We've launched the new forums! Read more here

PING i25 Irons - Review Thread

SuperStroke
I played with c0ncept yesterday. The conditions were, uh, just a little damp. I didn't see any digging or other turf interaction issues for Andrew. I was especially struck by how well he played the long and short irons. That's not to say the mid irons were bad, just that the other stuff struck me more as a playing partner. Shots around the green from a variety of conditions really appeared to perform well.

I hit the clubs on the range and played a par 3 with them. The 4i is maybe the easiest 4i I've hit (I'm not a 4i player). The clubs felt great, were straight and elevated the ball nicely. I wasn't swinging great yesterday and came away thinking about the extra bounce that comes from the sole and how it was nice to get a little extra help there over what I currently game. I also like the shafts with this head. I tried several times to like the i20's but never could; I hit these better on day one than I ever did the 20s. Nice irons.
 
Last edited:
drp3434 said:
Great stuff GB and CK. I look forward to seeing how the flighting progresses for you.
Click to expand...

Worked out the mechanics at the range yesterday before the snow came again.

My issues was what I thought, I just developed a shallower swing over time because I've been playing blades with x100's. All I had to do to fix it was swing down and threw a bit more and the ball flights quiet nicely. Now just need to take it to the course.
 
Previous Entries:
First Post: Initial Thoughts - Click Here
Second Post: U Wedge Thoughts - Click Here
Third Post: First 9 holes - Click Here
Fourth Post: Range Time - Click Here

Location Details:
3/16/2014
Chambers Bay Golf Course
45* and raining with about 6-8 MPH wind.
Bridgestone e6

General Thoughts:

So let me start off by describing the course...It is a course that will find your weakness and expose it in a big way. Shot placement is one of the most important things on courses like this. Last time out at this course I shot a 42/53 and the weather was a lot better but a few holes were different. I was hoping to break 80 if the weather was good and if the weather got bad breaking 90 would be a win for me given the course conditions.

Spoiler

Hole 1- Driver hit well to left fairway leaving 180 into the wind and an uphill lie so I pulled the 4 iron. Hit a high fade like I wanted but was aimed a lot right. Hit a pitch LW right where I wanted and had it run down the slope to a few feet.

Hole 2- Driver hit well again. 150 to the back pin so I hit a knockdown 8 iron. Ball did exactly what I wanted end thanks to the crazy water on the green is sat center green to a back pin.

Hole 3- 145 yard par 3 I hit a 9 iron. High draw landed just to the left of the pin then took all the slope of the green off to the lower tier to the left.

Hole 4- Par 5 uphill. Hit a good drive to the far right of the fairway but decided against going for the green in 2 because of the weather. Hit a 4 iron to a layup and hit a great draw that unfortunately took a bad kick and then took off right and into the waste area. Grabbed the LW and tried to hit a really tough shot from both that lie and wet sand but was feeling confident and hit it well but landed about 10 feet short of the pin in another bunker I didn't think about. Grabbed LW again and stuck it to a few feet out of the bunker.

Hole 5- Very long par 4 that was playing into the wind...Tried to hit a low drive and basically plugged very very short. Hit 3W and was still 90 yards out of the flag. Pulled LW and hit a great shot that landed on the front of the green.

Hole 6- Hit a good drive but still had over 200 in. Tried to hit a 3W but clipped the top of a hill and left 70 yards in from the right. Hit LW to about 10 feet.

Hole 7- The hole was playing very short and I wish I had tried to drive it. Hit a good shot to the left of the green as a layup. Hit LW in again to about 6 feet.

Hole 8- Long par 5 for the weather. Hit a good drive and then since I was laying up I hit a 4 iron. Hit it great and left a knockdown 7 in that unfortunately hit the front of the green and stopped instantly. Hit the UW (yes on the green) to about 3 feet.

Hole 9- Hit a 7 iron that plugged into the area right below the front bunker in a grass seam.

Hole 10- Hit a good drive then hit LW having 90 in. Wind caught it and left it on the front of the green.

Hole 11- Hit a great drive that left 240 in (wth) and then hit 3W well out of standing water that landed 90 yards short in a bunker. Hit SW great out of the wet sand onto the green.

Hole 12- Drive ran out into a bunker. Hit LW with an open face out of the bunker over a large hill to a few feet.

