Kristoffer Reitan’s triumph at Quail Hollow wasn’t just a career milestone for the PGA Tour rookie — it also highlighted the effectiveness of Ping’s new Scottsdale TEC putter platform, albeit in an unconventional way.
While Reitan’s win was officially credited to Ping’s PLD custom putter program — known for its milled faces — Ping Principal Design Engineer Tony Serrano revealed that the club was essentially a Scottsdale TEC putter in disguise.
“The putter he has now is, in my opinion, it is a TEC putter,” Serrano told GOLF. “We made it here in our machine shop for him. Same sole plate, same head, same insert, same hosel. The only thing different, he wanted a different sight line on it.”
In February, Reitan visited the Ping PLD lab during the WM Phoenix Open week — his first chance to stop by Ping’s headquarters while on Tour. During testing, engineers discovered that his existing face-balanced putter wasn’t the best fit.
“We could see, and he saw the numbers, suggested that he needed some toe down,” Serrano said. “He didn’t really fit that great with a face balance putter. He needed something that would match his natural putting stroke.”
Reitan eventually settled on a Ping Scottsdale TEC Ally Blue H putter — a variation of the Ally Blue Onset model, but with a plumber’s neck that gave the square mallet the toe hang needed to complement his arcing stroke. While the Ally Blue H isn’t sold in the U.S., it’s available in other markets and on the Ping Tour truck.
The rookie loved everything about the new putter: the soft feel and roll from the PEBAX insert, the white finish, and the way the club released through impact. However, he requested a full sight line instead of the EyeQ alignment system (which features a dot on the top line and a trailing line). Rather than modify an existing Scottsdale TEC head by milling away the dot, Serrano built a PLD version of the putter from scratch, keeping all other Scottsdale TEC features intact.
The PEBAX insert, a material originally developed for running shoes, delivers a softer feel while remaining responsive thanks to its lighter weight and improved energy transfer.
Reitan received the custom putter — built to 37 inches with 2 degrees of loft — a few weeks ago and debuted it at Quail Hollow. He finished second in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining 5.158 shots over the field.
**Reitan’s Putter Specs**
– **Putter:** Ping PLD Ally Blue H
– **Hosel:** Plumber’s Neck
– **Finish:** White
– **Alignment Aid:** Full Line
– **Insert:** PEBAX
– **Loft:** 2°
– **Length:** 37 inches
– **Lie:** 70°
– **Grip:** Ping Superstroke Tour 1.0P 17 inches
