That was my experience in terms of distance in my fitting. F6 were longer by a bit on well struck balls. For me, it just came down to the fact that well struck balls were more common with the G. Total package just worked better.
PING G Irons - THP Review
That was my experience in terms of distance in my fitting. F6 were longer by a bit on well struck balls. For me, it just came down to the fact that well struck balls were more common with the G. Total package just worked better.
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- #52
Goes to show how different we are and what a role familiarity/comfort can play too. Make me pick, I'm picking F6 every time. That said though, this is a REALLY complete G series offering, much better than the last two iterations IMO (having hit them now thanks to two of my HS kids playing them).
Yes - I went in with every intention of being fit for the F6. But when you have a bunch of ball flight traces that look like they're on top of each other, you don't argue with results. I've gone against a fitting before, and it resulted in a carousel of clubs going in and out of the bag. I'll still tinker and try out new stuff, but looking for a stable set of gamers, and I'm hoping these will be them.
It is crazy how much of this game is mental though. Look at these close up with the G30s, and they look like they're nearly the same. Put them down by the ball, and the G looks SO much better, in my opinion. A bunch of little small changes really add up.
F6 was definitely longer for me as well. G had better feel in my opinion.
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Just hitting them side by side the G was much more reliable for "my" game. Yes the F6 was longer but the G was about as consistent as they come. As much as I love my i's I could see bagging these.
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- #56
Its a fun discussion. No doubt a lot of the "consistency" seen for some has to do with the sole width and extreme perimeter weighting being beneficial to them. Its the nice thing about the options we are seeing out on the market right now.
I would happily game either set this year. F6 was litterally my #2 choice.
twoods
Member
Jman, just curious how the wedge is playing for you from 100ish in? I see that you did not receive a gap or sand or lob with the set that you received, but was interested if the slimmed down look helped with delicate pitches or chips around the green?
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- #59
100 and in is my 60* distance, so I honestly haven't hit the PW in that range. Some greenside chipping with the PW though, and I will say the lie is important here as extremely tight situations aren't the most comfortable personally given the sole width.
twoods
Member
Lol, unfortunately my 60* is my 15 yard flop over a bunker to a tight pin. I guess the slimmed down appearance in the wedge does not hide that it is still a meaty sole when it comes to chipping?
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- #61
They've definitely slimmed the looks from the top of the whole set, the rounded topline really does most of it but the manner at which the offset it built into the design visually helps there too. That said, the soles are very much still G-series soles IMO, and great for what they are supposed to do, and they do it well .
twoods
Member
Thanks for the feedback, I feel that the slimmed down look would make the other wedges more playable,similar to the I wedges, but with G technology. I like the thought of wedges that look more like players wedges but offer the forgiveness for hackers like myself. I had the opportunity to fondle the sw and it had the slim profile and look of an I wedge. As a guy that likes to match his wedges with his irons, this is very cool to me. Very interested to hear your thoughts about the playability of the pw from different lies. Look forward to your further reviews.
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- #63
I can say safely, the sole on the PW is absolutely bigger than any of the 3 i-series sets I have reviewed. Like I mentioned before, definitely LOOK more slim from address, but the actual profile size is not extravagantly different.
That's why though I picked up the UW to try out, I can see a scenario where I play the MD3s at 48-52-56 (how they gap in with the 545s) instead of that club. The versatility on certain courses will be appreciated. Then again, I've played both the i25 and G15 4-L, and didn't really have much trouble, so we'll see. I play most of my chips pretty much straight on.
twoods
Member
I'm use to playing wide sole wedges so anything that looks slimmer sounds perfect for me and my mindset, perception versus reality thing.
First time with my new irons at sim league tonight and the results are incomplete.
I was hitting on a SportsCoach simulator and playing my usual Bridgestone e6 ball.
First of all, I was not swinging consistently well with any club, old or new. Second, during my round, distances were consistently about 20% shorter than normal, so I can't draw many conclusions about distance. This was true for my old, familiar driver and 1&2 hybrids, and, perhaps more significantly, for my opponent as well.
During range warmups, I concentrated on distances, to the exclusion of other swing data. On the range, I saw distances equal to or perhaps 3-4% longer with the G vs the corresponding club from the older set. I kind of expected this, because the new clubs are about 2 degrees stronger than the ten year old irons they replaced.
I did notice that except for serious mishits, my ball flight was a consistently straight pull vs the scattered fade I had with my old irons. The driver and 1/2 hybrids had their normal ball flights, so this consistency would appear to be due to the Gs and the consistency of my outside-in swing path. I got better than I deserved.
I also hit the Ping G 4 hybrid tonight. I saw the same straight-flying tendencies and some serious length when caught properly. However, on the range it appeared to be the right club to bridge the gap between my existing 2 hybrid and my new 5 iron. Ill add a few more comments on that thread.
