There is one universal question that every OEM must face.
When you have a club that is first team All-Conference, a consensus All-American and a Heisman Trophy winner, what do you do when the clock strikes 12 and it’s time to roll out a new one?
Well, you can pretty well leave it alone and let it travel. However, apart from Archie Griffin, no one has ever won two Heisman Trophies. Besides, letting it ride without trying to improve it has never really been PING’s style.
PING is facing a daunting challenge with its new S259 wedge. of PING S159 copped top honors at MyGolfSpy wedge testing in 2024. It was a huge step forward for PING wedges in accuracy and durability. These improvements, along with best-in-class torque, set the tone S159 in its own stratosphere.
Now it comes S259. As you expected, PING treading carefully here. The changes are subtle but intentional, understated but specific. Does that make it “better?”
If you think in terms of evolution rather than revolution, you’ll have a pretty good idea.
PING S259 wedge: Better or just different?
It will be better for all concerned to think about it S259 wedge as the next evolution of PING’s “S” series wedges. If you have S159 wedge (or any other wedge, for that matter) that aren’t obsolete and need to be replaced, there’s nothing here to make you want to throw away what you’ve got and jump on S259 bandwagon.
That said, if you’re in the market for new wedges, PING has done enough to keep S259 IN demonstration necessary discussion. Presented under the heading of subtle, but with purpose are tweaks to the existing sole grilles and a more refined front-to-face transition on the higher-height models. Understated-yet-specific updates include a newly designed proprietary handle and the elimination of the classic PING Eye 2 head shape in the E grind.
Sex, right?
“One of the things we try to do in the wedge is identify different player archetypes.” PING Senior Design Engineer Jacob Clarke tells MyGolfSpy. “We want to understand the features of the offering, the situations and what types of players will use them.”
The updates that will matter most to you will be the fixes to the sole grinds – and their corresponding benefits – as well as the agility changes on some of the higher end models.
The only grinding saga
eight years ago, PING was surprised how many of its employees were not using it PING wedge.
“That was a huge red flag for us,” Clarke says. “We’ve made a ton of progress since then. I can only think of one or two that have a wedge in their bag that isn’t PING.”
PING’s biggest area of improvement over the years has been in the single grind options. If you go back to 2015 and original Glide wedgesPING offered three single options. However, instead of talking about sole shapes and specific areas of relief, it only talked about the width of the sole. This evolved over the years to the point where the S159 line featured six distinct sole mills.
For the year 2026, PING is making some subtle changes to its taller T and E fairways to improve playability around the green.
“Players have this perception, especially when opening the face, that if the heel profile extends a little further into the clutch, they can get under the ball better,” explains Clarke. “This visual gives them more confidence. The heel is a little shorter, especially on the lob wedge.”
How subtle are the changes? Well, from heel to toe, you won’t notice any difference from it S159. The changes in the T and E grinds are almost exclusively in the progression from the face profile to the clutch.
“Open up the face and get under the ball – that’s the big benefit,” says Clarke. “It’s one of those small, nuanced things that’s hard to measure. It’s one of those things that a robot can’t tell you. Players say they feel like they can see more of the face of the club.”
So long, Eye 2…
While both T and E grinding patterns will feature re-imagined heel transitions, the E is getting the biggest overhaul in the Formation S259.
PING grinding dates back to Glide 3.0 in 2019. Back then, it was called the Eye Sole and featured the retro-looking PING Eye 2 head shape, high toe and all. That head shape lasted all the way S159 but PING thinks nostalgia has run its course.
“The Eye 2 design was really popular when it first came out,” says Clarke. “However, it slowly dwindled over time. People just looked down on him and were like ‘no way’.”
The feud itself, however, was familiar on the PGA Tour. PING decided to keep it, just in a more accessible head shape.
“It has the steepest relief at the trailing edge on the heel side,” says Clarke. “That allows you to open it into a bunker. You can get the leading edge under the ball to generate height. Then the whole wide toe section kicks in and gets the club out of the sand quickly.
More details…
The changes to the E and T grinds are the most obvious updates PING S259 Wedge Link. Other updates are considerably more subtle.
For example, PING is adding 50- and 52-degree loft to its wide-sole W grind, so it now goes from 50 to 60 degrees. The idea is to help players transition from an iron with a wider sole, such as PING G440in a PING wedge.
“This is something that our proving ground fitters have been looking for,” says Clarke. “It was always quite a leap for one G440 player to go to one S159 wedgegiven the overall width of the sole.”
PING is also updating its proprietary wedge grip, called the Dyla-Grip. It’s three-quarters of an inch longer than a standard grip, and PING has equipped it with new hand position indicators. The new version features horizontal lines for hand placement along with vertical lines for different face orientations to help you open it consistently.
“The front row from the center is as open as it gets from the ground,” says Clarke. “The last line is as wide open as you hit it from the bunker.”
There are also some new V lines on the bottom of the handle to help define the tilt of the shaft.
“For players who manipulate the position of the ball to hit different trajectories, they can have those controls,” he adds. “If a player doesn’t want any part of it, that’s fine. It’s just a catch.”
PING S259 Wedge: Final thoughts
We’ve experienced dozens of device conversations PING over the years. While every OEM handles the technical details with us in extreme depth, PING is unique in the language it uses and the nuances it presents.
And when it comes to updating a product as successful as that S159the company takes its cue from the Hippocratic Oath.
Do no harm.
of S259 the updates are small, subtle, and all about playability. PING has made the elastomer insert slightly larger, which should provide significant benefits, while also creating a slightly lighter weight. Facial eruption in S259 wedge it’s also a bit more aggressive, creating more peaks and troughs to help maintain spin.
And if you remember the shortened lower groove in the S159you will find that PING has expanded it to a full length. Through testing, PING found that something as small as the apparent length of that groove can affect target and face position.
“With that really short bottom groove, players perceived the leading edge as more rounded because their eye is drawn more to the farthest point forward,” says Clarke. “When you have a full-length groove, they tend to look at the whole shape of the leading edge.”
Yes, PING is just different.
PING S259 Wedge: Grinding Options, Price, Availability
PING is offering its new S259 in six grinding options. All loft ranges are two-step rising.
S Grind: Mid bounce for full shots with a square face with a light heel and edge relief for greenside versatility. Available in lofts 50 to 60 degrees.
H Grind: A half-moon grind for versatility in softer conditions, good for steeper swings. Available in lofts 54 to 60 degrees.
B Grind: For shallow angles of attack and square placement. It is low-cut with a wider sole. Available in 58 and 60 degree models.
T Grind: Lower effective jump with more agility. The new steeper relief on the fairway edges makes open face shots easier and more controllable. Available in attics with 58 to 62 degrees.
W Grind: Wide sole for maximum forgiveness and easy transition from wide sole irons. Best for steep swings with many shaft leagues. Available in lofts 50 to 60 degrees.
It’s Grind: The Eye 2 style plate in the midsole makes it effective from tight lies, the wider back lip jump makes it a reliable bunker club. Available in 58 and 60 degree lofts.
PING’s proprietary Z-Z115 wedge shaft is the stock steel shaft while the PING Alta CB Blue is the stock graphite. PING also offers many no-load shaft options through its custom department.
The new Dyla-Grip is also standard. They will be available in the traditional PING Hydropearl 2.0 Chrome finish as well as Midnight, a highly durable QPQ black finish.
As for the price, well, it’s 2026 and it is what it is: $217.50 MSRP in steel, $232.50 in graphite. In addition, last year’s model, S159 is on sale for $179.99 while supplies last.
The new one PING S259 wedges are available for assembly and pre-order starting today.
For more information, visit PING website.
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