PING i15 Iron review

[Geo]

warning: lots of words, lots of pics

THE PREAMBLE:

Once upon a time in January, I got myself a set of PING S57s. They were everything I wanted as 2009 was going to be my breakout year in reclaiming my golf game. Fast forward to September and I fell WAY short on my hopes. I played a lot less golf than I had planned; far less than I had in the past few years, and practice sessions had been non-existent. I blamed work. Work blamed me. And my wife blamed the complacency that has permeated every aspect of my life, allowing me to really let myself go, adopting the mantra that "there's no reason to bait the hook once you've caught the fish." Now, I still love my golf. And I still love my wife. And as I still love to do both, I decided to focus on golf until winter takes that off the plate then get to work on the other stuff. But I digress. :pardon:

Anyway--I've been answering a good number of PMs about my switch, and even got called out on it in my S57 review. So maybe time to write a review. Especially as I am a fan. :good:

THE REVIEW

Some of the highlights:
THE PROS
PING really went out of their way to put as much technology into a package that should appeal to most low-to-mid handicappers. The i15s are probably the most balanced irons PING has produced and provides seamless performance from three iron through pitching wedge.

THE CONS
Following in the footsteps of the Rapture V2 irons, PING is now trending toward gaudier clubs that are seemingly designed to have a shelf life. While superficial, this simple criticism can be the difference between a timeless classic and a dated dust collector.

THE NUTSHELL
While not as sexy as some other options, these are the best irons I’ve hit to date. Figuratively-speaking, they're the Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats of irons. The fiber in the i15s will keep your ball flying right, but it's the delicious frosting that will fuel your inner-playa's appetite!


THE LONG-WINDED PART

Having heard some of the scuttlebutt on these irons, I was really looking forward to what they could do for me. By the time they were released, I had all but written off the remainder of my season due to increased professional demands and from taking a little more charge of my personal responsibilities. In order to find better balance, I figured it necessary to increase my "me time", buy myself something really special, and force myself to golf. "Mission Accomplished!" Maybe not so much with finding balance, but definitely on the me time, something special, and golf! :good:

APPEARANCE
The one issue, and only question mark that I had before seeing these clubs in person was the looks. It seemed as if PING had taken a page out of TaylorMade's playbook and threw some gaudy decals and cavity badges on for good measure. That way, i15 owners will be so sick of the dated looks that when the next iteration is released, the update will be worth the purchase, if only for a cosmetic change. Fortunately, and it cannot be emphasized enough, the i15 irons don't look nearly as bad in person as they do in all the closeup, macro-enabled pics. It's not just a matter of "looking clean at address" but in hand, and especially at arm's length, the detailed honeycomb/dot pattern in the cavity kind of fades into a textured gray. My only worry is that PING's moving all of their production to China will result in a moratorium on irons that you'd want to play for years to come. But that's a discussion for another thread.

What I can say, is that cavity cosmetics aside, these are some great looking irons. I loved that PING went back to a more "raw" finish in what I believe is the Starshot. Don't get me wrong, I like the brushed aluminum in the S57s, but these should hold up much better over time. Not as well as the tumbled, or even the Guyson finishes perhaps, but the i15s will look better used. And while the faces are still milled, the mill marks are much more subtle and aren't as prone to mashing as those on the S57s.

What is exceptional about these irons is how each piece in the set seems to have been individually engineered so that they all blend together in both looks and performance while maintaining the unique characteristics of each club. The soles are the same width throughout the set, but the three iron is as easy to elevate to appropriate height as the eight iron. And all that without a lot of offset at all (ymmv). PING did much in the design to increase the MOI by making the face even thinner, adding some weight below the CTP, increasing the size of the tungsten toe weight, AND in positioning that weight further back from the face in the toe of the long irons. In the pics that follow, take note of the black insert in the toe of the mid and long irons. This is all done so that the overall package looks good...except for the cavity cosmetics (unless someone from ping can show me why that was an integral part of the design :tongue:).

PERFORMANCE AND PLAYABILITY
Here is why, after a few month hiatus, I'm playing golf in the middle of November in Utah. Granted, we've been having some great weather, but these are the most forgiving irons that I've ever played that still look good enough to appeal to the wannabe in me.

