If there’s such a thing as a match made in heaven, today’s news is living proof of concept, as we’ve just learned that two of the most interesting companies in the golf-world finally partnered up, and the end result is nothing short of awesome for golfers worldwide: smart Ping gear. Or, to put it another way, the agreement between Ping and Arccos Golf will make Smart Set technology “available to the masses”, provided you can afford a set of Ping irons in the first place. Joke aside, starting from like, now, you’ll be able to use Ping’s custom-order process to get your hands on literally any of Ping’s golf clubs enhanced with Arccos Golf’s state of the art Smart Grip and Smart Sensor technology.

The collaboration/joint-venture or whatchamacallit was announced a few days ago by John K. Solheim, Ping’s President. But the good news keep coming, as John K. Solheim also broke the news that Golf Pride will be the exclusive supplier of cutting-edge Arccos Smart Grips, which are built and designed to harbor an embedded sensor which automatically records and analyses literally each and every shot, provided you pair the Smart Grip sensor tech with Arccos’ Caddie App via your smartphone, whether you’re an Apple or Android use. Mr. Solheim explained the reasons behind Ping’s decision to go the extra-mile and embrace smart technology in their golf gear, but let us quote the man himself:

“With our long-time focus on data collection and the ability to improve product performance and custom-fitting techniques through expert analysis of a golfer’s tendencies on the golf course, it’s a tremendous opportunity for us to join with Arccos to help bring more visibility to the benefits of playing ‘smart’ golf. They’ve pioneered the game-tracking category and are recognised as the clear leader when it comes to providing on-course ‘caddie advice’, performance tracking and post-round analysis. Now golfers can realise the benefits of the Arccos technology on PING clubs through our custom-order program, which offers both the Smart Grip and Smart Sensor technologies.

Sal Syed, Arccos CEO and Co-Founder added:

“We are honoured to join forces with PING in furthering the promise of data for the everyday golfer. Our teams have a shared vision about the importance of on-course data, which through ShotLink® has already made a massive impact on the PGA Tour. The benefits of this data span the golf equipment spectrum: from smarter club selection decisions in play, to a more intelligent custom-fitting experience by augmenting the data captured in a hitting bay.”

If you’re going to buy smart-tech enhanced golf-gear from Ping Golf, you’ll also benefit from 90-day free trial of the Arccos Caddie app, which is arguably one of the world's most appraised performance tracking app, and also the first AI (as in artificial intelligence, cue Hal 9000 voice) enhanced software platform dedicated to golfers. If you want to use Ping’s custom made version of the Arccos Caddie application, you’ll be required to buy an entire set of Ping gear, putter included obviously, and each item must be equipped with Smart Sensors, Smart Grips (from Arccos obviously) or a combination of both. After the 90 days free-trial period ends, you’ll have to buy an annual subscription to the tune of $99,99 from Arccos. Solheim added about the deal of the century:

“We’re very focused on helping golfers improve performance with every club in their bag. By equipping all their clubs with an Arccos Smart Grip or Smart Sensor, golfers can access valuable information relating to their performance before, during and after a round that will lead to lower scores and more enjoyment on the golf course. In addition to providing exact distances from any point on the golf course plus club recommendations, the app collects thousands of data points that can be analysed to uncover opportunities for further improvement through set makeup or other equipment refinements.”

As an interesting factoid, Ping was probably the first golf company in the world to invest heavily into researching ball flight tracking, as Karsten Solheim, Ping’s President Grandfather respectively, built a robot of sorts back in the seventies, dubbed Ping Man. Here’s Ping’s current President explaining the Ping Man story:

“We’ve been tracking and studying ball-flight data since the early days of PING Man through a variety of methods. We were the first golf company to purchase a TrackMan® and now with Arccos, average golfers have access to data previously only available to tour professionals. The app collects true distances from actual shots hit on the course, tracking your best and average shots while being smart enough to ignore your extreme misses. This ‘intelligence’ leads to club recommendations that give you the best opportunity to play your best.”