PING Putters by Year: Model Timeline & Identification Guide

You spot an old PING putter in a used-club rack. The grip looks tired, the head has a few marks, and the name “Anser” sounds familiar. Could it be a classic worth keeping?

Then you search for its age and find the same name on putters decades apart. A head name, a product family, and the year an individual club was made are three different things.

Use this guide to explore important PING releases, identify the putter in your hands, or check an older model before buying.

What brings you here?

Browse the timeline

Identify my PING

Buying an older PING

PING putters by year: the timeline

PING’s story begins with the 1A in 1959. The tables below cover selected major models, documented appearances, and developments, rather than every regional version, tour prototype, or limited edition.

How to read the dates: a release year dates a design or family, not your individual club. Entries labeled advertisement, tour appearance, fitting, development, or tournament milestone describe that evidence or event. Model years can also differ from announcement dates.

1959–1969: the early designs

The first decade established PING’s heel-and-toe weighting approach and introduced the Anser.

Year / period	Model, family, or milestone	Distinguishing detail
1959	1A	PING’s first putter, associated with the ringing impact sound that inspired the company’s name.
1965	Cushin and Kushin	Early designs incorporating a slot in the sole beneath the face.
1966	Anser	The original Anser design combined heel-and-toe weighting with an offset hosel.
1969milestone	Anser: first PING major victory	George Archer won the Masters using an Anser. This is a tournament milestone, not a new-model release.

1971–1990: the classic lineup

Pal, B60, and Zing 2 broadened the range; dated advertisements also help document older variants.

Year / period	Model, family, or milestone	Distinguishing detail
1971	Pal	Shorter blade with an Anser-style hosel; PING confirms the introduction year in its historical overview.
1978–1979	B60	Rounded classic head; sources differ between late 1978 and 1979. See the date notes immediately below.
1982advertisement	Anser 2	Advertised as “New Anser 2” in a 1982 college sports program. A documented appearance, not a settled launch date.
1984tour appearance	Zing 2	Stainless-steel successor to Zing; PING documents its arrival on tour in 1984.
1988milestone	PING Slam: Pal, Zing 2, Anser, Pal 2	These four models won the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship, respectively.
1990advertisement	Pal 4 and Pal 6	Pal 4 and “New PING Pal 6” appear in a PING advertisement carrying a 1990 copyright.

Date notes: the B60 is described as a late-1978 introduction in a PGA TOUR account quoting PING’s putter team, and as a 1979 introduction in PING’s later launch material. The 1978–1979 range preserves that uncertainty.

The Anser 2 date also remains unresolved: PING Japan’s classic archive gives 1975, while the 1982 advertisement calls it new. Neither source establishes the manufacture date of a particular club. The Pal 4/6 advertisement and Zing 2 tour appearance likewise document those models without asserting their first retail release dates.

1997–2007: inserts and new materials

Inserts, tungsten weighting, distinctive mallets, and fully milled stainless-steel heads expanded the choices.

Year / period	Model, family, or milestone	Distinguishing detail
1997development milestone	Isopur	PING’s regional history dates development of the Isopur face insert to 1997; useful context for the later insert families.
2001	Isopur 2	Second-generation Isopur series announced with tungsten heel-and-toe weights.
2002	JAS	Titanium bodies and tungsten weighting discussed in PING’s contemporary launch presentation.
2003	G2i	Blue urethane face inserts are a useful starting clue.
2004	G2i Craz-E	A distinctive geometric mallet added to the G2i family.
2005	G5i	Insert-faced models with prominent alignment features, including Anser, B60, Zing, and Craz-E variants.
2006–2007	Redwood	PING’s first fully milled stainless-steel putter line, announced in late 2006 with rollout extending into 2007.

2010–2015: fitting and True Roll

Stroke fitting, adjustable length, and variable-depth grooves became important parts of the story.

