Ping i525???

[bluedot]

9 hours ago, Pens #1 fan said:

Who’s the “Head Guy” at Golf Galaxy? 

Poor description by me; sorry. 

 

He's a good friend who manages the equipment and fitting section of the local store.  Former PGA teaching pro, college player, etc, and a VERY good clubfitter, so he's not just a guy on the payroll there.  Again, his take is that nothing new will be coming out until the supply chain issues lessen; there is "reputational damage" from fitting someone and then having them wait months for the clubs they ordered.

[psygolf]

On 6/11/2021 at 9:22 AM, Foreleft said:

With Ping heads cast in China, the supply chain is likely the culprit. Wonder if they are regretting shuttering the domestic casting of clubs at this point.

Maybe they are rethinking the business decision & model now...made in AZ used to be a selling point and part of the buying decision with their clubs 15 years ago.

[hammergolf]

4 hours ago, psygolf said:

Maybe they are rethinking the business decision & model now...made in AZ used to be a selling point and part of the buying decision with their clubs 15 years ago.

My company is studying the actual cost difference of moving all of our sourcing to domestic. The actual costs now are not the huge difference they used to be. I think covid opened many companies eyes about how important it is to control the supply chain. Think of the competitive advantage if Ping was able to control their own sourcing right now.

[karstens_ghost]

Do you expect them to have a domestic rubber plant? One of their biggest holdups is grips...

[Foreleft]

1 hour ago, karstens_ghost said:

Do you expect them to have a domestic rubber plant? One of their biggest holdups is grips...

Goodyear and Cooper make tires in the US.

 

why would it be outrageous for GP or Lamkin to do the same?
 

 

 

 

[psygolf]

5 hours ago, karstens_ghost said:

Do you expect them to have a domestic rubber plant? One of their biggest holdups is grips...

Also tough to put grips on clubs you do not have 

Edited June 27, 2021 by psygolf

[karstens_ghost]

13 hours ago, Foreleft said:

Goodyear and Cooper make tires in the US.

 

why would it be outrageous for GP or Lamkin to do the same?
 

 

 

 

 

Because that's not where the raw materials are, but regardless of that, it doesn't solve anything. There's a rubber shortage. No matter where the clubs are made, if there's a problem getting grips, there's a problem, full stop.

[RodrigoNicely]

On 6/26/2021 at 6:40 AM, bluedot said:

Poor description by me; sorry. 

 

He's a good friend who manages the equipment and fitting section of the local store.  Former PGA teaching pro, college player, etc, and a VERY good clubfitter, so he's not just a guy on the payroll there.  Again, his take is that nothing new will be coming out until the supply chain issues lessen; there is "reputational damage" from fitting someone and then having them wait months for the clubs they ordered.

With respect to your friend he has no idea what he’s talking about. I59 September and i500 replacement sometime around November 

Edited June 28, 2021 by RodrigoNicely

[spring70]

On 6/27/2021 at 9:32 AM, psygolf said:

Also tough to put grips on clubs you do not have 

Id be good going back to leather 😀

[bluedot]

7 hours ago, RodrigoNicely said:

With respect to your friend he has no idea what he’s talking about. I59 September and i500 replacement sometime around November 

 

Ok.  I'm sure you must be right.

[WayneH]

Just talked with my Ping rep, he said spring 2022 for the "new i 500" update model.

[Walkerdb7]

My i210s came in with no grips, haha

[18onePutt]

Just found out the i525 will be released in March 2022. Only fall release will be the i59 and new forged wedge. 

[Anser3]

On 6/27/2021 at 3:58 AM, karstens_ghost said:

Do you expect them to have a domestic rubber plant? One of their biggest holdups is grips...

 

Do any OEM's manufacture their own grips?  Just curious.  I can't think of any.

Edited September 4, 2021 by Anser3
grammar/ typo

[AzSuperHack76]

Saw the new 525 head today! It is slick! Very similar in size and shape to the old 500 but with some different styling/design on the back of the head. Obviously was not allowed to take pictures but in the looks department it is a step up from the old version. 

