Ping i230 5-iron alternatives - i525 retro or i530 6-iron?

[Rearviewmirror]

Hey folks,

 

I've been gaming my i230s for about 9 months now, and absolutely love them. However, I feel like my 5-iron is holding me back a bit. I typically end up reaching for it at least 2-3 times a round either for long par-3s, or approach shots on long par-4s. Typical i230 5-iron carry is 170yds (85mph SS), totalling out to 180yds. Next longest club is 4 hybrid which is more like 185 carry, 195 total, and my 6-iron is 155 carry, 165 total. So the gapping is solid, it's more that I can't hit the 5-iron well from anything other than a tee or great fairway lie. 

 

From comparing club specs on the Ping website, it looks like the retro loft i525 5-iron should be perfect (if I take 1/4" off the length it is identical in terms of specs to the i230 5-iron - although it would be 0.5º more upright). Am I right in thinking that for the same swing speed I should see pretty similar yardages/launch characteristics? (maybe a hair less spin on the i525 but I'm not expecting much out of spin from a 5-iron). I would also love any thoughts from existing owners of the i525 5-iron in terms of turf interaction/forgiveness from tricky lies.

 

 

 

 

The wildcard alternative is to go for a regular spec i530 but get the 6-iron instead of the 5-iron. It's 0.5º stronger, but I'm guessing that won't be a huge difference - maybe 3-5yds on average. I don't love the idea of having two clubs marked 6 iron in the bag, but I am seeing a lot of positive reviews of the i530.

 

 

 

I'm honestly a bit surprised at how much the i230/i530 lofts depart from one another, as I thought that this sort of combo in 4/5 iron would be somewhat popular. I've read that maybe this is due to Ping expecting people to combo G430/730 with the i530s, but it seems odd to not have more top of the bag crossover between Blueprint/i230/i530.

 

Thanks in advance for any thoughts/advice!

[mgoblue83]

First I would take your clubs to a shop that can check the specs (lie, loft, length, swing weight). It's possible the 5i is out of spec and it's usually an easy fix.

 

Secondly:

Slower speed players tend to struggle with long irons because they don't have enough speed to create the needed height and spin. The ball seems to fall out of the sky well short of the target. If this is the case you would be better off adding another hybrid vs. a 5i from a different set that is unlikely to change anything.

[animalgolfs]

I'd think i525 will be more of the same,  in regards to mishits. 

 

I'd look at a hybrid to fill that spot IMO - more height plus more forgiving 

 

But, everyone is different so the i530 just might work - only way to know is testing

Edited April 10 by animalgolfs

[maowv]

I went down a similar road a couple years ago. Playing the i210 irons but with advancing age and back issues, the long irons were more and more problematic. So I ordered an i525 4-iron cut down to same length as the i210, same PX 6.0 shaft, bent 1 degree weak for more launch. It was much, much easier to hit for me. Not so much anything with turf interaction but it launched higher, flew higher and with more distance. Spin likely was lower but I'm not aiming at pins with a 4-iron. Drop and stop has never been a 4-iron shot I had in my game. I didn't have to put as much effort into swinging the i525 as I felt like I did with the i210 to hit the desired distance.

 

Had intentions of ordering a 5 iron to match but back injury/surgery/recovery has me on the shelf. I do think the i525/530 (and similar in other brands) will become increasingly popular with the over 50 player who wants to hold off Father Time a bit longer. They launch and fly to distances the more traditional irons can't match, and with a little less effort involved. Everybody starts chasing that formula at some point in life.

 

As for the i530, I'm a little disappointed to see Ping strengthen lofts yet again. But, it makes sense. If you watch Ian and Mike on the TXG (now Club Champion) channel, they've mentioned several times before that gapping was an issue with clubs like the P790 (i525, etc) in that the mid irons were so hot (to win the fitting bay/launch monitor battles) that yardage gaps could be 15-18 yards between irons in the set. That doesn't really work for a better player. Looks like Ping has strengthened the bottom end of the bag to close those gaps but the longer irons remain closer to where they have been over the past 10 years or so. Smaller yardage gaps is a positive on those hot face irons but it then necessitates filling a much larger gap between the 42 degree PW and the 56 degree SW. Effectively, I think the industry is requiring the addition of another wedge between PW and SW, and we're just renumbering the set. The old 9-iron is now firmly called a PW, we've adding a Gap Wedge around 47-48 degrees (where the old PW sat) and then another Gap Wedge around 52 degrees which is traditionally in the range it always sat.

 

All this would be fine if the USGA and R&A changed a rule and let us carry 15 clubs in the bag. Until then, something is being squeezed out somewhere.

 

I got off on a rant there, but back to the original inquiry, I think you'll find an i525/530 to be much easier to launch and carry distasnces without having to put as much effort in to make it happen. That alone should help make better contact on the clubface. 

