PING s55 Iron - Review Thread
Great write up fupresti.
Perception is an interesting thing. From the top line view - especially 5i-7i - the G25's look huge to me. I was thinking it was like looking at my DPC's next to my old Callaway Big Berthas (a slight exaggeration, I know). On the other hand the soles don't look too different to me, which was a bit of a surprise.
I appreciate your observation about the personal impact of playing a more demanding club vs. a more forgiving distance club. Distance vs. control and how that forces us to hit each shot with a purpose. Really good stuff.
Perception is an interesting thing. From the top line view - especially 5i-7i - the G25's look huge to me. I was thinking it was like looking at my DPC's next to my old Callaway Big Berthas (a slight exaggeration, I know). On the other hand the soles don't look too different to me, which was a bit of a surprise.
I appreciate your observation about the personal impact of playing a more demanding club vs. a more forgiving distance club. Distance vs. control and how that forces us to hit each shot with a purpose. Really good stuff.
dhartmann34,
Nice write-up, I am interested in hearing how the range results transition over to the course.
fupresti,
I like the perspective you are bringing to this testing and it sounds like the s55's will be a nice addition to your bag. I agree with your comment about having to hit this style of iron with a purpose. These are definitely not "point and shoot", at least not for us mere mortals. Looking forward to your future posts.
Nice write-up, I am interested in hearing how the range results transition over to the course.
fupresti,
I like the perspective you are bringing to this testing and it sounds like the s55's will be a nice addition to your bag. I agree with your comment about having to hit this style of iron with a purpose. These are definitely not "point and shoot", at least not for us mere mortals. Looking forward to your future posts.
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Some good stuff up in here! Nice gents!
I'm headed out for a round after work today, if there is anything you want me to look for or if there are any specific questions, please post em up!
I'm headed out for a round after work today, if there is anything you want me to look for or if there are any specific questions, please post em up!
Great review....big difference between the G25 and S55 ( as expected ). I'm holding on to my Ansers ; just in case these S55's are too much. I've come from TM MB's and 712 MB's so I'm sure I can handle them.
Big offset difference, where you able to adjust with ease? Man, do they look great
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Little bit of adjustment. I think thats why I was pushing my first couple shots getting back into a groove. After that, no issues.
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Had a pretty dang interesting day with the round I played with this set today, I'll get more into it tomorrow but suffice to say I'm pondering what the balance of performance these actually bring to the table from a design standpoint and what they bring to me personally from a mental standpoint on the course.
So much going on...
So much going on...
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Great stuff so far.
malemotives
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Enjoying these reviews.... I may not be able to hold out, and am considering getting fitted for the S55 when I get to Mesa, AZ next month. I will at least hunt some down and hit them, to decide.
homesy68
New member
been looking at these irons and cant wait to here the full reviews on them,had the 56s before but wasn't playing enough to justify them,
dhartmann34
Well-known member
Jax wanted a picture comparison to my I3+'s so here they are.
Wicked Cool Bearded Man
4thegolf+4thefriends
My first thoughts.
As an unofficial tester in for these irons (due to my own impatience, you’re welcome dhartmann34 J) My viewpoint may be a little different As I have my own funds into these irons, I am treating these as less of a test and more of the future of my bag. I will say that I may be biased as I am a bit of a Ping homer. Maybe its because I like repping my hometown company. My first set of brand new, custom fit irons were Ping ISI irons with JZ Stiff shafts. Since then I have played Ping i3, Ping i20, Ping G25 and now these S55’s. My first titanium driver was a Ping TiSI 7*. I have gamed G5, G15, G20 and now the G25 driver and assorted bags, putters, wedges, etc. However, my love only extends as long as the products work and Ping has always been a solid brand.
The set I purchased were 4-PW, KBS Tour Purple Dot. My G25 irons had the CFS X and it was a great shaft, but my fitting showed as it did with my i20’s and my Mizuno MP-64’s that KBS Tours and me are muy bueno. I was hoping the KBS Tour V would be an option, but alas I will have to wait till the Apex Pro’s are available to hit that piece of heaven.
That being said, here is a side by side of the G25 vs. the S55. The size comparison was shocking, maybe it’s the dark finish on the G25’s that make them appear smaller, but while there is a size difference, it’s not a shocking one (to me at least). Of course offset it very different, but both clubs frame the ball very well.
4-Iron
5-Iron
6-Iron
7-Iron
8-Iron
9-Iron
PW
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the soles of the G25 vs. the S55
So, my first round of testing was bright and early this morning. I went to my favorite spot for a quick 9 before work, Coyote Lakes in Surprise, AZ. I play the back 9 by myself a few times a week as times allow, so I headed out. I started on 11, a 334-yard par 4. Where I would normally hit 20* hybrid, I decided to give the clubs a test. No warm ups, I dropped a ball and grab the 6-iron. I hit a nice solid push right. OK, I have to make adjustments to my swing. Tee up another one, pushed it again. After going through my swing thoughts the third one was a rope with a high baby draw. A well struck shot, I was immediately reminded of my MP-64. I know everyone likes to talk about “buttery”, and I will not go there. What I did experience was a very solid feel with a noticeable heft behind the shot. It felt every bit as good as my Mizuno’s.