Recalling my last two sets of new clubs, it took me a few rounds to settle in. I can say these feel very good, especially on chips around the green, where I saw a big improvement in touch and direction. And, i feel comfortable with the club at address.
I was hitting on a SportsCoach simulator and playing my usual Bridgestone e6 ball.
First of all, I was not swinging consistently well with any club, old or new. Second, during my round, distances were consistently about 20% shorter than normal, so I can't draw many conclusions about distance. This was true for my old, familiar driver and 1&2 hybrids, and, perhaps more significantly, for my opponent as well.
During range warmups, I concentrated on distances, to the exclusion of other swing data. On the range, I saw distances equal to or perhaps 3-4% longer with the G vs the corresponding club from the older set. I kind of expected this, because the new clubs are about 2 degrees stronger than the ten year old irons they replaced.
I did notice that except for serious mishits, my ball flight was a consistently straight pull vs the scattered fade I had with my old irons. The driver and 1/2 hybrids had their normal ball flights, so this consistency would appear to be due to the Gs and the consistency of my outside-in swing path. I got better than I deserved.
I also hit the Ping G 4 hybrid tonight. I saw the same straight-flying tendencies and some serious length when caught properly. However, on the range it appeared to be the right club to bridge the gap between my existing 2 hybrid and my new 5 iron. Ill add a few more comments on that thread.
Recalling my last two sets of new clubs, it took me a few rounds to settle in. I can say these feel very good, especially on chips around the green, where I saw a big improvement in touch and direction. And, i feel comfortable with the club at address.
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- #67
Thanks to what is an awesome position that I am in now with being the HS golf coach at my school, my time to really dive in and work with review clubs has increased. As such I'm pretty much done with my data collection period with these irons and about to start putting it all down on paper for the homepage review, that said...
- The look from address really is the best we have ever seen from PING in a G iron. Ever. It has fooled a LOT of guys I have shown them to when I hand them to them at address.
- The AWT shaft and nature of the set itself are going to fit a lot of people looking for a set in this category well. You don't notice the weight differential in the swing at all as it changes through the set, but it does aid in the flight, particularly the longer irons.
- They go high. Looking at my #'s the AVERAGE peak heights through the set are as such: 4i-34y, 5i-35y, 6i-38y, 7i-40y, 8i-41y, 9i-42y, PW-44y. Like I said, HIGH. Now, keep in mind, fitting is a huge chunk of this. I myself would benefit from a slightly altered setup, but these numbers show me beyond a doubt the set HITS the target audience that it intends and does so well.
- Forgiveness is all there, good ball-speeds, not life-changing there, but the retention toe and low are really good. Heel side has actually surprised me the most though, was unexpected. Very little gear effect on lateral misses on the head.
- Distance is good. Not the longest SGI iron for me, but on a personal level I think I'm hitting a point of diminishing returns with them flight height wise. I do hit them as long as the G25 and G30 I tried, even with those having a more penetrating flight for me. These are lower spinning, and that definitely plays a role there. I've no doubt with a proper fitting I could gain a good bit of distance personally, but off the rack they will fit a lot of peoples needs really well.
- They sound (feel) good. They're DEFINITELY "blurred" on feedback for misses, but as I've said in here before, that is expected IMO.
2Bad4u
KABOOM BABY!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
So, my clubs came in yesterday, and I made a quick stop off at the range to give them some swings in with them. I hit maybe 100 balls, working on a few different things. Some thoughts:
It's actually a really good day to talk about these, given that my swing was a bit off yesterday. I'm someone who really WANTS to play a smaller profiled iron - I prefer the look down by the ball. But on the days I don't have it, I'm still a 12-13 handicap most of the time - things can get ugly. These give me a better looking profile at address than the G series has in the past (even if some of it is optical illusion), with the same performance. The biggest thing for me is the long irons. I can put the 5i down by the ball and feel like I can be aggressive going at the pin.
I'm looking forward to getting these dialed in, and shooting some low scores with them this year. I'll be taking these out either Sunday, Wednesday, or both days, so I'm happy to pay attention to something specific and report back if there's something people are interested in.
- I was living heelside most of the session - this is common for me when I switch to new clubs until I get the feel worked out. You wouldn't be able to tell from the ballflight. Rather than weak balls to the right, I was still seeing a pretty strong, straight ballflight. This was especially common on the short irons, which are going to take some getting used to coming from irons with low offset there in the last few years. I'm certain some of it is setup, and that will get worked out with time.
- As James said, the feel on these is definitely more nuanced in terms of misses, as to be expected from a GI club. That said, a dead-on shot does feel different than misses (and quite good!)
- The Modus3 105 definitely brings down the flight - whether it be launch or spin - for me vs. what I saw with the AWT 2.0s. Still, these are a high launching club - that's what they're meant to do. Still, it was a windy day and I had no problem holding my line on well struck shots.