Edited April 10 by maowv

[eric61]

I’ve been thinking about this exact question. I love my i230s, but would love to get a little more out of my 5 iron. I have a little more speed than you, but not much.

 

Replacing it with a hybrid doesn’t work because a hybrid with enough loft to fill that gap would also go like 140 feet peak height and be totally inconsistent and uncontrollable. 
 

One thing I’m thinking about is strengthening my i230 6 iron by a degree and getting a retro spec’ed i530 5 iron. 
 

That would give me the following lofts:

5 iron — 24 degrees

6 iron — 28.5 degrees

7 iron — 33 degrees

… then 4 degree gaps from there to PW, and 5 degree gaps in my wedges.

 

My thought process is, 8 iron on down, I’m trying to get close to pins; 7 iron up, I do want to score but realistically I’m probably just trying to hit the green, or maybe a half of the green or something, as opposed to expecting to stick it right by the flag every time. So the larger gaps in terms of degrees might be less costly there.

 

The other reason I’d like to get more out of my 5 iron is because, while my iCrossover is a good club, I have a 4 hybrid that I absolutely love. It’s a great get-out-of-jail-free sort of club. But it goes too far, leaving a huge gap (like 25 yards) between it and my 5 iron. If I could stretch things out in the mid-irons, I could get that hybrid back in the bag, potentially.

 

I’m not sure if this is the route I’ll go or not … I’m eager to see what you decide and how it goes.

[JahSteve]

Had issues hitting my 5/6 irons of I-blades... Went with i500 6/7 iron... all good. Based on my experience, in your shoes, I would go with the i530's and be done...  

Edited April 10 by JahSteve

[Rearviewmirror]

1 hour ago, mgoblue83 said:

First I would take your clubs to a shop that can check the specs (lie, loft, length, swing weight). It's possible the 5i is out of spec and it's usually an easy fix.

 

Secondly:

Slower speed players tend to struggle with long irons because they don't have enough speed to create the needed height and spin. The ball seems to fall out of the sky well short of the target. If this is the case you would be better off adding another hybrid vs. a 5i from a different set that is unlikely to change anything.

 

It's definitely not a speed/ball dropping out of the air issue - more just that I feel like I have to work extremely hard to put solid contact on it. Pull hook is a reasonably likely outcome out of a poor lie or semi-rough.

 

1 hour ago, JahSteve said:

Had issues hitting my 5/6 irons of I-blades... Went with i500 6/7 iron... all good. Based on my experience, in your shoes, I would go with the i530's and be done...  

 

So you're playing a 6, 6, 7?

 

I dropped the folks over at Ping a note around gapping/combo, I'll be interested to see what they say and will report back. A single i525 iron is about $145 so not insane.

[Cameaux]

Very interested in this topic as well, as I've had the same concerns with my i230 5 iron (which is my last iron before I transition to metalwoods).  I would love to get more launch and carry out of it, and I also feel like it takes a really solid strike at my speed to get sufficient launch and carry.  I was curious about the i530, so I'd love to hear what Ping says as to your request. 

 

I've looked at non-Ping options like T-350 or ZX4 5 iron bent weak, to play sort of like a hybrid/crossover at 23/24 degrees of loft to get more ball speed/forgiveness/launch/carry.  Just like the look of those options more than most other GI models.

[SwooshLT]

@Rearviewmirror what shaft are you using in your i230s? I just made a switch to lighter but stable graphite getting out of steel and have basically the same distances as you .....maybe a few yards more but nothing much in to it

[Rearviewmirror]

3 minutes ago, SwooshLT said:

@Rearviewmirror what shaft are you using in your i230s? I just made a switch to lighter but stable graphite getting out of steel and have basically the same distances as you .....maybe a few yards more but nothing much in to it

 

I'm in the KBS Tour Stiff. 

[Pnwpingi210]

I530 isn’t going to be substantially easier to hit.  It will fly farther if distance if your strike is solid and want more distance.

 

You could look at a g series iron or hybrid to fill that slot.

 

Edited April 10 by Pnwpingi210

[Peninsulagolfer]

2 hours ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

I530 isn’t going to be substantially easier to hit.  It will fly farther if distance if your strike is solid and want more distance.

 

You could look at a g series iron or hybrid to fill that slot.

 

I agree with this.  The 'forgiveness' difference between i230 and i530 isn't huge...

 

I have been thinking of a G730 5-iron, but want to play the new i530s through winter first.  I just think it would be more helpful on patchy wet lies when the air is cold.  I'll let everyone know in a few weeks, as we are heading into winter now....

[Rearviewmirror]

23 hours ago, maowv said:

I went down a similar road a couple years ago.

