Perkins Rooster
Active member
Great idea - should be interesting.
Ping i20 Irons Review - Forum Testing Review Thread
Great idea - should be interesting.
EddyG
Formerly thetitleistfj
Rick, usually i scroll through long posts but your really enticed me, you used prior knowledge, fitter opinnioins, and guesswork to put together the right set. I really am hoping the best for your new irons!!!!!!!!!!!
JK
Living the Dream
Played my first round yesterday with the CFS shafts (stiff softstepped 1x) after exchanging for my stiff KBSTs. I was hitting the KBSTs better and better while waiting for the CFS set to arrive, so there was a little buyers remorse as I got the call they arrived at the store and was driving to get them on Friday. So much for that - I'm just stunned at how good the CFS shafts feel. No knock on the KBSTs which I think are outstanding, but I actually dare to say the CFS were significantly better feeling than the KBSTs. They were unbelievably smooth. I was throwing darts on the short irons with the KBSTs and was concerned I'd lose that tight dispersion with the CFS, but none of that so far after one round. The major difference, and exactly what I'd hoped for with the shaft change was the longer irons - was hitting them higher and pretty consistent (had a slight push on a couple but wasn't anything I can't correct). One thing I notice is I don't feel like I have to swing as hard with the lighter weight and the softer flex is making me think to chill out a bit with a smoother tempo. For reference: 7i SS = 81-83 mph
Jman (and other I know have commented on it), that 4i is pure awesomeness. I am pretty stoked having a 4i back in my bag after many years. Wouldn't mind a slightly thinner topline, but beggars can't be choosers - I'll take the performance over being perty.
Did have a couple chunky shots out there as I occasionally had withthe KBSTs. Nothing alarming, just pointing out these are not perfect as no clubs are and that the bounce specs are no problem for me.
Jman (and other I know have commented on it), that 4i is pure awesomeness. I am pretty stoked having a 4i back in my bag after many years. Wouldn't mind a slightly thinner topline, but beggars can't be choosers - I'll take the performance over being perty.
Did have a couple chunky shots out there as I occasionally had withthe KBSTs. Nothing alarming, just pointing out these are not perfect as no clubs are and that the bounce specs are no problem for me.
JK
Living the Dream
Insane. I just bought the 20* hybrid or I'd have to even (gasp) try the 3i - could see some serious bullets off the tee on a short par 4 with that thing.
JK
Living the Dream
Perkins Rooster
Active member
Sorry? No need to apologise, that may be the best first post in the history of the internet. If the THP forum was a golf course, you just started with an eagle on the first hole.
Griff
Hey Man, Nice Shot
Previous test posts in spoiler below. Idea courtesy of Jman. Score above should be a 45, not 46. I made an error on the scorecard and didn't catch it til this writeup.
Spoiler
Here's the writeup from my round from Friday. Conditions stated above, B330 RX used. I will preface this by saying my right hand was swollen up pretty good. My left knee wasn't working all that well either. Couldn't use my usual interlock grip because my right hand could barely muster enough grip pressure to hold the club. Used a baseball grip. I couldn't really turn and release like normal. Only say this because the results were definitely altered from the norm. Had no fun at all during the round, but looking back it was actually a good round all things considered.
Hole 1 - 297 par 4
Started out the day in fine fashion. Chose driver off tee. Faded the first shot of the day into the water. Oh well, let's do it again. Faded 2nd shot into the water. Hmmm. Well, no way that happens 3 times. Faded 3rd shot into the water. Uh oh, red alert! Finally put the driver up and drove to the water.
Shot 1 UW from 108 - Following the drop I had a very tall stand of trees between me and the green. I didn't want to touch the trees, but I still wanted to have a chance at the green. 108 is a stretch for the UW for me. Caught the shot very well and barely got over the trees. Came up short of the green.
Shot 2 UW chip - I've been struggling controlling my distances chipping with the UW. Almost everything runs past the hole. No different here. Ball raced a good 15 feet past the hole. The ball does come off a little hot with the UW around the greens.
2 putts from there and for those keeping track that's a 10.
Hole 2 149 par 3
Shot 3 7I - Very same water that claimed 3 of my B330 RX's was in play once again. Only this time I had to hit over. Chose 7I. Even after the debacle on 1 I wasn't at all intimidated by the water. i20s do that to me, make me think nothing will go wrong. I hit it out on the toe a touch. Like all my toe strikes the ball trickled a little right and I barely lost any distance. Missed the green.
