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PING Gmax Irons Review Thread

SuperStroke
n0dyjeff said:
I found this thread searching for info on the Ping Gmax irons, and after purchasing them, decided to write in hopes of helping someone else trying to decide whether to upgrade an ancient set of irons to modern technology. For everybody else, I apologize in advance for the bandwidth...

By way of background, I'm absolutely in the target market for these clubs; if I had a handicap, it would be high, my swing speed is pretty slow, etc. I hadn't played more than a round or two of golf in the last ten years, until I played with my father-in-law this summer and got hooked again. For years while playing actively, I refused to consider buying new clubs as my belief was that I couldn't buy a better game - I needed to practice and improve my swing, not spend money hoping better clubs would make me swing better. I was playing with a set of irons I bought used for $50 in 1998, and they were old then - Wilson Staff WS2000 Tour Model. I pretty much couldn't hit anything longer than a 5 iron in that set, although I kept trying, with miserable results.

So finally, after a strong recommendation by a teaching pro (George Henry, Irvine, CA), I got fit by a reputable golf shop (Steve Carafino's Newport Beach Golf Shop) into a set of Ping Gmax irons, 4-PW+SW. Ping CFS graphite shafts, RS flex, +3/4". Very upright lie (Maroon dot), and double wrapped tape under the grips. Quite a difference from the steel shafted, standard length and lie clubs I had been using.

Of course I hit a few of them at the golf shop, both indoors and out, during the fitting and before taking them home. But I wanted to see how they would do on the range, across the full set.

OH MY GOD. I am now kicking myself for 17 years of mulish obstinance. What a difference! Almost every shot felt like it was on or near the sweet spot. My hands weren't stinging. I could hit a 4 iron straight and get it in the air. Repeatedly. I could hit everything straight and get it in the air. And the grass marks were all right around the center of the club face. I had trouble wiping the grin off of my face.

This is probably less about the specific benefits of the Gmax irons themselves than of the benefits of proper fitting and 25+ years of technology improvement. But if you're in the same place I was, all I can say is go get yourself fit and get some modern sticks. As far as Gmax goes, I wasn't bothered by the reported high pitched sound at all, probably because I wasn't used to hearing the sweet, muted sound of an on-center hit all that often anyway. And the looks? Man, who cares? I can hit these babies!

I'll post an update after a round or two on the course.
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That's great to hear. PING makes quality equipment. Enjoy them.
 
n0dyjeff said:
I found this thread searching for info on the Ping Gmax irons, and after purchasing them, decided to write in hopes of helping someone else trying to decide whether to upgrade an ancient set of irons to modern technology. For everybody else, I apologize in advance for the bandwidth...

By way of background, I'm absolutely in the target market for these clubs; if I had a handicap, it would be high, my swing speed is pretty slow, etc. I hadn't played more than a round or two of golf in the last ten years, until I played with my father-in-law this summer and got hooked again. For years while playing actively, I refused to consider buying new clubs as my belief was that I couldn't buy a better game - I needed to practice and improve my swing, not spend money hoping better clubs would make me swing better. I was playing with a set of irons I bought used for $50 in 1998, and they were old then - Wilson Staff WS2000 Tour Model. I pretty much couldn't hit anything longer than a 5 iron in that set, although I kept trying, with miserable results.

So finally, after a strong recommendation by a teaching pro (George Henry, Irvine, CA), I got fit by a reputable golf shop (Steve Carafino's Newport Beach Golf Shop) into a set of Ping Gmax irons, 4-PW+SW. Ping CFS graphite shafts, RS flex, +3/4". Very upright lie (Maroon dot), and double wrapped tape under the grips. Quite a difference from the steel shafted, standard length and lie clubs I had been using.

Of course I hit a few of them at the golf shop, both indoors and out, during the fitting and before taking them home. But I wanted to see how they would do on the range, across the full set.

OH MY GOD. I am now kicking myself for 17 years of mulish obstinance. What a difference! Almost every shot felt like it was on or near the sweet spot. My hands weren't stinging. I could hit a 4 iron straight and get it in the air. Repeatedly. I could hit everything straight and get it in the air. And the grass marks were all right around the center of the club face. I had trouble wiping the grin off of my face.

This is probably less about the specific benefits of the Gmax irons themselves than of the benefits of proper fitting and 25+ years of technology improvement. But if you're in the same place I was, all I can say is go get yourself fit and get some modern sticks. As far as Gmax goes, I wasn't bothered by the reported high pitched sound at all, probably because I wasn't used to hearing the sweet, muted sound of an on-center hit all that often anyway. And the looks? Man, who cares? I can hit these babies!
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Awesome story...good for you and your game! Enjoy your :ping: irons...they will last you a very long time and take you as far as you want to go in the game. I remember a couple of years back there was a Monday qualifier in the lead at a Senior PGA Tour event and he was playing G15 irons with PING graphite shafts...hmmm...interesting isn't it???
 
