Ping i20 Irons Review - Forum Testing Review Thread

Played my first round off of Klipper's soft and lush fairways today. Went to Mamala Bay instead. The fairways are much tighter and the ground a little harder.

Can't say that I was thrilled with the response I got from the i20's on a tight lying course. Caught an unusually high amount of fairways today (9/14 and 3 in the first cut). Had numerous shots where the high bounce and rounded and wider soles of these irons really hurt me. I'm no one of those guys that starts taking a divot 2-4 inches in front of the ball. Usually my club is starting its divot just as it gets to the ball. Not a fat shot just right there at the ball. Several times today I hit some sort of weird knuckle ball as the ground just straight up rejected the sole of the i20. I could feel it in my wrists too.

After this went on for a few too many shots I guess my sub conscious kicked in and I started hitting it a bit thin. Forgiveness on thin shots is what I would consider superb with the i20's as I still got pretty close to the same distances just with a lower flight. And the bit of lost distance is then made up for with a little extra roll out. Beside the point though. I don't like hitting the ball thin!

Took the irons too the range after the round was over and was back to striping them on the softer and more plush driving range grass.

Long story short. I see bounce being an issue in the future that I'm gonna have to work out.


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Played my first real round yesterday since getting the i20's and I came away impressed. Ive been to the range a few times but nothing compares to really playing golf. Ended up with 6 GIR's on the day which for me is good. And in my state of recovery is even better. Played a course I havent played in years because I remembered not liking it but the i20's sure made it more enjoyable. Saw a high but still penetrating ball flight on all but a couple shots. One thing I noticed is I have to make sure not to get under these too much or they will come up short. Thin shots are very forgiving with the i20's as I hit a couple thin that still went pretty good. Feel is just awesome. Total confidence standing over the ball.
 
Awesome Kevin. I slept all night on call and will be getting out today for the first time with the I20s. Hoping for some positives as well.


Tapatalk
 
Awesome Kevin. I slept all night on call and will be getting out today for the first time with the I20s. Hoping for some positives as well.


Tapatalk

Thanks Frank. Sure was awesome to hit these on the course and from the short grass. I came away really impressed with the fact I hit NONE of my i20 shots fat and just how good the turf interaction is. Good luck out there Frank, clear the mind and rip balls dude.
 
Thanks Frank. Sure was awesome to hit these on the course and from the short grass. I came away really impressed with the fact I hit NONE of my i20 shots fat and just how good the turf interaction is. Good luck out there Frank, clear the mind and rip balls dude.

That's good to hear dude. I find these irons to be pretty nice. I was thinking about Colt's "tight" lie experience and my range features some tightly cut bent grass. I haven't seen the struggles he has but when I play on a course that has tight fairways, I tend to move the ball back in my stance just a hair, to make sure I'm hitting ball first.

Frank, you're going to love them on the course. That's where they shine!
 
Played my first round off of Klipper's soft and lush fairways today. Went to Mamala Bay instead. The fairways are much tighter and the ground a little harder.

Can't say that I was thrilled with the response I got from the i20's on a tight lying course. Caught an unusually high amount of fairways today (9/14 and 3 in the first cut). Had numerous shots where the high bounce and rounded and wider soles of these irons really hurt me. I'm no one of those guys that starts taking a divot 2-4 inches in front of the ball. Usually my club is starting its divot just as it gets to the ball. Not a fat shot just right there at the ball. Several times today I hit some sort of weird knuckle ball as the ground just straight up rejected the sole of the i20. I could feel it in my wrists too.

After this went on for a few too many shots I guess my sub conscious kicked in and I started hitting it a bit thin. Forgiveness on thin shots is what I would consider superb with the i20's as I still got pretty close to the same distances just with a lower flight. And the bit of lost distance is then made up for with a little extra roll out. Beside the point though. I don't like hitting the ball thin!

Took the irons too the range after the round was over and was back to striping them on the softer and more plush driving range grass.

Long story short. I see bounce being an issue in the future that I'm gonna have to work out.


Siri does my posting for me using Tapatalk.

