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Cleveland 588 Altitude irons vs Ping Karsten irons....

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stcjones

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Can any of you who have hit both of these irons compare and contrast these two irons in YOUR opinion?? I have an arthritic shoulder and am trying to find the best iron that won't dig in much and will be easier to swing and get a little more distance. Have hit the altitudes off of a mat so have no idea how they will play on grass......anyways any insight comparing these two irons bases on my individual needs will be much appreciated. Thanks!
 
Totally different.
One is hollow body with minimal offset.
The other has much more offset and more cavity.

The Altitudes might be exactly what you are looking for.
 
JB said:
Totally different.
One is hollow body with minimal offset.
The other has much more offset and more cavity.

The Altitudes might be exactly what you are looking for.
Click to expand...


Thanks a lot JB I really appreciate the time and insight
 
Any time dude. And if you make it to a THP Event, you can try my Altitudes I keep on the THP Tour Van.
 
While I haven't owned the Karstens, within the last 3 seasons I have gamed the G25 irons then the k15's and most recently the older multi material Rapture V2. My attempt was to try and build an all Ping bag as I really like Pings drivers and fairway woods.

I liked the Pings but my miss is a pull and with all the Ping sets the ball would pull draw leading to a pretty bad miss left.

My internet buddy that I met on here, "ryebread" has played the Atitudes or "Tudes" as I call them, for the past two seasons with success. He's tried many irons and always came back to the Tudes.

On a whim I bought a 6i demo at Golfsmith. I had been looking for a traditional club to build the gaps between my 5h and 7i. The 6i worked so well I had to try the rest of the set. So I won an eBay auction for a 5-PW set.

Let's just say it was love at first swing. I'm short at 5'4" so I shortened them 1/2".

For the past 3 seasons my scoring average has been around 88-90. So far since switching to the Tudes I am sitting at an 85 average posting my best 9 hole score of 38 twice and best 18 score at 78.

The Tudes have really mitigated my pull hook miss. Yes I still pull it from time to time but I don't see the hard draw like I had with the Pings. The ball straightens out and usually I can hit the left side of the green or be just of.

I went from about 25% GIR % with the Pings to nearly 50% with the Tudes. They have been a real game changer for me and my handicap has improved from around a 17-18 to a 14 right now. I haven't been this low of a cap since 2013 and that was a result of about 3-4 days a week of practice. I've only been to the range twice this year back in late Feb prior to the Tudes. So I have actually never taken the Tudes to the range. Simply course tested lol.

Since buying the 5-Pw set I also acquired the matching DW and SW to round out the set.

I will admit I love the finish of Ping irons. To me as long as you keep up with them their looks really don't change much after use. The Tudes show more wear but their performance makes them bag worthy.

For the price of the Altitudes you can't go wrong. Give them a shot.

Hope this was helpful.
 
Last edited:
One other thing I forgot to mention is even with the lite steel shaft in the Altitudes the head feels heavier to me than the Pings which I like. Helps me control my tempo and also seems to help with my occasional over the top move.
 
Some great info by erock.

I have played K15s as well as Altitudes and have owned both at the same time. I wanted Pings my entire life, bought the K15s and figured I would play them forever. I played them about a year, but switched to the Altitudes and really haven't looked back. I find the Altitudes more forgiving and prefer the lack of offset. The Pings were better on the really thin miss, but that's about it outside of finish durability and resale.

There's a long thread on the Altitudes that is still active. Go check it out.
 
Wow....glad you are playing so well with the Altitudes....in demo stuff I have been inconsistent with them....and it may be because of graphite shaft. I believe the torque is around 5.7 with these which could make shotmaking erratic I would imagine. Thanks so much for great feedback and hope you have continued success with these!


erock9174 said:
While I haven't owned the Karstens, within the last 3 seasons I have gamed the G25 irons then the k15's and most recently the older multi material Rapture V2. My attempt was to try and build an all Ping bag as I really like Pings drivers and fairway woods.

