How to Understand Ping Golf Sizes

If you are in the market for Ping golf clubs, understanding the company's unique "Color Code" system will help you select the best set for your game. Ping's color codes refer to "lie angle," which is the angle between the club's shaft and the sole in relation to its length, according to Ping.com. For shaft sizes, Ping uses a static wrist-to-floor measurement to determine your ideal length. Ping uses its "5 Step Fitting Process" and a detailed questionnaire that incorporates your physical characteristics and limitations, handicap, frequency of play, current equipment, and other essential details into a formula for a proper fitting.

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Go to the Ping website, select the "Custom Fitting" tab on the menu, click on "Download Color Chart PDF" and open it. Look along the top of the chart for your height measurement in inches; the chart goes from 4 feet, 10 inches to 5 feet at the shortest end and 6 foot-7 to 6-foot-9 at the tallest end. The bottom of the chart has height measurements in centimeters.

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Become familiar with Ping's 12 different color codes, which it uses to determine the ideal lie angle, which ranges from "upright" to "flat" for irons. Note that "upright" codes are commonly for taller golfers and "flat" codes are commonly for shorter golfers.

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Look along the left side of the Ping color code chart for wrist-to-floor measurements in inches; the chart goes from 29 to 40 inches. Look along the right side of the chart for measurements in centimeters.

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Look at the colored stripes going horizontally across the chart at a slight angle up to the right. Note that this angle incorporates the taller end of the spectrum on the right side of the chart. Look down the chart, following the wrist-to-floor measurements, and note that the colors go from being labeled "upright" to "flat" to incorporate shorter wrist-to-floor measurements.

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Look at the maroon, silver, white, green, yellow and blue stripes, which are "upright," and range from the most upright at 4.5 degrees to the least upright at .75 degrees. Note the black stripe, which is considered the "standard" lie angle, dividing "upright" from "flat." Look at the red, purple, orange, brown and gold stripes, which are "flat," and range from the flattest at 3.75 degrees to the least flat at .75 degrees.

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Find your height on the chart. Find your wrist-to-floor measurement on the chart. Follow these two columns until they intersect. Note the dominant color in the square on the chart where your height column and wrist-to-floor column intersect to find your Ping color code.

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Determine whether the ball flight for your iron shots is typically a fade, slice, hook or draw. Reduce your fade or slice by choosing a more upright color code, and reduce your hook or draw by selecting a flatter color code, according to the Ping website.

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Understand that Ping uses your height and wrist-to-floor measurement to determine the shaft length for your iron fitting. Remember that the taller you are, the longer your shafts should be, and the shorter you are, the shorter your shafts should be.

Ping recommends getting a complete 5 Step Fitting from a Ping fitter for a full understanding of your playing tendencies and the customized elements required for your specific style. If your club shafts are too long or too short for the way you swing, you will have incorrect posture that leads to inconsistent shots.

PGA pro Eric Wilson recommends becoming familiar with how a club's lie angle, shaft length, shaft material, flex, kick, loft and grip size affect your play.

In the color code for your grip thickness, Ping uses the hand measurements you entered in the static fitting. The correct grip thickness affects how your hands perform when the clubhead hits the ball.