PING s159 Wedges: 2024 Forum Member Review

[TJ Hall]

7 hours ago, bens197 said:

Ok…ready for a data dump…

I spent today at the range with my daughter who btw…was just crushing it.  I am so proud of her progress but that’s for another thread on another day

I broke my data points into 5 segments.  

Full swings:

50* S159 & SM8  

Full swings:

59* S159 & 60* SM9

50% pitch swings with S159 50*

 

 

 

Side by side, the distances are about where I expect to be.  I don’t hit my irons and wedges very far.  I get more control out of my 50* which is why it gets most the work inside 100 yards.  

These are early season range balls and I don’t believe they’re telling the complete story on distance but it’s close.  I am typically 105-115 with a 50* wedge.  I’m about 75-85 yards with a lob wedge so also, within margins.

 

My biggest takeaway…dispersion on the 50* Vokey right now is clearly better.  The odd thing is, I feel more confident standing over the new S159’s.  As I get more and more reps, I will want to compare this data and look for some improvements.  

The Lob wedge numbers are super close which was nice to see.  

The 50 is definitely a surprise to me and not the results I expected.

Interesting data…wonder if it is a comfort thing with the Vokeys so far.  Curious if you see improvements on dispersion with the Pings moving forward.

[bens197]

1 hour ago, TJ Hall said:

Interesting data…wonder if it is a comfort thing with the Vokeys so far.  Curious if you see improvements on dispersion with the Pings moving forward.

I am as well. 
 

One consideration is the s159 is +1 upright and the sm8 is standard. It could account for the left bias while leaving me wondering why the flared right shots exist. 
 

Definitely a good project to work on. Feel wise, they’re nearly identical. I am very satisfied with the contact, even with range balls. It was a nicer and warmer day and feel was easier to recognize than the comparably colder day last week. 

[johngschulz]

On 4/5/2024 at 9:02 AM, HikingMike said:

Have any other ideas what could be behind that?

I am honestly not to sure! The leading edge is straighter, which off the mat could have resulted in less turning of the face compared to the more rounded edges of the gamers. There’s also an elastomer insert, which is marketed for the feel it provides… I wonder if it creates more forgiveness across the face, or at least allows the weight to be distributed in such a way that that it is more forgiving/ consistent across the face.

I don’t necessarily think it’s the shafts since my delivery provided an inconsistent strike pattern across the face, however it could have been a factor. Getting it on a trackman or the likes could give a better indication of what the face was like at impact.

[johngschulz]

@bens197 are you leaving the Arccos sensor placeholders in the clubs still? I wonder, if you’re not used to them, if it’s weird having them still attached. Just a thought!

[TJ Hall]

8 hours ago, bens197 said:

I am as well. 
 

One consideration is the s159 is +1 upright and the sm8 is standard. It could account for the left bias while leaving me wondering why the flared right shots exist. 
 

Definitely a good project to work on. Feel wise, they’re nearly identical. I am very satisfied with the contact, even with range balls. It was a nicer and warmer day and feel was easier to recognize than the comparably colder day last week. 

Why did you get the Ping upright?

Were the first few shots with the Ping left and later to the right?  Maybe you were compensating for the upright with lineup or during the swing.

[bens197]

1 hour ago, johngschulz said:

@bens197 are you leaving the Arccos sensor placeholders in the clubs still? I wonder, if you’re not used to them, if it’s weird having them still attached. Just a thought!

I did take them off so that can be a rule out. 
 

 

[bens197]

41 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

Why did you get the Ping upright?

Were the first few shots with the Ping left and later to the right?  Maybe you were compensating for the upright with lineup or during the swing.

I went upright as my last fitting for irons had me between +1 and +2 up. My PW is +1 and it’s dialed nicely. 
 

The first five were a wide net. There was no specific trend. I see what you’re saying and I wish it were true. 
 

As time goes on I’m hoping to grove better. The onboarding with the LW was easy and even the 50% shots were good. I’m confident in a good outcome

[Hook DeLoft]

On 4/3/2024 at 10:09 PM, johngschulz said:

First mini test…

Disclaimer: this is a very limited data set and it will take a lot more testing to confirm the results below

Okay here we go. I was fully expecting to see benefits around the green, but I wasn’t expecting to see such an impact on full swings immediately.

I hit 10 full stock shots into my garage net with each of my current gamer wedges against PING S159 to compare. I have the Rapsodo MLM, and I measured the shots in net mode, hitting off of my range mat. Since I have the non-pro version of the MLM I am unable to get spin numbers currently. This test would rely on the measurements for carry distance and dispersion and would give me my first comparison on how full shots felt. I dropped my longest and shortest carry for each club leaving 8 shots to compare and get an idea of my averages.