Its weird that yellow dot is standard in these. I'm fit for blue dot in Ping I wonder if it would change with the Gmax.
 
n0dyjeff said:
I'll post an update after a round or two on the course.
Click to expand...

As promised, I'm writing back after playing twice this weekend with the new Gmax sticks. I'm sorry to report that they aren't magic - my swing faults are still my swing faults, and they didn't go away just because I had a new set of irons. That said, I did notice some real improvements. My usual score at this course is around 106, and this weekend I scored 101 and 102, with a 45 and 47 on the back nine on respective days. So that was better. I have hope of playing in the 90s soon. In detail:

Sand Wedge - this became my most-used iron. My previous sand wedge spent most of the time adding weight to my bag. I quickly gained a lot of confidence in this club, and it became my go-to club for anything from 85 yards in. I felt really confident I could get under the ball and get it in the air, which was a very iffy proposition with the old SW. Worked well for me in a couple of bunker shots.

8,9, PW - These were great. Just took me a while to get used to the added length. I was getting another 10 yards or so with each. Flew the green or ended up with a long downhill putt a couple of times.

5 iron - it was fun to have one again. My son had lost the 5 out of my previous set :-(

4 iron - Used this on a couple of par 3s and approach shots. Didn't always hit it well, but did so much more frequently than my previous 4 iron, which was almost never.

In summary, I'm really happy I took the time to get fitted properly - I'm sure that made a huge difference. But even accounting for that, these irons are much easier to hit than my previous set.
 
Bobby Purify said:
Its weird that yellow dot is standard in these. I'm fit for blue dot in Ping I wonder if it would change with the Gmax.
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I think yellow dot as standard is based on internal research and represents the color code that a plurality of golfers who bought G series irons fit into.

The new I series irons come standard in blue dot based on this research. Neither will change what code you are fit into, just what you'll see as the stock option coming off the rack.
 
Anybody buy these and ready to give up on them? I'd love to get my hands on these 2nd hand. I hit a demo and liked the look vs Altitudes with similar performance.
 
pulled trigger... had ping karsten irons before but Gmax even better feel, forgiveness and launch. wonderful flight i love 5 and 6 irons, really happy so far!!!!
 
Let us know how they treat you.
 
Just switched from TaylorMade Burner 2.0 irons to Ping G-Max. Red dot, .75" flat, CFS Distance S Reg steel shafts. Swing faults aren't fixed by a new set of irons, but these I like. 4 iron is 10 yds longer and PW is 4-6 yds longer. I really like the feel at impact. I don't see the ugly of these irons. Even before the fitting and purchase, I didn't see ugly. After a 23 year Navy career, us Sailors tend to not see ugly..........if ya know what I mean. :thumb: I will get back to this thread after a few more rounds.
 
Absolutely great irons. I have some other Pings with the XP95 Shaft but really had the hots for these GMAX after hitting them. Problem is I hit them with XP 95 really well. I got over anxious and bought a set with CFS distance thinking there would not be much difference but it was huge to me. Sometimes you buy something close to what you want to save a few bucks but end up spending more to get exactly what you want. Gonna either sell and order with my Shaft pref or upgrade shafts if that makes more sense. Either way they are a really solid offering if this is your type of club.
 
I swear these irons are almost a spitting image of my MD Golf Icons. Same shape with the sole width, camber and bounce. Also fairly shallow face. The only difference is the cavity badge. Seems like more makers in the SGI range are placing a premium on COG lately. I seriously wonder if they were both cast at the same mill using the same mold in China.
 
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Haven't had a chance to play another round with the G-Max irons yet, rained out the tee time yesterday. Went to the driving range today for another swing with the G-Max irons, and new R15 driver. Here's a pic of the impact with the 8 iron. Yeah..........it felt real good. :banana: The whole set from 4 iron to AW feel good. Noticeable noise at impact, notice I didn't say loud noise, just a little more noticeable than the TaylorMade Burner 2.0's I played prior to this purchase. Really pays off to be fitted for a set of clubs before buying. All of us should ALWAYS go to a shop and get fitted, you don't see the pro's grabbing a set of clubs from the Pro Shop and taking them to the first tee do you? The TaylorMade R15 has a noticeable noise at impact too, more noticeable than my Titleist 912 D2 driver. Most swings produced a straight to slight fade, but nice feel as well as a slightly lower launch angle than the Titleist 912 D2 driver. A lot of the results of the shots were due to the crappy range balls. But I'm sure looking forward to playing Thursday and seeing the results
10%206%2015%20G-Max%208%20iron%20hit_zpsi1leushn.jpg
 
