Where to go from ping eye 2’s

[Fenrir]

I’ve been playing with my eye2’s (first gen with 50° PW) for about a season and a half and i feel like with my handicap I could use some more forgiveness in head size, I know almost all the G series would work, my question is how much harder are the i10/15/20/25 then the respective G’s and are they still a big step up from eye2? Also what shafts should I look for if I love the zz lite? I feel like the shafts are what keep me loving the eye 2’s as far as both weight and ability to load them. Thanks in advance.

[Ritocop]

i210 or i500 maybe the awt 2.0 or dg 105.

[Chomper]

Call Ping - they could tell you over the phone what the current options are re: shaft and club head.

I would guess that, if you like the Eye2, you would like the I series, but more forgiveness would be the G series. I know a lot of single digit golfers who love the G series, and mid teen cap golfers who love the I series.

[Fenrir]

Sadly I don’t have the budget for brand new clubs, so I’m gonna need to just go try and find some used irons at a golf store I can hit and see how that goes I guess, I was really just hoping for more insight into what family G vs i that I should be looking at with regards to size of head, shots hit low on face(my most often miss), and shaft feel of past offerings.

[Mtngolfer1]

A solid club in the Ping I line that can be found at a very reasonable price would be the i5. The i5 offers ample forgiveness along with all the shat shaping ability you may want. It is a natural progression forward from eye 2 irons.

[Tommyj]

i15 was probably the most forgiving of the more modern i-series irons. Lots of those still around but most often found with the AWT shaft, which you probably won't like compared with the ZZ Lite. Don't know how you'd get along with G-series coming from Eye 2's, blade length is significantly longer. Best way to find out is to find a location with a Ping demo cart and try the G410. If you want to match the ZZ Lite I would give the DG 120 a try. Don't think you'll like the current AWT 2.0, Modus 105 or any of the other offerings typically found in the demo cart. Since you are looking to buy used, I would consider the G25 if you go that route. Its probably the more "compact" of the G irons up until the current G410.

[setter02]

> @Tommyj said:

> i15 was probably the most forgiving of the more modern i-series irons.

Pretty bold statement given the iron that replaced it and how good the I20 is/was.

[spk7]

I’d go with the g410/g700 if you’re looking for forgiveness

[MattMo]

I’d look hard at the i5’s, though most had the CS Lite stock shaft, which will play and feel a lot more different that the ZZ Lite. As stated above, i5 seemed more midsize, maintains the industrial old school Ping look and is an all around great iron.

[jplroper]

You can find the i5's with zz65 shafts, not exactly sure how that compares to the zz lite shaft. Also they have them listed with the AWT shaft as well as the cs lite, I played the cs shaft in a set of G2's and thought they where fine

[boggyman]

If you love the ZZs, why not just regrip your current set. I find the Eye 2s as forgiving as anyone’s suggestions other than maybe the 15s. What’s your current HC?

[NDIrish423]

> @Fenrir said:

> I’ve been playing with my eye2’s (first gen with 50° PW) for about a season and a half and i feel like with my handicap I could use some more forgiveness in head size, I know almost all the G series would work, my question is how much harder are the i10/15/20/25 then the respective G’s and are they still a big step up from eye2? Also what shafts should I look for if I love the zz lite? I feel like the shafts are what keep me loving the eye 2’s as far as both weight and ability to load them. Thanks in advance.

 

I would definitely remove the i10 from your list and add the i5. The i10 wasn't very well received by most and most found it to be one of the least forgiving of the i series. The i5 would be a great option and I personally liked the i25 better than the i20. All those would be a step up from the eye2 in my opinion but they aren't quite near the level of forgiveness of the G series. I'm not sure which shaft to target that would be closest to the ZZ Lite but maybe @Nessism will chime in. He's one of the more knowledgeable folks here regarding Pings.

[aaronpoling]

I own both the i25 and G25 irons, and while the i25's look great, there is just something about the G25 that you can't go wrong with. As stated above they are more compact then then earlier G series irons. The G30 is decent, but you won't notice much difference in the two.

 

[bluedot]

If you don't have the money for new clubs, here's a possible process for you to consider:

 

1. Go to the Ping website and do the static fit to at least get an idea of what you might be looking for in terms of lie angle.

 

2. Start with the either the 15 or 20 series, either i or G, if only because the grooves from then on will still be completely legal after the rule change in 2024. While that may not matter to you now, and might never matter to you, there just isn't much reason to buy a club that will be non-conforming in a little over 4 years when conforming options are so readily available and affordable. If you ARE going to go farther back, the i5 is a great club; the G5 is not. The G10 is a great club; the i10 is not.

 

3. As to the i series vs the G series, there are pretty significant differences, BUT I think if you find a great deal on a set of i20's, it might be worth the gamble that your game will be able to handle it. The i20 is just a GREAT iron, one of the best that Ping or anybody else has made, and while it isn't a super game improvement iron, it's no blade club either.

