Heart says i500 Brain says i210 I need help

[nilopol]

interested to see if anyone with the i500's notice difference of "feel" with different shafts. I'm gaming PZ6.0. Anyone compare?

[Skydiver22]

Went from iBlades to i500's... best club decision I have made in years. Had to get use to the lack of feel and the sound, but I am hitting them unreal. 5-6 irons feel like wedges in my hand and mind... dart throwing shots. The i500's were standard i500 lofted and all my distances were crazy off, 195 7 iron, 245 4 iron distances. got fit at PING and had them retro lofted. Much better consistency, though occasionally I get a hot shot that fly's 20 yards over the intended target. Played a tourney Saturday and hit two tee shots OB with my driver and shot 73. Missed two greens in regulation.

[4x4GGG]

This whole thread has me worried about my incoming i500 irons. Got fitted, went thru a ton of options. 210s, 410s, 710s...

 

I started with the 210's and then the i500s. After that I hit maybe 10 more heads in different shaft and lie combinations. All done and said the i500s were the right choice. When the fitter showed me the build I asked for a little test drive time. I hit maybe 20 more balls after a full day of hitting and never once felt a "bad" feel from the club. I mean, I mishit a few but nothing that was hand breaking. I've mishit a Mizzy 3i blade and that damn near broke my hand. I'm a 15 hcp and trust me I can mishit a ball with the best of them. But after a long day of hitting I never once felt the horror thats filled this thread. I really hope I don't ever.

[jjfcpa]

I played the i500's for a few months and just felt like I could do better. Consistency and mishits were a concern, while admittedly, some of those mishits were me, not the clubs. I really wanted to like them because I loved the looks of them.

Switched to Apex CF19's and the consistency, distance, and reduced mishits are a plus. I kind of think I could now play a better round with the i500's because I've done a lot of work on my swing and contact. But I'm pretty happy with the Apex so I'll stick with them till something clearly makes an impression with me.

[WarEagleGolf]

Still love my i500s. With the right shaft they feel almost as good as my S55.

Got a few of those nukes, found I wasn't striking down, killing all spin. + AoA can cause that I think...if I were starting over, I might get Blueprint up to 7/6 power spec, then do i500 6/7 rest of the way up.

If they work for you, they work. I can't hit i200s at all....too much bounce. These give me the players look and build I want, with some extra forgiveness (not that I need that much really) plus distance, a whole club plus when you compare loft v loft with older irons.

I don't think many people NOT coming from Ping, or at least cast irons are going to like the feel, just different. Yes...the clank happens when you mishit...sorry, most.clubs have their version of the same. Plus they do NOT sound great with range balls.

One other thing I noticed, lower spin balls can create nukes....it might change your ball choice if you go with I500.

[denvergolf]

It's great that the i500's are working so well for you. The only thing I don't understand is the bounce. You're talking 1 degree of bounce difference between the two.

[WarEagleGolf]

Bounce is the wrong word/description. The sole is smaller and cuts through the turf more for me with i500. Not bounce as far as the degrees of bounce.

Not trying to confuse anyone. I hit the 200's and 210's, can't even hit them off mats. Loved my i10s, but couldn't make those work. Once I got to a more narrow sole via the s55, it was over....

 

[chizzler89]

Anyone have a pic of either of these and how they wear over time? I'm really keen but hearing some reports that they show quite a lot of marks/ scuffs due to the pearl finish on the club. Thx

[driveandputtmachine]

Feel is for suckers.   Distance repeatability and enough spin and descent angle to hold greens consistently is the winner in score.

 

You don't play Major firm greens, or even PGA tour average greens (well assuming you don't) so you don't need their exact spin a descent angles, however if you are borderline not enough spin with the i500 your scores will suffer.  It is not conjecture it is fact.

 

All of the new "hollow" clubs on the market go farther, even when compared loft for loft with other clubs.  How do they do this?   By removing spin, and a few other tid bits.  Removing spin for some people is a good thing, I spin the ball a lot and have a high swing speed, so those type of irons work fine for me.  I have a buddy who I have seen spin back a 38* 8 iron, the P790's I sold him work great for him.