Hole 13- Long par 4. Hit driver that left 250+ in. Hit driver again then chipped up onto the green.

Hole 14- Took too aggressive of a line off the tee and caught the waste bunker by a foot or two. Punched out and hit 6 iron right at the pin but just over the green. Hit a toe flop with the LW (didn't think it would go well) to a few feet.

Hole 15- Hit a few shots on this hole. Hit PW long through the green then hit UW short of the green by about a foot. I then hit the i20 PW pin high. Had no issues again using the LW to get out of the sand and to a few feet.

Hole 16- Good drive that left a 7 iron in. Hit a knockdown just left of the green but chipped up to a few feet.

Hole 17- Hit UW again on this par 3 but felt a little cold and tight. Shot was a little right of the pin but was where I aimed. Landed just short of the green in a puddle.

Hole 18- Hit 3 hybrid off the tee because the club was dry. Then hit 3w to an open area. More as a joke from 160 yards I said I was going to hit 4 iron and see how it did. Opened the stance and the face and hit a beauty to about 7 feet over all the hazards.


Long/Mid irons: I don't play long irons...I don't carry below a 5 iron usually and even then I never hit the 5 iron by choice. I kept wanting to use the 4 iron today because it just feels so great. On the range before the round I was hitting it really well and shaping it any way I wanted. This probably sounds weird but it is almost like putting a wedge in my hands...It is becoming a comfort zone club. Hit the 6/7 irons a bit today too and was hitting dead straight and higher than I hit the R7s. I love how these fly so straight for me.

Short Irons/Full Wedges: These clubs were incredible. I got up and down with the wedges with ease and full shots were a breeze. Very wet ground and I didn't hit one wedge poorly all day.

Feel- I was freezing and my hands hurt but I did not hit a shot all day that made me want to drop a club from pain. These clubs are soft and when I hit next to the i20 PW I really think the i25s are a little softer. Today was better with the wedges in sand and I was able to place every short shot right where I wanted.

Distance- I tightened up early in the round so I again can't say anything about distance today. On the range they seemed almost as long as the R7s were though.

Forgiveness- The weather screams heavy shots but I didn't have one all day. I couldn't hit a poor shot all day and the soles didn't dig at all which was great considering I can get steep with wedges.

Workability- Knockdowns were great and I really was able to hit as high as I needed or as low as needed all day. When I missed today it was solely aim because I hit the shots I wanted and expected to play.

Extra Findings- I really just want to hit these clubs in Arizona now. I don't play well in Washington usually and for me to shave off so many stokes so quickly from what I shoot up here (and I still don't really know the club distances) is remarkable. These irons could be a complete game changer and I dare say the set wedges...YES THE SET WEDGES...are better than my forged copper (can't believe I typed that).
 
c0ncept said:
Previous Entries:
First Post: Initial Thoughts - Click Here
Second Post: U Wedge Thoughts - Click Here
Third Post: First 9 holes - Click Here
Fourth Post: Range Time - Click Here

Location Details:
3/16/2014
Chambers Bay Golf Course
45* and raining with about 6-8 MPH wind.
Bridgestone e6

General Thoughts:

So let me start off by describing the course...It is a course that will find your weakness and expose it in a big way. Shot placement is one of the most important things on courses like this. Last time out at this course I shot a 42/53 and the weather was a lot better but a few holes were different. I was hoping to break 80 if the weather was good and if the weather got bad breaking 90 would be a win for me given the course conditions.

Spoiler

Hole 1- Driver hit well to left fairway leaving 180 into the wind and an uphill lie so I pulled the 4 iron. Hit a high fade like I wanted but was aimed a lot right. Hit a pitch LW right where I wanted and had it run down the slope to a few feet.

Hole 2- Driver hit well again. 150 to the back pin so I hit a knockdown 8 iron. Ball did exactly what I wanted end thanks to the crazy water on the green is sat center green to a back pin.

Hole 3- 145 yard par 3 I hit a 9 iron. High draw landed just to the left of the pin then took all the slope of the green off to the lower tier to the left.