Pick up a Tour Striker and learn to hit the ball a descending blow and some lag/hands ahead of the ball. 1) It will benefit your game and ballstriking overall - more distance, more consistency 2) it will help you when playing off of tightly cut fairways. Double win.

Just a friendly suggestion...I really think everyone should own that club bc of the benefits that come through repetitive practice with it.
 
Ive been following this thread since I joined a few weeks ago since I was looking to upgrade my x20s. Demoed them for a few days and pulled the trigger and was custom fit. Yellow dot, gold grip. These have be the greatest clubs known to man. I finally had a chance to take them to the course and must say they didn't disappoint. I'm a high hc mainly due to poor short game and errant drives, these are the easiest clubs I've ever hit. Ping hit a home run with these babies!
 
Ive been following this thread since I joined a few weeks ago since I was looking to upgrade my x20s. Demoed them for a few days and pulled the trigger and was custom fit. Yellow dot, gold grip. These have be the greatest clubs known to man. I finally had a chance to take them to the course and must say they didn't disappoint. I'm a high hc mainly due to poor short game and errant drives, these are the easiest clubs I've ever hit. Ping hit a home run with these babies!

First, WELCOME to THP.

Second, awesome news! Feel free to share your thoughts on them!

Played my first round off of Klipper's soft and lush fairways today. Went to Mamala Bay instead. The fairways are much tighter and the ground a little harder.

Can't say that I was thrilled with the response I got from the i20's on a tight lying course. Caught an unusually high amount of fairways today (9/14 and 3 in the first cut). Had numerous shots where the high bounce and rounded and wider soles of these irons really hurt me. I'm no one of those guys that starts taking a divot 2-4 inches in front of the ball. Usually my club is starting its divot just as it gets to the ball. Not a fat shot just right there at the ball. Several times today I hit some sort of weird knuckle ball as the ground just straight up rejected the sole of the i20. I could feel it in my wrists too.

After this went on for a few too many shots I guess my sub conscious kicked in and I started hitting it a bit thin. Forgiveness on thin shots is what I would consider superb with the i20's as I still got pretty close to the same distances just with a lower flight. And the bit of lost distance is then made up for with a little extra roll out. Beside the point though. I don't like hitting the ball thin!

Took the irons too the range after the round was over and was back to striping them on the softer and more plush driving range grass.

Long story short. I see bounce being an issue in the future that I'm gonna have to work out.

Siri does my posting for me using Tapatalk.

Hmmm, I play on hardpan all the time (oh you Oklahoma fairways) and haven't had any issues with the bounce at all. That said though, peopple swings are different and thats always a huge factor. One thing that I always do on harpan shots is move the ball back just a bit (like TC just said) and it makes worlds of a difference. Keep at it Colt, could have just been an off day too, I'd try scooting the ball a bit if it keeps up though.

Thanks for the update!

Played my first real round yesterday since getting the i20's and I came away impressed. Ive been to the range a few times but nothing compares to really playing golf. Ended up with 6 GIR's on the day which for me is good. And in my state of recovery is even better. Played a course I havent played in years because I remembered not liking it but the i20's sure made it more enjoyable. Saw a high but still penetrating ball flight on all but a couple shots. One thing I noticed is I have to make sure not to get under these too much or they will come up short. Thin shots are very forgiving with the i20's as I hit a couple thin that still went pretty good. Feel is just awesome. Total confidence standing over the ball.

THAT is the standout point for me as well Kmac. Very nice sir.
 
I hope to be able to do some testing at the range this week. Just depends on how everything goes.
 
Went to the range today and had a fantastic time with these bad boys. The hitting area was a mess with nothing but uneven ground to hit on but today it didn't matter. Just had my swing on. The PW in this set is fantastic. Love how it cuts through the turf but does not dig at all. Practiced a lot on chipping with the W today as well and it really just sets up nice for a chip. Toe down and let the bounce do the work. I plan on putting this shot into play more often this year and I think my score will thank me later
 
For me the tight fairways are a bit of an issue as well. Played all last week on pretty short/tight fairways and had my share of chunks, then, thins trying to correct. Agree with everyone else, the "thins" flew extremely well. Previously, my S56's and 712 AP2's LOVED short/tight fairways. My home course however, has plush, thick longer fairways, so I am not too worried about it except when I travel. Maybe there is just a learning curve, or maybe I'll just travel with the S56's or AP2's!
 
