Ping ZING 2, Ping ISI, Big Bertha 2008 and Cally X22....Wich is the MOST Forgiving??

Nalajr

Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2010
Messages
128
Reaction score
1
Location
SPRING, TEXAS.....
Handicap
30
Hey all,

I have been thinking about these 4 sets and which one would give me the MOST help. They are all in the $150 range, give or take a tad, except for the X22.
I'm putting together a set of irons to get back into golf after a LONG absence (>10 yrs.) due to health. The best round I had when I played was 86 so I am nothing special at all. I do need the help with correcting mishits, getting the ball up at times and hitting the sweet spot, which is probably my most enduring Achilles heel.

Can you tell me which one of these that I listed would give me the help I need the most?

I am also a bit foggy on the different versions of the ISI irons. I know there is the ISI-K, the ISI-S and the ISI Nickel. I don't know if there are other varieties. Can you also tell me which of the ISI versions is the most forgiving?

If you would rather suggest another set that I should also think about, feel free. I always welcome help and advice.
Thank you for the help.

Nalajr
 
I've got experience with many of these sets. The Big Bertha 2008s would get my nod out of that group. If you can find some with the IBrids, I think you'll be pretty happy. To this day, I think I hit that IBrid 4 iron better than I have hit any similarly lofted iron or hybrid.
 
Hey all,

I have been thinking about these 4 sets and which one would give me the MOST help. They are all in the $150 range, give or take a tad, except for the X22.
I'm putting together a set of irons to get back into golf after a LONG absence (>10 yrs.) due to health. The best round I had when I played was 86 so I am nothing special at all. I do need the help with correcting mishits, getting the ball up at times and hitting the sweet spot, which is probably my most enduring Achilles heel.

Can you tell me which one of these that I listed would give me the help I need the most?

I am also a bit foggy on the different versions of the ISI irons. I know there is the ISI-K, the ISI-S and the ISI Nickel. I don't know if there are other varieties. Can you also tell me which of the ISI versions is the most forgiving?

If you would rather suggest another set that I should also think about, feel free. I always welcome help and advice.
Thank you for the help.

Nalajr

For the ping ensure you get the Ping ISI-K which is the oversized ISI model and hince the most forgiving. I had a set of both ISI and ISI-K and liked them both.
 
I think the Ping Zings would be hard to beat, since they are so player friendly. I enjoyed my set and I still game them from time to time just for fun.
 
I'm just coming back to the game and my irons are still my old ISI-K's. I find them very forgiving especially on toe hits. However I feel that the they are not near as "comfortable" in the feel department. Not sure if this is even possible but I wonder if the "cushion" shafts have worn out? Once again feel free to shoot down that theory, but I just remember they used to provide little to no re-verb and now I seem to feel a lot more.

That being said I do still find the 5-9 irons in particular very forgiving on hits that I know I put a bad swing on.
 
I just went to check out the Cally irons at their pre-owned site and realized that I made a mistake. Instead of the 2008 Big Berthas, I prefer the 2006 version. I also checked out the I-Brid irons. How do they differ from the standard Cally FUSION irons?

Right now I have a few irons that I have put together from Golfsmith heads and low cost Graphite shafts. They are the 685 OS MILLED. They LOOK great but I haven't hit them yet. I have a feeling that they are not going to be as forgiving as I need.
In a storage locker up north where I used to live I also have a set of PING Eye 2 irons. I don't know if they are Eye 2, + no + or what and the set is missing the 8 iron. I don't have anyone that can ship them to me though so I have to wait a while till I get someone up there to help me.

I know the EYE 2 irons are great, they are revolutionary, but I don't know if they would be as helpful to me as the ZING, ZING 2, ISI-K, BB 2006 or the X22 irons. In a perfect world I'd get examples of each and head to the range, but that's not likely to happen.

I wish I didn't have to mess with any of this and could just head to Golf Galaxy and pick up the latest, greatest set of irons, hybrids and woods to get going, but I can't. I can't spend that kind of money right now. I have to get back in the game with the resources I have available to me and that means USED stuff.

So, if you all could take into account the changes I made to my list and let me know what you think, I would be grateful.

Thanks

Nallajr
 
My cousin who I play with regularly has the Zing 2's. To me I much prefer the ISI-K over them. I find the ISI-K more forgiving especially for a swing like mine that is far from repetitive right now. I haven't hit any of the other irons mentioned.
 