- These are 100% G series irons, through and through. They look considerably nicer at address (in my opinion), but the performance is similar. Feel/sound is a little bit different than the G15/G30, which I've had experience with, but closer to those than the GMax. Still a more solid feel for a GI iron, which is one of the things I like about PING's offerings here.
It's actually a really good day to talk about these, given that my swing was a bit off yesterday. I'm someone who really WANTS to play a smaller profiled iron - I prefer the look down by the ball. But on the days I don't have it, I'm still a 12-13 handicap most of the time - things can get ugly. These give me a better looking profile at address than the G series has in the past (even if some of it is optical illusion), with the same performance. The biggest thing for me is the long irons. I can put the 5i down by the ball and feel like I can be aggressive going at the pin.
I'm looking forward to getting these dialed in, and shooting some low scores with them this year. I'll be taking these out either Sunday, Wednesday, or both days, so I'm happy to pay attention to something specific and report back if there's something people are interested in.
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- #70
THP Review is now up and you can read it here.
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/ping-g-series-irons-review/
http://www.thehackersparadise.com/ping-g-series-irons-review/
Great review. I've had similar thoughts. The point about face wear is definitely true. After 4 rounds of golf my clubs look like I've used them a half season (based on my previous clubs wear patterns)
Another great writeup Jman. What I found most interesting was the dispersion forgiveness side to side on the face. While the looks don't make me drop my jaw, knowing that a heel or toe strike won't be massively penal side to side would make me want to give these irons a hard look if I was shopping for new sticks. That's definitely some forgiveness a lot of amateurs could use in their game.
As someone who just put the G's into play, I was looking forward to your full thoughts on these.
My experiences have pretty much matched Jman's so far - his point about face wear is a good one. It seems there's a coating or something on the hitting area that's wears down pretty quickly after the first few hits. But from how it looks, I don't think it's a case where it's going to look worse and worse - it's just a quick initial wear. They definitely hit the ball high, but the Modus3 gives me a bit stronger flight than I saw from the AWT 2.0s, especially in the short irons. And speaking of short irons, I've been very happy with the UW's performance on shots around the green, even with the tight lies due to the half dead grass we're seeing playing in early March up here in the northeast. It's a big sole, but the beveled shape seems to get it out of the way for those shots. Finally - as someone who played the G15s for years I agree with Jman - ball speed retention on these has caught up to some of the other offerings out there. However, I think this comes at the expense of the more solid (for a GI iron) feel you got from the PING G series in the past, especially in the long irons.
One of the things that surprised me was that, at least in the longer irons, the blade length (width is another story) was in line with OITW's DPFs when we played last weekend. Obviously the rest of the club is larger, but in some ways I prefer the wider top line to go with the longer blade.
At the end of the day, I wouldn't call these the most "exciting" golf clubs - they're very utilitarian, as the G series has always been. But when I can step up to a ball from about 180 and feel like I have a good chance to get the ball within birdie range, I don't care.
My experiences have pretty much matched Jman's so far - his point about face wear is a good one. It seems there's a coating or something on the hitting area that's wears down pretty quickly after the first few hits. But from how it looks, I don't think it's a case where it's going to look worse and worse - it's just a quick initial wear. They definitely hit the ball high, but the Modus3 gives me a bit stronger flight than I saw from the AWT 2.0s, especially in the short irons. And speaking of short irons, I've been very happy with the UW's performance on shots around the green, even with the tight lies due to the half dead grass we're seeing playing in early March up here in the northeast. It's a big sole, but the beveled shape seems to get it out of the way for those shots. Finally - as someone who played the G15s for years I agree with Jman - ball speed retention on these has caught up to some of the other offerings out there. However, I think this comes at the expense of the more solid (for a GI iron) feel you got from the PING G series in the past, especially in the long irons.
One of the things that surprised me was that, at least in the longer irons, the blade length (width is another story) was in line with OITW's DPFs when we played last weekend. Obviously the rest of the club is larger, but in some ways I prefer the wider top line to go with the longer blade.
At the end of the day, I wouldn't call these the most "exciting" golf clubs - they're very utilitarian, as the G series has always been. But when I can step up to a ball from about 180 and feel like I have a good chance to get the ball within birdie range, I don't care.
Great review here James.
While it won't stop me from purchasing, I do think this cavity is a little busy and not very "sleek" looking. Definitely think they should've done something with color in the depressed circle. I do like what they did with the topline to reduce the impression of overall footprint.
With all that said, they sound like performers and a great offering in the SGI segment.
While it won't stop me from purchasing, I do think this cavity is a little busy and not very "sleek" looking. Definitely think they should've done something with color in the depressed circle. I do like what they did with the topline to reduce the impression of overall footprint.
With all that said, they sound like performers and a great offering in the SGI segment.
emart2173
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Nice review James. I like the looks and what Ping has done here.