Hole 4- Par 5 uphill. Hit a good drive to the far right of the fairway but decided against going for the green in 2 because of the weather. Hit a 4 iron to a layup and hit a great draw that unfortunately took a bad kick and then took off right and into the waste area. Grabbed the LW and tried to hit a really tough shot from both that lie and wet sand but was feeling confident and hit it well but landed about 10 feet short of the pin in another bunker I didn't think about. Grabbed LW again and stuck it to a few feet out of the bunker.

Hole 5- Very long par 4 that was playing into the wind...Tried to hit a low drive and basically plugged very very short. Hit 3W and was still 90 yards out of the flag. Pulled LW and hit a great shot that landed on the front of the green.

Hole 6- Hit a good drive but still had over 200 in. Tried to hit a 3W but clipped the top of a hill and left 70 yards in from the right. Hit LW to about 10 feet.

Hole 7- The hole was playing very short and I wish I had tried to drive it. Hit a good shot to the left of the green as a layup. Hit LW in again to about 6 feet.

Hole 8- Long par 5 for the weather. Hit a good drive and then since I was laying up I hit a 4 iron. Hit it great and left a knockdown 7 in that unfortunately hit the front of the green and stopped instantly. Hit the UW (yes on the green) to about 3 feet.

Hole 9- Hit a 7 iron that plugged into the area right below the front bunker in a grass seam.

Hole 10- Hit a good drive then hit LW having 90 in. Wind caught it and left it on the front of the green.

Hole 11- Hit a great drive that left 240 in (wth) and then hit 3W well out of standing water that landed 90 yards short in a bunker. Hit SW great out of the wet sand onto the green.

Hole 12- Drive ran out into a bunker. Hit LW with an open face out of the bunker over a large hill to a few feet.

Hole 13- Long par 4. Hit driver that left 250+ in. Hit driver again then chipped up onto the green.

Hole 14- Took too aggressive of a line off the tee and caught the waste bunker by a foot or two. Punched out and hit 6 iron right at the pin but just over the green. Hit a toe flop with the LW (didn't think it would go well) to a few feet.

Hole 15- Hit a few shots on this hole. Hit PW long through the green then hit UW short of the green by about a foot. I then hit the i20 PW pin high. Had no issues again using the LW to get out of the sand and to a few feet.

Hole 16- Good drive that left a 7 iron in. Hit a knockdown just left of the green but chipped up to a few feet.

Hole 17- Hit UW again on this par 3 but felt a little cold and tight. Shot was a little right of the pin but was where I aimed. Landed just short of the green in a puddle.

Hole 18- Hit 3 hybrid off the tee because the club was dry. Then hit 3w to an open area. More as a joke from 160 yards I said I was going to hit 4 iron and see how it did. Opened the stance and the face and hit a beauty to about 7 feet over all the hazards.


Long/Mid irons: I don't play long irons...I don't carry below a 5 iron usually and even then I never hit the 5 iron by choice. I kept wanting to use the 4 iron today because it just feels so great. On the range before the round I was hitting it really well and shaping it any way I wanted. This probably sounds weird but it is almost like putting a wedge in my hands...It is becoming a comfort zone club. Hit the 6/7 irons a bit today too and was hitting dead straight and higher than I hit the R7s. I love how these fly so straight for me.

Short Irons/Full Wedges: These clubs were incredible. I got up and down with the wedges with ease and full shots were a breeze. Very wet ground and I didn't hit one wedge poorly all day.

Feel- I was freezing and my hands hurt but I did not hit a shot all day that made me want to drop a club from pain. These clubs are soft and when I hit next to the i20 PW I really think the i25s are a little softer. Today was better with the wedges in sand and I was able to place every short shot right where I wanted.

Distance- I tightened up early in the round so I again can't say anything about distance today. On the range they seemed almost as long as the R7s were though.

Forgiveness- The weather screams heavy shots but I didn't have one all day. I couldn't hit a poor shot all day and the soles didn't dig at all which was great considering I can get steep with wedges.

Workability- Knockdowns were great and I really was able to hit as high as I needed or as low as needed all day. When I missed today it was solely aim because I hit the shots I wanted and expected to play.

Extra Findings- I really just want to hit these clubs in Arizona now. I don't play well in Washington usually and for me to shave off so many stokes so quickly from what I shoot up here (and I still don't really know the club distances) is remarkable. These irons could be a complete game changer and I dare say the set wedges...YES THE SET WEDGES...are better than my forged copper (can't believe I typed that).
Click to expand...