My Gamers…

After some warm up shots I started on my testing. I started with the highest loft and worked up (down?) from there. Starting with my 58* Maltby I hit 10 shots in a row and moved on to the next club continuing in that pattern. My 54* and 58* use KBS 125 wedge shafts and my GW has the Nippon Pro Modus 120 S shaft. Here are the results:

I have to say I didn’t feel like I was swinging too great, but I hit the ball well enough to get feedback knowing when I was hitting one a little toey. At this point of the year the results seem about right for not feeling “on it”. To note, I would consider the Maltby DBM GW one of my most confident clubs in the bag and it shows as far as distance dispersion relative to my other wedges in the numbers above.

Ping S159…

Same test, new clubs. 10 full stock shots into the net  throwing out the high and low carry distances. I started with the 58* again, to note the GW below is actually 50* S-12 PING S159. My test wedges came with the stock PING Z-Z115 shafts and the Dylawedge Lite grips, D4 swing weight for all of them. I felt like my swing was still about the same through this session as well, and I was having trouble finding the center of the face. However… here are the results:

The dispersion in the S159 were significantly tighter. I felt like I had a fair share of mishits with both sets of wedges. I could feel when I struck the ball poorly still on the S159. They actually *felt* kind of hot off the face when I connected, maybe that’s the foam material?

The dispersion numbers are just wild to me and the distance loss/gap is definitely acceptable since I was all over the face of the wedges.

I’m not sure how easy it will be to tell in the pictures, it does look like the ball marks are more concentrated/ consistent on my gamers, but I still saw the better results on the PINGs.

How old are your gamer wedges?  I'm wondering if worn grooves may be contributing to the worse dispersion with those.  Of course, the dispersion results with the Pings are so good that I wouldn't really care why.

[johngschulz]

54 minutes ago, Hook DeLoft said:

How old are your gamer wedges?

I’ve had the Maltbys since the beginning of 2021, a little wedding present to myself. I would say they are still probably under 50 or so full rounds with some range time. So they should have plenty of life left. If you see my earlier post they are still taking lots of material off of the balls, so I don’t think the wear on the grooves are the main factor at play. That said I’m sure there is some impact, new grooves and groove technology in play for sure, just not the *main* reason I suspect.

On my old Vokey SM6 - those were ready for retirement if you check out those beach photos lol.

[johngschulz]

A good test might be when I win the Masters pool and get the SM10s  

[bens197]

11 hours ago, johngschulz said:

A good test might be when I win the Masters pool and get the SM10s  

(Replace crisis with testing)

[Mr_BogeyPro]

On 4/6/2024 at 9:53 AM, bens197 said:

Good morning everyone…headed to the range today with my best golfing partner (my 6yo daughter) for some distance control work.  I’ve made the appropriate updates to my Top Tracer app so I’ll try my best to have some good data to share head to head v the Vokeys!

So much fun when you can go to the range with your daughter!

I can't wait to hear the review. I play the TM Milled Grind 4, and I like them, but I feel I need a more forgiving wedge. 

[bens197]

51 minutes ago, Mr_BogeyPro said:

So much fun when you can go to the range with your daughter!

I can't wait to hear the review. I play the TM Milled Grind 4, and I like them, but I feel I need a more forgiving wedge. 

It’s so much fun

If there’s anything specific you’re looking for let me know!  Dispersion is something I am focusing on for the moment.  Now that we’re warmed up I’ll be getting some more turf interaction and will be able to get into the grinds which is going to be fun.

[Shrek74]

On 4/7/2024 at 7:26 AM, bens197 said:

I went upright as my last fitting for irons had me between +1 and +2 up. My PW is +1 and it’s dialed nicely. 

I'll be curious to see if this gets better as you use the Ping's more.

My irons are all 1* upright, but my wedges are all standard. The 50 is my last full swing club, but I just didn't feel changing lies on my wedges was necessary since they're used for such short distances and in most cases less than full swings. YMMV.

[Golfspy_CG2]

Chiming in here regarding the left miss on @bens197 wedges.  and the upright lie. 

 I'm a 2 upright and 1/2" over guy as well, except for wedges. At my TPI fitting a few years ago, he said I should paly them standard lie, as the added length is going to make them a bit more upright to begin with, and players tend to turn their wedges over more than they do the longer clubs.  

It has seemed to help reduce my left miss with wedges, not eliminate, but greatly reduced. 

[bens197]

9 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:

I'll be curious to see if this gets better as you use the Ping's more.

My irons are all 1* upright, but my wedges are all standard. The 50 is my last full swing club, but I just didn't feel changing lies on my wedges was necessary since they're used for such short distances and in most cases less than full swings. YMMV.

 

6 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Chiming in here regarding the left miss on @bens197 wedges.  and the upright lie. 

 I'm a 2 upright and 1/2" over guy as well, except for wedges. At my TPI fitting a few years ago, he said I should paly them standard lie, as the added length is going to make them a bit more upright to begin with, and players tend to turn their wedges over more than they do the longer clubs.  

It has seemed to help reduce my left miss with wedges, not eliminate, but greatly reduced. 

You guys are right on the same wavelength

Ive heard this before but wasn’t sure how true it was in implementation. Now that im witnessing firsthand its clear that a shorter iron / wedge would have a better opportunity to perform slightly flatter than the typical lie angle. 
 