All the tech that PING poured into these irons didn't just help to make them look good, it went to putting as much forgiveness as possible into a small package. The ball come off the face hotter than almost everything I've played in the past, but the distances are very consistent. The only irons I've owned that were longer were the titanium-faced XXIOs, and those were prone to fliers, dead balls, and all manner of inconsistencies. As I wasn't looking to increase my distance, I went with the heavier KBS Tour shafts as well as my preferred D3 swingweight. This has helped me to slow down my swing a bit and eliminate some of the extraneous movements and inconsistencies, and has greatly improved my distance control as well as dispersion. I'm still a little longer than I was, but not dramatic enough that I need to rework my distances or gaps: 2-3 yards in the short irons to 5 yards in the long.

Ball flight is about what you'd expect it to be--quick elevation to a middling trajectory, but it just wants to go straight or more so than I've had in recent history. I'm not one to work the ball, so that's about dead last on my priorities in a club, but I've found myself trending toward a cut. Not so much here, and whatever movement I have had has been, for the most part, nondescript. I'm good with that. Real good.

Gun-to-my-head, the only area I could nitpick the i15s' performance is out of the rough. I know, not supposed to be there in the first place, but I think the thinner soles in the S57s allowed me to make better contact with the ball. That said, the heavier setup I have in these irons lets me swing through all but the most overgrown areas with little resistance to speak of.

FEEL
Feel is the only other area where I wasn't blown away by the i15s. By comparison, the feel of the S57s was significantly better, on par with the forged awesomeness that is Srixon. So perhaps it's just a matter of getting used to the fact that I'm playing cast clubs again. The feel isn't harsh. Just less sweet. My guess is that this is the trade-off for the thin face, and possibly for the smaller area covered by the CTP. But considering the upside of distance and forgiveness, I think it's worth it and is something that probably works for these irons. It's good to have a club let you know when you're getting sloppy, especially when it's in a gentle reminder kind of way. And really, the only time this really crossed my mind as a negative was when I was hitting range balls. With my Z-STARs, I have no complaints at all. So feel free to disregard this part of the review as you see fit. ;)

OVERALL BOTTOM LINE
Now that I've had these irons for over a month, I can comfortably say that I am well out of the honeymoon period. They're not miracle irons. But they are the best irons I've ever played. They took the technology of a relatively forgiving blade-like iron in the S57, added some new ingredients, and made a very forgiving player's cavity in the i15. Now, I'm not playing the best golf of my life. But I'm having a whole lot more fun playing than I have in a long time--and I'm not a guy who enjoys bad rounds and giggles after shanking and slicing. The looks are good enough to appease the ego that makes some of us play clubs outside our capabilities, while allowing for some great golf to be played in spite of ourselves. Like I said before: Frosted Mini-Wheats. :yahoo:


THE PICTURES



Cavity Closeups: 3, 5, 8, and W





Angled Toward the Toe: 3, 5, 8, and W





Faces: 3, 5, 8, and W





Inverted Hosels/Offset: 3, 5, 8, and W





Address: 3, 5, 8, and W





Some Misc. Shots

[hamsey]

I'm still in the honeymoon phase. Have been out the past 2 weekends and hopefully a third in CT. Didn't play much this summer but I got the itch now and not much good weather left.

Nice review, I agree with pretty much everything you said.

Norm

[Asleep]

Now [i]that's[/i] a [b]review[/b]!

[armydiver]

I still love my golf. And I still love my wife. And as I still love to do both....

Quote of the year imo.

[bluetrane]

Great review and awesome pics! Thanks for sharing.

[enotsyer]

I agree with everything in this review. I got my i15's near the end of the season this year and played about 5 rounds with them (Canadian weather hasn't been that great so I think I'm packing it up for this year). I totally agree on the looks of the irons, they look much better in person than in pictures, but I still don't really like the maroon color as much - I am considering blacking that out with some paintfill over the winter, to make them look bad a$$!

[lologolf]

thanks for the review, I hit both the i15 (awt) and the r9tp(kbs) and they were close but for me the i15's are a little ahead, I just want them with with the kbs. Will be looking at them hard when spring comes around.

[leftygolf]

Nice review. Thanks for taking the time.

[pitbull808]

George, George, George....why do I read your reviews and can hear your voice while doing so??! I really don't think there's a more honest opinion here then those from you. Great review. A number of your thoughts echo my feelings as I was just able to test a set of these the other week. I like the look though..then again, I'm probably a lot more flashy then you are. Remember....my state is #2 to yours!