I liked the Pings but my miss is a pull and with all the Ping sets the ball would pull draw leading to a pretty bad miss left.

My internet buddy that I met on here, "ryebread" has played the Atitudes or "Tudes" as I call them, for the past two seasons with success. He's tried many irons and always came back to the Tudes.

On a whim I bought a 6i demo at Golfsmith. I had been looking for a traditional club to build the gaps between my 5h and 7i. The 6i worked so well I had to try the rest of the set. So I won an eBay auction for a 5-PW set.

Let's just say it was love at first swing. I'm short at 5'4" so I shortened them 1/2".

For the past 3 seasons my scoring average has been around 88-90. So far since switching to the Tudes I am sitting at an 85 average posting my best 9 hole score of 38 twice and best 18 score at 78.

The Tudes have really mitigated my pull hook miss. Yes I still pull it from time to time but I don't see the hard draw like I had with the Pings. The ball straightens out and usually I can hit the left side of the green or be just of.

I went from about 25% GIR % with the Pings to nearly 50% with the Tudes. They have been a real game changer for me and my handicap has improved from around a 17-18 to a 14 right now. I haven't been this low of a cap since 2013 and that was a result of about 3-4 days a week of practice. I've only been to the range twice this year back in late Feb prior to the Tudes. So I have actually never taken the Tudes to the range. Simply course tested lol.

Since buying the 5-Pw set I also acquired the matching DW and SW to round out the set.

I will admit I love the finish of Ping irons. To me as long as you keep up with them their looks really don't change much after use. The Tudes show more wear but their performance makes them bag worthy.

For the price of the Altitudes you can't go wrong. Give them a shot.

Hope this was helpful.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Ryebread! That brings another question into mind.....HOW is the wear and finish on these after playing them for awhile. I had 2 sets of pings that seemed to look better every time I played them...and like u said resale amazing....but a lot of other irons don't hold their looks and wear out quick....not sure why that is....thx again

ryebread said:
Some great info by erock.

I have played K15s as well as Altitudes and have owned both at the same time. I wanted Pings my entire life, bought the K15s and figured I would play them forever. I played them about a year, but switched to the Altitudes and really haven't looked back. I find the Altitudes more forgiving and prefer the lack of offset. The Pings were better on the really thin miss, but that's about it outside of finish durability and resale.

There's a long thread on the Altitudes that is still active. Go check it out.
Click to expand...
 
Stc. If you want some pics of mine send me a PM with your email address.
 
stcjones said:
Wow....glad you are playing so well with the Altitudes....in demo stuff I have been inconsistent with them....and it may be because of graphite shaft. I believe the torque is around 5.7 with these which could make shotmaking erratic I would imagine. Thanks so much for great feedback and hope you have continued success with these!
Click to expand...

The torque in shaft lengths that short should not cause eratic ball flights. Heck I played them with ladies flex graphite in there for close to a month prior to being released and saw very little issue. Then upon release played them for an entire year with stiff graphite in them. The option is still there to test them out on the actual course at a THP Event. There is one in FL that still has open slots and FlightScope will be on the range prior to the round too.

No better way to find out what is working.
 
stcjones said:
Wow....glad you are playing so well with the Altitudes....in demo stuff I have been inconsistent with them....and it may be because of graphite shaft. I believe the torque is around 5.7 with these which could make shotmaking erratic I would imagine. Thanks so much for great feedback and hope you have continued success with these!
Click to expand...

I've had convince myself several times now when I start having trouble with hooks that there is nothing wrong with the clubs, it's all me. I tell myself I 'need' yada, yada, yada, then go try clubs with what I think I need, hook those too, and then I can get back to the real problem, my left wrist. When I can keep my left wrist firm through the ball, I can hit these as hard as I want to and the ball just goes straight.
 
