PING i Irons: THP Review Thread

[Jman]

Will be spending a ton of time on the range today as well as hopefully 27 holes with these, if the heat doesn't kill me first, if there's anything anyone wants me to hone in on with these, post it up and I'll do my best to get you the thoughts and info!

 

[JohnSinVA]

if there's anything anyone wants me to hone in on with these, post it up and I'll do my best

The flagstick!

 

[O'Carroll]

That Ping i high toe look…

Ddec says these are in the fitting cart (7 iron anyway) at our local Golf Galaxy. I kind of want to skip PT at lunch and go check them out…

 

[mpeterson]

One thing I'd be interested in hearing about is spin on the new i series vs the 20/25. I know a lot of the quantitative comparisons of irons have showed the i20/25 to be a bit higher spinning than the other irons in the class. Not a bad thing, but I'm wondering if the moving around of weight's changed this at all, which might give them a bit more distance?

Obviously this would just be on feel/thoughts, not looking for any numbers or anything.

 

[smetlydc2]

From what I saw online with track man numbers comparing i25 and iE1 the new irons have more spin.


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[Colt]

From what I saw online with track man numbers comparing i25 and iE1 the new irons have more spin.


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I'm hoping this is the case. I'm not a really high spin player, and I could always use more. Getting a lot better at getting good height on my long irons, but a bit more spin could hold them up there a little longer and stick the greens just a bit better!


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[AZRhode]

Never been a fan of the look of many Ping irons but these look sweet. I just got my XR Pros but these are a great looking set.

 

[Typhoon]

Hit them outside over the weekend. They had the modus shaft so that was a plus. Basically the clubs look great at address. Not a big change from the I25 to me.....they both look great.

Shafts.....the cfs is a bit longer in length, didn't hit it as consistent as last year's shaft. By swing is off a bit too. The modus goes very high. A lot were high and right but I think the shaft in x flex would be better flex and weightwise.

I went inside and hit on the gc2 with n flight. Modus was high and right a lot. Distance was the same with both. Similiar spin rates....6500 off a 7 iron. Not sure if I like the height being so high....I let the fitter at demo day this weekend sort if out. The old cfs always worked for me.....just something about the modus.....

 

[Jman]

I'm hoping this is the case. I'm not a really high spin player, and I could always use more. Getting a lot better at getting good height on my long irons, but a bit more spin could hold them up there a little longer and stick the greens just a bit better!


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Its the case, I've got some numbers I'm still sorting through that I'll talk on today.

Definite improvement on the i25s as well imo. Ball speeds are up, launch is improved, and they're longer in stock form.

 

[Colt]

Its the case, I've got some numbers I'm still sorting through that I'll talk on today.

Definite improvement on the i25s as well imo. Ball speeds are up, launch is improved, and they're longer in stock form.

It's ALL YOUR FAULT!

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[Typhoon]

I'm hoping this is the case. I'm not a really high spin player, and I could always use more. Getting a lot better at getting good height on my long irons, but a bit more spin could hold them up there a little longer and stick the greens just a bit better!


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I think the softer steel will make a difference in spin. I really don't like the fact that the CFS "distance" shaft is called that.... its 1/4" longer. That being said, I sold my TM's so I have the $$ to buy/order the Pings this weekend at the demo event. Personally I'd rather have the CFS shaft from the i25's in the e1 head if I was to compare it to last year. Also I'd rather be using that shaft for fitting alongside the Modus this coming weekend. Like I mentioned before, I'm undertall... so I should actually be -1/4" but they say I'm ok at standard...going +1/4" won't fly I don't think.

 

[Jman]

I think the softer steel will make a difference in spin. I really don't like the fact that the CFS "distance" shaft is called that.... its 1/4" longer. That being said, I sold my TM's so I have the $$ to buy/order the Pings this weekend at the demo event. Personally I'd rather have the CFS shaft from the i25's in the e1 head if I was to compare it to last year. Also I'd rather be using that shaft for fitting alongside the Modus this coming weekend. Like I mentioned before, I'm undertall... so I should actually be -1/4" but they say I'm ok at standard...going +1/4" won't fly I don't think.

The good news is, you can order to the length you need, then the +1/4 wont matter.

Its the same shaft, its just 1/4" longer.

 

[Typhoon]

The good news is, you can order to the length you need, then the +1/4 wont matter.

Its the same shaft, its just 1/4" longer.

Right, I know I can order for length. You must have got the skinny from Ping on these James, is it the same cfs shaft as last year? What constitutes rebadging the shaft as "Distance"...is it only the 1/4"? All the other specs look the same.

So when they take the 1/4" off the CFS distance shaft for me am I stripped of the distance name

It'll be ineresting on Saturday, I know the Ping people from past demo's plus I worked with one of the guy's brother a while back. can't wait to see what I get fit into. Right now my Ping Eye 2 coppers are green dot which is a dynamic fitting....static fitting as me at orange!