Great stuff...you make me want to go test that set again.



PS....looks like you're finally getting the hang of that Nikon of yours. Great pics!

[buckman821]

I just saw these in person for the first time today. I completely agree that they look better in person. They are still a little gaudier than I would like but in pictures it definitely appears much worse. Hopefully i'll get to hit them soon.

[Geo]

Much thanks, all. Definitely appreciate the comments and the feedback. Probably a little longer than I had planned, but I was really impressed. And I was blessed with a mother who schooled me on my limitations early on, letting me know that if I can't dazzle people with my brilliance, then I ought to baffle them with my bullsh...well, you know.


[quote name='Asleep' post='2060642' date='Nov 12 2009, 01:17 PM']Now [i]that's[/i] a [b]review[/b]! [/quote]
Danke, Todd. The extra work was more self-serving than anything. I figure the mods are batting an 0-fer on all the awesome equipment giveaways that easyyy has been throwing up, so I'm hoping that one over-long review will stand out just enough to offset all the other great ones posted on the review site. I [b]REALLY[/b] want that Sergio proto putte!

[quote name='armydiver' post='2060651' date='Nov 12 2009, 01:23 PM']I still love my golf. And I still love my wife. And as I still love to do both....

Quote of the year imo. [/quote]
Excellent! I'm glad someone picked that up. When I was typing this up, that line just came out and I had to pause and ask myself, "did I just type that?" The only part that took some effort was the NUTSHELL "frosted mini-wheat" rhyme.

[quote name='pitbull808' post='2061213' date='Nov 12 2009, 06:00 PM']George, George, George....why do I read your reviews and can hear your voice while doing so??! I really don't think there's a more honest opinion here then those from you. Great review. A number of your thoughts echo my feelings as I was just able to test a set of these the other week. I like the look though..then again, I'm probably a lot more flashy then you are. Remember....my state is #2 to yours!

Great stuff...you make me want to go test that set again.



PS....looks like you're finally getting the hang of that Nikon of yours. Great pics! [/quote]
Thank you, my friend. I do tend to post like I talk, in full run-on-sentence, parenthetical-asides, and mindless-meandering glory. Drives Maya nuts. But she's one of those "get-to-the-friggin-point-already" kind of gals. Really though, I was happy that I was able to find as many negatives as I did in these irons, and still find them coming out smelling like roses. Much better than the "perfect in every way" reviews, especially as one man's negative is another's positive. That's why Utah is #1--we're full of "another man's positives" here.

[Ian]

beruo....that, sir, has to be the most well thought out and descriptive and honest and humorous review I've ever read! Well done and thanks for the crisp pics...I happen to think they look pretty good without seeing them in person!

Question for you and a couple other posters who have I15's. I would like to know what your HC and average scores are. Reason being, I don't know if my game could handle the I's but the G15's seem awfully fat to me even though I hit them very well. I'm a bogey golfer, generally shooting 85-95 and I guess I need some validation to try the I15's.

Thanks again for the "Grrrrrreat" (Tony the Tiger, Frosted Flakes) review!

[Jayhawk]

[frank the tank] that's the way you review! [/frank the tank]

at the risk of making this post sound like a review of your review, thank you Jorge for your entertaining and informative review. I'll be honest, I skipped the wall of text and went straight for the pics. I kid, but seriously I've set some time aside this weekend to peruse this further. Hopefully you'll get a chance soon to get out and hit these bad boys, or maybe you already have? :again I kid: :throwing my review in the trash:

[MrParr1Noid]

Nice review, and great pictures...Geo...YOU make ME want to be a better golfer..

No kidding, butt kicking review filled with great insight.

[generalbolg]

great review, love the wit.

cute golf ball.

[BoomBoomLarry]

Great review. The only thing to make this post better would be to have you review the right handed i15s.

[Geo]

Thanks again for the comments. It seems more people actually went through the whole thing than I had thought. If I knew there were pictures, I probably would have skipped to the end, myself.

[quote name='Ian' post='2061395' date='Nov 12 2009, 07:25 PM']beruo....that, sir, has to be the most well thought out and descriptive and honest and humorous review I've ever read! Well done and thanks for the crisp pics...I happen to think they look pretty good without seeing them in person!

