Designed specifically for women's swings, the Serene clubs offer more options for female players than most other brands' women's models. Ping is known for its emphasis on proper fitting and custom options, no matter the player's gender or ability. The most notable advantage offered in the Serene line is two women's flex/weight options, Lite and Ultra Lite, in the stock Ping ULT210 graphite shaft -- something you almost never see in the golf-club market, even today.
The wide-bodied, lightweight-titanium Serene driver has an ultra-thin crown, which allows for excess weight to be placed in strategic areas inside the head to optimize forgiveness and launch. The driver is 45 inches long and available in three lofts (10.5, 12 and 14 degrees). An external weight pad has been placed low and back in each of the three stainless-steel fairway woods; combined with the shallow clubhead design, it helps you get the ball up in the air with less effort. The fairway-wood lofts are slow-swing-speed friendly to add additional launch (the 3-wood is 18 degrees, the 5-wood 22 degrees and the 7-wood 26 degrees).
The Serene hybrid-iron set allows you to mix and match hybrids and irons to suit your needs; you can have as many as three hybrids (4, 5 and 6) or just opt for two, or one, or none -- the price is the same per club. That's right, you can buy these clubs in a piece-meal fashion, which is the best possible way to build a set. Get a fitting and fill in the gaps as you need to -- don't buy a "standard" configuration right off the rack. The Serene irons have wide soles and deep centers of gravity to help you get through the turf and launch the ball high, and the much-improved hybrids have a new, low-profile design that makes them easier to launch. (My one beef with the old Faith set was its deep-faced hybrids, which didn't perform well for most women since we don't typically hit down on the ball as much as men do.)
As of August 1, you can learn more about the Serene clubs (including the four putter models that will carry the name) at ping.com. Street price for the driver is $279. The fairway woods are $199 each, and the hybrids and irons $106 each.
--Stina Sternberg
The wide-bodied, lightweight-titanium Serene driver has an ultra-thin crown, which allows for excess weight to be placed in strategic areas inside the head to optimize forgiveness and launch. The driver is 45 inches long and available in three lofts (10.5, 12 and 14 degrees). An external weight pad has been placed low and back in each of the three stainless-steel fairway woods; combined with the shallow clubhead design, it helps you get the ball up in the air with less effort. The fairway-wood lofts are slow-swing-speed friendly to add additional launch (the 3-wood is 18 degrees, the 5-wood 22 degrees and the 7-wood 26 degrees).
The Serene hybrid-iron set allows you to mix and match hybrids and irons to suit your needs; you can have as many as three hybrids (4, 5 and 6) or just opt for two, or one, or none -- the price is the same per club. That's right, you can buy these clubs in a piece-meal fashion, which is the best possible way to build a set. Get a fitting and fill in the gaps as you need to -- don't buy a "standard" configuration right off the rack. The Serene irons have wide soles and deep centers of gravity to help you get through the turf and launch the ball high, and the much-improved hybrids have a new, low-profile design that makes them easier to launch. (My one beef with the old Faith set was its deep-faced hybrids, which didn't perform well for most women since we don't typically hit down on the ball as much as men do.)
As of August 1, you can learn more about the Serene clubs (including the four putter models that will carry the name) at ping.com. Street price for the driver is $279. The fairway woods are $199 each, and the hybrids and irons $106 each.
--Stina Sternberg