I was left with 156 to the pin so I grabbed the 8-iron. Another well struck shot with a slight draw. Here is the result.
I proceeded to play the 9 in 1 over par. A really great round and the clubs, when well struck feel fantastic. I had forgotten very quickly with the G25 irons that you have to hit your shot with a purpose, where I think the tendency with GI and SGI irons is to aim and whack it. The good thing is getting back into a player mindset helped with my overall game on the 9, hitting every fairway with my driver and some good wedge shots.
I did experience some distance loss, but I am OK with that. It may have been the colder morning. Had I warmed up I would probably have done better distance wise, but honestly I will give up yards for accuracy. We are seeing ridiculous distances coming out of these newer clubs, and while that’s good for many, I am not concerned with 200 yard 7-irons, I want to be a better player. I think these irons are the right choice for my game right now and moving forward. My goal in 2014 is to get down to a 3 so I can seriously consider more tournament play.
I have a full 18 this weekend so I will have some more thoughts then. But to me, Ping has a winner. These are the best looking Ping irons ever in my opinion and the tech and feel is phenomenal.
Great thoughts dude. Love the side by side comparisons. I love that you are fluctuating between the G25 and the s55
I am really looking forward to this review.
Its on
Very nice!!! Can't wait for my set. Ordered a little and will be done in WRX
Love hearing all the reviews on these beauties
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JRod
Well-known member
I'd be buying these in a heartbeat if I ever planned on hitting a golf ball again. Amazing iron.
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You would love these. Mark my words.
On other forums, users kept comparing them to AP2's. I'm gamed 08' AP2's, 710 and 712 AP2's; they are pretty automatic. Very forgiving for a 'players' iron. Can you guys compare these S55's to the AP2'? Same category? I just can't see these irons being in the same category. I would say they are closer to a 714 CB or something along those lines.
Intersted to hear your thoughts
Intersted to hear your thoughts
dhartmann34
Well-known member
Took em out today
Thoughts coming soon. Need a warm shower first.(And if anyone could let me know how to post those large pics, instead of little ones you can click on to make larger, I'd appreciate it)
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PING s55 Iron - Review Thread
I played with ddec today, and first things first...these clubs are GORGEOUS. I admit freely to being a Ping homer, and the look of these clubs do not disappoint.
It was his first round out with them, so I figured I would try not to drool over them too much. By the 8th hole, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked if I could taken a swipe. He obliged, so naturally I dropped a ball in the rough 210 yards from the green and grabbed the 3 iron.
His stiff graphite shafts are 85g, and my stiff steel shafted SpeedBlades are 85g, yet to me anyway, the S55s felt heavier in my hand. I had a good day striking the ball today, so it was no surprise that I absolutely flushed the ball with the S55. It launched high and straight at the flag. Unfortunately we were standing on the right side of the rough and the ball clipped a branch about 3/4 of the way to the green and dropped about 10 yards short of the green (still on a direct line with the flag).
A few holes later I dropped a ball around 165-170, but caught that ball thin and while the ball held the line, it did come down short of the green. This has been my typical miss this year, and a friendly reminder, for me, that more forgiving irons are probably a better fit...for me.
That being said, the 3 iron I flushed was one of the best feeling shots of my season.
I played with ddec today, and first things first...these clubs are GORGEOUS. I admit freely to being a Ping homer, and the look of these clubs do not disappoint.
It was his first round out with them, so I figured I would try not to drool over them too much. By the 8th hole, my curiosity got the best of me and I asked if I could taken a swipe. He obliged, so naturally I dropped a ball in the rough 210 yards from the green and grabbed the 3 iron.
His stiff graphite shafts are 85g, and my stiff steel shafted SpeedBlades are 85g, yet to me anyway, the S55s felt heavier in my hand. I had a good day striking the ball today, so it was no surprise that I absolutely flushed the ball with the S55. It launched high and straight at the flag. Unfortunately we were standing on the right side of the rough and the ball clipped a branch about 3/4 of the way to the green and dropped about 10 yards short of the green (still on a direct line with the flag).
A few holes later I dropped a ball around 165-170, but caught that ball thin and while the ball held the line, it did come down short of the green. This has been my typical miss this year, and a friendly reminder, for me, that more forgiving irons are probably a better fit...for me.