 

[Colt]

I think the softer steel will make a difference in spin. I really don't like the fact that the CFS "distance" shaft is called that.... its 1/4" longer. That being said, I sold my TM's so I have the $$ to buy/order the Pings this weekend at the demo event. Personally I'd rather have the CFS shaft from the i25's in the e1 head if I was to compare it to last year. Also I'd rather be using that shaft for fitting alongside the Modus this coming weekend. Like I mentioned before, I'm undertall... so I should actually be -1/4" but they say I'm ok at standard...going +1/4" won't fly I don't think.

The good news is, you can order to the length you need, then the +1/4 wont matter.

Its the same shaft, its just 1/4" longer.

I think PING was smart in going +1/4 with these. The i series has always been at that traditional standard length. People are getting taller all the time. +1/4" should help more people be able to pick these up off the shelves at the big box and just put them in play.


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[ddec]

I think people overthink shaft lengths anyways.

 

[mpeterson]

I think people overthink shaft lengths anyways.

My instructor (who fit me last for irons) said it's more about lie angle/shaft length combination. If they're a bit longer and a little less upright (which it looks like they are), that all evens out.

I hit these at the shop yesterday. I have a thing for the i series irons - so, of course I loved them. I own a set of i25s, so I don't see myself buying these, but when the ie2s come out, I'd imagine I'll be preordering, assuming they're anything at all like these. Really solid iron set, and I could see them fitting a lot of people based on my (limited) time with them - the long irons were pretty easy to hit, got the ball up there like the i25s do, and the short irons are just about perfect.

 

[Jman]

Right, I know I can order for length. You must have got the skinny from Ping on these James, is it the same cfs shaft as last year? What constitutes rebadging the shaft as "Distance"...is it only the 1/4"? All the other specs look the same.

So when they take the 1/4" off the CFS distance shaft for me am I stripped of the distance name

It'll be ineresting on Saturday, I know the Ping people from past demo's plus I worked with one of the guy's brother a while back. can't wait to see what I get fit into. Right now my Ping Eye 2 coppers are green dot which is a dynamic fitting....static fitting as me at orange!

Hahaha, its my job dude!

+1/4" and a bit more weight at the butt end is what I've been told.

 

[JonD]

Great stuff as usual James. Looking forward to seeing the numbers from your range session. I'm going to be saving for a set of these most likely.

 

[Jman]

Always cool to see:

 

[CBaker]

Always cool to see:

Saw that! Shows you how much you're killing this one, James! Great work!

 

[Cjgolf25]

Always cool to see:

That is some good stuff Jman! Your reviews are always on point. Glad to see manufactures are recognizing that.

 

[mpeterson]

I got a call that my i25s were back from repair at PING today (of course, the day after I was at the shop for something else), so I decided to take some swings with the E1s for comparison since I had access to the full set for both. Hit the 5-7-9-U in both sets - couldn't get on the monitor, so all these thoughts are by eye. The new cavity design definitely gives them a different look on the rack, but at address they are unquestionably an i series irons - and that's not a bad thing at all.

As far as performance - similar but different feel as the i25s, if that makes any sense at all. Hard to tell without a monitor, so going by eye I may have been hitting the 7i a few yards longer, but we're talking the back of the target green instead of the middle. I didn't hit the 5i great, but when I did, I think (and again, by eye) I was getting the ball up higher with the E1 than I was with my i25. Only got to try out the CFS shafts, but I'd be willing to bet a large sum of money that's what I'd go with were I to order these. As someone with a set of i25s already, I'm not sure I'm clamoring to buy a set of these, but if one were to fall into my lap somehow, I'd be excited - it seems like it's a really nice iron in a really great looking package.

That said, I'm an unabashed PING i series lover - so I'm not surprised I really liked these. Such a great series of irons, that I think can work for a really large segment of golfers.

 

[Typhoon]

My instructor (who fit me last for irons) said it's more about lie angle/shaft length combination. If they're a bit longer and a little less upright (which it looks like they are), that all evens out.

I hit these at the shop yesterday. I have a thing for the i series irons - so, of course I loved them. I own a set of i25s, so I don't see myself buying these, but when the ie2s come out, I'd imagine I'll be preordering, assuming they're anything at all like these. Really solid iron set, and I could see them fitting a lot of people based on my (limited) time with them - the long irons were pretty easy to hit, got the ball up there like the i25s do, and the short irons are just about perfect.

Blue is the new black for them on the color code....so Ping irons on the rack are 1/4" longer and more upright. nlNot what hour fitter says.

Like a pprevious poster said, " people are taller now"....just makes me laugh that I still see young short people around.... I would love the extra 1/4" if it's more distance and still consistent....maybe they can change the lie angle. I did hit the modus just as far but higher with standard length.

