as to why a particular grind is best for them.”
The app is accessible via a QR code in golf shops and at https://wedge.webfit.ping.com/en/.
About the author
Rob McGarr – Contributing Editor
Rob has been a writer and editor for over 15 years, covering all manner of subjects for leading magazines and websites.
He has previously been Features Editor of Today’s Golfer magazine and Digital Editor of todays-golfer.com, and held editorship roles at FHM, Men’s Running, Golf World, and MAN Magazine.
You can follow him on YouTube where – depending on what day of the week it is – he’ll either be trying his best to get his handicap down to scratch or shoving his clubs in a cupboard, never to be seen again.
Rob is a member at Royal North Devon, England’s oldest golf club, where he plays off a three-handicap.
