PING Karsten Hybrid Iron Review

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Nice review, Ryan.

My first impression was, "Whoa -- the sole is huge!" But, I agree that at address the iron does not look ginormous. Very interesting to read that these clubs had a soft feel to them.

I know that the wider sole is partially there to prevent digging. Does it lead to the club "bouncing" off the turf? It seems like it would be harder to take a divot with these.
 
Really nice review Hawk. These are an interesting set of irons. I really enjoyed hitting these at the golf expo when I went. Looking forward to when the snow finally melts and the demo days start to hit them off grass.
 
Great review Ryan. I love the simple, easy to hit look of these clubs. The hybrids especially fit my eye. I could've used the wider sole this weekend playing on grass for the first time of the year. I find the shaft weights of the steel option fascinating. For some reason, I'd almost expect them to be lighter. Not saying this is a bad thing though.
 
Great write up Hawk! One thing I hadn't noticed before on this set, while the irons seem to have a substantial amount of offset, the hybrids seem to have very little.
 
Nice review, Ryan.

My first impression was, "Whoa -- the sole is huge!" But, I agree that at address the iron does not look ginormous. Very interesting to read that these clubs had a soft feel to them.

I know that the wider sole is partially there to prevent digging. Does it lead to the club "bouncing" off the turf? It seems like it would be harder to take a divot with these.

I think gliding is probably a better word than bouncing, assuming we are not talking about really firm conditions. I think in the case of a person that takes a good divot already and is getting the ball first they would likely still produce one, but certainly be less prone to digging.

Great review Ryan. I love the simple, easy to hit look of these clubs. The hybrids especially fit my eye. I could've used the wider sole this weekend playing on grass for the first time of the year. I find the shaft weights of the steel option fascinating. For some reason, I'd almost expect them to be lighter. Not saying this is a bad thing though.

You know, I've had that same thought quite a bit. The shafts are interesting in a couple ways and I was going to expand on them in the review, but I was already a bit long winded.

Not only are they fairly heavy for a set like this, they are advertised as lower launching than the normal CFS in the G25's. Pretty good feeling shaft and I didn't get that overly spinny thing that I seemed to out of the G25's.

Great write up Hawk! One thing I hadn't noticed before on this set, while the irons seem to have a substantial amount of offset, the hybrids seem to have very little.

Good catch. They don't really have that going on.
 
Great review Ryan. I remember when you took the initial pics I thought the soles on these were going to be nauseating. Then I went and tried them out and the whole setup didnt look bad at all. The proof is in the pudding with the success and improvements you have seen thus far.
 
Great review Ryan. I remember when you took the initial pics I thought the soles on these were going to be nauseating. Then I went and tried them out and the whole setup didnt look bad at all. The proof is in the pudding with the success and improvements you have seen thus far.

My thoughts on this are:

1) More people could benefit from a set like this that will admit it.
2) If they took a minute to just try them, they'd probably find exactly what you said and I said.
3) They obviously won't fit or be the best/longest for everybody, but see number 1.
 
My thoughts on this are:

1) More people could benefit from a set like this that will admit it.
2) If they took a minute to just try them, they'd probably find exactly what you said and I said.
3) They obviously won't fit or be the best/longest for everybody, but see number 1.

Totally agree with all of this. I would hope more peeps would at least give them a few swings especially coming off the success around these parts of another "bulky" iron set last year.
 
You know, I've had that same thought quite a bit. The shafts are interesting in a couple ways and I was going to expand on them in the review, but I was already a bit long winded.

Not only are they fairly heavy for a set like this, they are advertised as lower launching than the normal CFS in the G25's. Pretty good feeling shaft and I didn't get that overly spinny thing that I seemed to out of the G25's.

Do you think the shafts are designed as lower launching because if you put the standard CFS in there, they'd just launch to the moon? I've got a set of G15s with the CFS in them, and they launch plenty high - given the size of the sole on these, I'd imagine the heads are probably designed to launch a bit higher than the G15 heads.

As someone who prefers a heavier iron shaft, but likes to play a GI iron, I like that companies like Mizuno and Ping are still putting heavier shafts in their GI offerings.
 
Hawk: fantastic review my friend.

I really like what I'm seeing both in the photos and what I'm reading from you. Being a lover of hybrid type sets, these capture my attention.

