The onset of better alignment?

There are basically three places you can position the shaft in a putter. To keep the hands ahead of the face at impact, promote a slight shaft lean, and prevent too handsy a stroke, the majority of putters are offset, which puts the shaft ahead of the face, usually by the width of a full or half a shaft.

Putters where the shaft is in line with the face, like on the Ping DS72 C, have zero offset and are preferred by those who feel the design simplifies aligning the face and keeping the stroke moving straight back and straight through without the putter wanting to open and close. Many readers will be familiar with zero-offset SeeMore putters whose RifleScope Technology claims to guarantee perfect alignment at address, return a square face at impact, and “take the guesswork out of putting”.

Then there are on-setters where the shaft enters the head behind the face. It’s less conventional certainly, but, as we know, there are some less than conventional golfers in the world. Hey, we’re all unconventional to some degree.

Ping recently accommodated the onset putter brigade with the PLD Milled Ally Blue Onset model, which was made available for pre-order last week but which can be found at select Ping retailers starting later this week.

The standard PLD Ally 4 was an offset putter that was introduced early last year and had a slant-neck hosel, making it suitable for golfers with a strong arc stroke. Because golfers who favor the onset putter look are relatively rare, the Ally Blue Onset is a limited edition model. And, though it has zero offset (negative offset, technically), it is not a zero-torque model as the shaft does not align with the head’s Center of Gravity. The shaft enters the head slightly on the heel-side of center, giving it a little toe hang – about 15 degrees – which makes it ideal for those who have a slight arc in their stroke.

Unlike other Ping putters…well, Ping clubs in general, the PLD Ally Blue Putter is largely unadjustable as the shaft is set into the head at a 20-degree angle (measured from vertical). If you like onset putters but prefer the lie angle to be a little steeper or flatter, you are out of luck for now and just have to hope it proves so popular it encourages Ping to put it into production with more versions/specifications available.

Like the original PLD Milled Ally Blue 4, however, the body of the putter is machined from 6061 aluminum with a 304 stainless steel sole plate that lowers the Center of Gravity, giving it extra stability. The face is precision-milled, promoting a softer feel at impact, and the black adonized finish makes the single white alignment line stand out clearly.

$485
Loft – 3˚
Lie – 20˚
Head Weight – 360g
Standard length – 35”
Shaft – Ping Composite
Available at stores on August 28th
ping.com