Mach2 said:
Haven't had a chance to play another round with the G-Max irons yet, rained out the tee time yesterday. Went to the driving range today for another swing with the G-Max irons, and new R15 driver. Here's a pic of the impact with the 8 iron. Yeah..........it felt real good. :banana: The whole set from 4 iron to AW feel good. Noticeable noise at impact, notice I didn't say loud noise, just a little more noticeable than the TaylorMade Burner 2.0's I played prior to this purchase. Really pays off to be fitted for a set of clubs before buying. All of us should ALWAYS go to a shop and get fitted, you don't see the pro's grabbing a set of clubs from the Pro Shop and taking them to the first tee do you? The TaylorMade R15 has a noticeable noise at impact too, more noticeable than my Titleist 912 D2 driver. Most swings produced a straight to slight fade, but nice feel as well as a slightly lower launch angle than the Titleist 912 D2 driver. A lot of the results of the shots were due to the crappy range balls. But I'm sure looking forward to playing Thursday and seeing the results
10%206%2015%20G-Max%208%20iron%20hit_zpsi1leushn.jpg
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how do you feel the light swingweight in the short irons (ie. 9 iron)?
 
I don't notice the lighter weights in the short irons, but I do like the lighter weights in the 4 thru 6 irons though. Two rounds on them now and love em.

3 rounds with them now, love em more.
 
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I'm giving these irons serious consideration. Thinking of getting graphite shafts to help with the SS and aging body parts. The additional distance and forgiveness won't hurt my game either.

Does anyone know the differences are between the TFC 4191i and the CFS graphite shafts?

Cheers!
-- Bill --
 
2Bad4u said:
I'm giving these irons serious consideration. Thinking of getting graphite shafts to help with the SS and aging body parts. The additional distance and forgiveness won't hurt my game either.

Does anyone know the differences are between the TFC 4191i and the CFS graphite shafts?

Cheers!
-- Bill --
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Since we had snow on the ground today, I hit a bunch of balls inside including some of the Ping irons. The CFS graphite is definitely lighter than the 419i although the launch and spin numbers looked the same between the two. I asked the fitter who works there about the two and he indicated Ping went lighter in the GMax since those irons would be favored by players looking for higher launches and faster ballspeeds.
 
aslxa said:
Since we had snow on the ground today, I hit a bunch of balls inside including some of the Ping irons. The CFS graphite is definitely lighter than the 419i although the launch and spin numbers looked the same between the two. I asked the fitter who works there about the two and he indicated Ping went lighter in the GMax since those irons would be favored by players looking for higher launches and faster ballspeeds.
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Thanks for the reply. I went out earlier today and got fitted for a set of GMax irons. Ended up going with with the 419i shafts because additional ball speed was important for me. They'll hopefully be in in a couple of weeks.
 
Just a quick post to say that I played my first round with my new clubs and I shot a season low 80. :banana:
 
I've got 5 rounds on my G-Max irons with the CFS Distance SR shafts. Just a solid hitting, good feelin, high launch iron set. Really enjoying them. :joy:
 
chasd3 said:
Anybody buy these and ready to give up on them? I'd love to get my hands on these 2nd hand. I hit a demo and liked the look vs Altitudes with similar performance.
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I could could be ready. 6-PW Green Dot. Steel Regular Shafts. Soft Stepped once. I just can't get comfortable with them. I don't get distance every talks about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Hawk said:
JB nailed it. Just to expand on a couple things.

One big difference is the sole. Altitude is a very wide, flat sole. GMax is still wide (not as wide in the mid/long irons especially), but has a beveled trailing edge. It's more like an iron in that regard, where the Alitudes are more like hybrids (again, moreso as you get into the mid/long irons).

The Karstens, GMax's predecessor, have a much more traditional iron sound to them. The GMax sort of went away from that and it's like a muted, high pitched hybrid almost.

I think at some point here, your choice would be on a personal preference level more than anything. I was more of a fan of the Karstens than the other two. GMax would probably come in second, just based on sound. I never really loved the Altitudes - and of course, that takes nothing away from them. They are well liked by many for good reason.
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Hawk -- you still gaming these ?
 
Just my personal experience as a 20+ handicapper... Hafter having gamed few months GMax I have switched back to Karsten irons (both graph reg). They are very similar irons but with different feeling and sound. Both long, Gmax a tad longer and a fraction higher but was not a fan of the harsh feeling at impact and metallic sound (expecially in the 9, 8 and 7 irons). Cannot explain why - maybe the lighter swing weight that is certainly a plus in the longer irons - but for my swing dispersion was higher for Gmax than Karsten and that was the main reason for switching back
 
I joined the GMax owners group today. S300 True Temper Dynamic Gold 105. Dispersion was amazing and the feel/results much better than the C200 and JPX EZ I went to buy.
 
I hit these in Golfsmith last weekend. They do have a unique sound...kind of a hybrid sound......but they are very forgiving.

For people that are gaming them....is the sound as noticeable when you are playing outside?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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