Cape Region golfers at the 2020 Delaware Amateur

Congratulations to Dawson Anders for his playoff win in the 2020 Delaware Amateur, held June 22-24 at Heritage Shores in Bridgeville.

The 21-year-old from Telford, Pa., out-dueled Austin Barbin of Chesapeake Bay Golf Club and Evan Brown of DuPont Country Club in three holes after four rounds of regulation play. The three men distanced themselves from the field with their 14-under par finish, six strokes ahead of fourth-place Brandon Berry.

Cape Region golfers were well represented in the large field, with Jay Whitby of Rehoboth Beach CC best among the locals at T-15. Tanner Leonard of Bear Trap Dunes tied for 21st, with Andrew Hewitt of Cripple Creek CC tying for 26th and Josh Covey of Heritage Shores finishing 39th.

Several more locals also participated but missed the cut at 8-over par. They included Aidan McDermott and Lane Dillon of Bear Trap Dunes; Ed Brown, William Walde, Mike McGuinness and Jack Redefer of Rehoboth CC; Scott Shockley, Chad Otwell, Travis Ralph, Chris Lowe and Tim Yoder of Heritage Shores; Rich Pruchnik of Baywood Greens; Colby Hook, Nick Shevland, Ryan Feldman and Steve Morgan of Cripple Creek; Hunter Rempe and Juan Johnson of Plantation Lakes; and Pete Townsend of Mulligan’s Pointe. 

Déjà vu all over again for Ping?

At the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show in January, I met again with Erik Henrikson, Ping’s director of innovation and testing. The pleasant PhD walked me over to the booth area highlighting the company’s new Heppler line of putters.

Henrikson said the distinctively colored, matte-finished black-and-copper clubs are being offered in eight different models, as well as an armlock version. “We’re complementing last year’s Sigma 2 line,” Henrikson said. “Those were made to be soft and quiet. The Hepplers are made to be more firm and responsive.”

Unlike the Sigma 2 putters and many other putters sold in recent years, the Heppler putter face is solid and flat with no grooves or insert textures, which Henrikson said “adds softness and speed changes.” He said the Hepplers create a “firm sound, definitely metallic.”

His description made me think of my trusty Ping B60 putter, a flat-face design from about 20 years ago. There are no inserts, no milled grooves and a definitely firm sound at impact.

It would be like déjà vu all over again, but unfortunately there’s no Heppler B60. Henrikson said the Heppler Anser 2 is its closest cousin, in part because both are suited for putting strokes made with “a slight arc.”

The Hepplers are available with Ping’s adjustable-length shaft. Henrikson said the reaction to these shafts has been really positive.

The Hepplers are multi-material designs, with high-pressure cast aluminum for the lighter parts and steel for the heavier segments. “They have double the MOI [moment of inertia] of prior designs,” Henrikson said.

I am not a fan of exotic putter shapes, but I liked the two-track alignment dots on the Heppler Tomcat 14 putter. Henrikson said the sight of runway lights on approach inspired the club designer.

The dots are placed closer to each other as they recede from the putter face. During the putting motion, they should give an illusion of two straight lines. That element of the design should be helpful.

We finished our visit with a look at Ping’s new G700 irons, which come in a beautifully muted black finish. Henrikson said the treatment is called Hydropel Stealth, and it carries forward last year’s water-shedding element that first appeared on Ping’s wedges.

Henrikson said they like the “slimming aesthetic” of the dark color and said they also “took a hard look at the sound and feel” of the new clubs. The game improvement design has a bit less offset appearance, but the maraging steel face should combine with other elements to produce the typically helpful Ping deliveries.

The clubs also come with the Arccos Caddie Smart Grips and a 90-day free trial of the stroke-analysis app. A $99.99 annual subscription fee will keep the service going.

Ping offers several shaft options, including the Alta Distanza Black 40, a lightweight graphic design. The company recommends a fitting to make the best choice among shaft options.

Local club competition results

The Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies played a two-player team net game June 30, won by Peggy Claussen and Kathy Hudak. Brenda Joyce and Donna Dolce took second.

Sue Ahern won closest to the pin on the third hole. The Kings Creek CC Ladies played an Odds Out, Evens In game June 25. Anita Pettitt won first-place gross in the first flight, with Ruth Lauver winning gross in the second flight and Barbara Hines winning gross in the third flight.

Judy Wetzel won first-place net in the first flight, with Leslie McClintick in second and Sally McGovern in third. Ana Dittel won first-place net in second flight, with Lisa Powell taking second and Jeannine Doane finishing third.

Eileen Riddell won first-place net in the third flight, while Denise Stewart took second and Debbie Grant finished third.