 

23 hours ago, eric61 said:

I’m not sure if this is the route I’ll go or not … I’m eager to see what you decide and how it goes.

 

19 hours ago, Cameaux said:

Very interested in this topic as well

 

18 hours ago, Pnwpingi210 said:

I530 isn’t going to be substantially easier to hit. 

 

 

15 hours ago, Peninsulagolfer said:

I agree with this.  The 'forgiveness' difference between i230 and i530 isn't huge...

 

Winner winner chicken dinner for @Pnwpingi210 and @Peninsulagolfer - here's the response from Ping (asking about G430/G730 now out of interest):

 

"Unfortunately, we would not be able to get i530 to i230 loft as it would impact the structural integrity of the iron. The i530/i525 compared to i230 from a ball speed/launch standpoint would be a little different as you know. Generally, i530/i525 will launch lower with more ball speed compared to the i230. The i530/i525 will have a slight forgiveness advantage over i230 but very little."

[jt2gt]

On 4/10/2024 at 2:13 PM, eric61 said:

I’ve been thinking about this exact question. I love my i230s, but would love to get a little more out of my 5 iron. I have a little more speed than you, but not much.

 

Replacing it with a hybrid doesn’t work because a hybrid with enough loft to fill that gap would also go like 140 feet peak height and be totally inconsistent and uncontrollable. 
 

One thing I’m thinking about is strengthening my i230 6 iron by a degree and getting a retro spec’ed i530 5 iron. 
 

That would give me the following lofts:

5 iron — 24 degrees

6 iron — 28.5 degrees

7 iron — 33 degrees

… then 4 degree gaps from there to PW, and 5 degree gaps in my wedges.

 

My thought process is, 8 iron on down, I’m trying to get close to pins; 7 iron up, I do want to score but realistically I’m probably just trying to hit the green, or maybe a half of the green or something, as opposed to expecting to stick it right by the flag every time. So the larger gaps in terms of degrees might be less costly there.

 

The other reason I’d like to get more out of my 5 iron is because, while my iCrossover is a good club, I have a 4 hybrid that I absolutely love. It’s a great get-out-of-jail-free sort of club. But it goes too far, leaving a huge gap (like 25 yards) between it and my 5 iron. If I could stretch things out in the mid-irons, I could get that hybrid back in the bag, potentially.

 

I’m not sure if this is the route I’ll go or not … I’m eager to see what you decide and how it goes.

What about lofting the 4 icrossover to 24 and playing that in place of the 5 iron.  Then you can play the hybrid and icrossover.    I do that with my titleist set.  I play a T200 utility 4 at 24...so kinda like a 4.5 iron then go to 6-P. Also play a TSR2 hyb at 21/22 depending.

[Peninsulagolfer]

10 hours ago, Rearviewmirror said:

 

 

 

 

 

Winner winner chicken dinner for @Pnwpingi210 and @Peninsulagolfer - here's the response from Ping (asking about G430/G730 now out of interest):

 

"Unfortunately, we would not be able to get i530 to i230 loft as it would impact the structural integrity of the iron. The i530/i525 compared to i230 from a ball speed/launch standpoint would be a little different as you know. Generally, i530/i525 will launch lower with more ball speed compared to the i230. The i530/i525 will have a slight forgiveness advantage over i230 but very little."

Thanks!  The one thing I would say, is the i530 has a wider sole than the i230, that will help with heavy shots in certain conditions.  But that should not be mistaken with forgiveness....

[JahSteve]

On 4/10/2024 at 5:31 PM, Rearviewmirror said:

 

 

So you're playing a 6, 6, 7?

 

I dropped the folks over at Ping a note around gapping/combo, I'll be interested to see what they say and will report back. A single i525 iron is about $145 so not insane.

In my eyes its a 5, 6 7... I tend to think in lofts not numbers on club... 

The i500 loft for 6 is 27* which matches the iblade 5 iron... The I500 loft for 7 is 30.5* which matches the 6 for Iblade... I then move into iblade for 7-PW... 

 

[Nixhex524]

I think the G430 is the way to go here.  Those are SO easy it's stupid.  I love my 230s and don't find the long irons difficult to hit at all but if I needed more help, the 430 are so good.

[PNW]

If you're having inconsistent contact and losing ball speed with the i230 5 iron then you could a) reshaft with a lighter (graphite?) shaft and treat it like a utility iron, b) replace with i530 and use a lighter shaft, or c) go with a 5 hybrid. 

 

You might gain improvement with A. You might not gain anything with B over A but could actually be worse because it will be harder to elevate with lower loft and spin. C is probably going to be the most reliable bet. A ~26* iron will be iffy no matter the model for most people in that speed range. 

