The configuration also means the shaft and CG relationship is very similar to a blade putter, while still having the stiffness of a mallet. Despite the mid-shafted design, the Ally Blue Onset has five degrees of toe hang while the Ketsch Onset has 15 to fit Ping’s straight and narrow arc models, respectively.
“Because we can move the CG so far with the aluminum body and steel alone, that shaft-to-CG relationship is closer to what you see in the blade,” Serrano said. “So you get the balance and feel like you have a blade, but with the forgiveness of a mallet.”
The Hayden, Ping’s new shape, is a traditional round mallet shape with a double-bent shaft.
Keeping a Silent Eye
One of Onset’s biggest advantages is the ability to give the golfer a full view of the face, making alignment easier.
Scottsdale TEC takes that concept one step further by introducing EyeQ alignment technology.
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Jack Hirsh/GOLF
EyeQ technology comes from studies linking a phenomenon known as Quiet Eye where the longer a player can lock their eyes on the ball during a hit, the stronger the correlation is with better skill and performance.
Ping engineers found a dot on the top of the putter, followed by a line that greatly improved the Quiet Eye compared to a solid line or a blank top.
“What we found with the dot is that it really helps calm the eyes,” said Seranno. “When the players have nothing or just a line, their gaze is moving around a lot, but with a dot it’s on the key. Right before they start the stroke, everything is focused on one place.”
Until I saw the putters, I was confused about what the eye was supposed to do when you started hitting and moving the putter, but I found my eyes closed on the ball at that time.
The bright white finish helps the alignment feature stand out even more and grab the buyer’s attention to the sale.
Same name, new TEC
The Scottsdale name is important to Ping, whose founder, Karsten Solheim, began designing putters in a Scottsdale garage.
It was used last year by Scottsdale’s first line of putters, which featured soft PEBAX, a material commonly used for high power transmission in running shoes.
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Jack Hirsh/GOLF
But Scottsdale’s new TEC line stands out from its predecessors with a more versatile design. Instead of the bodies being steel, the rest of the putter is milled from aluminum with steel plates.
Removing the aluminum allowed Ping more flexibility with CG properties, one of the reasons it was able to create stability from the Onset configuration.
“The biggest thing is from a forged head to a milled aluminum head with a steel blade,” Serrano said. “That gives us a lot of optional weight to move around, so we can increase the MOI and put the CG where we want it. It’s just a higher level of accuracy and performance compared to casting.”
The Ping Scottsdale TEC putter lineup
There are three instances in the Scottsdale TEC line and two are in the Onset configuration. Ally Blue Onset is also available in a limited setup.
Ally Blue First
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Jack Hirsh/GOLF
What’s going on: Square center mallet shape with start shaft and 5 degrees of toe overhang for players with less stroke rotation. Also available in counter balance model.
Whose: Players looking for an ultra-stable and easy to adjust mid-mallet to match straight-back and straight-through strokes.
Ketsch starts
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Jack Hirsh/GOLF
What’s going on: Large mallet with 15 degrees of toe flow to match strokes with a slight arc.
Whose: Players who want to take advantage of the alignment and stability of the initial benefits, but with the added feeling of stroke release.
Hayden
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Ping
What’s going on: Traditional round mallet shape with double curved shaft for face balance.
Whose: Players with a small arc who want to take advantage of alignment aids but in a traditional configuration.
My take: There is something between low and normal torque
As someone who has been using low torque for the better part of the last six months, both Scottsdale TEC Onset putters really interest me.
With both, you are able to get the extreme stability that has been the basis of this new class of putter, get the intended benefits of having the shaft on the face all the time while maintaining the putter release feel that I am so used to.
I’ve been experimenting with low-torque putters as a way to reset my hands, similar to what Rickie Fowler talked about in his switch back to a mid-range putter. These Scottsdale TEC Onset putters offer a way to do that while still getting familiar with the putter face.
In my testing, I also found the PEBAX putter, which I thought was soft on the first line of Scottsdale, so it responds a little and feels like a milled putter, which Tony Finau mentioned when he switched to Ally Blue Starting this year. It’s definitely still on the soft side, which I like, but not mushy, which makes it easy to transition from a powdered face to this.
What you notice right away is how easy these holes are to target, thanks to both the bright white appearance and the EyeQ alignment aids. It is much easier to lock on the dot before the stroke and then lock on the ball when you take it off.
I’m looking forward to seeing where this setup goes. Ping has been taking their time with their Onset models, and this was the first full retail release after the PLD Milled Special Edition Ally Blue Starting last year. The Ketsch is a nice addition to the Ally Blue, but I’d like to see what other conditions the configuration will work with and the alignment aids.
