Ping TFC 100 I Regular in i5 Irons

ElGavilan · August 17, 2008

I am serious Senior Golfer whose Index varies from 10-12. My 150 yard club is a 5 or 6 iron depending on conditions. I have played a set of G2's with TFC 100 Regualr shafts for about four years. My best score with them has been 75 on a course rated 69.2/132. My goal is to get back into a single digit handicap.

Earlier this year I bought a used set of Ping i5's in mint condition from a reputable dealer. I sent them to Ping and had the Lies set to match my G2's.

My question for this forum is: why don't I play as well with the as with the G2's? My scores with the i5's are mid to high 80's with low GIR's.

I really like the looks and feel of the i5's. I hit them a few yards shorter per club than my G2's, but not enough to matter. They are not quite as forgiving, but again, not enough to matter and the "feel" is crisper and better. They have a very slightly lower ball flight for me, but I can get them up with no problem and they spin better than my G2's. As much as I like them I can't seem to get as "comfortable" with them as I feel with my G2's. I have read on this forum that the TFC 100i (note the lower case i versus the capital I on my i5's) used in G10's plays "stiffer". Are the shafts in my i5's actually stiffer and have a much different profile than the shafts in my G2's, or is is just that they are from a didfferent manufacturer?

Can anyone help me out on this and maybe shed some light on my problems with them?

jaskanski · August 17, 2008

You've got to look at the difference in the club heads. The G2 is more of a game improvement iron compared to the i5 which is more of a "players" club. The weight distribution is lower in the G2 so will naturally be slightly longer for the same shaft. Are the lofts the same? Swingweight? Difficult to really compare the two.

ElGavilan · August 17, 2008

Thanks for your response. Swingweights are virtually identical as well as LLL.

Just got back from the range...hit about 10-12 balls with each of the i5's with no loss of distance compared to the G2's..just killed them..hit them as well as I've ever hit irons.

Yes, I know that the i5's have smaller heads and are more of a players irons and are less forgiving than the G2's; however, when they are well-struck they feel almost as good as a blade and definitely feel sweeter and more crisp than the G2's.

Maybe any of my problems with them are srictly in my head. I'm playing in a tournament tomorrow. I'll have the i5's in my bag, and I'll see how it goes.

BTW the shafts definitely have a different feel than the ones in the G2's. I'd still like to know the technical difference in the shafts.

Falang_Golfer · August 17, 2008

I don't think you mentioned what shafts were in the I5's so it's hard to compare. Anyway, I have the tfc 100i in a set and found them to play softer and launch way higher than other shafts of similar flex, such as Nippon and DG. To test your shaft theory why don't you take the 7 iron shaft (or pick one) out of the G2s and put it in your I5? Then you can see if it is the shaft or head. Hit the G2 as well with the I5 shaft and see if you still like it. We can guess all you want but until you try it you'll never know.