[Teebs]

100% go for a G430 hybrid. Sounds absolutely ideal for your situation

 

Alternatively, lighter shaft?  I have the DG120s in my i230s which launches the 5 iron, but there are lighter options around (DG105s?)

[Rearviewmirror]

Not sure the second email came from a Ping fitter 🙂

 

The retro spec loft for the G430 5 iron is 24* and the retro spec loft for the G730 iron is 23.5*.I don't suggest that route as the gap would not be similar to the rest of the irons in the set. I would suggest possibly looking into a 5 hybrid or even a 9-wood for more forgiveness. 

 

They didn't really answer my question about forgiveness in the G430s... I might persevere in the i230 for a while, and just really focus on swing speed. I actually was hitting the 5 iron pretty well yesterday, I just need to really concentrate on keeping my swing speed up as you have said. I'll sit on it for now, and then may investigate the G430 if I continue to struggle.

[TonyRo]

I would go hybrid for sure. If the issue is with contact (fats, thins, hitting it all over the face), you are going to have the best luck by far with a hybrid. The most forgiving on chunky ones, the bulge and roll and better ball speed across the face will be the most forgiving on toe or heel strikes. Even more so, it might be hot enough relative to your normal 5-iron such that you can chop 1/4" or a 1/2" off it and actually improve your quality of strike. Easy to add a smidge of weight to the head as well and adjust up and down for proper gapping and ball flight. I also love having a lone hybrid in the bag for chips around the green and low rescue shots out of sketchy spots/lies. I play the i230s through a 5-iron, then go 4-Crossover, then G425 3-hybrid with the Tour Chrome. Love having the flexibility of the hybrid. 

[kilword]

5 hybrid gang. so easy to hit. shorten the shaft a tad to get your yardages. really easy out of the rough. certain ones like the pings can loft up or down.

[HGLucky13]

On 4/16/2024 at 4:33 AM, Rearviewmirror said:

Not sure the second email came from a Ping fitter 🙂

 

The retro spec loft for the G430 5 iron is 24* and the retro spec loft for the G730 iron is 23.5*.I don't suggest that route as the gap would not be similar to the rest of the irons in the set. I would suggest possibly looking into a 5 hybrid or even a 9-wood for more forgiveness. 

 

They didn't really answer my question about forgiveness in the G430s... I might persevere in the i230 for a while, and just really focus on swing speed. I actually was hitting the 5 iron pretty well yesterday, I just need to really concentrate on keeping my swing speed up as you have said. I'll sit on it for now, and then may investigate the G430 if I continue to struggle.

I am in a similar situation. My club speed is a little higher than yours, right around 90 with 5i. But I am also struggling with my 5 and 6 being basically the same distance unless off of a tee. Leaving me a gap between my 5/6 and my 3 hybrid.

 

I just did a test with my G425 5i against my I230 5i. Lofts are G-23.5*, I230-26*. I used the little Mevo radar so not sure of accuracy, but at least they were equally off, hopefully. I didn't find any difference between the G425 and the I230 5 irons. Consistency was similar, if anything I felt the I230 did a little better. Likely because I have been using the I230 lately, and haven't swung the G for 6 months or so. For me I didn't see a reason to add the G425 as a replacement. I just think I need more practice with the I230 5. If this doesn't get better I am likely to get a hybrid to replace it (5H?) and change my 3 Hybrid to a 5 or a 7 wood to adjust gapping.

 

The average carry distance for each was as follows. I hit 8 shots each and took 2 outliers off. This is off grass with range balls. As you can see the G425 was the worst for me.

I230 6i- 185.9

I230 5i- 183.7

G425 5i- 180.7

 

For me it seems a skillset issue. YMMV

Edited April 17 by HGLucky13

[gscott7]

I tried the same as you're considering. Have an I-210 set and replaced the 5 iron with an I-500 5 iron. On mishits, I found it offered no more help than the I-210. Hybrid is probably your best option.  

[The Pace Space]

I was in a similar boat, been recovering from some shoulder/neck issues and my swing speed is now floating right now around 103 with driver right now when I used to cruise around 110...

 

Anyway... I game the i230's and I was struggling to be consistent with my 4 iron, I finally let me ego go and replaced it with a 4 hybrid (an older SIM Max Hybrid) and I'm wondering why I didn't do this sooner.

 

Just had to let the ego go and get a hybrid, it's so nice having the option from 190-220 to not have to hit a long iron and just hit a hybrid nice and easy.

 

I hit my 5 iron fine, but part of me wants to get a 5 hybrid as well... I find myself feeling more confident just taking a smoother swing with the new 4 hybrid from 180-190 out rather than hit my 5, or try and smash a 6 iron into a green. So ultimately I'd suggest just go find yourself a good deal on an older used 5 hybrid and give it a shot! Might end up being your new favorite club.