PING Nome TR
Golfmagic joins 10 testers at Horsley Lodge Golf Club in Derby to test some of the best new mallets in the game
Brand: PING
Putter: Nome TR
Design: Mallet
RRP: £239 (adjustable £259)
Loft: 3-degree Lie: 70-degree
Head Weight: 350g
Available lengths: Adjustable from 31-38"
Summary: Nome TR offers distance control, easy alignment, and extreme forgiveness. Precision-milled variable-depth grooves equalise ball speeds for exceptional distance control. A bold alignment feature makes the head easy to aim, and sole weighting in the aluminum head creates a high MOI. Three shaft bends are available to fit every stroke type. USGA/R&A-conforming adjustable-length shaft is offered as an upgrade.
Looks: One of the better looking mallets. Testers favoured the TR's non-glare matte-black body and white alignment bar with its contrasting black sight line to make aiming more accurate. Several testers thought the face looked too curved at address. 3.9 (out of 5)
Feel: As you'd expect for a PING putter, Nome TR excels when it comes to feel. A little like the Odyssey when it comes to feel with a very stable stroke and soft 'pop' sound at impact. Its high MOI and extreme forgiveness are the result of the balance that comes from combining a lightweight head and perimeter weighting in the form of tungsten-composite sole weights. 7.5 (out of 10)
Performance: Majority of testers gave a big thumbs up for performance. The precision-milled variable depth grooves, first used in the face insert of the Scottsdale TR series, are deepest in the centre and get shallower toward the perimeter to deliver consistent ball speeds, no matter where the ball is struck by the face. This helped all testers with their distance control when putting from 15-feet. One of the best performers for mid-long range putts. 7.6 (out of 10)
Verdict: Looks, feels and performs superbly. Majority of testers experienced excellent distance control, a stable stroke and strong alignment. A little expensive at more than £200 in relation to some of the others in this test, but well worth a look at, especially if you take advantage of PING's Fit for Stroke system. 19.2 (out of 25)
Results: 106 putts holed (out of 180)
| Tester | Name | Handicap | 3-feet | 6-feet | 15-feet |
| 1 | Andy | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Charlie | 14 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Tom | +3 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Dean | Pro | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | Sam | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | Steve | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 7 | Jerry | 16 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 8 | Damian | 17 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 9 | Gareth | 20 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 10 | Andrew | 21 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 11 | Dick | 23 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | Bob | 26 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
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Andy first joined the brand on a month's work experience back in April 2011, and he now assumes the Editor role. When Andy joined GolfMagic it was a small site with potential.