 

4. FWIW, Ping did a "restyle" of the G line beginning with the G25's; marginally thinner top line and sole, and marginally less offset as well. Others might disagree, but the G25's, at least to me, are different clubs than previous G series clubs.

 

Hope that helps.

[Phil Major]

You will love i200 and newer i210 with awt 2.0 or DG105. Be sure to test them before buying any irons sets.

[Phil Major]

I missed your previous comment. You can find i200 set for reasonable cost on eBay.

[cardoustie]

Isi nickel

[denvergolf]

> @"Phil Major" said:

> You will love i200 and newer i210 with awt 2.0 or DG105. Be sure to test them before buying any irons sets.

 

Good call, but why not ZZ65?

[JAMH03]

 

> I could use some more forgiveness in head size, I know almost all the G series would work, my question is how much harder are the i10/15/20/25 then the respective G’s and are they still a big step up from eye2? Also what shafts should I look for if I love the zz lite? I feel like the shafts are what keep me loving the eye 2’s as far as both weight and ability to load them. Thanks in advance.>

 

There are all kinds of ways to go about this hobby and I am a fan of new clubs just on GP but I have some questions about making this move and expecting better results for the following reasons.

 

The additional spin you get from the eye 2's and extreme heal toe weighting ought to mitigate some of the advantages of larger heads I'd think?

 

Secondarily throwing away benefits of playing one of the best iron sets ever made that you've already been playing for a year and half makes me wonder if you'd be doing exactly the same thing everyone else has done for the last 30 years going away from the eye 2s for no real advantages especially if you don't account for shaft/fit and probably resolve contact issues first?

 

Knowing what I know now. That so few hit GIR's from 185. Were I in the same situation as the OP.

 

I'd probably just get the Eye2's re-tumbled get some sick custom grips on em' instead of buying new irons that will go farther but not as straight due to extreme loft creep. I'd put those same couple of hundred bucks into 1 driving 1 chipping and 1 putting lesson and leave all of my friends **AMAZED**.

[North Butte]

I know Ralph Maltby's MPF ratings are idiosyncratic and subject to all sorts of disputes. But as a single number summarizing the forgiveness on off-center hits and ease of elevating the ball it's as good as any way to characterize irons.

 

He ranks the Eye 2 as MPF=724 which is roughly the same as the current generation G410 (738) and slightly less than the highest of the recent G-series Ping irons (mid-800's). The current i200 "players" model is 474 and earlier i-series irons are in that same range, i.e. much less forgiving by Maltby's reckoning.

 

You're going to need to go to something fairly recent and quite large and offset to get more than 10-20% more "forgiveness" than your Eye 2 set. And the ones that look compact to the eye tend to be lower in MOI and sole weighting than Eye 2's.

 

I personally don't think you're giving up anything except: 1) the distance/height/low-spin that comes from the latest spring faces and 2) the blunter, more cambered leading edges of some current GI clubs. If the leading edges on your Eye 2's don't dig too badly for you (which is why I only occasionally pull mine out of the closet) then you'd be making a switch solely to hit the ball a little higher and perhaps 5-10 yards longer, loft for loft.

 

And that's assuming you do find a club and shaft combination that you like at a price you can afford.

[Nessism]

If more forgiveness than Eye2 is the end game then cross off the i-series clubs and move straight to the G's. G25 would probably be the sweet spot value wise but all the G's are great in their on right.

[North Butte]

> @Nessism said:

> If more forgiveness than Eye2 is the end game then cross off the i-series clubs and move straight to the G's. G25 would probably be the sweet spot value wise but all the G's are great in their on right.

 

It's kind of remarkable how, unless you put the clubs right beside each other, so many people feel the Eye 2's were akin to the modern-day i-series. Maybe it's because Calcavecchia (sp?) and those guys were playing them on Tour back in the day.

 

An iron like G25 and the Eye 2 are the exact same concept, similar size, pretty much the same type of club after 20 years of slow evolution and refinement. The i25 or i200 or whatever is a little skinny thing by comparison.

[BunkerFinder]

I went from my eye 2 + no + to the i200 and it was a natural move to me. Tried the G line and although they are stupid easy to hit I never felt comfortable looking at them. Too big to my eye, and I didn’t feel confident with the swing.

Plus I found they all lacked any sense of feel to me. Miss hits felt like pure hits. I like more feedback that you get from the eye 2 and i200. On the flip side I know guys who love the Gs so it’s great that there are so many choices.

Go out and hit as many as you can.

 

 

[Tommyj]

> @gwelfgulfer said:

> > @Tommyj said:

> > i15 was probably the most forgiving of the more modern i-series irons.

> Pretty bold statement given the iron that replaced it and how good the I20 is/was.

Never said that the i15 was a better iron than the i20, but for me definitely more forgiving. I think i15 offers forgiveness pretty close to that of many G series irons. I wouldn't say that about the i20/i25/i210. But that's my perception from having hit them all - others may feel differently.