My first real set of irons were the 2008 berthas. I loved those irons. Sometimes I wish I never gave them to my little brother. After practicing with then for a while they're pretty automatic. Just straight. I never really used the ibrids or any of the other irons you're looking at so unfortunately I can't compare.

Sent from the Galaxy Note 2
 
Thanks for the opinions.

What is the IBrid?

Nalajr

Nalajr: The Ibird is this half hybrid club that Callaway came out with before they were seemingly fully on board the hybrid bandwagon. You could order them as an optional replacement to an iron in some of the sets, just like you can order optional hybrids now to replace irons in many SGI sets.

You are correct that they had IBrids in the 2008 Big Berthas as well as in their FT series. I personally think the ones in the FT series are more like a traditional hybrid (with the enclosed cavity look) whereas the Big Berthas are more like a very wide soled iron (a Japanese brand called Shuttle still sells a very similar set).

You can check on a Ralph Maltby's website and he has a calculation of the relative forgiveness of iron head designs. There's a lot of debate as to how accurate his numbers are, but at least there is some methodology behind it. It's not just anecdotal reports. Both the 2008 Berthas and the FTs rate very, very highly (higher than any Ping model if I am not mistaken). According to him, the FT IBrids are some of the most forgiving designs he's ever tested.

I would actually add the FT IBrid to the list of clubs that you might want to look at. You may be able to find a set for $150, but most still bring $225 or so. That's still a heck of a buy for a set that was over $1k originally. Between the TPU insert and forged (I believe) construction, they have a very soft feel off the face. The downside is that the soles are a little thinner than some other SGI designs.

While I play Ping irons, I think you're going to be hard pressed to find a more forgiving iron for the money than a 2008 Bertha. I also think the uniflex steel shafts are good for beginners because they are a bit of a "tweener" shaft between a regular and a stiff.

Given you are having this discussion, you may also want to look at some of the older hybrid iron sets from Adams or Cleveland. You should be able to pick up something like the Adams A4OS or Cleveland XLI for $150. If you are targeting Adams, make sure to look at something with OS in the name as those are the designs for high handicappers. I personally prefer the Cleveland XLIs because every single club is a hybrid and they play more consistently through the set.

I can't really comment on the 2006 Berthas. I've never played with those. The 2008s are great clubs though.

Hope this helps!
 
I can't speak for all the clubs mentioned, but I'll share what I know, and what I know is Ping irons.
First: these comments assume you have been fitted properly, and all clubs match your specs, because a well-fitted shovel will often outperform a poorly-fitted jewel.
That being said, I have owned Ping i3 O-Size, Ping Eye2, Ping ISI-K, and Ping Zing2.
The i3 is my least favorite of these, I believe it to be golfers better than I am.
The ISI-K irons were my weapons of choice for a almost 2 seasons. Fairly forgiving, but very limited feedback, which can lead to bad habits. You can't always tell unless you've made a great strike, so the reward is limited.
Ping Eye2 is an icon. There's good reason for them to still be played as much as they are today, 30 years after their introduction. They're very playable, forgiving, and will allow you to shape shots when that skill is needed. They're the Nacho Cheese Doritos of golf: if you're charged with the task of bringing chips to a party, and no particular style of chips is specified, you can never go wrong with Doritos. Virtually all cavity-back irons that came after Eye2 are some kind of Eye2 copy.
Which brings me to Zing 2. THESE are the clubs for someone who needs forgiveness. I picked up a set of these recently, and their specs were correct for me. I played one round, and immediately put my ISI-K irons in my back-up bag for sale. Zing 2 is the easiest-to-hit iron set I have ever tried. Effortless height, nice tactile and audible feedback, and even off-hits go fairly straight and longer than I deserve.

OK, this was pretty long, but that's what I know.
Bottom line: for forgiveness, get a properly-fit set of Zing 2's. The Ping color codes make it simple.

Silence
"Knowledge, sir, should be free to all." - Harry Mudd
 
Last edited:
Dang it, was hoping this was a for sale thread!
 
I have a set for sale but forum rules prohibit me from telling you which one!

Silence
"Knowledge, sir, should be free to all." - Harry Mudd
 
Back
Top