Shot 4 SW pitch - My lie in the rough wasn't all that bad, had a clear path to the ball. 20 feet of green to work with. Picked my spot and the ball felt perfect coming off the face. Ball landed, settled, and dropped in the hole. Tell me why I keep grabbing UW around the green? 3 weeks in a row the SW has sunk a shot. I've always had success with 54-56 lofted clubs for touch chips and pitches. Need to accept that and the i20 SW is making it very easy. Birdie BTW.
Hole 3 340 par 4
No i20 action here. Sliced my drive, 7W over some big trees, 2 putt par.
Hole 4 168 par 3
Shot 5 5I - Green slightly elevated. Chose 5I and during the downswing I felt myself blocking to protect my left knee. Was rewarded with a shot off to the right that barely missed the greenside bunker. No fault of the i20, just a poor swing.
Shot 6 SW pitch - Had to hit over the bunker. Lie was iffy, not terrible. SW got through to the ball really well and the shot I envisioned was happening. Ball landed not at all softly. Much faster than anticipated. Ball released and started its roll to the hole. Hole out again?! Not this time. Ball had too much pace and rolled a couple inches above the cup and came to rest 6 feet from hole. 2 putts from there for a bogey.
Hole 5 333 par 4
Actually hit a good tee shot. Smoked the drive down the left side of the FW. Very upright swing and I felt like an old man out there
Shot 7 78 SW - Easy choice here. Full SW. Lie was perfect in the FW. Made a nice move on the ball and up she went, great trajectory without ballooning. Had to carry over a bunker and did it easily. Accuracy was dead on, aimed a little left of pin and the shot held it beautifully. Ball did release, no ball mark at all. Been very firm and dry around here. Ball rolled behind the hole and I 2 putted from 15 feet for par.
Trajectory on the wedges is really nice. They don't pop straight in the air like I suspect many set wedges do.
Hole 6 506 par 5
Sliced my drive, K15 is not easy to slice mind you, into the next state. 3W back to my hole. Rolled through the FW into the rough on the left.
Shot 8 131 9I - Lie was ok for the rough. Hit the 9I a little fat. Can definitely see a difference in the ball flight on a fat miss. Ball moves slower along its trajectory, flies a little lower, and distance is obviously effected. Splashed it in the bunker protecting the green. Had great accuracy, didn't make good contact.
Shot 9 LW bunker - Ball was sitting way up on the sand. Ug, would have preferred it sitting down so I could hit it hard. Had a lip to clear. Didn't feel SW would clear that lip. Hit a pretty bad shot. Ball seemed to roll right up the face as I got too far under the ball. Harder shot than appearances. I did get out of the bunker, barely. 3 putts for a nifty double.
Hole 7 148 par 3
Shot 10 7I - Piece o cake par 3. Normal 7I, aimed for center of green. Felt that block again and I came out of my swing. Hit it dead right about 100 yards. All I could do was shake my head. Felt I was really struggling with full shots with all my clubs.
Shot 11 LW - 50 yards to pin, short sided. Crap lie in the rough. Didn't want to be too aggressive with my swing. Chose to go straight at the pin with the LW. Nailed it. The rough got out of the way and I made perfect contact. Ball didn't run away on this shot, although I did have a little kick to the right. No mark on the green, but very little roll out. 2 putts from 10 feet above the hole for bogey.
Hole 8 459 par 5
Hey, why not slice another drive. Wound up under a tree to the right and had to carry over another tree to get back to the FW.
Shot 12 6I - Chose the lowest club that would give me enough height to clear the tree blocking my way to my own FW. This is not the type of shot that dances around a pin or ropes one down the FW. This is the type of shot that saves strokes. Easy to not take these shots seriously, but I hit that tree and I'm giving a stroke or more away. Hit a perfect 6I that rocketed over the tree and landed in the FW. i20s give me tons of confidence.
Shot 13 4I - 182 to elevated pin. Lie was great in the FW. Just couldn't stay in my swing today and this one was no different. Good distance, but went right away and stayed right. Who knows what would've happened with a non i20 4I in my hand on that shot. All I know is even with my atypical swing today I didn't hesitate to hit that shot.
Shot 14 SW pitch - Pretty similar shot to shot #6 bunker and all. Results were about the same. Good contact, great feel. Rolled it past the hole and 2 putted for bogey.
Hole 9 391 par 4
Gritting my teeth with driver in hand I vowed I would not slice this drive. Huge hook into the adjoining FW. Mission accomplished. Took 7W from there and wound up a tiny short and right of green.
