Ping Glide wedges are engineered from grip to sole.
It’s no surprise that Ping uses the word
“engineered” in describing the Glide wedge
series. But what exactly do they mean, I
wondered, when they say that Ping Glide
wedges are “engineered from grip to sole?”
As it turns out, grips and shafts are
fairly standard in most wedges, and once a
company settles on a standard spec for those
items they tend not to shake things up too
much. With Glide, Ping has started
by adding ¾” to the length of their proprietary
“Dyla-wedge” grip to encourage gripping
down, as you often see pros do on TV when
trying to control the trajectory and distance of
their wedge shots around the green and even
from farther out in the fairway.
The black Dyla-wedge grip has white
grip-down markings that helps a golfer
remember the perfect hand placement, and
less taper so that as you get close to the end
there is more material to hold on to. It’s a
concept we’ve seen Lamkin implement
successfully in their Performance-Plus wedge
grip and I’m sure it will be a winner for Ping.
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Ping's
proprietary grip is 3/4 of an inch longer to
encourage gripping down. |
Moving towards the head, players have
a choice of the low-mid flight CFS wedge shaft
(one flex, 112 grams) or the TFC 419I graphite
shaft, which weigh between 70-86 grams
depending on flex.
The profile at address is pretty
traditional, with a slight offset. The Glide
wedges are really easy to square up, and look
good in the laid off or open position as well.
Flipping the head around reveals a smooth
undercut that may be more appealing to
traditionalists than some of Ping’s other
models.
Now to the bottom of the Glide, where
the three models designate a standard (SS),
narrow (NS) or wide sole (WS) for different
player and shot types. Whichever sole grind
you end up choosing will ultimately depend on
your particular attack angle (steep vs.
shallow) and the turf conditions you typically
play from.
Most players will opt for the standard
sole grind due to its versatility and ability to
accommodate moderate attack
angles. If you play on really firm conditions
where hard-pan lies are commonly
encountered, a thin sole wedge which comes
in two models (58 and 60 degrees, both with
maximum bounce) can make short work of
shots where the margin of error is razor thin.
If however your course offers lush conditions,
you might want to experiment with a wide
sole model available in four loft and bounce
combinations (from 54 degrees to 60
degrees).
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The
Glide's 431 stainless steel face uses a
moisture-repelling chrome finish. |
Finally let’s talk about the face which is
impressive in its own right. After conducting
studies that measured the effectiveness of
certain materials to repel water, Ping
discovered that a chrome-plated finish allowed
their Glide wedges to move water away from
the face more effectively than any other
finish. According to Ping, the new wedge is
220 percent more consistent in wet grass and
35 percent more consistent in dry turf than
the Tour Gorge wedge line that preceded it.
To further improve turf interaction and
enhance shot-making control, Ping engineers
optimized the groove placement, varying the
radius and sidewall angles. A 16-degree
sidewall in lower lofts maximizes volume on
full shots. Higher lofted wedges (56 to 60
degrees) have steeper sidewalls and a tighter
radius to add more bite to open-faced shots
played around the greens.
Given all the changes, some of which
demonstrate real out-of the-box thinking, Ping
has a made a wedge that effortlessly
combines versatility, performance and ease-
of-use that makes getting up and down a
whole lot easier for all golfers.