Hey guys, first post here.

I recently started getting back into golf after falling out of my routine with the game over the past couple years. I really needed a new set as I had grown a lot over the past couple years and my other set was too short. I bought a set of i20 irons (actually 4-PW with a Tour-S wedge and an i20 hybrid) after testing out quite a few sets, and after finally playing a couple rounds with them, I love these clubs. Even as a relatively high-handicapper, the clubs are very forgiving as far as I can tell, and when you do hit them totally pure, the ball flys. I'm not really to the point where I'm cutting or fading the ball too much, but these irons still seem to be working really well for me as a GI set. I also agree with the set wedge comments, I like the PW for full swing shots, but I find the Tour-S wedge to be much easier to control when you get closer to the green.

I don't have that much to add as I've only played a few rounds with them, but I just wanted to post in this thread to also say thanks to a lot of you guys, I read a lot of this thread while I was contemplating what set to buy, it was very helpful.
 
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Hey guys, first post here.

I recently started getting back into golf after falling out of my routine with the game over the past couple years. I really needed a new set as I had grown a lot over the past couple years and my other set was too short. I bought a set of i20 irons (actually 4-PW with a Tour-S wedge and an i20 hybrid) after testing out quite a few sets, and after finally playing a couple rounds with them, I love these clubs. Even as a relatively high-handicapper, the clubs are very forgiving as far as I can tell, and when you do hit them totally pure, the ball flys. I'm not really to the point where I'm cutting or fading the ball too much, but this irons still seem to be working really well for me as a GI set. I also agree with the set wedge comments, I like the PW for full swing shots, but the I find the Tour-S wedge to be much easier to control when you get closer to the green.

I don't have that much to add as I've only played a few rounds with them, but I just wanted to post in this thread to also say thanks to a lot of you guys, I read a lot of this thread while I was contemplating what set to buy, it was very helpful.

WELCOME!!!

Glad you're digging the i20's, IMO they are quite a special set and testing them has been a blast so far. Glad you're enjoying the thread and feel free to keep posting up your thoughts on the clubs!
 
I got fitted by ping on Friday and went with a total objective view and let the fitter do his work.

Started off with I20 cfs reg. Soon saw I needed a stiffer shaft. Cfs stiff went in and still hitting too high with too much spin and not making the most of my "aggressive move". 7i ss was 91 mph. In went the dynamic gold s300. Much better sense of power.lowered everything to good levels. Great feeling and heavier shaft definitely helped me big time. Due to my natural high ball flight the g20 was never an option with lots of offset. I think s56 would have been too much club so went with what ping fitter suggested and fitted me for. I20 black dot dgs300 standard length 3-pw.

He also suggested I change the driver from what he had seen of my swing. Burner superfast tp. He said too head was too high launch and I would spin it far too much especially at 46" length. He was spot on. Fitted me for I20 driver, g20 too high launch. Went with the tfc 707 9.5 stiff. I had been losing tons of distance especially into wind. Driver ss was 109 av.

Irons ordered but driver was in stock. Played with the driver yesterday and finally I feel I have the one. Good launch and low spin. Lost virtually nothing into wind.

Pleased? You could say that.

I've been fitted for the wrong kit by so many shops for what they have in stock. It was refreshing change to get non sales pitch advice with no commitment or push to buy.

Jon
 
I got fitted by ping on Friday and went with a total objective view and let the fitter do his work.

Started off with I20 cfs reg. Soon saw I needed a stiffer shaft. Cfs stiff went in and still hitting too high with too much spin and not making the most of my "aggressive move". 7i ss was 91 mph. In went the dynamic gold s300. Much better sense of power.lowered everything to good levels. Great feeling and heavier shaft definitely helped me big time. Due to my natural high ball flight the g20 was never an option with lots of offset. I think s56 would have been too much club so went with what ping fitter suggested and fitted me for. I20 black dot dgs300 standard length 3-pw.