That being said, the 3 iron I flushed was one of the best feeling shots of my season.
dhartmann34
Well-known member
Alright....So I was able to get out today for my first round with the S55's. There's really a lot to take in for me using a different iron.
I've had my current I3+'s for at least 9 years....So change doesn't come easy or often. That being said...Here's my thoughts for the day.
Feel
This part is super important to me. I'm the biggest feel person that there is out there. It's just how it's always been and if it feels good in myhands I'm happy as a clam. As I mentioned the other day they felt soft at the range and it continued on the course today. Every shot I hit seemed to have the feelingof almost perfection. Even when I didn't hit the ball perfect on the club face, it felt good coming off the face. If I was blind and not able tosee the ball, I would have thought that 90% of my shots were striped down the middle. Of course reality is much different and my swing has many different variations. I will say when I made contact with the middle of the club face and back towards the heel, it felt pretty much the same....Really good.
A few that I hit on the toe, while not feeling like I just hit a rock hard range ball that just came out of the freezer, did give me that 'dead'
feeling where it hits the face and just goes out and loses steam really quickly. I hit a few balls chunky and those actually gave me a decent
feeling as well, although you could certainly feel the fatness.
When comparing shots out of the rough and fairway, I was also getting the same type of feel. The grass getting between the clubface didn't change it much at all. Overall I'm going to say that the S55 feel is like nothing I've felt in a long time, especially when you hit it on the center on back towards the heel.
Distances
Today's weather was about 50 degrees and a 15-20 mph wind which certainly had an effect on the ball so keep that in mind.
Distances were very comparable to my normal distances except for when I hit it right in the middle. I believe hitting it square
with the longer irons actually gives me 4-5 more yards. Now, that's not a ton of yardage, but it really can make a difference in
the club you hit or if you go for it or not. The shorter irons too were longer by a couple yards, but this could be due to the fact
that the lofts were strengthened a tad on these. I think it could also be because of the fantastic launch I'm getting as well.
I'll certainly get a better view of this when it's not windy.
Look
I can't say enough about the great view looking down over these irons. When I got up over them, it made me feel like it was a small head just waitingto attack the ball. A couple times I really did try and attack it and we all know what happens when we try to do that. So I slow down a bit and things were fine. I did have a guy comment before I teed off about them being 'pretty set of beauties'. I guess he feels the same way I do. They just fit my eye well. I can't say enough about them. They are a bit smaller in the heel and topline than my I3+'s even though the pictures don't really show it very well. I'm beginning to think that small difference is a good thing.
Performance
So now the important part...How did they perform? Well I did not bring out one wood or hybrid today. It was all 3 irons off the tees and every other iron as the chance presented itself. I did have a few time where I dropped 6 or 7 balls and kept hitting whatever was in my hands. I was able to hit these with the same straight, sometimes baby draw as I always do. About 10 times I tried to cut/slice the ball with various clubs and was able to do so with no problem at all. Again, the ball flight was really high with every club. Even the 3 iron off the tee and out of the fairway got some great height and distance which impressed me.
I did take a few balls and punch them out of the trees since I spend some of my time there when I get on the course and from normal rough lies to more 'down' lies, my 4 and 5 irons punched the ball out quite easily. The faces didn't stick in the rough at all which I was hoping for. I did have a little trouble with the path though b/c most of my punches were ropes that had a bit too much right to left on them. Probably the grip or ball position, but I wasn't ever able to get it to cut or fly straight with the punches.
As I mentioned before, anything struck in the center and back towards the heel flew right where I wanted with good trajectory. Shots hit on the toe actually went pretty close to where I was aiming but they did not carry anywhere near as long as they would normally. That 'dead' feeling on the toe doesn't happen with my existing clubs so having a bad toe shot can hurt you a bit with these. That being said, mishits tended not to stray anywhere near as far off the correct line as I would have expected. Thin shots travel fairly straight with distance loss, but direction is really key. I think when an average golfer hits a bad shot, they get in trouble b/c it strays offline. These seem to somehow lessen that stray. Again, it's my experience on my first time out with these. We'll see if that continues.
Overall
I'll admit, I'm falling a bit for the clubs. I love that soft feel more than I can even explain. They fly great. They stay on target. It's just wonderful.
That being said, I would expect one that doesn't strike the ball halfway decent is not going to get the same results. My mishits, while not straying far off line, did lose quite a bit of distance. I think a GI club helps prevent that distance loss with a bigger sweet spot which of course can allow for the ball to spray further offline. In my mind, it really depends on what you see yourself as. Some folks are higher handicappers that hit the ball fine, but lose MANY MANY strokes from 100 yards in. These clubs could be for you. But if you struggle getting the center of the club face on the ball fairly consistently, you may like the feel, but distance will not in my opinion, be on your side.
Obviously, for me the club head and shaft together make great golf shots....I just keep wondering what the shafts would be like with another head on them. Things that make you go Hmmmmmm....
