Ping Color Chart: 4 Steps To Picking The Right Club
Meet Jake
Jake was a competitive golfer for over a decade dating back to the days of being the Captain of his high school golf team. He has played more than 200 courses across 32 different states in the US. Now semi-retired, Jake continues to golf 3-4 days a week with a current 2 handicap, gives golf lessons to his friends and family, and provides a wealth of knowledge to Golf Circuit from his competitive playing days. Jake combines practical expertise with technical knowledge to create golfing strategies and training techniques for both beginners and scratch golfers.
Ping has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to custom fitting. Long before other companies realized that golfers needed custom clubs, Ping was already selling their color dot system.
With the Ping color chart, you can determine not only what clubs you would need from the Ping brand but from any manufacturer.
Let’s take an in-depth look into how to use the Ping color chart so that you can ensure you get the correct information from it.
What Is The Ping Color Chart?
The Ping color chart is a golf club fitting tool used to help golfers find a club with the proper length and lie angle for their game.
A Ping dot chart is designed to correspond with the Ping golf clubs that work best for your game.
For instance, if you are of average height and have an average wrist to floor length, the Ping dot you would order would be a black dot. If you are taller or shorter, the dot color will change accordingly.
When placing an order for Ping golf clubs, the color chart makes the process incredibly simple. Each of the colors corresponds to a player’s height and arm length.
Although the Ping color chart is specifically used to order Ping golf clubs, it does not mean that you can only use this information for Ping golf clubs.
In fact, club fitting professionals worldwide use the Ping color chart system to determine which clubs are best for players. I will, however, caution that the Ping color chart is a static fitting method and not a dynamic method.
Dynamic fittings consider the player’s abilities, swing speed, reaction times, and strength and weaknesses. Ping color chart is simply a measuring tool or guide.
How To Use the Ping Color Chart
If you have always used golf clubs that are stock or standard, chances are you have no idea where to start when it comes to custom golf clubs. The Ping color chart can certainly help.
We are going to look at exactly how to use this chart to make sure that you get the proper reading and can fully understand what is involved in purchasing custom golf clubs.
Measurements Need
Before you can use the Ping color chart, you need to collect two measurements. The first is the wrist to floor length, and the second is the player’s height.
Wrist To Floor Length
Player height is important, but without the wrist to floor length, a golfer with longer arms would have a hard time feeling comfortable over a ball than a golfer with shorter arms. Essentially regardless of how tall you are, the length of your arms matters.
To get the proper wrist to floor length, make sure that you are standing tall. Have a friend or golf buddy help you with this process so that you can make sure it’s an accurate reading.
Player Height
Next, you will need your total height. I like to consider my height when I have my golf shoes on. Chances are I won’t be playing golf without shoes, and even if it’s just a few centimeters difference, it’s something that should be considered.
A golfer’s height has the biggest impact on the golf clubs that they choose.
Checking The Chart
Now that you have the measurements you need, it’s time to check the chart to see which customizations you need to be done to your club.
Start by finding your height on the chart. This is the column that you will work with. Next, you will find the row that applies to you by using your wrist to floor measurement.
As you will notice, with each of the color zones, there is both a length and a lie angle given.
For example, if you are 6’1” with a 33 inch wrist to floor length, you would need a golf club that is ½ inch longer than standard and 1 degree flat.
You will notice that golfers with the shortest wrist-to-floor length need the clubs to be flatter, and players with the shorter wrist-to-floor length have more upright requirements in the clubs they play with.
Applying This To Custom Clubs
If you plan on ordering Ping golf clubs, the rest of this process is easy. You can simply order the color dot that you need, and the clubs will come exactly the way you need them. If you plan or order Callaway MAVRIK, TaylorMade, Titleist, etc., then you must apply the length and lie information when you place an order.
Although the Ping color chart is unique to the Ping golf clubs, the same information can be carried over across all brands.
Why The Ping Color Chart Helps Golfers?
Most golfers that are shorter than average know that a standard-length golf club is going to be too long for them. However, these players typically don’t understand the way the lie angle is impacted by this.
When you make a club shorter, you naturally will make it more upright. This is why most golfers that need a shorter club also need it to be shorter.
When you make a club longer, it becomes flatter, and taller golfers typically need their golf clubs more upright.
However, Ping also realized that the amount a club needs to be adjusted for the lie angle would also be based on the arm length of a player. If your arms are really long, you need a shorter club to let your arms hang naturally.
For golfers with shorter arms, the club length has to be long.
Ping has always been on the cutting edge of custom golf fitting, and that has only become more apparent through the years. In fact, Ping even started the adjustable length putter concept a few years back.
The bottom line here is that having golf clubs that fit your body is essential.
Can The Ping Color Chart Be Used In Place Of A Custom Golf Fitting?
One of the most common questions I get asked about the Ping color chart is whether it can replace a custom golf fitting. The length and lie angle of a golf club are just part of the process you go through in a custom fitting.
Most custom golf fittings also help you see things like ball speed, spin rates, launch angle, and more. When you get all of this information as part of your fitting, it’s much easier to choose the set of clubs that work for you.
However, the Ping color chart is a step in the right direction when purchasing your next set of clubs.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now feel as though you can use the Ping color chart to help make sure your golf clubs are the best match for your game. Ping does a tremendous job of putting the correct clubs in golfers’ hands.
Whether you have been playing for a few weeks or your entire lifetime, knowing which clubs are the best for you is incredibly important.
Remember that even though Ping puts this chart out, any golfer can use it to determine which clubs are best for their game. All you will need to get started is your height and your wrist-to-floor measurement.