He also suggested I change the driver from what he had seen of my swing. Burner superfast tp. He said too head was too high launch and I would spin it far too much especially at 46" length. He was spot on. Fitted me for I20 driver, g20 too high launch. Went with the tfc 707 9.5 stiff. I had been losing tons of distance especially into wind. Driver ss was 109 av.

Irons ordered but driver was in stock. Played with the driver yesterday and finally I feel I have the one. Good launch and low spin. Lost virtually nothing into wind.

Pleased? You could say that.

I've been fitted for the wrong kit by so many shops for what they have in stock. It was refreshing change to get non sales pitch advice with no commitment or push to buy.

Jon

Maybe should give C-Taper S+ flex a shot. Or DG X-100. That'll lower your ball flight if it's too high and should stand up to your SS. Mines 91 with the 6i and I think I remember 89 with a 7. I'm a slightly aggressive transitioner and I'm always fitted for X flex or X soft stepped.


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My first post- been following i20 iron thread for last week. Very impressive.

I've been researching and testing to figure right shaft for i20 purchase. I was fit for i10s when they came out with stiff AWT shaft and CUSHIN inserts- 4 thru UW and S and L iWedges- blue dot, +1/2". Loved the clubs, but after 1 month, developed tendonitis in left arm so bad, I couldn't grip the clubs (I like long range sessions- but this was impossible). With high cost to reshaft the i10s, I switched to i15 irons, with Ping S graphite- same specs, except 86 gram graphite. These played OK.

This January I noticed the 9-iron shaft had split in 3 places at hosel. I thought was a defective shaft- Ping reshafted- no problem. After return, I went to regrip all irons- and noticed 3 other clubs were developing same shaft splits. Ping reshafted these- again, no problem. Got these back- then noticed the PW also had micro-splits developing (I know, took me long time to discover the extent of problem- but I have old eyes). Called Ping- they said send them all back for reshaft. When Ping got them, Ping repair called me, personally, to discuss the problem. Technician switched me to a Ping fitter, who, after grilling me on my game details, decided that I must have type of swing that puts lots of load on shaft- so recommended that I not use graphite again. This is a bit puzzling, since I'm almost 63, and not a great physical specimen. Driver swing speed only 102-3, and 6-iron swing speed 88-9. I do get a lot of lag in swing, though. However, I was very impressed a) that Ping didn't hesitate to fix the problem, and, b) took initiative to call me to discuss. Since then, I've had email and phone contact with same Ping fitter, as I try to figure out best move from here.

Meanwhile, I've been using i10s with an arm band for last 3 months, with OK results- sure like the feel of steel shafts.

So, when i15s came back, they had new shafts and new grips- were easy to sell. Too bad, on one hand- but a new opportunity on the other hand. I've been testing and researching shafts, and here's where I am. I get real high ball flight with all lightweight shafts (KBS Tour, CFS, Z-Z65- even DG S300 (which is not light)). The KBS C-taper, though, is great for ball flight- but would be suicide for my tendonitis at its weight and my age. I thought Z-Z65 might be best compromise, since it has a lower launch. I've hit lots to range balls over past 2 weeks with different shafts, but hard to really tell. This weekend I took Ping demo 7-iron to course with CFS, S and R, and Z-Z65, and a new dozen of marked balls, and hit all kinds of shots from different lies and varying winds. Looks like best bet for me is CFS-S. CFS-R has too much dispersion. Z-Z65 is pretty close to CFS-S, but a little stiffer and a bit more harsh on mishits. CFS-S gives me higher ball flight than I like, but flight seems to be pretty stable- must be lower spin with high launch. Into 15mph wind or sidewind- held line pretty good, and didn't seem to balloon. CFS-S also felt a bit softer- probably less stiff (I understand it's about 2 soft-steps south of Z-Z65), which is good for my tendonitis.

Otherwise, compared to i10 irons, i20s (at least 7-iron) are a bit longer at same length and loft, and more consistent on mishits- especially thin shots. Sole is great for different types of ground contact, including sidehill tight lies- which are plentiful here now, with dormant Bermuda just beginning to grow in rough. Used the demo 7-iron with CFS-S twice in round this morning with great results (175 yards on downwind layup on par 5; and, (choked down 2 inches) 155 yards left to right wind, helping just a bit, to a 149-yard pin- for birdie, though can't give i20 credit for the putt).

