My Tryst with the Ping Scottsdale Putter
Alright, so my putting was just awful. Like, embarrassingly bad. Felt like I was using a garden hoe out there sometimes. My old putter, whatever it was, just wasn’t cutting it. Couldn’t buy a putt. I was browsing the used section down at the local golf shop, not really looking for anything specific, just killing time.
Then I saw it. This old Ping Scottsdale putter. Looked like it had seen better days, definitely wasn’t shiny or new. But it had that classic shape, you know? Simple. Felt kinda nostalgic, even though I’d never used one before. It wasn’t much money, so I figured, what the heck, can’t get much worse, right? So, I bought it.
Hitting the Practice Green
First thing I did was take it straight to the practice green behind the clubhouse. Picked up a few balls. The first impression? The feel. It’s different from modern putters. Not mushy or super soft. It’s got this solid, crisp feel when the ball hits the face. And the sound! Man, that classic Ping ‘ping’ sound. Not a dull thud. You really hear it. Kinda liked that right away.
- Rolled some short ones, like 3-5 footers. Felt pretty decent. Easy to line up, surprisingly.
- Tried some longer putts, lag putts. This took some adjustment. Felt lighter than my old beast. Distance control wasn’t immediately perfect. Left a few short, blew a few past.
- Just kept rolling putts, getting used to the weight and that feedback. It’s very honest – you know exactly where you hit it on the face based on the feel and sound.
Taking it to the Course
Okay, practice is one thing, right? Put it in the bag for my Saturday game. Felt a bit weird pulling out this old-timer next to my buddies’ fancy new mallets. First few holes… yeah, still shaky. Missed a stupidly short one on the 2nd. Left a lag putt miles short on the 4th. Started thinking maybe this was a dumb idea.
But then on the 7th, had maybe a 15-foot putt, little left-to-right break. Stood over it, remembered that feel from the practice green. Just focused on a smooth stroke. Hit it. Heard that nice ‘ping’. Watched it roll… and bam. Center cup. Felt amazing. Seriously, best putt I’d made in weeks.
The Verdict After Some Time
So, did the Ping Scottsdale magically fix my putting? Nah, not really. I still miss putts, sometimes dumb ones. But here’s the thing: I really grew to like this putter. It’s simple. No distractions. Just a basic head shape and a line. It makes you focus on the stroke itself.
The feedback is great. You instantly know if you hit it pure or off the toe or heel. That helps, I think. It stayed in my bag for a long, long time after that. Sometimes I swap it out for something new I want to try, but I find myself coming back to the Scottsdale pretty often. It’s just reliable. It feels like putting should feel, if that makes sense. It’s not fancy, it just works. Gave me a bit more confidence just knowing I could make a solid stroke with it. So yeah, good little experiment, turned into a trusty gamer for me.
