Mizuno pro 223 or Ping i230

[onafriday]

So I’m playing “retired pretty decent amateur” golf over here, at 44 with two kids.  
 

The clubs i’m still just good enough to play to keep my motor running are the i230s. 
 

The other clubs - the cobras, mizunos, srixon 7s…heck even the new levels - so pretty….  
 

“Dad golf” demands the Pings.  I can’t hit a five iron two bills anymore, but I can still have fun and shoot in the 70s from blue with these. 
 

YRMV 
 

Play your best. 

Edited February 26, 2023 by onafriday

[T_Golf_23]

37 minutes ago, The Big Tuna said:

I’m just curious on what is considered a steep angle of attack for irons?  I’m usually -5 or -6.

 

That is steep. Usually over -5 is on the steeper side 

[Red4282]

50 minutes ago, The Big Tuna said:

I’m just curious on what is considered a steep angle of attack for irons?  I’m usually -5 or -6.

 

Depends on the iron. For a short iron, -5 or -6 is pretty normal. For a long iron that would be a little steep.

[dlovage]

On 2/24/2023 at 12:22 PM, eric61 said:

 

I'd agree with everything here.

 

I played the 223s for much of last year and have the i230s in the bag now. Here are my observations: i230s are a little more forgiving, a little higher spinning, and a little less prone to over-draw (I suppose thanks in part to the toe weight; I had both at the same lie angles.) 223s maybe felt a little softer but it's really marginal; Ping does a great job of making their i2XX series feel fantastic for a cast iron. Both launch high and are super forgiving for their class on thin strikes. The biggest thing, for me, was the i230s are less prone to dig. If you're steep, I'd probably go Ping or Srixon.

 

I do think i230s wear a little better than 223s. Not sure if that matters to you or not.

Ditto. I230s are my first non forged club in my gamer bag since forever. I was so surprised at how muted and soft they felt.

[NZ315]

9 hours ago, The Big Tuna said:

I’m just curious on what is considered a steep angle of attack for irons?  I’m usually -5 or -6.

 

Guess I really don’t know my aoa. Never got the number just saying I am from recent fittings that I have had. Next time I have the opportunity to use trackman I will take more attention to that number 

[T_Golf_23]

14 hours ago, NZ315 said:

Guess I really don’t know my aoa. Never got the number just saying I am from recent fittings that I have had. Next time I have the opportunity to use trackman I will take more attention to that number 

On WRX, knowing your AoA is akin to knowing your blood type….. 

[BirdieBob]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:48 AM, jtj74 said:

I'm so torn on these irons. I have hit them both extensively and performance is soooo close. I just cannot decide which set I want. I have only been able and will only be able to hit them indoors off of mats. Has anyone played both sets that can comment on if there was one preffered over the other when played in real life situations? How is the turf interaction on each? Any other comments or observations when played on the course?

 

 

 

[mcc0819]

In November I had an iron fitting and it actually came down to the 223 and the i230.  I echo the sentiment that the i230's are the most consistent club there is.  They are truly great but for my swing they launched and spun a little too high for me.  Unfortunately they did not have power spec heads to try.  The 223's however, allowed me to control my trajectory better and still kept me in manageable spin windows.  My average AoA with 7 iron is -4.2 but can be a bit steep when my swing gets out of sync.  Average 7 iron SS is 98 and club path averages at +1.9.  My smash factor with the 223's was averaging at 1.39 and with the i230 it was at 1.34.  Both had PX LS 6.5 in it and there was just something about the 223's which fit my swing just right.  I feel really good having a few rounds with the 223's under my belt.  Coming from Miura cb57, the forgiveness in the 223 is night and day.  I'm hitting more greens and I gain more confidence in my irons the longer I have them.  

Edited February 27, 2023 by mcc0819

[cg0rd0noo7]

5 hours ago, mcc0819 said:

In November I had an iron fitting and it actually came down to the 223 and the i230.  I echo the sentiment that the i230's are the most consistent club there is.  They are truly great but for my swing they launched and spun a little too high for me.  Unfortunately they did not have power spec heads to try.  The 223's however, allowed me to control my trajectory better and still kept me in manageable spin windows.  My average AoA with 7 iron is -4.2 but can be a bit steep when my swing gets out of sync.  Average 7 iron SS is 98 and club path averages at +1.9.  My smash factor with the 223's was averaging at 1.39 and with the i230 it was at 1.34.  Both had PX LS 6.5 in it and there was just something about the 223's which fit my swing just right.  I feel really good having a few rounds with the 223's under my belt.  Coming from Miura cb57, the forgiveness in the 223 is night and day.  I'm hitting more greens and I gain more confidence in my irons the longer I have them.  

I was between these two as well but as I am looking for a little more height and spin in my irons the i230s were the ones. I honestly dont think I could have picked wrong as they are both excellent irons. 

[jtj74]

I made a decision and went with the 230s based solely on the dispersion. The 223s were 5 yards longer. both were very consistent distance wise. The 230s are of course 1 degree weaker in the 7 iron. The long irons and pitching wedge were basically identical in distance. The only difference is that with the 230s I hit my little baby draw very consistently and the 223s I lost a few to the right. Not majorly, they just held their start line. Dispersion was a bit better with the 230s. Now we wait for the snow to go away and see how they do on grass. 

[oc_mike]

Sort of surprised not seeing the i230 taking off on tour like the i210?  

[SJL1216]

Im currently tossed up between these two irons. I really like the playabilty and forgivness the i230 offers. My only draw back is the bounce when i catch one thin. But yet it is forgiving on miss hits. I like how soft and almost explosive the 223 feels. It wants to go through ground a bit more. I just worry about playing a 4 and 5 in this set with it looking slimmer to the eye. 

 

Anyone have any advice or similar storie with these? Should I try the ZX7?

[YAMS49]

On 2/27/2023 at 8:55 PM, oc_mike said:

Sort of surprised not seeing the i230 taking off on tour like the i210?  

I210 spin was hard to reproduce. Hovland went back to his I210's for that reason. I'm in I210, I've never spun the ball as much. 

[3_Putt_Par]

On 2/24/2023 at 8:45 PM, T_Golf_23 said:

 I had distance and spin inconsistencies across the set with the 223. For example the slot back in the 223 7i flew really well, but the 8 iron was spinny and short. 

This. 
Played the 223s this past year and couldn’t dial in the distances of the 7i and up. 8i down felt amazing and performed better for me. 

Just bought some i230s from the BST and am hoping they are as consistent as I have read. 

[T_Golf_23]

1 minute ago, 3_Putt_Par said:

This. 
Played the 223s this past year and couldn’t dial in the distances of the 7i and up. 8i down felt amazing and performed better for me. 

Just bought some i230s from the BST and am hoping they are as consistent as I have read. 

They are super consistent across the face, especially for a player iron. 

[Cameaux]

I just couldn't get the 223s to spin enough across the set.  Produced some monster carry, but I didn't generate enough height to be functional. Went with i230 for the insane level of predictability.

[mpf08796]

I have owned and played both sets. Can't go wrong either.  The I230  felt more forgiving to me in the 4-7, but the Mizuno felt better overall. I had my mizuno weaked 1 degree and numbers were very close overall between sets.  Ended up going back to the i210s