[Moonlightgrm]

Look for a set of Ping ISI irons with the zz65 shafts. You can find a set here and there for under $160. You won’t be disappointed.

[bluedot]

> @Fenrir said:

> I’ve been playing with my eye2’s (first gen with 50° PW) for about a season and a half and i feel like with my handicap I could use some more forgiveness in head size, I know almost all the G series would work, my question is how much harder are the i10/15/20/25 then the respective G’s and are they still a big step up from eye2? Also what shafts should I look for if I love the zz lite? I feel like the shafts are what keep me loving the eye 2’s as far as both weight and ability to load them. Thanks in advance.

 

After thinking about this and reading all the responses, I'll try another response, and try to stick really close to the stuff you asked.

 

1. There is a definite difference between the G series and the corresponding i series irons in terms of forgiveness, and if you want more forgiveness than Eye2's, then think G series for sure.

 

2. As to the "big step up", if you mean forgiveness, then I think the answer is probably yes, the more current i series irons ARE more forgiving than the Eye2's are. HOWEVER, I don't think I'd really think about the move from the Eye2 to the i20, to use one example, as a big change in forgiveness. Most people who made that particular switch might be looking for more of a "player's club" with some added workability, etc, rather than more forgiveness, even if they were also getting that. I hope that makes sense.

 

3. As to the shafts, I think I'd urge you to trust Ping on that; it's a company of engineers, and they've always believed in lighter weight iron shafts. Consider that the reason you "love" the ZZ lite shaft is because of the fit between that shaft and the Eye2 head, and consider that Ping might have gotten even better over the years at marrying a shaft and club head. Research the stock options for the particular model iron that you are looking at and go with what Ping thought was the best thing available.

 

Two other notes:

 

a. When you find a Ping set that you are interested in, get the serial number and call Ping customer service and give them the number. (An online seller should have no issue with telling you if the serial numbers all match and giving you that number; if they do, stay away!) Ping can tell you in a matter of seconds what the clubs were when they left Ping, or if Ping has since worked on them; color code, shaft length, type, and flex, etc., and that gives you the ability to tell if something has been done to the clubs by somebody other than Ping in the intervening years. That isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, but it's easy to do, worth knowing, and it also eliminates the possibility of buying counterfeit clubs.

 

b. It is entirely possible that you will never care about the groove rule, but beginning in 2024 many irons will become "non-conforming" even for posting scores for handicap purposes or for playing ANY round under USGA rules, such as a club tournament. For Ping irons, that means anything prior to the 15 series, both G and i. I realize that four years is a long time; most players change irons more often than that anyway, and again, it may never matter to you. But the price difference, for instance, between a used set of G10's and a used set of G15's just isn't going to be significant; while both are great irons, after 2024 the G10's will be non-conforming but the G15's will be fine. Just my $0.02 on that.

[Fenrir]

> @boggyman said:

> If you love the ZZs, why not just regrip your current set. I find the Eye 2s as forgiving as anyone’s suggestions other than maybe the 15s. What’s your current HC?

 

Current HC is sitting at 28.3 (which is partly inflated by playing “easy” courses) I just shot a +22 over round which should help bring it down quite a bit as my net score was -8 for the course.

 

It looks like I may just keep playing my eye 2’s until winter hits them scoop up something in the off season when prices will drop, thank you to everyone who took the time I feel like I got a lot of info as far as groove rule and such

[Titleist_PT23]

I looked at the MPF rating sheet for PING and two things stood out.

 

a) the MOI on the G410 really jumped up vs the prior versions in the G line.

 

b) the Zing and Zing 2 had very high MOI figures for there time. Basically the same as G25!

 

Do people rely on the MOI or playability figure more? Seems like quite a different result for something like i500.

[BIG STU]

> @"North Butte" said:

> > @Nessism said:

> > If more forgiveness than Eye2 is the end game then cross off the i-series clubs and move straight to the G's. G25 would probably be the sweet spot value wise but all the G's are great in their on right.

>

> It's kind of remarkable how, unless you put the clubs right beside each other, so many people feel the Eye 2's were akin to the modern-day i-series. Maybe it's because Calcavecchia (sp?) and those guys were playing them on Tour back in the day.

>

> An iron like G25 and the Eye 2 are the exact same concept, similar size, pretty much the same type of club after 20 years of slow evolution and refinement. The i25 or i200 or whatever is a little skinny thing by comparison.

 

I know our friend Augie is a Ping expert and he has enlightened me some on Eye2s--- I have a set that I found on the pile at work--- I bent them to my specs and they hit good. I know that Augie has told me there are different Sole grinds depending on the patent numbers and the year of manufacture. But IMHO even though I am a confirmed Macgregor and Hogan blade man I consider the Eye2s a timeless classic

[Jaygolf37]

Another vote for G25’s. I try...all the time...to find something to replace them, but can’t. Huge sweet spot. Consistent and repeatable distances. Forged-like feel. Less offset than other G-series irons. I could go on...