Martin Hopley
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The Ping i irons may have dropped the number from their name, but they continue the better players looks from the previous Ping i25 irons.

Ping i Irons

The i25s were the first of Ping's better player irons cavity backed irons that started to look more traditional and with a new cavity set up, the i iron really looks the part.

Ping i Irons

Compared to the i25, the i has the Custom Tuning Port that regulates the sound and feel embedded more into the sole of the club right behind the face so it is directly behind the impact point.

Ping i Irons

Behind it the trailing edge of the cavity draws the weight back a little further than the i25 and this increases the forgiveness a little more and you can feel this right through the set.

One thing that was noticeable was how good the i iron was through the turf as the wider sole with the slight trailing edge camber played as well as most better player cavity blades on the market.

The face is also a little larger and deeper towards the heel than the i25 and this helps with the forgiveness.

Ping i Irons

The feel is also improved because Ping has used a softer 431 stainless steel in the cast heads. It has a higher strength to weight ratio and this gives Ping the flexibility to play around with 3-4 grams of weight to increase the forgiveness by moving it to the perimeter of the head.

Ping i Irons

To this end the 3 to 7 irons also have a tungsten toe weight to help with the balance of the heads, which increase in size as you go up the set.

Ping i Irons

The hosel and heads are longer than the i25 and this is most noticeable in the longer irons.

Ping i Irons

The Ping i irons come with a CFS Distance steel shaft as standard, although there are many other steel and graphite options. Don't be put off by the word Distance in the name as these are relatively light, stable shafts that suit the heads well.

Ping i Irons

At address the i irons sit very well indeed and the midsized head and top line has that better player profile without looking too skinny or oversized.

Ping i Irons

As standard the lofts are 1° stronger in the i iron and the shafts 0.25 inches longer than the i25 so that may give you a little more distance.

When I took them on Trackman they were not only going further, but they were also much more consistent thanks to the greater margin for error from the cavity and the larger heads.

The spin rate was higher but the ball speed was also up by over 1mph when I compared the 6-irons from each set. This did mean a higher flight for me with the i iron compared to the i25 so you will have to see for yourself if the extra speed works for you with this flight.

Ping i Irons

The 3-iron starts at 20° and the available clubs goes through to the Utility (U) wedge at 50°, although at this point you may want to transfer over to the excellent Ping Glide wedges.

The set i wedges are not bad, but the larger cavity affects the sound and feel feedback a little. The i25 wedges felt a little crisper and sounded a little better, but the lighter Ping Glide wedges are just a little better than them both.

Ping i Irons

The short and mid irons felt and sounded very good and there was a lovely blend of forgiveness and performance that all low handicappers will enjoy.

Ping i Irons

Like the i25 irons, once you get up to the 4-iron the longer head and bigger cavity tended to give a marginally more hollow sound at impact and if you are used to forged irons you may find this requires a little bit of compromise.

The Ping i irons are mainly about performance with forgiveness and they really deliver here and would suit any single figure golfer. The flight was medium to high for this sort of iron and throughout the bulk of the set there is very little that would deter you from reaching in your pocket there and then as they are so easy to hit for a low handicappers' iron.

The best compliment I can give them is that each time Ping bring out a new version of their cast i series irons it gets closer to feeling like a forged iron. They also improve the looks each time so that when better players pick it up and have a waggle, more of them go 'I could play this'.

Ping diehards will certainly enjoy the Ping i irons as the performance and possibly the looks are an enhancement to the i family of irons and they should also attract a few more non-Ping converts to the cause who maybe have not seen the light yet.

Golfalot Rating: 5 stars
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Ping i Irons - Product Details

UK Launch15 July 2015
UK Launch RRP£784
USA Launch15 July 2015
Handicap Range
Low
High
GolferMens
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
ManufactureCast
MaterialSteel
Swing WeightD1, D2
Shaft NameCFS Distance, CFS Graphite
Shaft TypesSteel, Graphite
Shaft FlexLight, Regular, Stiff, X Stiff
DesignCavity Back
Set Makeup4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW
Additional Clubs3, GW
Manufacturer's WebsitePing Website

User Reviews

Bless
May 2017

Best irons I have ever played. I had the Callaway Razr X Black and i changed from a game improvement iron set to a more sleeker better player irons.