Can you go into a little detail as to why you feel they are better than your forged wedges?
 
Golferbest said:
Can you go into a little detail as to why you feel they are better than your forged wedges?
Click to expand...

Being as I have not hit them side by side yet I just am going from what I have seen. I have always hit wedges very well and would never consider using CB wedges because of how many different types of shots I hit with all of my wedges. The i25 wedges were clubs I wanted to try but only wanted to try to basically prove that I don't want set wedges.

i25s vs the Forged Copper:

Distance- I can hit the FC wedges 105, 95, 85 yards for the 52/56/60 degree wedges. In Washington those distances would probably be closer to 95/85/75 from past experience. The i25 wedges however are 110,100,90 for the 50/54/58 degree wedges. That seems close considering the loft increase but the difference is I would have to hit the FC wedges perfect and low to get that distance where as the i25s are a smooth swing that is very high and would hold any green I play in Arizona (that is a big deal considering how hard a few greens can get)

Feel- Short shots are very similar with a square face although the i25s tend to run out more due to the loft and "spring" off the face. I get to take a shorter swing (less room for error) on the pitch shots and have yet to hit one with the i25 that has done the unexpected or missed my target. The ball flight seems a little more consistent regardless of where it is hit on the face.

Trick shots- I love playing weird shots around the green and the toe flop is one of the hardest shots I have been working on for the last few months. I can hit the shot 3 feet over a sprinkler head or I can hit it 40 yards over a bunker. Even though the i25s are CB wedges I can still open the face cut across the ball and hit this exact same shot.

The reason for saying I think these are better is because not only are they longer, higher, and forgiving...they can hit every shot that my forged copper wedges can hit.
 
I'm also intrigued by the wedges. I've found when I try to chip around the green with set wedges, the way the ball comes off the face is just way too different than my normal wedges. It makes it really hard for me to control distances; the ball seems to come off the set clubs way hotter.
 
drp3434 said:
I'm also intrigued by the wedges. I've found when I try to chip around the green with set wedges, the way the ball comes off the face is just way too different than my normal wedges. It makes it really hard for me to control distances; the ball seems to come off the set clubs way hotter.
Click to expand...

It definitely does but I just started learning to expect that and can control the pace just like other wedges. I think that is just a property of CB wedges too mixed with the stronger lofts..
 
c0ncept said:
Distance- I tightened up early in the round so I again can't say anything about distance today. On the range they seemed almost as long as the R7s were though.

Forgiveness- The weather screams heavy shots but I didn't have one all day. I couldn't hit a poor shot all day and the soles didn't dig at all which was great considering I can get steep with wedges.

Workability- Knockdowns were great and I really was able to hit as high as I needed or as low as needed all day. When I missed today it was solely aim because I hit the shots I wanted and expected to play.
Click to expand...
I spent some time hitting the i25 7i and my DPC 7i at a green with a pin marked 175(?). Distances were fairly comparable between the two sets for me. However, on this day when I didn't have my A swing, the extra forgiveness of the i25's was pretty noticeable. With the DPCs I was hitting lower trajectory shots that tended to draw/hook; I also mixed in the occasional fat miss. I don't remember any fat shots with the i25's, and the ball tended to fly higher and more straight. It was a reminder that sometimes it really is nice to have our clubs help us out :)
 
Last edited:
drp3434 said:
I'm also intrigued by the wedges. I've found when I try to chip around the green with set wedges, the way the ball comes off the face is just way too different than my normal wedges. It makes it really hard for me to control distances; the ball seems to come off the set clubs way hotter.
Click to expand...
Andrew was really impressive with the wedges yesterday. First hole, maybe 40 yards short right, the ball ended up at nearly kick in distance. This type of thing happened repeatedly...distance and ball control were just there (and remember, he plays e6's). Maybe he has been working on his technique. Maybe these wedges are pretty damn good. Maybe both?
 
tequila4kapp said:
Andrew was really impressive with the wedges yesterday. First hole, maybe 40 yards short right, the ball ended up at nearly kick in distance. This type of thing happened repeatedly...distance and ball control were just there (and remember, he plays e6's). Maybe he has been working on his technique. Maybe these wedges are pretty damn good. Maybe both?
Click to expand...



