PING®’s innovative iPING® putter app is now available as a free download on the Google Play store for the Samsung Galaxy S® III. Developed for all skill levels, the iPING putter app is a wireless, go-anywhere putting improvement and fitting tool. The iPING app identifies a player’s stroke type, analyses impact angle, and measures tempo, lie angle and shaft lean. After a series of putts, the iPING app records the golfer’s consistency in each area and establishes a Putting HandicapTM (PHcpTM), which gets lower as the player becomes more consistent, the key to holing more putts.
The iPING app works in conjunction with a PING cradle (£25 RRP), which holds the mobile device and clips onto the putter shaft just below the grip. A version of the cradle is sized to fit the Samsung Galaxy S III and is available at your favourite golf shop. The iPING app is also a free download from the App StoreTM for the iPhone® 5, 4, 4S, and the iPod touch® (4th gen). Cradles are sized to fit these devices.
The iPING app’s motion-sensing technology analyzes impact angle to improve putting mechanics; classifies stroke rotation to match the user with a PING putter model for maximum consistency; measures stroke tempo to improve control, and compares the user’s consistency scores with friends, as well as PING Tour pros.
“Making the iPING putter app available for the Samsung Galaxy S III is an exciting development that will put this innovative technology into the hands of more golfers,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “Users are going to learn a lot about their putting stroke, information they can use to match them with a PING putter that fits their stroke type and makes them more consistent. Our extensive research shows that developing a consistent stroke is the key to making more putts. That’s what makes the iPING app such a valuable tool: it leads to measureable improvement on the greens, whether the player is a beginner or a tour pro.”
The iPING app analyzes and displays a golfer’s consistency onscreen using five criteria:
Stroke Type
The iPING Fit feature identifies the player’s stroke type, classified by the amount of rotation of the putter face during the forward stroke. PING’s research found that golfers can be categorized by one of three stroke types: Straight, Slight Arc, or Strong Arc, measured in degrees of face rotation. With the Recommend Putters tab, users can scroll through a list of current PING putter models, which are organized by stroke type, to choose one that suits them. PING’s research shows that players tend to be most consistent with a balance of putter that matches their stroke type.
Impact Angle
Impact angle is the putter’s face angle at impact, relative to address, measured in degrees. PING’s data shows that even the best players in the world do not necessarily have a 0 impact angle average, but all are highly consistent.
Tempo
Tempo is a measure of the duration of the backswing relative to the forward swing and is expressed in a ratio: 2 to 1, for example. The average tempo will vary among players, but the best putters have extremely high consistency in tempo.
Shaft Lean
Setup and impact shaft lean are a measure of how much loft is added or removed from the putter due to the putter shaft tilting along the target line axis.
Lie Angle
iPING measures the lie angle of the shaft relative to vertical on an axis parallel to the face of the putter at the beginning of a putting motion and at impact with the ball.
Users can operate the app in a variety of modes to improve their putting strokes.
Measure Mode
In Measure mode, the golfer hits five putts and their stroke type, impact angle, tempo, lie angle and shaft lean are displayed for every putt in that session and stored. The iPING app calculates a consistency score, and then averages the scores over time to build a Putting Handicap (PHcp). As the player improves their consistency, they’ll watch their PHcp come down.
Practice Mode
In Practice mode, the user can isolate one aspect of their putting that’s lacking in consistency – tempo, for example – for extra attention. Stroke type, impact angle, tempo, lie angle and shaft lean are displayed for individual putts.
Compare Mode
In Compare mode the player can compare their results with previous sessions or with those of their friends. They can even do side-by-side comparisons with several PING tour pros, whose results are pre-loaded into the iPING app.
PING www.ping.com