Year / period	Model, family, or milestone	Distinguishing detail
2010	Scottsdale series	A modern insert-faced family. Do not confuse it with Scottsdale TR or the later Scottsdale relaunch.
2011	Anser Milled / Fit for Stroke	Seven milled models with different hosel configurations, paired with PING’s straight, slight-arc, and strong-arc fitting categories.
2011fitting milestone	iPING	App-based measurement of stroke type, impact angle, and tempo. A fitting development, not a putter model.
2012	Nome / Nome 405	The Nome family included the adjustable-length Nome 405 belly putter, an important predecessor to later shaft-adjustment systems.
2013	Scottsdale TR	Variable-depth grooves in the face insert; adjustable-length shafts offered on traditional-length models.
2014	Karsten TR	TR grooves machined directly into the metal face, with a copper-colored finish.
2014	Ketsch	Milled aluminum mallet with a stainless-steel sole weight and variable-depth TR grooves.
2015	Cadence TR	Traditional and heavier models designed to accommodate stroke tempo and feel preferences.

2016–2021: Vault, Sigma, and Heppler

Keep these families separate when comparing similar head names. Their faces and construction differ.

Year / period	Model, family, or milestone	Distinguishing detail
2016	Vault	Precision-milled family launched with Anser 2, Voss, Oslo, and Bergen models.
2017	Sigma G	Multi-piece face construction paired with PING’s True Roll technology.
2018	Vault 2.0	A separate generation of the Vault family.
2018	Sigma 2	Dual-durometer face insert and adjustable-length shaft technology.
2020	Heppler	Smooth, solid-metal faces and distinctive black-and-copper-colored styling.
2021	PING 2021 putters	A named-year range including Anser, Anser 2, DS72, Fetch, and Harwood.

2022–2026: PLD and Scottsdale’s return

Retail PLD Milled and later Scottsdale families revisited familiar shapes with newer construction and alignment features.

Year / period	Model, family, or milestone	Distinguishing detail
2022	PLD Milled retail launch	Initial retail lineup included Anser, Anser 2, DS72, and Prime Tyne 4.
2023 and 2024model years	PING 2023 / 2024 putters	Named-year collections. A model-year label should not automatically be treated as its announcement date.
2025	Scottsdale	A relaunched family featuring a one-piece PEBAX face insert.
2026	Scottsdale TEC	Eye Q alignment technology informed by eye-tracking research.

How to identify your PING putter

Start with the complete name and construction, then use markings to narrow the possibilities. These six checks work together.

1. Record the full model and family name

Inspect the sole, cavity, face, and hosel. Copy every word, number, and suffix. “Sigma 2 Anser” or “Redwood Anser” narrows the search much more than “PING Anser.”

2. Compare the face

Take a straight-on photo. Look for a separate insert, smooth metal, grooves, milling, lettering, and material boundaries. Match the face to the same product family, not merely a similar outline.

3. Check the neck and shaft position

Photograph how the shaft meets the head. A center-shafted version and a heel-shafted version can look similar from above while being different products. Keep model suffixes in your search.

4. Read the address and patent markings

On older examples, record the complete city/address wording, ZIP code, maker wording, patent number, and any “PAT. PEND.” inscription. Compare the whole inscription with a documented example of the same model.

5. Check for replacement parts or modifications

A grip or shaft may have been replaced. Ask whether the putter has been shortened, extended, reshafted, refinished, or repaired. Those changes can make dating from appearance less reliable.

6. Match the evidence before settling on an identity

A convincing match agrees on the family, head name, face, neck, and markings. Record any serial number that is present and ask PING whether it has a relevant record. Seek confirmation before paying a collector premium; an unusual stamp alone does not establish rarity.

Photo checklist: sole, cavity, face, hosel, view at address, and shaft labels or identifying numbers. Photograph the complete markings before cleaning or altering them.

How PING putters evolved

The timeline tells you when. These four developments explain what changed and what to examine when comparing generations.

Weight distribution

Early designs emphasized heel-and-toe weighting. Later materials gave designers more ways to position mass: JAS combined titanium with tungsten, while Ketsch used a milled aluminum body and stainless-steel sole weight.

The aim is resistance to twisting on off-center strikes. Head size alone does not tell the full story, and forgiveness still needs to come with a shape you aim comfortably.

