MESQUITE, NEV. -- Blade putters were among the equipment categories slated for testing on the final day of our Hot List Summit at the Casablanca Resort in Mesquite, Nev., and as we carefully placed the more than 70 styles of blades (from 24 different putter series) alongside the practice green as the sun was coming up it was easy to tell there was a familiar theme brewing—nearly half of them were similar in style to the Ping Anser.
As our testers rolled putt after putt (my own estimates calculated more than 7,500 putts struck today alone, using math that figured we had 16 panelists trying 24 putters and striking approximately 20 putts with each club) with such clubs, comments such as “Nice classic look,” were common. But it wasn’t always so for the Ping Anser and its numerous knockoffs. In fact, the most popular putter style of all time started with a drawing on a 78 r.p.m. record jacket.
That is the canvas Karsten Solheim, a Norwegian-born engineer who worked on jet fighters and missile guidance systems after World War II, used to sketch the Ping Anser putter in 1966. After Solheim’s patent was granted in 1967, tour players flocked to the club and they continue to today. But Solheim’s patent expired in 1984, spawning a slew of copycats and making the Anser the gold standard for putters. At its high-water mark in the mid-70s more than half the putters in play on the PGA Tour were Ansers. The club dominated sales at retail, too.
And today, watching our panelists choose which putter from a particular series to use, it’s clear the Anser style still has many fans. As for which Anser-style models will make this year’s Hot List, well, you’ll simply have to read the February 2010 issue of Golf Digest to find out.
Stuffing the putters back in the staff bags and putting them back in the trailer pretty much marked the end of our 10 days here in Mesquite and what, by all accounts, was the best-run Hot List Summit ever. For that, thanks not only go to the entire editorial staff of Golf Digest who attended the summit (which included, aside from the four judges, Ashley Mayo, Jeff Patterson, John Strege, Ron Kaspriske, Matt Rudy, Mark Soltau, Roger Schiffman and photographer extraordinaire Dom Furore), but to our panelists of academics, retailers and player testers—the most diligent, dedicated group we have ever assembled. Kudos also to the entire staff of the CasaBlanca Resort and CasaBlanca Golf Club. From meals, to rooms to an impeccable testing area, we couldn’t have asked for more. Also making our lives easier at every step was Kate Nicholson from our Event Sports Marketing department, who handled myriad details too numerous to mention but not too numerous to be grateful for.
Not making our life easier, but certainly making the Hot List an expanded presence was Jim Gallagher and his production crew who shot more than 30 hours of tape from the Hot List. At times doing sit-down interviews or having a camera beside you while interviewing a panelist could be a little intrusive, but Jim’s expertise paid off and honestly, I can’t wait to see the video that will be going up on GolfDigest.com in January. I hope you’ll check it out.
Before that video airs, however, there’s a little matter of actually coming up with the Hot List. All our data points have now been compiled and now the four judges will hole up in a conference room in our offices in Wilton, Conn., for the better part of two weeks debating every point of merit on every club we are considering. Needless to say, there will be lots of takeout food ordered as we search for answers. Or is that Ansers?
- E. Michael Johnson
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