I3+ v. S59

jbombardieri · October 21, 2005

Ping Irons

What's a better iron,

The I3+ Blade or the S59 Tour?

tickyboy · October 21, 2005

I find the s59s easier to hit, and they look much nicer. If I didn't have mp 60s coming next year I'd have these...they're incredibly solid and forgiving.

JHR · October 21, 2005

The guys that i know that play Ping, like the S59 better.

jbombardieri · October 22, 2005

Below is a reply I did on another golf discussion database last year....

Was at PING Canada for a fitting this past weekend in preparation to purchase 3-PW in either S59 or I3+ Blade.

The fitter provided following info about the S59.
1. the S59 has two small cavities in the clubhead for forgiveness.
2. forgiveness comparsions the I3+ Oversize is 15% more forgiving than the S59
3. S59 has higher centre of gravity for a lower trajectory.

Had an opportunity to hit the S59 and I3+ Blade head to head on an indoor range with CS Lite S shafts, black dot.
1. S59 provided lower trajectory than the I3+ Blade
2. on well struck shots the S59 and I3+ Blade felt the same
3. mishits the S59 felt harsh, I3+ Blade provided enough feedback to indicate a bad hit with much less harshness
4. mishits with the S59 made a very loud noise, I3+ Blades were much quieter

Really liked the S59s however ended up puchasing I3+ Blades. I feel I can hit the S59s however if I am playing my B or C game, the S59s would be too unforgiving. Since the I3+ Blades have a slightly larger sweet spot and lower centre of gravity, the I3+ Blades will provide more forgiveness than the S59 - IMO.

Hope this helps,

Ray
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great reply, thanks

jbombardieri · October 24, 2005

jbombardieri...

Have you considered the I5's? Personally, I think the I5's are at least as good as the I3+ Blades, if not better.

Went from I3+ Blades to G2's and now I5's. With the I3+ Blades and G2's, I also considered the S59s. However with the I5's the S59's did not come up for consideration. To me, the I5's gives me a look close to the I3+ Blades and definitely more forgiveness than the S59's. There have been a couple threads, on glfwrx, providing comparsions of the I5 to the I3+ Blades with pictures.

Ray
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I have tried the 15 and it looks too big to my eye and I just can't work the ball with them.

TheBUNKY · October 24, 2005

Let me speak on this..............

I went to my PING Fitter in August to get fitted and to order a set of G2 irons, 5 HL and 6-W. At the time I was playing Hogan hybrids to take the place of my 3 and 4 irons.

I hit the G2 Black dot well, but I was hitting the ball with a high fade. On the sole the tape showed I was hitting the PING board on the toe and on the face of the club the tape showed I was hitting the ball to the right of center of the clubface.

Perplexed, I went home without ordering anything yet since my fitter suggested I order a green dot and a half inch under standard length :drinks: We were both confused. He has never ordered any PING iron with that setup. Not sure if I was worried about breaking the PING board or what.

I returned to the shop a couple of days later, and just hit different dots and clubs off of the grass to see if I would have the same results.Upon trying different dots and irons, I hit a green dot S59 just to compare that to a black dot G2. That day I hit the S59 6 iron about 10 to 15 yards further than the G2 or I3+ 6 iron. I settled on a black dot S59 half set of 6-W and love them. I carry a 20 handicap. My high handicap is due to the lack of short game that I have right now. Every time I stand over a shot with my S59 irons, I feel very confident in that thin top line and low COG.

Last month I bought a half set of EYE2 irons, 3-6 and have those in my bag along with my S59 7-W and could not be happier. The only thing I might change would be to have the CUSHIN insert added to the ZZ65 shafts that are in my S59 Tours. That would take away some of the vibration on those mishits.

I guess the moral of the story is, don't be afraid to order a half set of both the I3+ or I5 in your longer irons and then for your shorter irons order the S59. It is a great setup since the EYE2 and the I3+ and the I5 are so similar.

That is the great thing about PING, you can order any setup you want. After you order a set of PINGs, they will know you by your serial number. You can mix and match any setup you wish. I will probably never play another brand of irons.

I just wanted to point out this option. A lot of folks think that you have to order full sets of the same irons from PING. This is not true.

Good luck in your search.