I've had my current I3+'s for at least 9 years....So change doesn't come easy or often. That being said...Here's my thoughts for the day.
Feel
This part is super important to me. I'm the biggest feel person that there is out there. It's just how it's always been and if it feels good in myhands I'm happy as a clam. As I mentioned the other day they felt soft at the range and it continued on the course today. Every shot I hit seemed to have the feelingof almost perfection. Even when I didn't hit the ball perfect on the club face, it felt good coming off the face. If I was blind and not able tosee the ball, I would have thought that 90% of my shots were striped down the middle. Of course reality is much different and my swing has many different variations. I will say when I made contact with the middle of the club face and back towards the heel, it felt pretty much the same....Really good.
A few that I hit on the toe, while not feeling like I just hit a rock hard range ball that just came out of the freezer, did give me that 'dead'
feeling where it hits the face and just goes out and loses steam really quickly. I hit a few balls chunky and those actually gave me a decent
feeling as well, although you could certainly feel the fatness.
When comparing shots out of the rough and fairway, I was also getting the same type of feel. The grass getting between the clubface didn't change it much at all. Overall I'm going to say that the S55 feel is like nothing I've felt in a long time, especially when you hit it on the center on back towards the heel.
Distances
Today's weather was about 50 degrees and a 15-20 mph wind which certainly had an effect on the ball so keep that in mind.
Distances were very comparable to my normal distances except for when I hit it right in the middle. I believe hitting it square
with the longer irons actually gives me 4-5 more yards. Now, that's not a ton of yardage, but it really can make a difference in
the club you hit or if you go for it or not. The shorter irons too were longer by a couple yards, but this could be due to the fact
that the lofts were strengthened a tad on these. I think it could also be because of the fantastic launch I'm getting as well.
I'll certainly get a better view of this when it's not windy.
Look
I can't say enough about the great view looking down over these irons. When I got up over them, it made me feel like it was a small head just waitingto attack the ball. A couple times I really did try and attack it and we all know what happens when we try to do that. So I slow down a bit and things were fine. I did have a guy comment before I teed off about them being 'pretty set of beauties'. I guess he feels the same way I do. They just fit my eye well. I can't say enough about them. They are a bit smaller in the heel and topline than my I3+'s even though the pictures don't really show it very well. I'm beginning to think that small difference is a good thing.
Performance
So now the important part...How did they perform? Well I did not bring out one wood or hybrid today. It was all 3 irons off the tees and every other iron as the chance presented itself. I did have a few time where I dropped 6 or 7 balls and kept hitting whatever was in my hands. I was able to hit these with the same straight, sometimes baby draw as I always do. About 10 times I tried to cut/slice the ball with various clubs and was able to do so with no problem at all. Again, the ball flight was really high with every club. Even the 3 iron off the tee and out of the fairway got some great height and distance which impressed me.
I did take a few balls and punch them out of the trees since I spend some of my time there when I get on the course and from normal rough lies to more 'down' lies, my 4 and 5 irons punched the ball out quite easily. The faces didn't stick in the rough at all which I was hoping for. I did have a little trouble with the path though b/c most of my punches were ropes that had a bit too much right to left on them. Probably the grip or ball position, but I wasn't ever able to get it to cut or fly straight with the punches.
As I mentioned before, anything struck in the center and back towards the heel flew right where I wanted with good trajectory. Shots hit on the toe actually went pretty close to where I was aiming but they did not carry anywhere near as long as they would normally. That 'dead' feeling on the toe doesn't happen with my existing clubs so having a bad toe shot can hurt you a bit with these. That being said, mishits tended not to stray anywhere near as far off the correct line as I would have expected. Thin shots travel fairly straight with distance loss, but direction is really key. I think when an average golfer hits a bad shot, they get in trouble b/c it strays offline. These seem to somehow lessen that stray. Again, it's my experience on my first time out with these. We'll see if that continues.
Overall
I'll admit, I'm falling a bit for the clubs. I love that soft feel more than I can even explain. They fly great. They stay on target. It's just wonderful.
That being said, I would expect one that doesn't strike the ball halfway decent is not going to get the same results. My mishits, while not straying far off line, did lose quite a bit of distance. I think a GI club helps prevent that distance loss with a bigger sweet spot which of course can allow for the ball to spray further offline. In my mind, it really depends on what you see yourself as. Some folks are higher handicappers that hit the ball fine, but lose MANY MANY strokes from 100 yards in. These clubs could be for you. But if you struggle getting the center of the club face on the ball fairly consistently, you may like the feel, but distance will not in my opinion, be on your side.
Obviously, for me the club head and shaft together make great golf shots....I just keep wondering what the shafts would be like with another head on them. Things that make you go Hmmmmmm....