GOAT ping irons in your opinion?

[tets]

Eye 2s changed the game and are great…but for the s55s are the best performing irons of all time.  Just got a mint set and am going to reshaft!

[Mtngolfer1]

A subjective poll, so many variables. I'm hitting the current offerings from Ping i525 to i230s and the G425&430 lines.  I am just getting back to playing after a over 3 plus year layoff due to a back issue. I think back to my early Ping days with Ping eye2+ and then the I3+, the S58s and my current iE1 set and I believe the set that made the biggest impact on my game over the years was the I3+ and I3+(Blade), they did every thing pretty darn well. I played them longer than any set  of any brand because it was the one set over 30+ years playing that  I had actually been afraid to switch from.  The set I was most excited about playing was the S58, They were a ton of fun and I loved the look & feel at the time, but the I3+ gets my vote. I am currently demoing irons and looking to move to my next set.  I am stuck between the Ping G430 & G425 offering. Still early here in CO and snow on the ground, but from simulator comparison I am enjoying both sets equally  and have not determined a clear winner. One thing I do know Irons have come a long way since the eye2+. The G425 & 430 are a great combination of forgiving, long and still maintain a decent level of workability for a player like myself with declining skills.

[KC13]

i59s have been great for me.  I have owned the Ping i irons and hit both the i210s and i230s.  That being said, the i210s felt chunky, i's didn't feet great off club face and no complaints with i230s, just went with i59s given the more consistent spin rates which I found really appealing.  I played Mizuno MP-25s for many years always trying to find replacements.  I kept going back to them and will never sell them.  I have owned newer models of Srixon's, Miura's, Titleist's, Tour Edge, New Level, Sub 70, other Mizuno models.  Very picky when it comes to feel, performance and visuals.  The i59s did it for me.  First set I have found in almost 7 years worthy of keeping in the bag and moving the MP-25 into retirement.  Will say, the i59s are about 3-5 yards shorter for me but shot dispersion is WAY better.  Not really chasing yards at this point in my life, I would rather hit greens more often with my short/mid iron.  The price point is steep but I found a used set (practically brand new) for about $1k, all standard specs.  i59s deserve more love IMO.  

 

- KC 

[Forged Hack]

GOAT

Scoring… Eye 2 +
Feel… BeNi ISI

Looks… BeCu ISI

[Ghostwedge]

1 hour ago, Forged Hack said:

GOAT

Scoring… Eye 2 +
Feel… BeNi ISI

Looks… BeCu ISI

Aaaand...... we have a winner. ☺

[Gsea]

[PARETO]

On 1/8/2024 at 11:51 AM, BEND OF THE RIVER GC said:

PING ISI BeNi (or even the BeCu)  for me are the BEST Ping irons in terms of feel. Ping Rapture is next.

I may not game them much anymore, but I'll never part with my ISI BeNi 3-L.

I just like staring at them!!

[Forged Hack]

6 hours ago, Gsea said:

Love those blondes!

[PARETO]

7 hours ago, Ghostwedge said:

Aaaand...... we have a winner. ☺

Freshly tumbled Eye2+ look soooo nice. 

[Forged Hack]

2 hours ago, PARETO said:

Freshly tumbled Eye2+ look soooo nice. 

I agree. Ping refinished the whole set last summer, they are good for the next 40 years:)

before/after

[Joe85]

Eye 2s

 

Still use a no + SW and W as my wedges they're so easy to hit. 

[bjive]

On 1/31/2024 at 1:53 AM, Gsea said:

 

Those Ping Headcovers & original Hoofer are the GOAT

[soap1984]

I am on the s55 train as well. 

[sleeper]

S55 is my fav by far. I'll get the latest set of mizzy or titleist every so often, but S55s are always in the rotation. still waiting for PING to come out with something better, and (for me) it's not the blueprint S. 

[Louis_Posture]

Ping never should have discontinued the Eye 2 model, it was a sensational design for all skill levels, from beginner to Tour pro.

[Joe85]

1 hour ago, Louis_Posture said:

Ping never should have discontinued the Eye 2 model, it was a sensational design for all skill levels, from beginner to Tour pro.

 

Yes. Calcavecchia was using them into the 2000s on the PGA Tour if I recall correctly. 

[bjive]

S55 & iblades for me. Loved both.

[PARETO]

7 hours ago, Joe85 said:

 

Yes. Calcavecchia was using them into the 2000s on the PGA Tour if I recall correctly. 

Yup. Calc didnt switch out of Eye 2 until i5 came along. 

[Joe85]

19 minutes ago, PARETO said:

Yup. Calc didnt switch out of Eye 2 until i5 came along. 

