Bubba Watson and his equipment sponsor, Ping, not only have a lengthy relationship (Watson has used Ping clubs since he was 8 years old), but a penchant for teaming up to raise funds for the two-time Masters champion’s charitable foundation. The latest effort logically revolves around the driver Watson uses on the PGA Tour, a pink Ping G model.
The company will make available 6,000 limited edition Pink G drivers, which include a bright pink graphite shaft. The club, which features the company’s “Dragonfly” technology on the crown, is available in 9 and 10.5 degree lofts (adjustable plus or minus 1 degree) for right-handers and 10.5 degrees for lefties (also adjustable plus or minus 1 degree) in regular and stiff flex. Watson’s “caricature” headcover completes the package. The drivers, which are available for pre-order now via authorized Ping retailers worldwide, sells for $650 with $60 from each sale going to the Bubba Watson Foundation.
“I first met [Watson] as a teenager and he’s been on our staff since turning professional in 2003,” said John A. Solheim, chairman and CEO of Ping. “He has a huge heart and continues to use his success in golf to help people in need, especially children.”
This marks the third time in four years the company has partnered with Watson on a charitable endeavor, having raised more than $1 million in donations since its beginning in 2012. Watson has used a pink Ping driver since 2012, the year he won his first of two Masters. Following that win, a similar program was introduced with Watson’s pink G20 driver. Those funds were donated to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and used to help build the Bubba Watson-Ping Motion Analysis Lab, which uses advanced assessment tools to evaluate and treat children and adolescents who have movement disorders or walking difficulties. Proceeds from the pink G30 limited-edition model in 2015 were donated to the Pensacola, Fla., children’s hospital, Sacred Heart, where Watson was born, along with other children’s charities in the Pensacola area.
“The response from the first two driver programs was amazing, so I’m excited to continue this tradition for the third time,” said Watson. “We’ve been able to do a lot of great things together that truly help improve the lives of the less fortunate and those in need.”
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