Face construction

Solid metal, inserts, and milling describe different construction choices. Redwood emphasized fully milled stainless steel; Isopur and later Sigma families used inserts. Scottsdale TR placed variable-depth grooves in an insert, while Karsten TR and Ketsch applied TR grooves directly to metal faces.

PING designed TR to reduce ball-speed differences across the face. That engineering goal does not guarantee fewer three-putts for every golfer. Inspect the face and compare the feel with the ball you normally play.

Fitting: stroke, length, and weight

Anser Milled and Fit for Stroke used different hosel configurations for straight, slight-arc, and strong-arc categories. iPING measured stroke type, impact angle, and tempo.

Adjustable length predates Sigma 2: the 2012 Nome 405 belly putter adjusted from 37.5 to 46.5 inches. This is a historical fitting milestone, not a recommendation to use an anchored stroke. Cadence TR later offered traditional and heavier options for tempo and feel preferences.

Alignment

Sydney’s red alignment bar, Nome’s contrasting bar and sightline, and Ketsch’s alignment features used different visual cues to help golfers aim. Scottsdale TEC later added Eye Q technology informed by eye-tracking research.

Compare the view at address. The most useful sightline or head shape is one that helps you set the face where you intend.

Historical highlights and unusual designs

Why the original Anser matters

Karsten Solheim’s 1966 Anser combined perimeter weighting with an offset hosel. Its enduring outline explains both its historical importance and today’s identification challenge: a putter can resemble the original while belonging to a much later family.

The 1988 PING Slam

PING putters won all four men’s majors in 1988: Pal at the Masters, Zing 2 at the U.S. Open, Anser at The Open, and Pal 2 at the PGA Championship. Later commemorative versions celebrate those designs; they are separate products from the original-era clubs.

Beyond the familiar blades: Doc 17, Doc 15, and Sydney

Doc 17 and Doc 15 launched in 2004 alongside an era of distinctive mallets that included Craz-E. Sydney followed in 2011 with a prominent red alignment bar and an emphasis on perimeter weighting. An unfamiliar shape is a reason to check the stamped model name, not assume a tour-only or custom club.

Buying a used PING putter: what to check

• Condition: request clear photographs of the face, insert edges where applicable, sole, shaft, and neck. Ask about dents, loose components, repairs, and modifications.
• Measurements: confirm the actual length. An advertised original specification may no longer match the club after an adjustment.
• Fit: assess aim, setup, feel, and distance control. Our putter lie angle chart explains another measurement worth checking.
• Playing versus collecting: prioritize condition and fit for a gamer; give originality and documented identification closer attention for a collectible.
• Price: compare completed sales of the same version where available. An ambitious asking price is not evidence of market value.
• Try it: use the same ball for short and longer putts. Our distance-control putting drills provide a practical comparison session.

PING putters by year FAQ

What was the first PING putter?

The 1A, introduced in 1959. The Anser followed in 1966.

How can I tell how old my PING putter is?

Match its complete family and model name, face, neck, and markings to dated documentation. If only the design’s introduction is known, the exact age of your individual putter remains unconfirmed.

Does “Anser” identify a specific year?

No. The name appears across generations. Additional wording such as Redwood, Sigma 2, or PLD Milled helps distinguish them.

Are Scottsdale and Scottsdale TR the same?

No. The 2010 Scottsdale series, 2013 Scottsdale TR, 2025 Scottsdale family, and 2026 Scottsdale TEC are distinct releases.

What does PLD mean?

Putting Lab Design. The retail PLD Milled range launched in 2022, but PING’s broader PLD program also includes custom and limited offerings.

Can a serial number tell me the exact year?

Where a usable number and record exist, PING may be able to help with the original specifications or identification. Do not assume every vintage putter has a serial number or a corresponding database record.

Are old PING putters still worth using?

An older putter can remain a practical option if it is sound and suits your setup. Judge the individual club through condition checks and putting practice.

How much is an old PING putter worth?

Identify the exact version, assess condition and originality, and compare completed sales. Age alone does not establish rarity or value.