 

 

With the XG wedges it appears

 

[Joe85]

I think I will be replacing these bad boys with the XGs soon...

 

[leftylama]

I20, I25 and the IE , plus the S56. Haven't cared for Ping irons since.

Edited February 2 by leftylama

[joeconn]

6+ pages in, sure not surprised to see all the love for the Eye 2's, but very surprised to not see the iSi's mentioned more.

 

I was playing high school golf 1987-1982, Pings weren't big among the guys I played with so I didn't grow up with that Ping Love some people had. I remember the big clubs being Hogans and Powerbilts. I stopped playing after high school for about a decade and when I came back I had a set of Tommy Armour 845 copy irons built that got me from about a 20 down to a 10.

 

I just read that the iSi irons came out in 1996, but I don't remember seeing them until a year or two later. All of a sudden, a couple of the top players at the course I was a member had them, the regular stainless steel heads. I was more than happy with my 845's, but I tried the iSi's and from the first swing they were magic. Then I noticed more players at that course were picking up these irons. Beginning of the 1999 season I ordered a set, 2i-PW with the zz65 shafts. Best irons I've ever used.

 

I stopped playing regularly after 2001, work changed and I lost my weekends and late afternoons/evenings. Summer 2005 my clubs got stolen out of my truck, but I went on ebay and found another set of the iSi's with the zz65 shafts, 2i-SW. Only difference was blue dot vs my original black dot but I figured I could work with a 1* difference. That's still my iron set today. Got back into playing regularly during covid, still love the feel of these irons.

[fred faldo]

great thread folks so glad I stumbled onto it. A couple comments and a question here, I like most enjoyed the Eye 2s, my two personal favorites have always been the G25 and i5. I still keep the 25s for my backup set. Has anyone taken their favorite older models mainly the Eye 2 or i5s and paired them with a modern shaft? Always thought at some point Ping would do a relaunch of the Eye 2s with a modern day shafts and lengths and slightly stronger lofts. Would love to hear from some who have re-shafted

[Forged Hack]

11 minutes ago, fred faldo said:

great thread folks so glad I stumbled onto it. A couple comments and a question here, I like most enjoyed the Eye 2s, my two personal favorites have always been the G25 and i5. I still keep the 25s for my backup set. Has anyone taken their favorite older models mainly the Eye 2 or i5s and paired them with a modern shaft? Always thought at some point Ping would do a relaunch of the Eye 2s with a modern day shafts and lengths and slightly stronger lofts. Would love to hear from some who have re-shafted

I highly recommend getting them re shafted. I had Ping re shaft my eye 2+’s

2 through LW with Nippon AWT 2.0 Stiff. Old shafts were stock ZZ lites. It was a night and day difference in playability especially in the long irons to the point where my 2 iron (off the tee) has become one of my favorites. “Ascending Weight Technology” I.e long irons are lighter in the long irons and swing weights increase as you get into shorter irons and wedges. Great irons turned into even greater irons:)

 

[fred faldo]

9 minutes ago, Forged Hack said:

I highly recommend getting them re shafted. I had Ping re shaft my eye 2+’s

2 through LW with Nippon AWT 2.0 Stiff. Old shafts were stock ZZ lites. It was a night and day difference in playability especially in the long irons to the point where my 2 iron (off the tee) has become one of my favorites. “Ascending Weight Technology” I.e long irons are lighter in the long irons and swing weights increase as you get into shorter irons and wedges. Great irons turned into even greater irons:)

 

IMG_1118.mov

thanks for the response, I actually like the TFC 189 shafts in my G25s, maybe I will pick up a set of Eye 2 or Eye 2+ and mess around some

[Binson]

On 2/1/2024 at 10:42 PM, Joe85 said:

I think I will be replacing these bad boys with the XGs soon...

 

I don't think there was an XG "W" or 50 degree unfortunately. There's an S (56) and L (60).

[Joe85]

2 hours ago, Binson said:

I don't think there was an XG "W" or 50 degree unfortunately. There's an S (56) and L (60).

 

That's true. Part of the reason I love the SW so much is it is 57.5* which I love a lot. And the W is 51*, which also fits for me. 

[KarstenK]

I20’s and S55’s for me

[Dustdevil]

I've already voted here but I'll throw this out for discussion.

Have been looking for an old game improvement set for when my swing is "not so good". I really liked the looks of the G30's and the lofts were reasonable. I'd looked around for a set for a reasonable price, and they seem to be scarce when they come up for sale, pretty expensive.

 

Could the G30 be Ping's quietly underrated iron?