Ping s259 wedge review

Ping's s259 wedge pairs a compact tour shape with 25 loft and grind options. Testers praise its spin and soft feel, but it costs more than its main rivals here.

The Ping s259 is the successor to the well-regarded s159, and it is Ping's premium wedge for 2026. It has a compact, tour-style head with a huge spread of loft and grind options, and Ping says it suits golfers of all abilities with the right fitting. Independent reviewers rate its spin and soft, muted feel very highly; the main caution is that the small head and straighter leading edge on the lower lofts will not suit every eye.

How we put this review together: we haven't hit this club ourselves. This review brings together the maker's specs, Australian pricing and what independent testers have published, with links so you can check them.

At a glance

  • Australian price: $389.95 per wedge with a steel shaft, or $419.95 with graphite, at Drummond Golf
  • Lofts: 46° to 62°, in 25 loft and grind combinations across six grinds (S, W, H, E, T and B), per Ping's spec sheet
  • Finishes: Chrome and Midnight
  • Stock shaft: Ping Z-Z115 steel (111 g), with many custom options
  • Adjustability: none on the club; lie angle, length and shaft are set at fitting
  • Release year: 2026
  • Best for: low to mid handicappers who like a compact head and want lots of greenside spin

What's new

Ping describes the s259 as building on the higher spin and control of the s159 family, with refined grinds and added lofts. Its spec sheet lists effective bounce from 6° on the T grind up to 14° on the W grind, and the W grind is now offered at 50° and 52° for golfers with steeper swings, as Golf Monthly points out.

The face is where most of the changes sit. Golf Monthly reports wheel-cut grooves milled to different dimensions by loft, with tightly spaced MicroMax grooves on the 54° to 62° models and a friction-adding face blast carried over from the s159. The head is investment-cast 8620 carbon steel.

Ping has also rethought the grip and shaft. Plugged In Golf explains that the new stock grip is three quarters of an inch longer with less taper and hand position markers to help with gripping down, and that the lightweight Z-Z115 shaft has a low balance point to help you sense the head. Plugged In Golf also passes on Ping's claim that the Midnight finish keeps its colour on the face as it wears.

What independent testers found

Golf Monthly compared the s259 with the new Vokey SM11 on a launch monitor and on the course. Its reviewer measured slightly more spin on a 50-yard pitch than with the SM11, with a controlled, fairly flat flight, and called the s259 a genuine challenger to Vokey. The one drawback noted was the straighter leading edge on the 46° to 50° models, which the reviewer found harder to open up for creative shots.

National Club Golfer gave it a strongly positive verdict, praising excellent stopping power from bunkers, chips, pitches and full swings alike, a soft and muted strike, and the grip design. Interestingly, NCG saw the straight leading edge on the lower lofts as a plus for alignment on full shots. Its only listed con is that the compact profile will not suit everyone.

Plugged In Golf described the sound and feel as among the best available, found the wedge more forgiving than its compact looks suggest, and said dispersion on full swings was very tight.

The sources disagree on two points worth knowing. Golf Monthly and NCG take opposite views on the straighter leading edge, so look at one in person if you can. They also quote different UK prices (about £190 versus £179), which suggests pricing varied between retailers at launch.

Who it suits

  • Better players and confident mid handicappers who like a small, clean head behind the ball
  • Golfers who want maximum spin control on partial shots
  • Anyone who will use Ping's fitting tools to pick grinds, including the free WebFit Wedge app Ping mentions

Who should look elsewhere

If you want more help on mishits, a cavity-back wedge such as the Cleveland CBZ is built for forgiveness and costs less in Australia. If you prefer a more rounded leading edge for opening the face, testers rate the Titleist Vokey SM11 highly, and it is also cheaper per wedge at Drummond Golf.

Buying it in Australia

Drummond Golf lists the s259 in Chrome and Midnight, right and left-handed, with steel or graphite shafts and the full run of 25 loft and grind options. At $389.95 each in steel it costs more than the Vokey SM11, TaylorMade MG5 and Cleveland CBZ there, and a set of three runs to about $1,170. Ping is known for fitting by colour code for lie angle, and its spec sheet says lie angles are based on the Black colour code at standard length, so it is worth checking your lie angle with a fitter before ordering.

Visitors are usually better off bringing their own wedges; hire sets are widely available if you are travelling light.

The verdict

Going by the published reviews, the Ping s259 is one of the strongest premium wedges available, with spin that Golf Monthly measured as slightly higher than the Vokey SM11 and a feel that every tester praised. It costs more here than its main rivals, and its compact, straight-edged shape divides opinion. If that look suits your eye and you get fitted, the research says it deserves a place on your shortlist.

Sources

Photo: Golf bunker shot 2 by Fcb981, CC BY-SA 3.0 (licence), via Wikimedia Commons.