Prolly a little from column A, a little from column B :D
 
drp3434 said:
I'm also intrigued by the wedges. I've found when I try to chip around the green with set wedges, the way the ball comes off the face is just way too different than my normal wedges. It makes it really hard for me to control distances; the ball seems to come off the set clubs way hotter.
Click to expand...


I was concerned with this as well because I'm playing the 50* gap with my set and I like chipping with this club. I spent a few days hitting both my ATV and the i25 50* into nets to get the feel off the face. When it came game time the i25 performed just like my ATV. I hopped and stopped it out of the woods on a par 5 so it has some check up power. I normally play chips for roll out though.

c0ncept and James both have the full set of wedges so they will be a wealth of knowledge for the SW/LW.
 
ChristopherKee said:
I was concerned with this as well because I'm playing the 50* gap with my set and I like chipping with this club. I spent a few days hitting both my ATV and the i25 50* into nets to get the feel off the face. When it came game time the i25 performed just like my ATV. I hopped and stopped it out of the woods on a par 5 so it has some check up power. I normally play chips for roll out though.

c0ncept and James both have the full set of wedges so they will be a wealth of knowledge for the SW/LW.
Click to expand...



Yeah the SW/LW is where I'm the most curious. But also good to know on chipping with the 50*, cuz I can't chip with my current 50* set gap wedge.
 
Sorry I can't go into a ton of detail as I am away on vacation right now and letting these four carry the load, but I can go briefly into the SW LW thoughts for me.

I see no distance differences from my other wedges on pitches and chips. Good spin for me (pretty much all wedges now have good spin though) but it's all about HOW you play those shots. The LW has 13* bounce IIRC and as such opening up isn't a big option on tight lies, but, if you play straight forward shots (ie not fancy) then they perform well and would for many golfers, alas, most of us think we have to play separate wedges bc that's what the pros do.
 
Jman said:
Sorry I can't go into a ton of detail as I am away on vacation right now and letting these four carry the load, but I can go briefly into the SW LW thoughts for me.

I see no distance differences from my other wedges on pitches and chips. Good spin for me (pretty much all wedges now have good spin though) but it's all about HOW you play those shots. The LW has 13* bounce IIRC and as such opening up isn't a big option on tight lies, but, if you play straight forward shots (ie not fancy) then they perform well and would for many golfers, alas, most of us think we have to play separate wedges bc that's what the pros do.
Click to expand...

Yeah the LW goes back down to 13* of bounce. I have had no issues opening the face from tight lies but I really want to see how well I can do that in Arizona where the ground is nowhere close to soft. The distance gain I see could be because of the shafts I guess I hadn't thought about that too much.

On a kind of side note here are bounce specs of other major wedges:

Cleveland 588 RTX - 2 of 3 models are 12* and 14* of bounce for the 58/60*
Callaway Mac Daddy 2 - 58/60* wedges come in either 10* or 14* of bounce
Titleist has the lowest bounce with 4/7/8/11* options on their 58/60* SM5s
Hopkins - Both 58/60* are 12* of bounce.

After looking at this I don't really think the 13* of bounce should be an issue of choosing a set wedge unless you want an extremely low bounce wedge or think you need a custom grind.
 
People overthink bounce in wedges, it's a long standing fact IMO. Many THINK they need low bounce while in reality more could do them good...I've been one of those, I'm finally learning my lesson though the more I research about effective bounce in the golf swing.
 
Jman said:
Sorry I can't go into a ton of detail as I am away on vacation right now and letting these four carry the load, but I can go briefly into the SW LW thoughts for me.

I see no distance differences from my other wedges on pitches and chips. Good spin for me (pretty much all wedges now have good spin though) but it's all about HOW you play those shots. The LW has 13* bounce IIRC and as such opening up isn't a big option on tight lies, but, if you play straight forward shots (ie not fancy) then they perform well and would for many golfers, alas, most of us think we have to play separate wedges bc that's what the pros do.
Click to expand...


Well in saying that though, would you having now had the set keep the wedges, or would you go whats become a pretty standard route of getting different wedges that you feel might be more specifically suited to you than the standards if you had to purchase the set?
 