 

[johngschulz]

Hey all been a busy week. I’ll be golfing 9  at my Spark Golf league Thursday night and will have my 2nd shot at playing with the S159s. I just worked out a big issue/bad habit that reared its ugly head, so I’m hoping to have a better round and feel for the wedges this time around - will report back.

I will be out of town for the next week hitting up the National Parks loop in Utah. Hoping they’ll help build up some leg strength to start the season!

When I’m back from the trip I’m planning on doing a pitching and chipping test around the practice green at the home muni to compare gamers to the new wedges.

I’ll do a post about the last two rounds I played with the s159s in the bag before I leave, then follow up with the short game test thoughts after!

[aguybadatgolf]

Life’s been a little crazy lately. Denver had some hurricane force winds over the weekend and we lost power for 54 hours. I’ve played a couple rounds now the S159s.

Sadly my second round was on Sunday while we were still getting 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts so it’s tough to say much about club performance in those conditions. I’m in love with the T grind on my 58 and how easy it is to play different shot types. On my 9 last Thursday I missed the green short from 70 yards with my 58 and even on the fairway it spun back a foot or so. The grooves and face on these or no joke. 

I’m playing 18 again Saturday and hope to be able to share some more reliable strokes gained info as there isn’t much to be gained from my round the other day. 

Edited April 9 by aguybadatgolf

[bens197]

Rainy Wednesday…and I mean, it’s not terrible…sitting here on the couch with my dude watching the Par 3 contest.

I took the 59 out front for some flop shots to see how they feel in the wet conditions.  It’s not pouring but it’s been steady light rain for 3 hours and the grass is far from dry.  Granted this is a front lawn, the balls fall and they don’t budge…

Almost two dozen hacks with good contact and these Z Stars look brand new.

[TJ Hall]

44 minutes ago, bens197 said:

Rainy Wednesday…and I mean, it’s not terrible…sitting here on the couch with my dude watching the Par 3 contest.

I took the 59 out front for some flop shots to see how they feel in the wet conditions.  It’s not pouring but it’s been steady light rain for 3 hours and the grass is far from dry.  Granted this is a front lawn, the balls fall and they don’t budge…

Almost two dozen hacks with good contact and these Z Stars look brand new.

I noticed you were hitting towards the road…let’s see some confidence in the wedges and execute a flop shot towards the front windows!

[bens197]

13 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

I noticed you were hitting towards the road…let’s see some confidence in the wedges and execute a flop shot towards the front windows!

I’m very confident in my short game. 
 

However…we all have our limits

[TJ Hall]

24 minutes ago, bens197 said:

I’m very confident in my short game. 
 

However…we all have our limits

I hear ya!  I wouldn’t be brave enough either.

[KC Golf]

2 hours ago, bens197 said:

Rainy Wednesday…and I mean, it’s not terrible…sitting here on the couch with my dude watching the Par 3 contest.

I took the 59 out front for some flop shots to see how they feel in the wet conditions.  It’s not pouring but it’s been steady light rain for 3 hours and the grass is far from dry.  Granted this is a front lawn, the balls fall and they don’t budge…

Almost two dozen hacks with good contact and these Z Stars look brand new.

Love the Z Star and the Masters in the background.  A week like no other!

[Leonvdwesthuizen]

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....

 

[TJ Hall]

7 minutes ago, Leonvdwesthuizen said:

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....

 

I think you’re developing a cough and sound terrible…you should probably go home so you don’t infect the others around you!  Outdoor space provides sufficient separation to avoid spread!

Edited April 11 by TJ Hall

[Leonvdwesthuizen]

@TJ Hall, Spot on!!

[TJ Hall]

14 minutes ago, Leonvdwesthuizen said:

@TJ Hall, Spot on!!

Hit ‘em well…enjoy!

[Leonvdwesthuizen]

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

[johngschulz]

I have a 9 hole round coming up shortly. I just got the Arccos sensors for the free trial set up. Not familiar with it so I’m interested to see what data shows up *arcoss* my clubs. I’m planning on tracking with my Apple watch. 

I made a little adjustment to fix a swing funk I’ve been in and I’m definitely hitting the S156 wedges more flush. On my good strikes, it does have a bit clickier sound than my forged Maltby DBMs. Will keep ya’ll posted on the on course performance, it may be a little damp from the rain overnight still.

[bens197]

48 minutes ago, johngschulz said:

I have a 9 hole round coming up shortly. I just got the Arccos sensors for the free trial set up. Not familiar with it so I’m interested to see what data shows up *arcoss* my clubs. I’m planning on tracking with my Apple watch. 

I made a little adjustment to fix a swing funk I’ve been in and I’m definitely hitting the S156 wedges more flush. On my good strikes, it does have a bit clickier sound than my forged Maltby DBMs. Will keep ya’ll posted on the on course performance, it may be a little damp from the rain overnight still.

I opted to not go for the Arccos.  I’m interested in learning your thoughts along the way.