A replica of the Anser putter used by Seve Ballesteros to win his last major at the 1988 British Open will be available Tuesday at 2 p.m., the fourth and final release in the extremely limited-edition series commemorating Ping’s sweep of all four major championships in 1988 – the only time it’s happened for any putter brand.
During each of the four major championship weeks in 2023, Ping has released a new model from its “Ping Slam” collection as part of its PLD Limited program. Precision-milled versions of the four winning models – Pal, Pal 2, Zing 2 and Anser, respectively – have been dropped each Tuesday of this year’s four major championships, giving collectors a rare opportunity to own a part of Ping’s storied putter history.
Ballesteros won his third Claret Jug and fifth major at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 1988, overcoming a final-round three-ball with Nick Price and Nick Faldo and the elements that forced the first-ever Monday finish of the Open.
Only 88 versions of Seve’s Anser putter model will be available via pingpld.com for $990 (limit one per customer) before this week’s 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Each putter is serialized for authenticity and includes a unique custom headcover. The Anser model (aluminum/bronze alloy) commemorating Seve’s 1988 Open win will be released at 2 p.m. EDT on Tuesday at pingpld.com. The antique finish is reminiscent of the tarnished manganese bronze of the original.
“It was a tremendous accomplishment,” said John A. Solheim, Ping executive chairman, of the 1988 sweep. “When it happened, it was very special, and we celebrated by running one of our iconic yellow ads under the headline ‘Ping Putters Used To Win The Grand Slam Of Golf.’ What made it even more rewarding was that four different models of putters were used in the victories.”
Ping’s engineers meticulously re-created the precise specs of each putter based on company archives, old images and measurements taken from the Ping Gold Putter Vault, ensuring that the original designs of the late Karsten Solheim, John’s father, remained intact. Already sold out are the Pal putter that Sandy Lyle used when he won the Masters, the Pal 2 that Jeff Sluman used to clinch the Ping Slam in the PGA Championship at Oak Tree and the Zing 2 that Curtis Strange used to win consecutive U.S. Opens in 1988-89, at Brookline and Oak Hill, respectively.
On Dec. 5, collectors will have the opportunity to purchase one of 35 complete sets of the PLD Limited “Ping Slam” putters for $4,990 (limit one per customer), which will include a custom-designed display unit.
“Whether golfers want to purchase one of the 88 individual putters during the week of the major or wait until the end of the year to collect all four at once, we expect the putters to go fast, so we encourage those interested to plan accordingly,” Solheim said.
PHOTOS COURTESY PING