 

[mpeterson]

Blue is the new black for them on the color code....so Ping irons on the rack are 1/4" longer and more upright. nlNot what hour fitter says.

Like a pprevious poster said, " people are taller now"....just makes me laugh that I still see young short people around.... I would love the extra 1/4" if it's more distance and still consistent....maybe they can change the lie angle. I did hit the modus just as far but higher with standard length.

Yeah, I would still order these in red - I was just agreeing with ddec that it's not necessarily length that's a big deal - if the lie (in the same color code) is adjusted slightly to compensate for the added length.

 

[Jman]

Lots and lots and lots and lots and LOOOOOTS of golf balls have been hit with these by me the last two days both on the range and on the course. I also hit them on a launch monitor and got some numbers that I'll touch on a bit in these thoughts, but I want to make sure its clear that they aren't be-all/end-all's and are mine, remember the individual swing will vary person to person and so too will the fit. But, personal or not, its useful to see if the clubs do what they are supposed to do.

Aesthetics:

Not really much more to mention on the looks, I will say I really really like the way that they setup. Sure, the offset and blade length increases into the long irons with the progressive nature of the set and I know that bothers some out there, but its not bad at all IMO and honestly with the changes to this iteration of it, it isn't as noticeable. The finish though is definitely something I'm going to keep commenting on up until I write the formal review and honestly its holding up really well. I've now ridden 4 rounds and walked two rounds with them carrying and while there are some wear marks its all normal and they are holding up as one would expect PING irons to. Plus, the faces are wearing nicely, no signs of delamination either like with the 20's and 25's. I'll be getting some pics up of every iron in the sets sole, face, and cavity hopefully tomorrow after another range session and 36.

Sound/Feel:

I've harped on this a good bit already, but its merited. PING got it right with these, its IMO even better than it was in the 20's and 25's because the sound is even more dense at impact, the nicest thing there though is that it isn't muted to providing feedback like the 850 Forged were. I've had zero issues denoting toe, heel, and high misses. For the 100th time, if you could logistically do an iron test blind without someone know what they are hitting, these would fool a lot of people in the cast/forged debate, a lot of people. I know there is some repeating a bit here with this topic, but its true. I've also had 6 others hit them so far and each and every time there have been positive comments on the sound/feel.

Ball Flight:

More and more time with the iE1's have solidified that with the CFS pairing the irons are an easy mid-high ball flight through the set, definitely high from the 5i up for me, the 3i and 4i though are firmly mid. In a sample size of 30 recorded 8i swings the setup averaged 17.8 degrees in launch angle, 8700 RPM backspin, a max height of 33 yards, and a descent angle of 50.5 degrees. These are pretty solid overall numbers, if anything the most surprising for me is the 33 yard max height, 99 feet is up there but its a really good flight to apex and the descent is definitely not falling out of the sky as distance and ability to hold greens is very effective. I'm still working on getting good sample sizes of all the other irons in the set for data, but that should come along here with a couple more range sessions. I'll add, I'm seeing some pretty wicked action on shots into the greens, which has been fun.

Distance:

I mentioned it before, but I've gone back in and looked at my i25 data and even the notes that I still have from the i20 forum testing on the distances I was seeing iron to iron and there is a legitimate increase here to the iE1's, its not HUGE or anything, but its there. Average ball speed of the 8i session showed at 114 mph, this is about one and half MPH up from the info I have from reviewing the i25's and with that the distance bump is explained, that comes back to the move to a 431 SS and allowing for face flexion in this model compared to trying to control it int he previous i-Series irons. In terms on the ball speed, they were a firm second in the five sets I hit them against (sets ranged from MB to players, to GI) falling 2.5 MPH lower than the top iron, and 1 MPH better than the the third and fourth, and 5 MPH than the last. They aren't the longest iron out there, but I really think those who are coming from the i20 and i25 are going to end up seeing a pretty solid bump per club.

Forgiveness:

You'll have to excuse me for skimping a bit on this one right now, but I'm still working on testing some different misses to get some finite things right. They're really good off of the toe, and actually really impressive low on the face too as far as keeping line and minimizing distance drop, low they get enough off the air to make for a playable ball....depending on how close you are to the green when you catch it low of course hahahaha. Like I said though, more on this soon.

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In all, they've been what I expected to see out of the irons. This was a big year for the i-Series, its one of those where after a release in the i25's which many viewed as being only tweaked, there had to be some significant changes with this one to evolve the line. Given the success of the last two models, thats a daunting thing, but PING has gone for it and done so well beyond the name tweak and color change.

More to come for sure, sorry if these are a little scattered but its what happens in my head sometimes lol, if you have an q's ask, I'm always here to do my best to get you info and answers.