Ping Glide 3.0 Wedge Review: Golfers give exactly what they need

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Ping has long been the golf company that marches to the beat of their own drum. From introducing the Anser putter head (which is replicated to this day) to making custom customization popular – when it comes to innovation, Ping is in a class of its own. The Ping Glide 3.0 wedges

are in my opinion the most unique wedge line-up that is currently on the market.

This is a particularly bold statement that must be made in a market with a lot of competition from all major OEMs. So what makes the Glide 3.0 so unique?

Ping gives players what they need, even if the average golfer thinks they want something else .

What you want versus what you need

So what do most golfers need when it comes to wedges? In this club fitter's honest opinion:

More resilience than you think
More forgiveness than you think
A sole that fits your playing style instead of what looks nice in your bag

I fit clubs in one of the largest independent golf stores in the United States. I sell hundreds, if not thousands, of wedges every year. In the past two seasons I have encountered many players who claimed they needed LESS bounce. I would say that about 75% of these customers were misinformed. I often check their existing wedges to find significant signs of wear on the face and in the direction of the toe. Both are reasonably reliable indicators that the lead before the strike goes too far into the ground.

Although wedges with low resilience are not a bad thing, for many golfers a higher resilience means more forgiveness. When placing wedges I am interested in many information points. Typically, many people think about how shallow or steep a golfer's full swing is to determine bounce and sole grind. But there is much more to the comparison …

What about the dividers? How firm or soft are the grass conditions on the courts that you usually play? How do you prefer to play a shot of 40 meters – with the face open and high and soft, or with the face square floating the ball lower with more spin?

The best fitters will cover the fit to a player's inclinations to maximize forgiveness and effectiveness for the shots their client trusts most. I believe Ping has given me all the tools I need to answer these questions with their Glide 3.0 wedge lineup.

Why the Ping Glide 3.0 is unique

The Ping Glide 3.0

has more offset, higher effective bounce and more extensive sole offers than most major brand designs on the shelves of your local golf shop. It also has a larger cavity than almost every other "players" wedge on the market.

Here is the secret sauce; what is under the hood of the Glide 3.0.

More elastomer and higher MOI means a softer feeling and more forgiveness. The construction of multiple materials is used in many irons to get forgiveness without sacrificing a thin, attractive top line. Kudos to Ping for applying this design to their wedges.
They broaden the soles. There are still plenty of sole options: Thin, Standard, Wide and Eye 2. But even the thin and standard options are wider than the original models and most competitors. The value here is that more area must be chamfered, creating the desired effective bounces. Translation – you can expect a more neutral and consistent turf interaction.
More offset . This is a point of discussion with some players. Offset is a word that is often taboo for better golfers. The increased offset combined with the pronounced rounding of the edges ensures that the clubs seem to embrace or frame the ball by address. It is a cozy little look that I have come to appreciate personally.
Lighter weight. Many golfers moved to lighter shafts and swing weights in their irons to gain distance. If you want your wedges to be positioned correctly between your irons, they must follow the example, at least to some extent. Weight is easy to add back with custom orders, but with lighter options available is a valuable asset.

But Greg !!! The CBX from Cleveland

and the Sure Out wedges from Callaway have an offset, a large cavity and also a wider sole! Yes, they do, but they look a bit … .. Strange to me … If you know what I mean.
Do you remember this classic?

What is great about the Ping Glide 3.0 is that they offer all these design benefits while still looking, feeling and performing like a traditional wedge with knife style . It gives you the help without sacrificing the look and feel that all players appreciate from their score clubs.

Ping offers four different single grinding options

Do you want to hear my ultimate seal of approval? I play the wedge myself. My 52-degree Glide 3.0 has been a great addition to my bag. I play a more traditional setup with three wedges of lofts of 47, 52 and 58 degrees. Having a more forgiving head on the 52 gives me a greater margin for error when I manipulate my swing and the face to bridge the large distance that my setup requires.

Test results and who they are

Before I won a place in my bag, I tested the Ping Glide 3.0 wedges together with two aspiring tour players and various recreational golfers using a Trackman launch monitor.

For more experienced players, especially the professionals, I saw fewer variations in performance between wedges because they are so good at controlling their batting location and turf interaction. Interestingly, with the more average golfers I tested, there were more consistent figures across the board with the Glide 3.0s (compared to other wedges). I believe that this indicates higher forgiveness, and in my estimation there, these wedges seem.

So who would consider putting a Glide 3.0 in his bag? Thanks to a versatile line-up and a seamless mix of playability and forgiveness, everyone!

As a mechanic, if I would emphasize a specific advantage for the line, this would be the gap wedge lineup. With iron lofts that get stronger and custom shafts that lead to even more distance, many players struggle to find a way to fill yardage holes at the bottom of their set. The lighter weight and the extra distance with miss hits make the Glide 3.0 wedges perfectly matched to this gap filling role.

Wrapping It

Ping has again surpassed himself with the Glide 3.0 wedges. They took an excellent product and made it even better by offering more lighting and forgiveness for a wide range of golfers. In addition, they retained the appearance and feel of a player-style iron that golfers have come to love.

Do you need to get fit? Yes, always, yes. When you talk to your installer, you need to explore the various shaft offers and thoroughly discuss how you use your green wedges to ensure that you get the best bump angles and grinds for your playing style.

If you are unable to go through a fitting, I recommend trying to match the axle weight and flex of your slit with your iron set and opt for a slightly softer flex or heavier axle in your wedges. . If you suffer from greenside, especially bad lies, I will urge you to try a broader only option with more bounce. Remember that the leap equals forgiveness! Make a dedicated, confident swing and bouncing will help you even if the strike is not perfect.

More information about the Ping Glide 3.0 wedges can be found here on their website. If you are looking for current online prices, you can view Global Golf.