Struggling To Focus On The Greens? This Putter Could Be The Answer

When you think of Ping putters, you usually think of classic designs like the Anser in matte black or classic satin silver. Pulling the Scottsdale TEC Ketsch Onset ($399/£375) out of the box, the first thing that hits you is the bold white finish - reminiscent of the TaylorMade Corza Ghost from 2010.

It’s a bold departure from tradition that immediately distinguishes this range, but with good reason, so Ping says. But will it perform as well as some of the best putters on the market? I took it to the course to find out.

The putter certainly boasts shelf appeal thanks to its eye-catching aesthetics. The new Eye-Q technology felt intentionally designed to grab my attention the moment I set it behind the ball and it certainly did in practice. The Ketsch is what I would call a compact mallet putter, and it sits nice and flush to the ground behind the ball.

The headline story here is ‘Quiet Eye’ technology, which the Ping R&D team has introduced after using eye-tracking techniques to study how players fixate on the ball. I was eager to see if it actually changed my perception when on the greens.

The result is Eye-Q - a small dot on the top of the putter, behind the face, that acts as a visual anchor. In my testing, I found this tiny detail surprisingly effective, giving me somewhere to hone my focus once I had lined the putter up to the line on my ball.

This helped me to quieten my eyes and maintain a fixed body position throughout the stroke, without wanting to lift my head and follow the ball too early.

The Onset hosel is another new addition to Ping putters. Placing the shaft behind the top rail and near the center line provides you with a clear view of the ball, which takes some getting used to, but I actually think it helped with my alignment once I did.

Because the CG sits behind the shaft axis, the head felt like it was being pulled through the stroke rather than pushed, which added a noticeable layer of stability that kept my slight-arc stroke on a very consistent path. It’s worth noting that there are two other new models in this range, as well as the Ketsch.

The Ally Blue Onset, which has a similar centre shafted design and is made for straighter arc types, and the Hayden, which is a heel shafted, face-balanced putter for straight arc types. The Ketsch, albeit onset and center shafted, is designed for those with a slight arc to their stroke.

In terms of feel, the one-piece Pebax insert was a standout for me and something I have loved in previous Ping putter designs, such as the Scottdale Anser. This material, often found in high-performance athletic shoes, delivered a soft, muted knock at impact.

It felt soft without being overly squidgy, offering me the kind of responsive feedback that made distance control feel easy when putting from range as well as on those nervy downhill six-footers.

The body of the Ketsch is made from 100% milled 6061 aluminum and is paired with a dense 304 stainless steel sole plate, which allows the weight to be pushed low and to the perimeter for as much stability and forgiveness as possible, much like in some of the most forgiving putters on the market.

I noticed that even when I caught one slightly off the heel or toe, the putter resisted twisting remarkably well and saw my ball roll up much closer to the holes than I thought it would.

At 350g, it’s a well-balanced mallet that feels as though it swings easily throughout the stroke. During my round, the combination of the Eye-Q dot and the three prominent alignment lines made squaring the face feel almost automatic, and I actually holed a decent amount of putts within the 10ft range.

There was little to dislike about this putter, but the white finish did pick up stains and dirt very easily, so if you’re someone who likes their equipment squeaky clean, you’ll find yourself having to wipe it down regularly.

Overall, though the performance was strong, and if you’re after a bold-looking putter that features some of the newest technology on the putter market, the Scottsdale Tec Ketsch Onset putter could be what you’ve been looking for.