Time for some fun as the weather is getting a bit wet and golfers are staying indoors.
The quiz is for just for fun so it is (best of my knowledge) a twisted truth. the information on Ping is not.
so here we go.....
The ClarityAnser is short for answer.
The first patent was filed in 1967 and this expired in 1984 and open for others to use the design without infringement of the patent. In a way, for a lack of better words, Ping’s Anser today inspires most offset blade putter manufacturers. The Anser was credited for its toe to heel weighting which helped golfers with different arc movements (see the original Ping Anser)
Blade is a loose term for putters with a narrow depth (from face to flange) just like mallet, which is generally deeper. In fact if we look back at history, today’s blade was yesterday’s mallet (see the Schenectady Putter).
So an Anser is arguably a blade with exceptions. I have not personally sighted the patent papers from 1967, the Anser would have been a putter with distinctive toe and hell weight (generally using the flange) and an offset which is supposed to make addressing easier and compensate for mishit, pretty much like an offset irons in real play.
More importantly, Ping introduced a cavity behind the face of the putter. In putter design, it could have made weight distribution between toe-heel and also influence the feel at impact. The changes in weighting also meant a shift in the weight distribution and lower the CG to make it easier to roll the ball. To carry on the traditions of Ping, the sound slot was added to give the distinctive “Ping” sound at contact.
Ping has a lot more patents for different hosels designs and they are Ansers. They currently have the Anser Milled with several hosel options, the Anser 2 and the Anser X, before that they have the G2i/G2 Anser B, C and D and many more.
Hence the Anser is not confined to a blade putter with a one shaft offset but best described as a stepped toe-heel weighted putter with a cavity behind the face.
For more Ping Anser history...(from libraries)
In January of 1966, Karsten Solheim designed the Ping Anser Putter after the idea came to him in a flash, as inspiration has a tendency to do. Solheim drew the design on the dust jacket of a 78 rpm record.
The design of the Ping Anser putter was the first of its kind. It featured an offset hosel, which provided golfers with an unobstructed view of the face. The cavity-back putter also had a low center of gravity as well as lines parallel to the face. These lines help a golfer in squaring the putter.
Because he clearly had designed a putter that was going to be revolutionary, he needed a name for it. Solheim’s wife, the former Louise Crozier, suggested that they name it Answer because it was the answer to an especially vexing problem, which was putting.
Solheim approved of his wife’s suggestion but thought that the name would be too long to fit on the putter. They had a looming deadline to get the design to the engraver, but then Mrs. Solheim had the idea to leave out the letter W, thus naming it Anser instead of Answer. They did so, and the Ping Anser putter went on to become the “winningest” or most successful putter design in golf, racking up more than five hundred PGA Tour wins.
Some other interesting facts:The Art of Putting was a book written by a famous golfer named Walter Travis in 1904. Walter was a 3-time US Amateur Open winner and the only non-brit to have won the British Amateur Open.
Walter is also an equipment slut and had used various untested equipment to great success. This include the once-banned Schenectady Putter (centreshafted mallet) and the Haskell Ball. The Schenectady Putter was banned by the R&A in 1910 but not the USGA.
He was also the person who supposedly changed Bobby Jones putting stroke in 1924, which turned Bobby to become one of the greatest golfers of all time from then onwards. He changed Jones's grip, altered his stance, and suggested a longer and more sweeping stroke. A key point was to try to "drive an imaginary tack into the back of the ball"
Why is he not so well documented in golf history? Well because he was Australian by birth but live in the US most of his life.
One more interesting fact:Not many people know that muscle back irons were called Mussel Back when it was first introduced nearly a century ago. Go Google George Nicholl of Leven.
The Quiz…The Question is:
What is the other version of how the Apple logo comes about. If you are going to say, because its Newton, blah, blah , blah. That is not the answer we are looking for. (for those whom I have related this story to, please do not anser as you will be DQ). You can have up to 2 tries each and the contest close on Friday 21 Oct at 10 pm. The first correct answer wins the quiz.
Hint: Its linked to the grandfather of modern computing and he is a knighted British.
The Prize.....1. A tour issued Callaway cap in either white or black
2. A limited edition Fubuki K ball marker
3. A black out Ping putter (same one use by ETW) grip including installation
4. A tour issue Zen-I with a pouch
5. Optional extras!!! If you wish a hug from one of my lady colleague for male winner and or a hug by the legendary Shamusan for the lady winner. However we wish to indemnify ourselves against all claims for the fifth prize. Whatever is not mentioned above are props.
Have Fun!
Finally the commercial break:available in a store near you from 28th October 2011...there is a reason too but no prize hor.
Subject: The Clarity, The Quiz and The Prize (pretty long post with pictures) 
Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:46 pm