February 2017

Going on nine months playing the Ping i 4-U with CFS shafts and I continue to enjoy and appreciate their quality as I improve (I'm still acclimatising to a couple swing changes since getting them so that's certainly part of the improvement, i.e., I can't give Ping all the credit). All 8 irons are gripped w/ midsize GP Tour Wraps and definitely out climb and distance the X-14 Pro's I used to play. The more I play them the higher and farther they seem to go while being more accurate and reliable, although I'm still adjusting to the longer yardage so I get more long misses. I had never heard anybody respond to the trajectory and apex of my iron shots until getting my Pings; it's a pretty sweet sight to behold. Then there's the feel to be had on square, solid strikes which is addictive and just makes me want to play more...so, I will. Nice work Ping!

February 2017

Ping i are my 3rd set of i irons. I started with i3 then went on to the i5 and now the i. Ping just get better and better I love the feel and look of my new clubs I seem to hit straighter and longer than I did with my i5 , it might be just in my head but I feel a lot more comfortable with these clubs if so well done ping you have done it mentally as we as physically.

December 2016

Just bought a set and tried for the first time today. I previously had a 14 year old set of Callaways and the improvement is unbelievable. I hit them so much straighter and they're far more forgiving. My first impression is I love them!!! I play off 6 and thoroughly recommend them to any golfer from scratch up to mid teens.

October 2016

Bought these to replace my i-10s and i have been very impressed. Off centre hits that would have fell well short are still making the distance. They play about 1 club longer and are more accurate.

October 2016

Replaced the i20's and I love them. Ping coming through every time.

July 2016

Got fitted for these after playing the Eye 2 for the last 20 years. The difference is unreal. Having shafts +0.5" and Green dot has translated into missed shots that aren't that far off. I'm sure for every one it comes down to custom fit and comfort and these really work for me. Great job Ping!

May 2016

Nice to hit, but the down side is they scuff too easily on the back so they not age well.

April 2016

Best irons I have ever played. CFS shaft being a bit lighter then the Dynamic Gold the club is easy to swing and still has the feel. So far my long irons get better airtime and land softer on the greens.

Just got the U wedge to replace my 50 degree Cleveland because I hit my PW so much straighter and with better trajectory, and also the feel is so much better than a wedge. I have the Golf Bride MCC+4 grips on mine and they feel great.

Would recommend to any 15 HCP.

April 2016

Bought a set of these in January and to be honest was a little disappointed with them

I have had the i series from the 15s and loved every upgrade of which I thought the 20s were the best. I still own them.

The new i's for me lack distance and the feel and the noise is very strange. I believe them to be at least a half to one club shorter than the i20s even though I have them set at 1 degree stronger in the loft. This could be the shaft as I had a KBS shaft in the previous models but the specs were very similar so I decided on the stock shaft.

They are however a nice and clean looking iron and I will wait with huge anticipation for the next instalment of the Ping i iron.

March 2016

Nice clubs, and very consistent.

March 2016

Well anyone that knows me know I love to try what's new. I purchased a new set of Ping I irons regular CFS shafts and they they are awesome. Great feel, length, consistency, look and accuracy. These are the best clubs I have ever owned and i've owned a hell of a lot of iron sets. The feel is so nice, the distance consistency and accuracy are the three things I seek from irons. I've found my irons.

December 2015

These are way better than my i20's. I also bought a Glide 54 and 58 and those two wedges are amazing. I agree they scuff up more easily than the i20s, but they're golf clubs and that will happen; at least Ping can retumble these as my i20's were not made to be retumbled.

November 2015

I bought my Ping I series irons back in September the actual performance of the irons are fantastic but I am disappointed at how easily the clubs mark and scuff especially the back of the club . After about 3 months they are not looking very good. I clean them after every game and are worried what they going to look like in 12 months time - after paying £100 per club you would not expect this.

November 2015

I bought the Ping i Irons in October 2015. Before choosing this set of irons I tried many of the top brands and for me the Ping's felt the best. Right at the start I dropped 5 strokes off my score first time playing the Ping i series E1. I am hitting straighter then ever. Distance was more and expected but that is due to 25 year old clubs and original lofts. Replaced clubs 8 iron at 39 deg was 150 yds. Ping i series 8 iron at 37 deg is 160 yds. These clubs are workable and constant. Nicely weighted and balanced. Swing weighted is just right. Not too light but you still feel the club load up in the swing. Off centre hits still go straight and long. When you are checking out all your options, don't forget Ping.

September 2015

Great clubs from a great company.

September 2015

This is my first set of Ping irons. Very impressed with the feel, distance and playability of these irons. In addition the Glide wedge is the best I ever hit.
Very impressed.

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