I was not aware that a wider sole also helped with heavy shots...but it makes perfect sense when I think about it and is likely one of the many reasons I loved the Altitudes.

You have me itching to try these, those comparison photos with the G25's are quite telling. These just want to perform and that's what I want in a set of irons.

Thanks for the review.
 
Excellent review Hawk. I'm sending this one to my uncle who is in the market for a set like this. Seem like a nice point and shoot type iron delivering some high straight shots. Can't complain much about that.
 
Do you think the shafts are designed as lower launching because if you put the standard CFS in there, they'd just launch to the moon? I've got a set of G15s with the CFS in them, and they launch plenty high - given the size of the sole on these, I'd imagine the heads are probably designed to launch a bit higher than the G15 heads.

As someone who prefers a heavier iron shaft, but likes to play a GI iron, I like that companies like Mizuno and Ping are still putting heavier shafts in their GI offerings.


Yep, my assumption is that's why they went that route. A little stiffer tip section to keep launch conditions in line.
 
My thoughts on this are:

1) More people could benefit from a set like this that will admit it.
2) If they took a minute to just try them, they'd probably find exactly what you said and I said.
3) They obviously won't fit or be the best/longest for everybody, but see number 1.
Thanks for the great review. I'm very interested in these. As a high handicapper, I am concerned as to whether I might "outgrow" these clubs, as opposed to the G25's. Once I start getting better, I envision my next set of clubs will last me a good 10 years or more (that is my intention at any rate). I am a fan of offset, so at address I like the look of these clubs, and I struggle to get height on my HiBore's so this is something else I'd benefit from with the Karsten's. And lastly, I like a larger club. One thing I noticed when I was testing the G25's along with the W/S D100's and TM SpeedBladez was that it felt like I was swinging an anvil with the D100's when compared to the other two. Will the Karsten give me a similar feel? Now my experience might be due to the extremely light weight of the SpeedBladez, but it is something that goes through my mind now when I swing a new club.
 
Great review Hawk. These look like a great set, and it really is a stinker that more people don't give sets like this a look. Launching 2* higher than other GI's, and still giving you better than average distance is awesome.
 
Great review Hawk
The Sole look uge on that 7 iron but for some it works
the Hybrids have a very nice profile kind of reminds me of older TMAG hybrids
 
Thanks for the great review. I'm very interested in these. As a high handicapper, I am concerned as to whether I might "outgrow" these clubs, as opposed to the G25's. Once I start getting better, I envision my next set of clubs will last me a good 10 years or more (that is my intention at any rate). I am a fan of offset, so at address I like the look of these clubs, and I struggle to get height on my HiBore's so this is something else I'd benefit from with the Karsten's. And lastly, I like a larger club. One thing I noticed when I was testing the G25's along with the W/S D100's and TM SpeedBladez was that it felt like I was swinging an anvil with the D100's when compared to the other two. Will the Karsten give me a similar feel? Now my experience might be due to the extremely light weight of the SpeedBladez, but it is something that goes through my mind now when I swing a new club.



Thanks deuce!

I don't really believe in 'growing into a set' first of all. Will you outgrow them in 10 years? Probably, but I don't think it will be because they truly lack something you'd need. Golf plays games with peoples' heads and the most likely scenario is that you'd convince yourself you needed something new earlier. That may not be the case, but over four years at this place has shown me it almost always is.

I can't comment on comparisons to the D100's, but I will say that they are closer to the G25's to me than the SBlades through the swing (balance and weight).
 
Ryan, thanks for another excellent review. I love hearing about higher launch with good distance, isn't that what most of us want? (I do, I do)
I'm planning to head out to a local golf shop and check them out before getting out to play for the first time in 2014. I've always found Ping irons very comforting. They just say, relax, you can hit a decent shot, which quiets the other voices in my head.
 
This is a perfect set for you Mike. Let us know what you think!
 
Unfortunately, neither Champaign store had a full set in on display, but one store had a 7 iron head on their fitting cart. The club head, top line and sole are a little bigger than the G25 and a little bit larger than the G20, but nothing that I find distracting at address. After not picking up a club in over 4 months, I didn't want to taint the club with a few swing without hitting a bucket of balls first. I look forward to trying them out in a couple of weeks.
 
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