 

If you are borderline too little spin, shots say with a little dirt in the grooves, or a little dew, that used to fly just a little farther and still maybe to the back edge, are now going to fly the back edge and go bounding away from the green.  Irons are not about distance, irons are about consistent distance and consistent miss patterns.   Who cares if you hit a 7 iron from 194, and sometimes hit it 190 and other times hit it 210?  I would prefer to hit a 7 iron 178 to 181 every time.  At least that way only a bad swing results in a bad shot, where with too little spin a good swing can result in a bad shot quite often.

[driveandputtmachine]

On 1/28/2019 at 3:02 AM, MarkAJones said:

 

Hope you're not suggesting i500s have a "hot spot".

 

You'll be lynched! 😉

We all know that every hollow headed iron lowers spin.  The problem most am's have, is they don't know if they lower it too much.  Most don't realize that numerous times a round with a standard club they hit one with dirt in the grooves and from a slightly taller grass lie or dew on the ground that they lost spin on that shot, because they had enough to begin with.  So with that shot losing 4 or 500 RPM's didn't blow them over the green.  If they lower it all the time and then have those shots that drop another 4 or 500 RPM they are suddenly over the green.  Then they start over estimating even more how far they hit a club, and then come up short, or they don't factor it in and they go long.

 

Few am's clean their irons after every shot, if they did and had enough spin in the first place, then playing the hollow irons aren't a problem.

 

 

 

[new2g0lf]

15 hours ago, driveandputtmachine said:

Feel is for suckers.   Distance repeatability and enough spin and descent angle to hold greens consistently is the winner in score.

 

You don't play Major firm greens, or even PGA tour average greens (well assuming you don't) so you don't need their exact spin a descent angles, however if you are borderline not enough spin with the i500 your scores will suffer.  It is not conjecture it is fact.

 

All of the new "hollow" clubs on the market go farther, even when compared loft for loft with other clubs.  How do they do this?   By removing spin, and a few other tid bits.  Removing spin for some people is a good thing, I spin the ball a lot and have a high swing speed, so those type of irons work fine for me.  I have a buddy who I have seen spin back a 38* 8 iron, the P790's I sold him work great for him.

 

If you are borderline too little spin, shots say with a little dirt in the grooves, or a little dew, that used to fly just a little farther and still maybe to the back edge, are now going to fly the back edge and go bounding away from the green.  Irons are not about distance, irons are about consistent distance and consistent miss patterns.   Who cares if you hit a 7 iron from 194, and sometimes hit it 190 and other times hit it 210?  I would prefer to hit a 7 iron 178 to 181 every time.  At least that way only a bad swing results in a bad shot, where with too little spin a good swing can result in a bad shot quite often.

Nailed it, doesn't matter how good they feel if you can't hold a green or dispersion due to distance is all over the place.  If you don't spin the ball a lot, you need a descent angle of at least 45*, preferably even a little more, which means the shaft has to really get the ball high up in the air (which creates problems in wind).  It's only recently I've come to appreciate how important backspin and descent angle are, especially in dry conditions.  

[Strategery]

Good feel breeds confidence which produces better swings and results.

It's a very rare review which says feels great but does not perform.

[A.Princey]

I don't want to feel like I'm nailing rocks the whole round either, feel does matter some. I never had a set of clubs like the i500, as I was so biased into liking them just on looks alone. As much as I really WANTED to like them, I just couldn't. I'm not a "feel snob", butta-like Mizuno guy either, so that's saying something. The SGI clubs I game feel fantastic compared to the i500, fwiw.

Edited December 16, 2020 by A.Princey

[Thayneil]

On 1/26/2019 at 5:47 PM, tobiasjd said:

I preferred the i210. If you need more distance than just use more club.

