PING’s new Scottsdale TEC (Tour Elevated Concepts) equipment are here to help you focus. Beauty, as they say, may be in the eye of the beholder, but PING’s research suggests that those same eyes are the key to successful dressing.
Basically, wandering eyes will take your gogol away from the hole (and your invisible beauty away from you too).
I understand why people might initially think that the secret to PING’s new Eye Q alignment technology is the bold black and white color scheme. They are right, in part, but they need to zoom in a bit more.
See that little dot on the front of the meter? This is where we need to focus in order to understand the history of the Scottsdale TEC Eye Q technology.
Seeing is believing, but it can also be distracting
Simply put, the Eye Q design is all about bringing your eyes back to the front of the camera, right before you take the swing. The long line of sight helps you with your overall aim, but that dot in the front prepares you for the actual ball strike.
The purpose of this “Calm Eye” system is to keep your eyes calm, which will then help you sink the shot.
“Our researchers and scientists look outside of golf for inspiration. Quiet Eye has been used extensively in other sports that require precise movements to help athletes improve focus just before action. Whether shooting a free throw in basketball or serving a tennis ball, many top athletes train using this technique. With Scottsdale TEC providing their high-tech solution, we with their QE and Eye solution. putting.”
-PING CEO and President John K. Solheim
Ultimately, the new Eye Q system helps you execute your deployment plan. You’ve done the reading, you’ve aimed your putter appropriately, and now all that’s left to do is hit the ball.
This point in the foreground becomes the final focus point before execution. Center the dot in the middle of the ball, then take the shot.
PING golfers wore Tobii eye-tracking goggles while using golfers with different alignment schemes. The long dot and line was the option that gave the best visual focus and performance.
It’s PING. You know the Eye Q design wasn’t just a blind guess.
PING delivery point difference
The impact of stretch aids on performance setting is a topic that has yet to be definitively researched. Most would agree that different lines and spots affect the way golfers aim at their putts, but how they affect the players is disputed.
If you go from one barrel company to another, you’ll see the whole spectrum of the importance of alignment assistance. Edel Golf built their entire fitting program around the concept of how lines affect aim. On the other end of the spectrum, LAB Golf custom tires have dozens of alignment options available not to mention how the different lines and points will affect your aim.
As with axle bending, we lack an industry standard of alignment
I bring this up because the Eye Q alignment scheme is not about aiming. Like I said, it’s all about focusing before you take the shot.
The body length line is for aiming. By the way, PING continued with that long line because of previous research demonstrating its effectiveness. Like I said, it’s PING.
The point of Eye Q technology is to deliver the ball as intended by narrowing your focus to the inevitable impact of the ball and the putter.
PING Scottsdale TEC Models
All three new PING Scottsdale TEC models are modern interpretations of classic PING models. Since the names are the same, you probably already figured that out for Ally Blue and Ketsch. Hayden was a little harder to pin down as he has a new name, but it is based on the name PING.
All three models feature the high-contrast black-and-white aesthetic and Zen-like Eye Q focus point. With that in mind, let’s dive a little deeper into the individual Scottsdale TEC Models.
With its traditional heeled shaft hose, PING Scottsdale TEC Hayden is the outlier in the set. “Outlier” is not a negative descriptor. For many people, this traditional building plan will prove more accessible than the original design of the other two.
of Scottsdale TEC Hayden has the largest profile of the three with the form based on the name PING. For those of you not familiar with Nome, the original version was produced in 2012.
At the time, PING had a tendency to release interesting shapes with little fanfare or promotion. If memory serves, the PING Sydney was another new design released a year ago. The marketing was so stealthy that many people missed them.
After Hunter Mahan won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Shotgun Championship, Nome became quite popular. PING even released a follow-up version, the Nome TR, the following year.
(Fun fact: I wrote a poem about Nome and Nome TR. It’s buried somewhere in the MGS Forum. As putter reviews go, it was way ahead of its time to be appreciated. That’s my opinion, anyway.)
Anyway, it’s good to see PING bring back that Nome me style Hayden. I believe its name comes from a street near the PING factory in Scottsdale, Ariz. Maybe they’re Star Wars fans and it’s named after Hayden Christensen.
