Ping is a brand with a well established reputation for producing some of the best putters, and the Louise is one of three models in Ping’s G Le3 range, which are designed specifically for women.
It’s named Louise in tribute to Ping’s co-founder Louise Solheim and is a mid-mallet style that borrows weight and shaping from the tour-proven PING DS72, but Louise differs with a mid-slant hosel and parallel tip shaft, which Ping says best suits a strong stroke.
I’m used to a mid-mallet style putter, so its appearance looked and felt familiar. It’s a clean looking design, there’s nothing to distract your eye, other than the white sightline to aid alignment. The back of the putter is firm, while the front, like all the putters in the G Le3 range, has a soft two-piece white insert with shallow grooves, combined in this way to deliver balance of feel and distance control.
It comes with a Ping Pistol PP59 Deep Sea grip in the G Le3 colors - blue, gold, white and silver - and matching headcover. Of course, it depends on the size of your hands, but for me, this flat-fronted grip is bigger than the putter grip I’m currently playing, but I found the Louise grip to be more comfortable with just my thumbs resting on the front of the grip. For starters, I felt more in control when I addressed my putts.
As previously mentioned, this model is designed for a player with a strong stroke, which is not necessarily me, and I have to admit, on its first outing, I struggled with distance control, as I found that the ball flew off the face very quickly. But, as we all know, putters are an extremely personal piece of equipment and take time to get used to, and over a few rounds, I’ve now experienced the benefits of Louise.
There’s no need to force this putter, especially on long putts, it just needs a gentle stroke and the ball will consistently roll smoothly towards the hole (and into it!) with a pleasant sound off the clubface as it travels on its way. It feels nicely balanced through impact, so overall with a premium look and feel, if you like a mid-mallet style, this putter is worth considering.
