PING’s new Scottsdale TEC (Tour Elevated Concepts) putters are here to help you focus. Beauty, as they say, may be in the eyes of the beholder but PING’s research suggests that those same eyes are key to successful putting.
Basically, wandering eyes will drive your putt away from the hole (and your beholden beauty away from you as well).
I understand why folks may initially think the secret to PING’s new Eye Q alignment technology is the bold white-and-black color scheme. They are right, partially, but they need to zoom in a bit more.
See that little dot at the front of the putter? That’s where we need to focus in order to understand the story of the Scottsdale TEC Eye Q technology.
Seeing is believing but can also be distracting
Simply put, the Eye Q design is about bringing your eyes back to the front of the putter right before you take your swing. The long sight line helps you with your overall targeting but that dot at the front readies you for the actual striking of the ball.
The goal of this “Quiet Eye” system is to keep your eyes quiet which should then help you sink the putt.
“Our researchers and scientists look for inspiration outside of golf. Quiet Eye has been used extensively in other sports requiring precise movements to help athletes improve focus just before action. Whether it’s shooting a free throw in basketball or serving a tennis ball, many top athletes train using this technique. With the Scottsdale TEC line and Eye Q Technology, we’re providing golfers with an immediate solution to improve their putting.”
-PING CEO and President John K. Solheim
Ultimately, the new Eye Q system helps you execute your putting plan. You’ve made the read, aimed your putter appropriately, and now all that is left to do is hit the ball.
That dot at the front becomes the final focus point before execution. Center the dot on the middle of the ball, then make the putt.
PING had golfers wear Tobii eye‑tracking glasses while using putters with various alignment schemes. The dot and long line was the option that delivered the best visual focus and putting performance.
It’s PING. You know that the Eye Q design wasn’t just a blind guess.
PING’s delivery difference dot
The influence of alignment aids on putting performance is a topic that is yet to be definitively explored. Most will agree that the different lines and dots influence how golfers aim their putters but how they influence golfers is not agreed on.
If you go from putter company to putter company, you’ll see the whole spectrum of alignment aid importance. Edel Golf built their whole fitting program around the concept of how the lines influence aim. On the other end of the spectrum, L.A.B. Golf custom putters have dozens of available alignment options with no mention of how the various lines and dots will influence your aiming.
As with shaft flex, we lack an industry alignment standard
I bring this up because the Eye Q alignment scheme is not about aiming. As I said, it’s about focusing before you execute the putt.
The body-length line is for aiming. By the way, PING went with that long line because of previous research demonstrating its effectiveness. As I said, it’s PING.
The Eye Q tech dot is about delivering the ball as intended by narrowing your focus to the inevitable impact of ball and putter.
The PING Scottsdale TEC models
All three of the new PING Scottsdale TEC models are modern interpretations of classic PING designs. Since the names are the same, you probably already figured this out for the Ally Blue and the Ketsch. The Hayden was a little tougher to identify since it has a new name but that one is based upon the PING Nome.
All three models feature the high-contrast white-and-black aesthetic and the Zen-like focusing Eye Q dot. With that in mind, let’s dive a little deeper into the individual Scottsdale TEC models.
The PING Scottsdale TEC Hayden
With its traditional heel-shafted hosel, the PING Scottsdale TEC Hayden is the outlier in the set. “Outlier” is not a negative descriptor. For many, this traditional build plan will prove more accessible than the onset-hosel design of the other two.
The Scottsdale TEC Hayden has the largest profile of the three with the shape based upon the PING Nome. For those of you unfamiliar with the Nome, the original version was produced in 2012.
At that time, PING had a tendency to release interesting shapes with little fanfare or promotion. If memory serves, the PING Sydney was another novel design released the year prior. The marketing was so stealthy that many folks missed them.
After Hunter Mahan won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship with the putter, the Nome became quite popular. PING even released a follow-up version, the Nome TR, the following year.
(Fun fact: I wrote a poem about the Nome and Nome TR. It’s buried somewhere in the MGS Forum. As putter reviews go, it was too ahead of its time to be appreciated. That’s my opinion, anyhow.)
Anyway, it is nice to see PING bring back that Nome style with the Hayden. I believe its name comes a street near the PING factory in Scottsdale, Ariz. Maybe they are Star Wars fans and it’s named after Hayden Christensen.
