3balls Golf
Bubba Watson used a bag full of PING gear, including his signature pink G driver, to win the Northern Trust Open on Sunday. Bubba shot a three-under 68 to beat Adam Scott and Jason Kokrak by a single stroke. Let’s take a look inside his bag to see what winning clubs he used at the tournament.
Bubba’s Bag of Winning Clubs
Driver: Ping G
Just called the PING G, this driver has turbulators or angled ridges on the crown to improve the way air flows around the club head. Stripping 8 grams of weight off of the head, PING created what it calls a “dragon fly wing.” This moves the weight to the bottom of the club head so the driver offers the ultimate forgiveness. There’s also a section on the back called Vortec. PING noticed airflow pooling at the back on the head in wind tunnel tests so they created a small cutout to help reduce drag. The driver comes in a 9 or 10.5-degree loft head that can go up or down a full degree.
3-Wood: PING G
The PING G Fairway has an interchangeable neck so you can change the loft. The 3-wood comes pre-set at 14.5 degrees and the Trajectory Tuning 2.0 allows you to go up or down by one degree. This club also has turbulators on top like its driver counterpart. The turbulators give the ball a captured appearance at address and aid in alignment. It’s fast, sleek, and thin so impact occurs higher on the face. Weight saved by thinning the crown lowers the CG, increases forgiveness, and makes the ball easy to launch into the air.
2-Iron: PING S55
4-9 Irons: PING S55
48-Degree Wedge: PING S55
The PING S55 irons have weight in the toe and a stabilizing bar in the middle for distance control. A key technology is a material in the back of the head known as the custom tuning port (CTP). It sits low and deep in the sole to optimize launch. The CTP helps dampen down vibrations you get at impact when striking the ball. Made of thermoplastic elastomer, the CPT also saves a little bit of weight pushing it lower into the head so you get high-flying contact. And the top line is thin to create a confidence-inspiring design.
52-Degree Wedge: PING Glide SS
56-Degree Wedge: PING Glide SS
60-Degree Wedge: PING Glide TS
The big story with the PING Glide wedges is its wedge-exclusive grip. It’s 3/4 of an inch longer to facilitate gripping down to produce a lower trajectory. There are grip markings at 1 3/8-inch intervals to guide hand placement. The wedges have a soft tapering profile that improve feel when using the lower grip-down markings. Loft-optimized grooves have varied radius and sidewall angles to ensure tighter spin. The SS stands for Standard Sole which means its head fits moderate attack angles and divots. TS is short for Thin Sole which means the wedge is for shallow attack angles and shallow divots.
Putter: PING Anser Milled Anser 1
The PING Anser Milled Anser 1 comes from a range of putters that are popular in all levels of golf. Its satin nickel finish looks is a brushed gray color and it sits beautifully behind the ball at address. There is a simple back line that serves as an alignment aid but the putter still keeps its traditional look. It has a nice soft feel from the subtle milling lines on the face and you get great feedback with a firm strike. The balanced Anser 1 is perfect for a straight arc.
