PING's New Balancing Act

PING Golf is making headlines with a new putter app for the iPhone, as well as a new line of putters dedicated to the company's iconic putter model, the Anser. But it's something beyond the headlines that really caught our attention amid PING's latest announcements.

Indeed, PING's new Anser putter line will be the first to clearly identify its putters with fitting recommendations based on the golfer's stroke type: Straight, Slight Arc and Strong Arc.

These designations correspond to the balance of each putter in the line, and more specifically to the degree of toe hang (or lack thereof) of each model. For example, the face-balanced Anser putter will be designated Straight, while the one that hangs full "toe down" will be marked Strong Arc. Putters with less severe toe hang will carry the Slight Arc designation.

Meanwhile, the optional iPhone app is designed to help measure and identify the golfer's stroke type, as well as tempo and face angle at impact. The app is free, but you need a $30 cradle to attach your iPhone to the putter shaft (stay tuned for PutterZone.com's PING putter app review).

But even without the app, PING is doing golfers a great service by drawing attention to a fundamental aspect of putter fitting and, more important, communicating it in terms the golfer can easily understand.

As noted in the new putter fitting guide Putter Perfection by PutterZone.com editor Sean Weir, "A 'face-balanced' putter will generally appeal to golfers who employ a more straight-back-and-straight-through putting stroke, while a putter with 'toe hang' will generally appeal to those with an arcing stroke."

Now, with its new jargon-free designations, PING is poised to help golfers better understand the concept of putter balance and, more important, easily choose a putter that fits their stroke.