Ping Anser Putter

Blade Putter

The Anser name carries more weight than any other in putting. Karsten Solheim sketched the original on a 78 rpm record sleeve in 1966, and the plumber's neck blade he came up with reshaped how putters get built. This 2024 version keeps that lineage intact: a compact blade profile, a clean topline, and the kind of understated look that has sat in the bags of major winners for decades.

What sets this particular Anser apart from what most people picture is the balance. It's face balanced, not toe hung, so the face wants to stay square to your target through the stroke rather than rotating open and closed. That's a real departure from the toe-hang Ansers a lot of golfers grew up with. If you take the putter back and it fights you when you try to arc it, that's the point. It's built to move straighter.

There's no line, no dot, no sightline machined into the flange. You aim this putter with the shape and the leading edge, the way blade purists have always done it. For some golfers that's freeing. For others it's a dealbreaker. Knowing which camp you're in matters more here than with almost any other putter.

Design

The head is a traditional heel-toe weighted blade, narrow front to back, with the square-ish plumber's neck that gives the Anser its silhouette. Weight sits out at the heel and toe to steady the face on off-center hits, which is the whole reason this shape survived when so many blades didn't. The topline is thin and the overall footprint is small at address, so it frames the ball rather than swallowing it. The face-balanced setup is the design decision that drives everything else. When the shaft axis runs through the center of gravity, the head resists opening and closing on its own, which pairs it with a stroke that stays close to straight back and straight through. Ping leans on its insert and milling to control roll and sound, and the finish keeps glare down at address. It's a putter that looks like it was designed to disappear behind the ball and let you get on with the read.

Who It's For

• You have a fairly straight, minimal-arc putting stroke and want a head that stays square rather than fighting your rotation.
• The classic blade look appeals to you and you don't need a sightline to aim, trusting the shape and leading edge instead.
• You want proven heel-toe forgiveness in a compact head, not a chunky mallet that dominates the setup.
• You've putted with an Anser before but always wished it felt more stable through impact instead of toe-hung.

Technology

About Ping

Ping invented the heel-toe weighted blade (the original Anser) and continues to innovate in weight distribution and forgiveness. Their PLD line offers tour-level milled putters with Ping's signature engineering.

Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the 2024 Ping Anser toe hang or face balanced?

This one is face balanced, which surprises people who assume every Anser is toe hung. That means the face stays square through the stroke instead of opening and closing, so it fits a straight-back, straight-through motion better than a strong arc. If your stroke has a lot of natural arc, a toe-hang model will match you better.

Does the Anser blade have an alignment line?

No. The flange is clean with no sightline, dot, or machined aid. You aim it using the head shape and the leading edge. Blade traditionalists prefer that, but if you rely on a line to square up, you may find yourself second-guessing the aim.

Who should choose a blade like the Anser over a mallet?

Golfers who already have a repeatable stroke and want feel and feedback over maximum forgiveness. A blade tells you when you miss the center of the face. A mallet hides it. If your misses are mostly small and your speed control is solid, the blade gives you more information to work with.

Is the face-balanced Anser forgiving on mishits?

For a blade, yes. The heel-toe weighting that made the original Anser famous is still doing the work, steadying the face when you catch it off center. It won't match a high-MOI mallet on a bad strike, but among traditional blades it's one of the more stable options.

Will this suit someone coming from a toe-hang putter?

It can, but expect an adjustment. If you were arcing a toe-hang Anser and missing right, the face-balanced version may straighten that out because it resists rotation. Give it a few sessions on a flat surface to feel how much less the face turns before you judge it.

Alternatives to the Ping Anser

Other blade putter models from different brands, closest to its model year.

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