Ping 2021 Anser 4 Putter Review
In this Ping 2021 Anser 4 putter review, Joel Tadman tests it out on the course to assess the looks, feel and performance on offer
Ping is known for its forgiveness with its drivers and irons but it has been transferred successfully into its 2021 putter range. Many will enjoy the soft, responsive feel and the speed with which balls come off the face while the 11 different head options mean all visual tastes and stroke types are catered for.
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Nice combination of feel and speed
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Looks premium from every angle
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Plenty of grip options
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Not adjustable for length
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Soft feel may not match up well with soft golf balls
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Ping 2021 Anser 4 Putter Review
Ping is looking to crack the putter market with its unimaginatively-named 2021 putters. There are 12 models made with 11 shapes in the range and we were sent, by request, the Anser 4 putter to test on the putting green at Burghley Park Golf Club, along with the larger 2021 Fetch putter.
The first point to note is that these putters are not adjustable for length. While grips that adjust the length are available for a £40 upcharge, Ping has decided to blend back in with the crowd and only offer fixed length putters. This is a shame, as the system was really clever, discrete and easy to implement but there’s no point in going to considerable effort and cost to implement a feature that most golfers weren’t utilising.
The look of this putter, certainly at address, is very understated and premium but with out sacrificing the visual cues golfers need for alignment. The Anser 4 has a short slant hosel, which really suited our eye and strong arced stroke, as well as a longer, narrower profile and sharper corners versus the other Anser models.
Hit a few putts and the first thing that strikes you is the feel, more specifically how soft it is. On short putts, the Anser 4 barely registered a sound but this did increase the longer the putt attempted was. Thankfully, this was not to the detriment of speed. In fact, putts came off surprisingly fast for a soft-feeling blade, but not excessively so. It's certainly one of the best blade putters we've tried in recent times.
Golfers that also use a soft-feeling golf ball need to be somewhat wary - the combination could be difficult to get used to - but remember these are putters designed to work on the most part with firmer, tour-played, multi-layer premium golf balls.
The heel and toe weights in the Anser putters are obvious, framing the face insert and they definitely contributed to stable feel. The performance output from this was noticeable better control of distance on mid and long range putts. Lagging putts stone dead can take a while to achieve with regularity when switching to a new putter but for us, we quickly became accustomed to and enjoyed the pace at which the ball came off the face.
In our first round using the putter, we came off the course feeling like we holed out much better from short range and that our lag putting had also improved. In fact, after two rounds using it our Arccos data told us that we gained a shot versus a previous round using our old putter, so the gains were proven to be immediate.
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Joel has worked in the golf industry for over 12 years covering both instruction and more recently equipment. He now oversees all product content here at Golf Monthly, managing a team of talented and passionate writers and presenters in delivering the most thorough and accurate reviews, buying advice, comparisons and deals to help the reader find exactly what they are looking for. So whether it's the latest driver, irons, putter or laser rangefinder, Joel has his finger on the pulse keeping up to date with the latest releases in golf. He is also responsible for all content on irons and golf tech, including distance measuring devices and launch monitors.
One of his career highlights came when covering the 2012 Masters he got to play the sacred Augusta National course on the Monday after the tournament concluded, shooting a respectable 86 with just one par and four birdies. To date, his best ever round of golf is a 5-under 67 back in 2011. He currently plays his golf at Burghley Park Golf Club in Stamford, Lincs, with a handicap index of 3.2.
Joel's current What's In The Bag?
Driver: Titleist TSR3, 9°
Fairway wood: Titleist TSR3, 15°
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2, 18°
Irons: Ping i230 4-UW
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8, 54°. Titleist Vokey SM9 60° lob wedge, K Grind
Putter: Evnroll ER2V
Ball: 2023 Titleist Pro V1x
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