Shot 15 LW pitch - With all the roll out I was getting today I opted to try and leave one short. I could've putted from here honestly. Very delicate pitch here. If I got under it just a little I'd get nowhere. Did better than shot #9. Ball popped in the air nicely, 4-5 feet of roll out and a couple feet left for par. LW finished the little putt off for par.
Grumpy day out there. I couldn't swing like I wanted and I was all over the course. Add to that I took a 10 on the first. Was scared to look at the card. 45? Felt more like a 55.
Forgiveness
Needed divine intervention to make something out of my stroke that day. Didn't get that, but the i20s kept me in the game. I was not making good contact with any full shot. Shots on the toe lost little distance and the fatty came up a hair short. Got way more than I deserved.
i20s and My Game
This is more personal observation than anything. The i20s are having a very positive impact on my game. From driver to putter my confidence is through the roof. Always feel I can get it back on the next swing and more often than not the i20s are there to make it happen. Today's round was horrible for ball striking and hitting accurate shots. Heck, I drilled 3 straight drives into the water and still thought I could make something of the round. Even through my struggles not once did I think I couldn't hit the shot I planned. Bottom line is I can't wait to get to the next shot. i20s are giving me that short memory I need on the course.
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My new bats arrived!! I collected them this afternoon from the store and couldn't resist tinkering on the trackman with an i20 driver while I was there. I left an hour later with my new i20 irons, a G20 driver and a Odyssey backstryke putter to try out. Then off I headed to the range like a child at Christmas.
To summarise, i got blue dot, 4-PW, KBS tour stiffs and have moved from MP52's with DGS300 shafts. After my range session I've decided to be objective as possible about these clubs and not just fawn all over them because they are new, but I will most probably be taking them to bed tonight and making sweet sweet love to them.
Most of the stuff I am going to say is most probably going to re-hash what's already been said, but i'm going to give my two cents for what its worth. Also, i'm off range mats here so I can't really give a full review until i get these on the course (which will happen Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat....lucky me!!)
FEEL:
I am definitely not going to start a forged vs cast debate here, but moving from mizuno forged to a cast head was going to be interesting for me. The feel of the i20's is truly excellent. It's responsive, the feedback is positive, the sound is a satisfying clicky thump that i find it hard to describe, but it is appealing and shots hit well respond with a really agreeable feel. I do find the Mizzy's slightly softer off the face, maybe it feels like the balls just stays on the face a millisecond longer, but I will give that up for the forgiveness i felt with the i20's off toe-hits and thin shots. The i20's let me know when I hit off centre but not in a harsh way like the mp52's did. If i gave the mizuno's 10 out of 10 for feel, the i20's would get a 9.5 out of 10. I also like the D0 swing weight, combined with the KBS tour shaft. I never lost the feel of where the club head was through the swing.
FORGIVENESS:
Pretty incredible. The sweetspot seems much larger in the i20's the the mp52's. They responded well to an attacking swing and shots I knew that I hit a little out on the toe didn't lose very much distance and stayed on line. I was staggered that some poor shots I made, which would have been punished with a heavy fade with my mp52's stayed on line with the i20's. As many have said, if you hit a really poor shot these aren't gong to work miracles for you, but they offer a very good level of forgiveness. My poor swing delivers a pull hook and it was no different with the i20. On less than perfect swings, the i20's delivered a great piercing ball flight and didn't deviate from the intended target. The lower irons were phenomenal. The 5-iron is as easy to hit as an 8 and the 4-iron launched well all the time for me. I think i was swinging a little too hard with the 4i so I wasn't getting the direction I was aiming for but hey, it was only 10 balls i hit. I need a bit more time with these bad boys.
DISTANCE:
It was hard to tell distances in the range I was playing, as the range slopes upwards from 150yds on, however i'm pretty damn sure they were long. My PW was getting me into the 140yd territory, with the 8i reaching 165+yds. This is a 10yd jump for me. I'm going to have to review the rest of my bag to adjust for this. This is my only concern for my next few rounds, but not a bad complaint at all
Overall, i'm thrilled. The i20's seems to offer me the forgiveness I was seeking without losing workability. I am very interested to see how they perform on the course and see the turf interaction. I'm quite aggressive with my transition and definitely a digger so I hope the bounce works well for me on the fairways. I'm also loving the KBS tour shaft. I was worried the ball flight would be too high, but it's spot on. It feels so smooth compared to the DGS300 and I don't have to hit as hard to feel like i'm loading the shaft. Hopefully once I get used to the them I won't feel like I have to be so aggressive in my transition.