Stiff flex

Stiff flex

That is really interesting. I guess at your level you can pretty much play any shaft and make it work. What are your thoughts on the stiff shaft in this set where I gather the only difference is the weight of the shaft perhaps? Would there be any other distinct differences between the play of the regular shaft versus the stiff shaft in stock graphite? Thanks again for all your input and advice on this topic

JB said:
The torque in shaft lengths that short should not cause eratic ball flights. Heck I played them with ladies flex graphite in there for close to a month prior to being released and saw very little issue. Then upon release played them for an entire year with stiff graphite in them. The option is still there to test them out on the actual course at a THP Event. There is one in FL that still has open slots and FlightScope will be on the range prior to the round too.

No better way to find out what is working.
Click to expand...
 
BamBooBender said:
I've had convince myself several times now when I start having trouble with hooks that there is nothing wrong with the clubs, it's all me. I tell myself I 'need' yada, yada, yada, then go try clubs with what I think I need, hook those too, and then I can get back to the real problem, my left wrist. When I can keep my left wrist firm through the ball, I can hit these as hard as I want to and the ball just goes straight.
Click to expand...


I can definitely identify with that. I am always trying to blame a certain club!!!
 
JB said:
The torque in shaft lengths that short should not cause eratic ball flights. Heck I played them with ladies flex graphite in there for close to a month prior to being released and saw very little issue. Then upon release played them for an entire year with stiff graphite in them. The option is still there to test them out on the actual course at a THP Event. There is one in FL that still has open slots and FlightScope will be on the range prior to the round too.

No better way to find out what is working.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer I really appreciate that....I really want to make it to one of these outings soon...especially in my home state! Thanks JB
 
erock9174 said:
While I haven't owned the Karstens, within the last 3 seasons I have gamed the G25 irons then the k15's and most recently the older multi material Rapture V2. My attempt was to try and build an all Ping bag as I really like Pings drivers and fairway woods.

I liked the Pings but my miss is a pull and with all the Ping sets the ball would pull draw leading to a pretty bad miss left.

My internet buddy that I met on here, "ryebread" has played the Atitudes or "Tudes" as I call them, for the past two seasons with success. He's tried many irons and always came back to the Tudes.

On a whim I bought a 6i demo at Golfsmith. I had been looking for a traditional club to build the gaps between my 5h and 7i. The 6i worked so well I had to try the rest of the set. So I won an eBay auction for a 5-PW set.

Let's just say it was love at first swing. I'm short at 5'4" so I shortened them 1/2".

For the past 3 seasons my scoring average has been around 88-90. So far since switching to the Tudes I am sitting at an 85 average posting my best 9 hole score of 38 twice and best 18 score at 78.

The Tudes have really mitigated my pull hook miss. Yes I still pull it from time to time but I don't see the hard draw like I had with the Pings. The ball straightens out and usually I can hit the left side of the green or be just of.

I went from about 25% GIR % with the Pings to nearly 50% with the Tudes. They have been a real game changer for me and my handicap has improved from around a 17-18 to a 14 right now. I haven't been this low of a cap since 2013 and that was a result of about 3-4 days a week of practice. I've only been to the range twice this year back in late Feb prior to the Tudes. So I have actually never taken the Tudes to the range. Simply course tested lol.

Since buying the 5-Pw set I also acquired the matching DW and SW to round out the set.

I will admit I love the finish of Ping irons. To me as long as you keep up with them their looks really don't change much after use. The Tudes show more wear but their performance makes them bag worthy.

For the price of the Altitudes you can't go wrong. Give them a shot.

Hope this was helpful.
Click to expand...

A very similar experience for me. I just shelved my G25s for the 5-PW Altitudes. Bought them from Rock Bottom new for $220 (what a deal). I like them so far. Distance is not what I expected yet but that is likely do to being in a slump that has seen my handicap go from 11 to 15 in about six weeks. They do seem very forgiving. As you said, it is easy to buff out any sole scratches/dings on Pings. It is apparent after only a few rounds the Altitudes are going to mark up. But if they help improve my game, I do not care.
 
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