Viktor Hovland stood smiling in the PING Gold Putter Vault, posing for photographs with a collection of six gold-plated putters that he’d used to win tournaments in his young career. The victories were earned across various tours, all with the same putter: a PLD custom DS72.
Hovland has enjoyed success from the tee through the green with his PING equipment, but he says his performance with the PLD DS72 has been a key element of his improved short game and his rise in the world ranking. The visibility and success that he’s had with the DS72 made it so popular that the model made it into PING’s 2021 Putter series and it is one of four models offered in the new PLD Milled lineup. Hovland said that no matter which model and specs that a golfer lands on, he places great value in building a putter to fit your stroke and your game through the PLD custom-fitting experience.
“If you have a putter not customized to your stroke, it’s hard to put on a good swing every single time because the ball is going to do something different every time,” he said. “Being comfortable with your putter and knowing what it’s going to do is 90% of the battle, I think.”
He added that the PLD DS72 has been a steadying force on the greens. “I had been a very streaky putter but now I feel like I’m going to make the putt, instead of worst-case scenario thinking. Now it’s just getting over the ball, feeling comfortable, making a good stroke and trying to hole the putt.”
Hovland worked on refining his model at tour events with Tony Serrano, Senior Design Engineer, and in the PING Putting Lab in Phoenix with Master Fitter Jeff Thomas, coming away with a new appreciation for the design and custom-fitting experience.
“I’d never really done any custom fitting with my putter, so it was really cool to go through the process of actually understanding what I like, why I like it and why one putter works for me when another putter doesn’t and learning from the engineers.”
Serrano said Hovland’s relative inexperience with a custom putter fitting isn’t new, even among the tour players Serrano works with regularly. “Even for the best players in the world, the process of trial and error is educational for them, same as for a 15-handicapper. When you land on a putter they really click with, you can see the light bulb go on. Viktor was very open minded and willing to try new things and the process is very subjective and personal but it always comes down to comfort and confidence. You have to know the putter in your hands is going to help you putt better.”
Serrano started with a general head shape played by Hovland in the past, and built it through refinements. One big revelation for Hovland was landing on the combination of the carbon-steel head and the milled face – he’d played inserts before. “I’ve really come to like it. It helps my speed control on fast greens. I know how the ball is going to come off the face when I don’t hit it as hard.”
For the first time with the DS72, he added a top alignment line to go with one on the cavity floor to help with both his hand position and eye position over the ball at address. Even the finish Hovland chose aided in alignment. “We messed around with a silver color but I really like the copper look and how that sits in contrast with the green, especially with the white line on top, makes it really pop and easier to aim.”
Serrano said the primary components of carbon steel, face milling, head weight and dual alignment lines has created what is the perfect putter for Hovland – one he hasn’t changed for four years. Hovland is so confident in the putter that when he’s not putting well, Serrano said he doesn’t blame the putter. “He doesn’t tell himself, ‘I need to change my putter.’ It’s always something in his routine, his set-up or his stroke. The putter is the constant; he knows every detail of it.”
The finished product is one that travels the world with Hovland, helping him win on multiple tours and continents, and the feeling of making decisive putts with his trusty PLD DS72 never gets old, he said. “When you’re in contention and you need to make putts to win the golf tournament and they fall at the right moments that’s pretty sweet.”
Hovi’s PLD Custom DS72
- Face Balanced for a Straight Stroke
- 360 grams
- Patina Finish
- Stepless Chrome Shaft
- 36" long
- 2.5° loft
- 20 lie
- 15" Winn Grip
- Sightline top rail and cavity floor