Jman said:
People overthink bounce in wedges, it's a long standing fact IMO. Many THINK they need low bounce while in reality more could do them good...I've been one of those, I'm finally learning my lesson though the more I research about effective bounce in the golf swing.
Click to expand...

This ^^^^^^

60* with 4* of bounce was really stupid for me to play when I did with the swing I had.
 
Metroid said:
Well in saying that though, would you having now had the set keep the wedges, or would you go whats become a pretty standard route of getting different wedges that you feel might be more specifically suited to you than the standards if you had to purchase the set?
Click to expand...

This is not the first time I have used set wedges as I was also fortunate enough to do the forum review on the i20's and actually had the set wedges with WRX grinds on them. That said, in OK during the summer we get true hard pan...a lot...and while I could see myself swapping the LW for a lower bounced 58 in those summer dog days, the SW is a lot of fun out of the sand and on partial swings, I can def see keeping them in the bag at least part of the time, we shall see. Letting the bounce work had opened eyes more though, fact.
 
Interesting to hear your toughts Jman thanks for the reply.
 
drp3434 said:
Yeah the SW/LW is where I'm the most curious. But also good to know on chipping with the 50*, cuz I can't chip with my current 50* set gap wedge.
Click to expand...

I was surprised to see the SW being 54*. I like to play higher lofts out of green side bunkers. I played the Friday HHI practice round w/ the i25's and was in the sand all day. I leaned toward the 58* Lob wedge.

For chipping, I typically use a PW and let the ball roll out, so no issues there. Did not get a chance to try a flop shot or manipulate the club face much. Will work on that next range session/round.
 
With only having a range session in so far I can say that much on the wedges.

I will say that the set wedges are a great addition to my bad. Ive always used forged wedges.
The lofts are perfect for my game as ive lost some distance over time. The only thing i could forsee a problem with is in the greenside bunker. Im an open the clubface kinda guy there.

However on anything besides that I believe a set wedge will be better. Simple isnt always a bad thing, and if you limit (in a good way) the number of shots you have options for it help to just get to the ball and hit it.
 
c0ncept said:
This ^^^^^^

60* with 4* of bounce was really stupid for me to play when I did with the swing I had.
Click to expand...


To this day every time I open my wedge up I think back to the "many" shots with my low bounce 62* wedge that I managed to slide right under the ball without even making it move. I still refuse to play anything more lofted than 58* out of sure fear of repeating that horror story.
 
Jman said:
People overthink bounce in wedges, it's a long standing fact IMO. Many THINK they need low bounce while in reality more could do them good...I've been one of those, I'm finally learning my lesson though the more I research about effective bounce in the golf swing.
Click to expand...



For me it's not the bounce that causes issues, it's the ball launch off the face. I feel like with set clubs I have to swing a lot softer because the ball comes off faster, which causes issues for me. A lot of people do things to try to deaden their shorter chips, and my regular wedges seem to do that with just a normal swing, which makes it easier for me. So that's what my questions were about in regards to the set wedges.
 
drp3434 said:
For me it's not the bounce that causes issues, it's the ball launch off the face. I feel like with set clubs I have to swing a lot softer because the ball comes off faster, which causes issues for me. A lot of people do things to try to deaden their shorter chips, and my regular wedges seem to do that with just a normal swing, which makes it easier for me. So that's what my questions were about in regards to the set wedges.
Click to expand...

Interesting, in all the set wedges I've tried I've never experienced that. In the end it's all about what versatility someone wants IMO, we like to overthink everything else as golfers and find thugs where they may not necessarily be. Look at cast vs forged for instance, but we are all different for sure.
 
Jman said:
Interesting, in all the set wedges I've tried I've never experienced that. In the end it's all about what versatility someone wants IMO, we like to overthink everything else as golfers and find thugs where they may not necessarily be. Look at cast vs forged for instance, but we are all different for sure.
Click to expand...



You know, it could just be a loft thing. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever tried a set wedge lofted higher than 50*. Maybe if I tried a set SW/LW my thoughts would change. Maybe it feels like it's launching faster, but just launching lower so it gets where it's going faster and rolls more. I don't know, all I know is I've played around with a lot of types of chips with my irons and I can't do it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top