This

[driveandputtmachine]

8 hours ago, new2g0lf said:

Nailed it, doesn't matter how good they feel if you can't hold a green or dispersion due to distance is all over the place.  If you don't spin the ball a lot, you need a descent angle of at least 45*, preferably even a little more, which means the shaft has to really get the ball high up in the air (which creates problems in wind).  It's only recently I've come to appreciate how important backspin and descent angle are, especially in dry conditions.  

My post came of a tad bit wrong on the feel department.  What I meant was if two clubs are the same on performance and looks of course you buy the one that feels better.  What you don't do is rate feel high like spin, dispersion, or decent angle.  Feel is the final factor if all else is the same.

 

Lets say you hit iron P really well, dispersion is on point(percentages are different for each person), spin with lets say a 7 iron is 6800, decent angle is 50* and feel is a 6 out of 10.   Iron M is a little worse on dispersion, spin is down around 6300, decent angle is 45*, but feel is a 10.  You absolutely do not choose iron M, unless you want to have worse scores.

[Jut]

I haven't read the entire discussion, but wanted to chime in with MY experiences with i500.  I fell in love with the looks and also hit them well during my fitting (admittedly inside, off mats) at Golf Exchange.  I hit the i210's equally well, but the fitter gave me a nudge towards the i500s and I fully agreed (how could I not, they are gorgeous sticks).  Biggest (most costly) mistake I've ever made with regards to a golf purchase.  Not only did they feel terrible to me once I got them on the course (and yes, to me, that matters A LOT...it's one of MY most important characteristics in any club), but I truly believe these clubs just aren't made for pickers/sweepers.  Took a bit hit on them when I moved off them pretty quickly.  Again, I know these irons have been well-received by many, but this was my experience with them.  If you are sensitive to sound/feel and/or are a picker/sweeper, I'd be careful.     

[NRJyzr]

39 minutes ago, Jut said:

but I truly believe these clubs just aren't made for pickers/sweepers.

 

It's worth noting the i500 have a very high CG, well above the midpoint of the golfball.  

 

Yeah, shallow attacks may be better elsewhere.

 

[Moonlightgrm]

I’ve been a Ping iron man for twenty-one years. I demoed the i500s and the i210s but couldn’t decide. The fitter left me for a moment, then returned with another iron and said, “hit this”. He’d handed me a Titleist T200 seven iron. The feel was great and so were my numbers. He allowed me to borrow the T200 for three days, with the AMT Black and AMT Red shafts (S300). I thoroughly tested the T200 on our empty golf course and was sold. I ordered them on 11/27/20 and expect their arrival shortly after Christmas. 

[new2g0lf]

1 hour ago, driveandputtmachine said:

My post came of a tad bit wrong on the feel department.  What I meant was if two clubs are the same on performance and looks of course you buy the one that feels better.  What you don't do is rate feel high like spin, dispersion, or decent angle.  Feel is the final factor if all else is the same.

 

Lets say you hit iron P really well, dispersion is on point(percentages are different for each person), spin with lets say a 7 iron is 6800, decent angle is 50* and feel is a 6 out of 10.   Iron M is a little worse on dispersion, spin is down around 6300, decent angle is 45*, but feel is a 10.  You absolutely do not choose iron M, unless you want to have worse scores.

I agree 100%, most casual golfers don't even know to look for backspin and descent angle when picking irons, they are sold on distance.  I have witnessed way too many fittings in big box stores where the focus was on overall distance, "look, you're hitting the new 7i 10 yards longer than your old 7i", with no reference to the fact that those extra 10 yards were due to rollout.  

In terms of feel, it's very subjective, especially for casual golfers.  When I first started out, I had no idea what I was supposed to feel.  If you hit a well made iron right it will "feel" good.  As for the i500's, I had the same issue with them as I did with the TM P790's, I couldn't trust them distance wise.  

[driveandputtmachine]

1 hour ago, new2g0lf said:

I agree 100%, most casual golfers don't even know to look for backspin and descent angle when picking irons, they are sold on distance.  I have witnessed way too many fittings in big box stores where the focus was on overall distance, "look, you're hitting the new 7i 10 yards longer than your old 7i", with no reference to the fact that those extra 10 yards were due to rollout.  

