It looks like SirShanksAlot is having some computer issues today so by default you are all stuck with me for the night. Today is a big day as it marks the first day of the 2006 PGA season. This year should be interesting as the transition starts to the “new” PGA schedule and ranking system in 2007. Of course we will do our best to keep you updated with equipment news from the PGA Tour as the season gets under way. For now, let’s focus on Ping Golf.
The Company
Ping has consistently been a leader in the golf industry for several decades now. They are widely regarded as an industry leader in golf club fitting and technology. They have been revolutionary in many respects and continue to be a strong family owned company.
2006 looks to be a promising year for Ping Golf. They have a brand new club line-up that has been drawing great reviews and a bright young staff player by the name of Ryan Moore who should generate some buzz on the Tour as well as proven veterans Chris DiMarco and Miguel Angel Jiminez.
The nice thing about Ping is that there are rarely drastic changes in the company. Ping prefers to stick with what works and make minor modifications to improve it. They are following the same pattern this year.
The Products – What We Know
Not too many surprises on the way for Ping this year. The new G5 and I5 lines were released in late summer/fall of 2005. The G5 includes a new 460 cc driver and 460 cc offset driver, G5 iron, G5 fairway wood, G5 hybrid, and G5 putter line. The entire series has received positive reviews so far including some “Hot List” selections in the upcoming Golf Digest, and the new I5 irons appear to be an early leader in the mid-handicap category.
The only brand-new club that Ping has released is the G5 hybrid, the rest of the clubs are modified versions of previous Ping models. With a solid line-up like this I wouldn’t expect to see too many changes over the next year.
The Products – What Might Be On The Way
Not much buzz on new Ping products because everything was launched back in the fall. Ping has a solid putter line and the bag line-up has also been release already. Some of the changes that we might see this year include some more loft options in the G5 hybrids, some new putter styles in the G5i line, and possibly some modifications to the S59 iron.
I think we will start to see fewer of the Udranium putters around as this line gets phased out. Ping has a solid entry in the MOI putter market with the Craz-E series and the Udranium putters are on clearance already at a number of stores.
We should also see some new color schemes in the bag line. Ping likes to change colors yearly to keep things interesting.
Other than that I don’t think we will see any changes in Ping Golf for 2006. They have a real solid selection of products for any golfer and should have a lot of success with it.