Regardless, this Hayden is the traditional mallet in the group. It has a full shaft of offset and the lie angle can be adjusted +/- 2°. Its face-balanced nature should fit players with a straight putting arc.
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The PING Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset
Last August, PING released the PLD Ally Blue Onset limited-edition putter. This Scottsdale TEC version of the Ally Blue Onset is very similar to the PLD model but there are a few key differences.
First of all, the Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset has the Eye Q system. The PLD version just had a long sight line. Second, this version has a PEBAX elastomer face insert, similar to that in PING’s 2025 Scottsdale putter line.
The insert changes the story more than one would think. Not only does the insert deliver a different feel than the fully milled PLD version but it also allowed PING to reposition the weight saved by the insert to other parts of the putter, boosting stability.
As with the limited-edition version, the Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue Onset is not a zero-torque putter.
Don’t let that onset shaft position fool you. Unlike zero-torque putters where the shaft enters the head at the center of gravity, PING has positioned the shaft in front of the center of gravity.
Since the days of Karsten Solheim, PING’s designs have the center of gravity behind the shaft. The idea is that “pulling the center of gravity” is better than pushing it.
“Pulling the CG provides more stability through the stroke and helps keep putts on line and rolling into the hole.”
-PING CEO and President John K. Solheim
The shaft position away from the CG means the Ally Blue Onset and Ketsch Onset putters have some torque. If you check the shaft bands, you’ll see there is enough torque present for PING to fit these two models to players with slight arc strokes.
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The PING Scottsdale TEC Ketsch Onset
Sometimes a legacy can be a bad thin, like having an older sister who went to Stanford and is just finishing up at Harvard Law. Those are some big shoes for the younger sibling.
That’s the situation that always comes to mind when PING releases a new version of the Ketsch. Can it measure up to the original?
Although they are all very talented, there is a difference between Chris Helmsworth and his brothers Luke and Liam.
As with the Nome, PING released the first Ketsch with zero promotion. It just popped up on the PING website one day.
Thankfully I saw it and got one for putter testing. After Most Wanted Mallet testing that year, we quickly learned that putting with the original Ketsch was easier than slaying giants with Mjolnir.
The combination of weight distribution and face grooves made that Ketsch damn near automatic from five feet for the whole testing cohort. A mythological putting weapon if there ever was one.
The Scottsdale TEC Onset Ketsch is a little smaller than the original and has a dramatically different technological plan. The overall Ketsch body plan is still there but the shaft location and the insert dramatically influence how the putter feels and plays.
I love how the onset hosel opens up the front of the putter at address. It looks great behind the ball and is ideal for the Eye Q dot as well.
One of the disadvantages of the onset hosel is that it eliminates the ability to fit these two models for lie angle. They have a 70-degree lie angle. Period. As with L.A.B. Golf’s putters where the shaft directly enters the head at a fixed angle, these shafts cannot be bent.
The unfortunate reality of this is that people who need a flat or upright lie angle may miss out on these two models. Remember, though, the Hayden can be bent a couple of degrees up or down.
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Is the Eye Q technology a gimmick or game changer?
Is PING on to something lasting with their Eye Q build or is this just the latest technological advance that will fade into obscurity?
I don’t own any fancy eye-tracking glasses but my initial impression is that the dot does draw in my eye. Perhaps it is a bit of a placebo effect since I know I am supposed to look at it before putting.
Even if that is the case, if it quiets my eyes and improves my putting, that means it is working as intended.
Remember, too, that this is not the first time PING has changed designs based upon eye-tracking data. PING currently has the smallest shaft labels in golf because they determined that the golfer’s eyes were drawn to their previous larger labels during the putting stroke. When they got rid of the big sticker, the eyes focused on the ball and putter.
Would the Eye Q technology also work on a black head with white lines? It seems it should work on any color of head.
Perhaps PING went with the white color to make these mallets stand out as something new and different.
When you walk into your local shop, my guess is that you will be immediately drawn to these white heads. Perhaps the Scottsdale TEC represents the perfect combination of marketing and performance.
Golfers need to notice a new putter in the shop if they are going to find out how nicely it rolls balls. We need our eyes on that dot but PING needs us to see their new putters.
Based upon the buzz that these generated at this year’s PGA Show and by showing up in Tony Finau’s bag, golfers are noticing these white mallets.
The post Improve Your Focus With The New PING Scottsdale TEC Mallets appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