In terms of feel, it's very subjective, especially for casual golfers.  When I first started out, I had no idea what I was supposed to feel.  If you hit a well made iron right it will "feel" good.  As for the i500's, I had the same issue with them as I did with the TM P790's, I couldn't trust them distance wise.  

I am a pretty high spin and high swing speed player.  Yet if I didn't keep the grooves spotless I could get the occasional slight "flyer" from the first cut/fluffy fairways or in the morning with dew on the grass.  Out of the rough they were very likely to produce a flyer most of the time.  So due to the fact that I hit many balls in the rough my scores suffered a bit due to distance control issues.  Cobra and P770 were not nearly as low spin as say the i500 and P790 for me.  In the end I went back to something similar with the i210s.

[ChipNRun]

I hit the prior i200s a couple of times at demo days - like several dozen shots. I hit the i210s maybe a dozen shots when they first came out.

 

The i210 felt just as good as the i200s. 

 

Also for i210, really pay attention to the shafts. You have the Recoil 95 shafts - the lighter shafts on a more aggressive head can really help the game. If you were just starting fittings, I also would have suggested the AWT2.0 - the longer irons are slightly lighter than the shorter iron shafts, so this would help with launch, and keep distance decent at long end of bag. But, you already get this with your Recoil 95s.

 

To dispel your anxiety over distance, just remember:

On 1/26/2019 at 4:47 AM, tobiasjd said:

If you need more distance than just use more club.

 

[jjfcpa]

too much inconsistency with the i500's.  We had to part ways and I haven't looked back.

[Stonewalled]

Had both sets of these irons. Being a big Ping fan it was inevitable.  Loved the look  of the 500's at address, beautiful set of irons all around.   I had purchased these from a member in early 2019, These had stiff 110 steelfibers in them, I 

was very anxious waiting for spring to arrive. My initial thoughts were of dismay, had a hard time hitting them after a long layoff.

 Kept trying and was getting quite pleased with them, almost ordered a backup set. lol. Loved the long irons , I can still remember thinking that was easy, WTH ?  

 

  Took them with me on a guys weekend and played like crap. With some of the worries about weld issues and them being easily scuffed I made the decision to sell them while the getting was good.  I have bought and sold many a club but selling these to quickly has haunted since the day I sold them. Well I found a similar set with the same shafts for a fair price, the 8-pw have some face wear but I kinda prefer buying irons pre worn, then just play the H-ll out of them. lol  Excited for spring to come once again.

 

Bought the i210's after the original i500's.  Loved the 8-pw, hated the rest of the set, not sure why. Had a full set of the i200's loved those. The 210 being prettier made me sell the 200's and get the 210's, not the best move once again.  Sold the 210's not long after, seems to be a common thread here. lol. The 8-UW I had were soft and pretty dang accurate for me, figured since I was not using the rest of the set and they came with a spare 7 iron I might as well sell em off. Mistake number 2.  I have been on the look out for 8-UW in the i210's, no luck so far, but lots of time till spring. 

  

Best of luck in your search. 

[Geoff_Dickson]

A suggestion above that I500s not well suited to pickers/sweepers....I rarely take a divot, grass often untouched....and I think the i500s are great.

 

 

[dmeeksDC]

On 12/17/2020 at 12:41 AM, Stonewalled said:

Had both sets of these irons. Being a big Ping fan it was inevitable.  Loved the look  of the 500's at address, beautiful set of irons all around.   I had purchased these from a member in early 2019, These had stiff 110 steelfibers in them, I 

was very anxious waiting for spring to arrive. My initial thoughts were of dismay, had a hard time hitting them after a long layoff.

 Kept trying and was getting quite pleased with them, almost ordered a backup set. lol. Loved the long irons , I can still remember thinking that was easy, WTH ?  