On another subject, i hated the G20, which was with an Adila RIP NV stiff shaft. I just couldn't get it to work. My 910 D2 stays in my bag and I don't become even poorer. Yay. The putter however is an interesting one. It'll go in my bag for Wed and then i'll decide.
Roll on Wednesday I say.
To summarise, i got blue dot, 4-PW, KBS tour stiffs and have moved from MP52's with DGS300 shafts. After my range session I've decided to be objective as possible about these clubs and not just fawn all over them because they are new, but I will most probably be taking them to bed tonight and making sweet sweet love to them.
Most of the stuff I am going to say is most probably going to re-hash what's already been said, but i'm going to give my two cents for what its worth. Also, i'm off range mats here so I can't really give a full review until i get these on the course (which will happen Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat....lucky me!!)
FEEL:
I am definitely not going to start a forged vs cast debate here, but moving from mizuno forged to a cast head was going to be interesting for me. The feel of the i20's is truly excellent. It's responsive, the feedback is positive, the sound is a satisfying clicky thump that i find it hard to describe, but it is appealing and shots hit well respond with a really agreeable feel. I do find the Mizzy's slightly softer off the face, maybe it feels like the balls just stays on the face a millisecond longer, but I will give that up for the forgiveness i felt with the i20's off toe-hits and thin shots. The i20's let me know when I hit off centre but not in a harsh way like the mp52's did. If i gave the mizuno's 10 out of 10 for feel, the i20's would get a 9.5 out of 10. I also like the D0 swing weight, combined with the KBS tour shaft. I never lost the feel of where the club head was through the swing.
FORGIVENESS:
Pretty incredible. The sweetspot seems much larger in the i20's the the mp52's. They responded well to an attacking swing and shots I knew that I hit a little out on the toe didn't lose very much distance and stayed on line. I was staggered that some poor shots I made, which would have been punished with a heavy fade with my mp52's stayed on line with the i20's. As many have said, if you hit a really poor shot these aren't gong to work miracles for you, but they offer a very good level of forgiveness. My poor swing delivers a pull hook and it was no different with the i20. On less than perfect swings, the i20's delivered a great piercing ball flight and didn't deviate from the intended target. The lower irons were phenomenal. The 5-iron is as easy to hit as an 8 and the 4-iron launched well all the time for me. I think i was swinging a little too hard with the 4i so I wasn't getting the direction I was aiming for but hey, it was only 10 balls i hit. I need a bit more time with these bad boys.
DISTANCE:
It was hard to tell distances in the range I was playing, as the range slopes upwards from 150yds on, however i'm pretty damn sure they were long. My PW was getting me into the 140yd territory, with the 8i reaching 165+yds. This is a 10yd jump for me. I'm going to have to review the rest of my bag to adjust for this. This is my only concern for my next few rounds, but not a bad complaint at all
Overall, i'm thrilled. The i20's seems to offer me the forgiveness I was seeking without losing workability. I am very interested to see how they perform on the course and see the turf interaction. I'm quite aggressive with my transition and definitely a digger so I hope the bounce works well for me on the fairways. I'm also loving the KBS tour shaft. I was worried the ball flight would be too high, but it's spot on. It feels so smooth compared to the DGS300 and I don't have to hit as hard to feel like i'm loading the shaft. Hopefully once I get used to the them I won't feel like I have to be so aggressive in my transition.
On another subject, i hated the G20, which was with an Adila RIP NV stiff shaft. I just couldn't get it to work. My 910 D2 stays in my bag and I don't become even poorer. Yay. The putter however is an interesting one. It'll go in my bag for Wed and then i'll decide.
Roll on Wednesday I say.
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2010
- Messages
- 10,750
- Reaction score
- 85
- Location
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Handicap
- GHIN: ????
Thanks for the feedback. Glad you finally got em!
How about you just cuddle with em' tonight though?
Siri does my posting for me using Tapatalk.
good thinking Colt. I don't want to come across as 'easy'.
Thanks Anvil. I sure will.
Perkins Rooster
Active member
Ok I can't take anymore of this. I'm buying a set.
DevRickus
The Dirty Jerz
HAHAHAHA and the i20 reviews claim another victim..haha Great job with the reviews guys.