So, I'll put finishing touches on order for Tuesday with pro here- but look like it's i20 irons 4 thru LW, blue dot, CFS-S shaft, +1/2 inch, CUSHIN inserts; 4-PW will be 1/2-club strong (+2 degrees), U-LW will be less strong to standard LW of 58 degrees (I'll work that out- but, probably, U 1 degree strong, and S and LW standard lofts. This establishes 5 degree gaps between 9-SW, with 4 degrees SW-LW (which I don't ever hit full, anyway)). I'll probably get a special grind on LW, probably TS custom grind, since 13 degrees is a lot of bounce for tight lies. I've always been a 60 degree LW guy, but I'm going to try the i20s all way thru set. Grips may be a problem- I like straight-taper grips (I find they give a more consistent boost to right-hand sizing, than trying to match extra tape wraps to steel irons and misc graphite shafts of driver, 3-wood and hybrids- though these are all Titleist adjustable, for the moment). Only a couple of staight-taper grips on market, that I know of (GP Players Softie, Lamkin 3Gen Performance Plus, and a Winn grip that doesn't last). I'll have to guess on this one, I think.

No matter how much you try to test and compare, there's guess work in the final analysis. I am trusting the Ping designers mostly on gaps and bounce, but using my history with i10s and i15s to make educated guesses on the details.

Sorry for the boring detail- but, I'm posting this, just in case there's an old guy out there with a similar problem.
 
Not boring at all Rick, I hope the i20's work out for you in the end.

WELCOME to THP!
 
First round today. Lots of good shots and saw my distance from the range. Really happy with my decision. Once we get to know each other a little better I think these will be great. Not intimidating to a higher cap player either.


Tapatalk
 
Gonna pull the TP MC's out of the closet and play an "all irons" comparison round tomorrow morning before work. Gonna play with 15 clubs; 4-PW i20 and 4-PW TP MC and a putter. Will report back with any thoughts.


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Rick, welcome to THP and thanks for that write up. I love reading how and why folks end up with what they end up with. I hope the tendinitis is ok. I'm a fan of the CFS shafts myself and I hope they treat you well.
 
I love how diverse the posts are here. What I mean by that is pretty much everyone is having success with these - from mid to high mid handicappers to lows. Great thoughts everyone!
 
So. Today I struggled off the tee with driver and even 3W at first. But got dang it the i20 irons were awesome. I kept missing out on the toe but I'd get enough distance to land about 5-10 yards short of the green and bounce up onto it. And then 3 putt. But that is beside the point. I can't say enough how happy I am with these irons.
 
I love how diverse the posts are here. What I mean by that is pretty much everyone is having success with these - from mid to high mid handicappers to lows. Great thoughts everyone!

I think it really SCREAMS alot about these myself. I honest to goodness think PING hit a homerun with these.
 
That was one of the biggest factors to me. I wanted to get a set of clubs that could last me a long while(since I doubt I will change clubs as often as some on this forum, as fun as it sounds), so I didn't want to go cheap or low quality on them. At the same time, I wanted an iron that I wasn't going to be hitting all over the course as I try to become a better golfer, so I certainly wasn't going to go for blades. The i20 seemed like some of the best irons on the market as far as having a lot of offer golfers of any handicap. They are being good to me now, and by all accounts as my game improves the i20's will be right there with me.
 
I currently have the Ping I3+, with dynamic gold stiff shafts- arthritis has flared and I regripped them with 3/32 oversized arthritic grips. I could not believe the difference in how hard i could swing and how far my irons went. allowed me to totally change my default ball flight to a draw. I plant to play the I3 's for a while, but I am looking at the 20's- any suggestions for how I could get fit for them- since the demo's will have standard grips?? Can a ping rep "interpret" from my I3 swings??? Already bought the I20 driver and carved the brand new grip off- kind of sucks to regrip new clubs!
 
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