Leonvdwesthuizen

@TJ Hall, how did you feel about the weight of the swing? I found the Ping S159's much lighter than my Clevelands and I actually liked it that it was lighter.. I felt as if I had more control, (if you know what I mean.)

I'll also have to go with Patrick Cantlay. I saw how slow he was with his body & swing setup (someone timed him at 2min 50sec to play 1 x shot), and in general it makes golf become a very frustrating. Add to it the whole furore at this past Ryder Cup, it adds a bitter taste to my mouth when the sporting channels shows him...

Thanks @bens197, yup, initially they were terrible, but a few tweaks and adjustments here and there and now the numbers look much, much better. I just have to keep my head on the course now.

@HikingMike, for sure man, you can't go wrong. It is quite impressive how knowledgeable these guys are, with basically 3 x swings they can see exactly what we're doing wrong and how to fix it. My guy could even tell me what balls I should play to suit my style of approach.. and it's not ProV1's. I will be going back for a full bag fitment, that's how impressed I was.

Going into this past weekend was quite enlightening to me. I went for a fitting at my local X-act Fitter at The Pro Shop (our national retailer of all this golf in South Africa). The fitter focussed only on the new Ping S159's and I must say it was eye opening. He was amazed at the wedges Ping allocated to me through the Webfit app. They assigned a 50, 54 and a 60 deg wedge, and without knowing how I play and my clubs he didn't agree with Ping, at first... First off, I am too tall for my arms.. meaning my arms are a bit on the short side, so I compensate by flicking my wrists (which takes the spin off the club) when taking anything less than a full shot, resulting in spin rates of 3000 - 5000rpms at best, as well as losing about 25m (27yards) of distance. Essentially the fitter want to see a 9000 - 10 000rpm spin rate on a full shot if hit perfectly. He was also able to help me with where I make contact with the ball on the clubface, which is on the toe mostly. Then we started to focus hitting each wedge as they should be hit, with full swing and on the exact same spot of the wedge face. So after a lot of tries and identifying problems in my game I was able to get better as you can see on the next few pics.. On the last few shots I was even able to get my spin rate up to between 9000 - 10 000rpms, which he was extremely happy with, as well as hitting the exact distances I should be with each wedge. In the end he agreed with what Ping gave me, the 50, 54 and the 60 deg wedge. I must say I was a bit shocked at first when he didn't agree with Ping, but felt vindicated on Ping's part after he agreed they made the best choice for my game. Something worth noting was that the Ping wedges are much lighter (100 -150g) than my Cleveland RTX Zipcores. Apparently most club manufacturers bring their stock wedges out with the heaviest shafts, but Ping don't, so this was different, but very refreshing, I liked it, cause I get more feel feedback. Also, the shots hit flush sounded and felt like butter, but the ones hit badly sounded very clicky.. something worth considering. Now it's off to play some courses!...

@Preeway, give them a try at your local shop, I'm sure they will impress you just as much! Thanks @Northern Monkey, I haven't seen any clubs at our National Golf Retailer look this good!

@Shrek74, I totally agree with your observation, I've seen the Vokeys and they don't look as dark as the Vokeys, but a little bit more of a charcoal/graphite.. It works really well and doesn't look too much or out of place.

So here they are guys! My Unboxing of the Ping S159 in Midnight Black wedges. First off, the packaging didn't instil much confidence, as it arrived (via courier) from the South African distributor of Ping products, without any bubble wrap, their only protection was a headcover. After getting over my 'stroke', I took them outside to appreciate their unique look and am really amazed at how beautiful they look in-hand.. Take a look.. Something that I did notice was that these groove lines are really close to one another and they are very narrow in size. But I love the understated look of the S159's Thus far I am very happy with my choice to go for the Midnight Black option on all the wedges. If they'll hold up to the scruffy nature of their use, I don't know, and well find out shortly I suspect, but what do you guys think of the look? So next up I will compare them to my current set of Cleveland RTX Zipcore and then spending a lot of time with them, getting used to how they play and what they do for my game. I have a fitment session coming up next week, more time at the driving range, so lots of things happening and I am really excited to get going with the wedges of my 'dreams'.

@TJ Hall, thanks man, I will do, and be back real soon on the findings!

@TJ Hall, Spot on!!

I think my clubs have been delivered!! My wife just notified me that a package has arrived for me... So I can't wait to get home and do an unboxing of the Ping S159 Midnight Black set, looking forward to this day for weeks now! Maybe I'm going to go home early today....

Nicely done @johngschulz!! Really like the midnight finish you have there, and now I can't wait more for the set to arrive... Looking forward to read your experience with them.

Ahhhh @johngschulz, I can't wait man... you lucky fish! Arrived home today, but still nothing... Looking forward to your post and pictures!

@bens197, will be glued on the thread, but anxiously waiting for the clubs to arrive in SA! So looking forward to hit them and add to the excitement with my experience and pics.

@Rob Person, I currently play my trusty 52, 60deg Clevelands RTX, and they are right on the money for me from 90m in for my 52deg, and 60m in for my 60deg wedges. So those driver and irons that just come up short, these are the go-to clubs I use. They are damn accurate, so if it is a 45m shot I need, I just grip down a bit, make a 3/4 swing and it'll give me my shot. Around the green I would use the 60deg and get creative and just play a controlled quarter-stroke, and the ball would get over whatever hazard, bounce and check. Currently I am very happy with my wedges, so these S159's has some big shoes to fill. But if the play as close to what they look, then I have big hopes for them and will put them through their places to test this. I really like that question!!