Tap Tap Taparoo
TC
Keg Thrower
I had a very interesting round today. First off, it was beautiful outside. Low 80's, not a cloud in the sky, but frapping windy! It was gusting anywhere from 20-25 mph at times and then it would be calm, and then you'd have the wind in your face, then it would be at your back. Just a sunny, wind swirling i20 type of day I guess. I played well, so I can't complain. I managed 12 GIR's but my misses were so minimal it could've been a lot higher. Here's where it gets interesting. If I missed today, I missed long. I can't recount at least 4 holes where I had a yardage to the flag, I had wind in my face, and I easily obliterated the ball over the green. I don't get that. It was mind bottling but it wasn't frustrating. I was striping the ball, just struggling to gauge the conditions I guess. Shot of the day was easily on the #1 hcp hole (6). Demanding par 4, not because it's long (424 yards) but because the tee shot and approach shot are so demanding. A good drive and you can have a shortish iron in. Tailwind, and I hit a G20 drive that was bombed but a little left. Bombed enough to take the trees out of play but left enough to be in the 2nd cut. The green is shaped like an hour glass. At the center and narrowest point, it's about 4 paces wide. The pin was tucked back which brings this weird tree into play that is planted on the left side where the hour glass narrows in. I had 137 left and decided to hit a PW. Never left the stick and ended up about 4 feet past the hole for the birdie.
I just found it odd and fulfilling how these irons performed for me today. I'm not sure what to make of it. All I know is that into the wind, I didn't lose as much distance as I thought. Either way, something that was glaringly obvious to me today.
I just found it odd and fulfilling how these irons performed for me today. I'm not sure what to make of it. All I know is that into the wind, I didn't lose as much distance as I thought. Either way, something that was glaringly obvious to me today.
Thanks Paleface for the write up. I took MP-52 out of my bag for the i20s too. I feel exactly as you said in your note. The only difference is that you have not hit them off grass yet. This is where you will really see their worth. The extra bounce will surprise you on those fat shots. I would give the i20s a 9/10 in feel but forgiveness is incredible which makes it a great stick.
140 yd PW.....wow!
140 yd PW.....wow!
Golf 'N Gator
Formally HoosierGolfer
Lots of good stuff in this thread for sure. Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts on these so far!
TC
Keg Thrower
Man, I played the i3 blades and i10's for about a combined 4 years prior to finding THP and these are a massive step in the right direction. Have you hit these yet?
What a fantastic showing yet again from the i20's. Laugh in the face of strong winds. Little weird shaped greens dont scare them either. Chunky might not be doing these justice but you sure are brobeans. Nice round yet again. You dont sound like youre missing with these much but when you do what has your predominant miss been? And how punishing are the results?
TC
Keg Thrower
Good question. My miss has just been a shot that goes left to right (draw), which you know is something I am just not used to. It's not massive or anything but it has been an adjustment. I honestly have no complaints about fat or thin shots at all. I just don't seem to hit them with these irons to be honest. I'm wearing the center of the club face out. As far as "punishing" well it's not awful. I probably am seeing a straight'ish ball about 90% of the time with the odd "pull/draw" thrown it. I am just taking aim at flagsticks dude. If it does draw a little, unless the pin is tucked right, I just having a longer putt. Today was just mind bottling though. I hit the ball really good and was either on it, or a full club long (even though I had the club I deemed appropriate for the yardage). Crazy stuff dude.
I hate sounding like a billboard for PING, but these could be the finest irons to date for me. The level of confidence I have with them is sick. We talked about how they just breed solid results, I think it's b/c I respect them. I concentrate, I focus, and they reward that.
Exactly how I feel. Superb confidence over the ball. It makes such a huge difference too. Funny, Ive struggled with the fats a lot in the past but for some reason I dont see that as much with these. Ive seen a few "thick" shots but none of the nasty fats that I hate and just kill a hole. Ive been missing out on the toe a bit and have seen fantastic forgiveness on those misses. Very little distance loss at all. I can feel it but I look up and amazingly see that the ball is going a lot further then I thought.
TC
Keg Thrower
You would think that you (and I don't necessarily mean you Kmac) would struggle with these coming from a GI iron, but I just don't see anything like that at all. I will also say this, I much prefer the smaller profiled irons out of the thick stuff for some odd reason. Dude, I just feel like a damn ball striker with these things. I don't know what else to say.
TMElectric
Banned
After reading all of these replies, I am wondering if I should have ordered the I20's instead of G20's. I am 17 -23 handicapper. Either way, I will be hitting with a Ping.
You might be surprised how easy they are to hit. Maybe go hit them before the G20's come and if you love them change that order or dont hit the G20's when they arrive.