 

  Took them with me on a guys weekend and played like crap. With some of the worries about weld issues and them being easily scuffed I made the decision to sell them while the getting was good.  I have bought and sold many a club but selling these to quickly has haunted since the day I sold them. Well I found a similar set with the same shafts for a fair price, the 8-pw have some face wear but I kinda prefer buying irons pre worn, then just play the H-ll out of them. lol  Excited for spring to come once again.

 

Bought the i210's after the original i500's.  Loved the 8-pw, hated the rest of the set, not sure why. Had a full set of the i200's loved those. The 210 being prettier made me sell the 200's and get the 210's, not the best move once again.  Sold the 210's not long after, seems to be a common thread here. lol. The 8-UW I had were soft and pretty dang accurate for me, figured since I was not using the rest of the set and they came with a spare 7 iron I might as well sell em off. Mistake number 2.  I have been on the look out for 8-UW in the i210's, no luck so far, but lots of time till spring. 

  

Best of luck in your search. 

What a long and winding road! What I have concluded from reading this is the best Pings for you are a combo of i200 in the long irons and iBlade or Blueprints in the scoring irons. One you loved and the other two are Ping irons you haven’t yet purchased, and there’s no excuse for that. 
 

BTW, I agree on i200 > i210.

[AzSuperHack76]

Owned and played the 500's for 6 months or so, just couldn't get used to the feel and sound, gave them a good run though. I210's are in the bag, I haven't looked back. Feel, feedback and sound are far superior. I have them in power spec and are pretty much the same distance as the 500's but launch a tad higher, such a good iron. 

[wobgon]

Is it correct that all ping does for power spec or retro spec lofts is bend standard loft stronger or weaker?

[NRJyzr]

44 minutes ago, wobgon said:

Is it correct that all ping does for power spec or retro spec lofts is bend standard loft stronger or weaker?

 

yes

[ColinKelvin]

I tried the i500s at the start of the year but moved them on after a few rounds.

 

I hit my irons quite cleanly, and they just didn't work for me.  Sound and feel were really bad even on great contacts (a harsh, tinny CLONK is not nice), and distances were very inconsistent too (basically, the same issues which many others have already pointed out).  Yes, they go further; yes, they look incredible, but I didn't find them fun to play with at all. In fact, they made me feel quite nervous as every time I stood over a shot, I a) didn't know how far it would go if I hit it out of the middle; and b) knew it would feel and sound harsh.  

[Stonewalled]

17 hours ago, dmeeksDC said:

What a long and winding road! What I have concluded from reading this is the best Pings for you are a combo of i200 in the long irons and iBlade or Blueprints in the scoring irons. One you loved and the other two are Ping irons you haven’t yet purchased, and there’s no excuse for that. 
 

BTW, I agree on i200 > i210.

You said it DC, seems my entire club purchasing history has been a long and winding road. After years of being fitted for upright irons iv'e found I am better off with standard long/mid irons and flatter scoring irons. So I am revisiting some of the iron sets that I had that were not ideal in their lie angles.  Also have come to the conclusion that it's mostly me not the club, so I'm learning to keep trying u will figure it out eventually. 

 

Kind of a cycle I go thru every year, buy up a bunch of stuff at the end of the year and during our long winters, then test quickly in the spring and sell off what ever I thought was not required due to trying to recoup some funds or poor play on my part. I'm starting to learn to choose sparingly and not hastily blame the clubs and make em work. 

 

Not a bad conclusion DC the i200's were pretty sweet,  even my men's league partner had mentioned why did u sell that set of Pings u hit those pretty good! "Well it's a sickness!!! lol"  I had been thinking of something similar i200's in the long/mid and the 8-pw in the i210's.  Had fond memories of the iE1's as well, had thought about using them in a combo set.  Did I mention the Sickness part?? lol.

 

I may have forgot to mention I had 2 sets of the iblades, (sold way to quickly) and currently have the Blueprints. I had decent results this season with the BP's in the scoring irons, such a beautiful iron design. They had me done shopping and I sold off a ton of sets as well. Will never sell them. Kinda want to see if I ruled out the i500's too quickly or not, will see how a combo set of those works out. Anyway sorry for the ramble, stay safe. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by Stonewalled