[Shakespeare]

1 hour ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

Saw the new 525 head today! It is slick! Very similar in size and shape to the old 500 but with some different styling/design on the back of the head. Obviously was not allowed to take pictures but in the looks department it is a step up from the old version. 

And I thought the 500 looked good in the back...

[JohnKHawk]

I was quite happy with the looks of the i500...and from what I heard so were most others. It was the sound/feel that turned a lot of people off. If they can improve that then I will definitely give them a demo.

[Golf64]

1 hour ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

Saw the new 525 head today! It is slick! Very similar in size and shape to the old 500 but with some different styling/design on the back of the head. Obviously was not allowed to take pictures but in the looks department it is a step up from the old version. 

Any idea on price?

[sniper]

Any similarities to i59?

[AzSuperHack76]

No idea on price. I had the iron in my hands for about 20 seconds. I'd say it's similar in size with the i59 which is pretty close to the 500, a nice compact head. The 500 was very basic in terms of design, just a few subtle design touches on the "muscle back" portion of the 525. No idea on terms of feel or sound As i didn't hit it, but it has to be an improvement, the 500 was awful. 

Edited September 4, 2021 by AzSuperHack76

[ProjectX]

On 8/30/2021 at 11:08 AM, Anser3 said:

 

Does any OEM's manufacture their own grips?  Just curious.  I can't think of any.

I feel like most used to or at least put their brand name on a common grip. Ping is the only one that comes to mind with a full line of grips. I think Ping was the last hold out and they stopped around the time the Ping G25 came out. Probably because they could get tour velvets for cheaper than they were making their own anyways and the timing was right because they didn't want to retool their grip molds for the adjustable clubs ala the Tour Velvet 360 which is the defacto industry standard these days.

Edited September 4, 2021 by ProjectX

[Anser3]

12 hours ago, ProjectX said:

I feel like most used to or at least put their brand name on a common grip. Ping is the only one that comes to mind with a full line of grips. I think Ping was the last hold out and they stopped around the time the Ping G25 came out. Probably because they could get tour velvets for cheaper than they were making their own anyways and the timing was right because they didn't want to retool their grip molds for the adjustable clubs ala the Tour Velvet 360 which is the defacto industry standard these days.

 

That's what I thought (most just take a grip manufacturer's grip and slap their own logo on it).  I thought Ping grips were made by golf pride for years.

[ProjectX]

1 hour ago, Anser3 said:

 

That's what I thought (most just take a grip manufacturer's grip and slap their own logo on it).  I thought Ping grips were made by golf pride for years.

If they were they still had their own separate designs. Specific ones I remember were the 703 and ID8... there may have even been and ID8 360? I don't remember any other Golf Pride Grip like those and don't remember any made by golf pride branding or anything like that. I'd imagine this could have also stopped when they stopped manufacturing clubs in the US too. 

[Rippin6Gears]

19 hours ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

Saw the new 525 head today! It is slick! Very similar in size and shape to the old 500 but with some different styling/design on the back of the head. Obviously was not allowed to take pictures but in the looks department it is a step up from the old version. 

Everyone should like the new black color 😉

[Strategery]

1 hour ago, Rippin6Gears said:

Everyone should like the new black color 😉

 

Please don't be black. Please, please, no.

[Walkerdb7]

20 hours ago, sniper said:

Any similarities to i59?

Biggest complaint on i500 = feel

 

biggest new tech on i59 = Alumicore 

 

potential main reason for the i500 lack of feel = hollow 

 

0 insider knowledge, but Alumicore seams like an obvious upgrade 

[JourdanM]

My teacher said the ping rep showed him the i525 the other day, and he was quite impressed with the looks. He's an iBlade guy and said he actually thought the i525 looks as good as the i59 🤷🏻‍♂️

[LALefty]

So will the i525 basically be a hot faced i59?

[DFDLT]

I just bought the i210’s and am going to sell my HMP and be ready for these. 

[GoGoErky]

On 9/3/2021 at 10:29 PM, Golf64 said:

Any idea on price?

$187