Regardless, this Hayden is the traditional small hammer in the group. It has a full offset axis and the reach angle can be adjusted +/- 2°. Its face-balanced nature should suit players with a straight putting arc.
Last August, PING published Limited Edition PLD Ally Blue Onset. it Scottsdale TEC version The Ally Blue Onset is very similar to the PLD model, but there are some key differences.
First of all, Start of Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue it has the Eye Q system. The PLD version just had a long line of sight. Second, this version has a PEBAX elastomer face insert, similar to the one in the PING 2025 Scottsdale Shooting Range.
The insert changes the story more than one would think. Not only does the insert provide a different feel than the fully milled PLD version, but it also allowed PING to reposition the weight saved from the insert to other parts of the insert, increasing stability.
As with the limited edition version, Start of Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue IS not a zero torque thruster.
Don’t let the starting axle position fool you. Unlike zero-torque thrusters where the shaft enters the head at the center of gravity, PING has positioned the shaft forward of the center of gravity.
Since the days of Karsten Solheim, PING models have had the center of gravity behind the axle. The idea is that “pulling the center of gravity” is better than pushing it.
“The CG pull provides more stability during the stroke and helps keep shots on line and rolling into the hole.”
-PING CEO and President John K. Solheim
Axis position away from CG implies Ally Blue The beginning AND Ketch Onset putters have a torque. If you check the shaft bands, you will see that there is enough torque present for the PING to match these two models to players with light bow shots.
Sometimes a legacy can be very weak, like having an older sister who went to Stanford and is just finishing her studies at Harvard Law. Those are some big shoes to fill for the younger sibling.
This is the situation that always comes to mind when PING releases a new version of Ketsch. Can it match the original?
Although they are all very talented, there is one difference between Chris Helmsworth and his brothers Luke and Liam.
As with Nome, PING released the first Ketsch with zero promotion. It just showed up on the PING website the other day.
Luckily I saw it and got one for test hunting. After testing the Most Wanted Mallet that year, we quickly learned that putting on the original Ketsch was easier than slaying giants with Mjolnir.
The combination of weight distribution and face grooves made the Ketsch nearly automatic from five feet for the entire test group. A mythological weapon if ever there was one.
of Scottsdale TEC Onset Ketch it is slightly smaller than the original and has a vastly different technological plan. The overall Ketsch body plan is still there, but the shaft location and insertion dramatically affect how the shooter feels and plays.
I like how the starter hosel opens up the front of the putter at address. Looks great behind the ball and is ideal for the Eye Q spot too.
One of the disadvantages of the initial axis is that it eliminates the ability to match these two patterns for lie angle. They have a lie angle of 70 degrees. Period. As with LAB Golf shafts where the shaft enters the head directly at a certain angle, these shafts cannot be bent.
The unfortunate reality of this is that people who need a flat or straight lie angle may miss these two models. Remember though, the Hayden can tilt a few degrees up or down.
Is Eye Q technology a gimmick or a game changer?
it’s PING for something durable with their Eye Q build or is this just the latest technological advance to fade into obscurity?
I don’t own any fancy eye-tracking glasses, but my initial impression is that the dot catches my eye. Maybe it’s a bit of a placebo effect as I know I have to look at it before I put it on.
Even if it is, if it soothes my eyes and improves my appearance, that means it’s working as intended.
Also remember that this is not the first time PING changed patterns based on eye tracking data. PING currently has the smallest shaft labels in golf because they determined that the golfer’s eyes were drawn to their previous larger labels during impact. When they got rid of the big sticker, eyes focused on the ball and the shooter.
Would the Eye Q technology even work on a black head with white stripes? Looks like it should work on any head color.
Perhaps PING went with the white color to make these hammers stand out as something new and different.
When you walk into your local store, my guess is that you will be immediately drawn to these white heads. maybe Scottsdale TPP represents the perfect combination of marketing and performance.
Golfers should check out a new putter in the shop if they’re going to find out how well it spins balls. We need our eyes on that point, but PING needs us to see their new streamers.
Based on the buzz they generated at this year’s PGA Show and featuring on Tony Finau’s bag, golfers are taking notice of these white hammers.