Question for you and a couple other posters who have I15's. I would like to know what your HC and average scores are. Reason being, I don't know if my game could handle the I's but the G15's seem awfully fat to me even though I hit them very well. I'm a bogey golfer, generally shooting 85-95 and I guess I need some validation to try the I15's.

Thanks again for the "Grrrrrreat" (Tony the Tiger, Frosted Flakes) review![/quote]
Thanks, Ian. I don't really like to qualify my abilities with a number as I'd like to believe I'm more than the sum of my scores...which is a lot. When I'm playing a bit, I'm a solid 15. When I'm actually practicing and working on improving, I'm a little better. Before my daughter was born, I was a niner without much effort. But now the only thing streakier and more inconsistent than my short game is how well I play my tee ball. I can be seriously long and straight, or I can be bumming balls off my playing partner on the back nine to finish my round.

My take on these is that they should fit most people who have a reasonable swing and can at least make consistent contact with the ball. Someone who misses can be thin, off the hosel, or off the far end of the toe on any given swing should definitely look to something with a bigger face. Also, if your launch trajectory is on the lower side and you want something to launch a little higher, the G15s would probably be a better fit--or the i15s with the AWT shafts as these aren't really a high launching head. Like I mentioned above, I usually hit a little fade, with my misses being a snap hook when I get ahead of myself, and these have really helped me to straighten out.

[quote name='Jayhawk' post='2061456' date='Nov 12 2009, 07:50 PM'][frank the tank] that's the way you review! [/frank the tank]

at the risk of making this post sound like a review of your review, thank you Jorge for your entertaining and informative review. I'll be honest, I skipped the wall of text and went straight for the pics. I kid, but seriously I've set some time aside this weekend to peruse this further. Hopefully you'll get a chance soon to get out and hit these bad boys, or maybe you already have? :again I kid: :throwing my review in the trash:[/quote]
No, no. I find your assessment of my review to be spot-on and applaud your ability to recognize greatness in a writer. I also applaud your willingness to study this review further and look forward to reading your future findings. I'd really like to know what you think about [s]my boyish good looks[/s] the obvious influence Joseph Heller has played in my life based on how I express myself in prose. [/baffle]

[WhiteStake]

Excellent review and photos. The only problem is you play from the wrong side.

[LSeca]

beruo,

Very nice review, not too long or too short, nice photos, and a good read with some laughs. I am not even interested in these irons, but I enjoyed the thread. Thanks for taking the time for this one.

[Geo]

[quote name='LSeca' post='2061830' date='Nov 13 2009, 01:47 AM']beruo,

Very nice review, not too long or too short, nice photos, and a good read with some laughs. I am not even interested in these irons, but I enjoyed the thread. Thanks for taking the time for this one.[/quote]

Wow. Thank you much for the compliment and for taking the time to read despite a lack of interest in the irons! I'm seriously glad you enjoyed it and really appreciate you letting me know that you did.



As for the lefty/righty feedback...I'll see what I can do next time around. But something tells me that any reviews I'd write on right-handed clubs would come out the same, regardless of make, model, specs, or even club type. Pics might come out alright though.

[bg1]

Wonderful review of your experience that mirrors the one I've had with my i15s at the end of this season. You didn't mention the Tour W wedges you have with them! I've found just as pleasent an experience with those same two wedges, how about you?

[bg1]

A nice sunny day for mid November in NW PA. First chance to go out and play 9 in at least three weeks. No warm up - triple the first hole and play the other eight in even par. This is just the reason these i15s are working for me - when we can't play or practice as often as we like, I can still go out and shoot a nice round. A great start to the weekend!

[MtlJeff]

What a useless unstructured review, you are awful (negative comments added simply to give thread diversity)

the I15's [i]DO [/i]look a lot better in person and the progressive offset definitely caught my eye when i checked them out. If i was in the market for irons i would nab these in a heartbeat (but alas i am the only one in the world who likes the I10's)

Being a fellow Ping man i must ask, did you find any difference with the new grooves as compared to your S57's?

[El Jefe]

You know I just bought those same irons but mine seem to be heading in different direction. Did someone hold those upside down when you took the photos ....no, really, great review and I agree. They are way better than my I-10s...

[spiderboy]

Thanks for a great review, it's much appreciated as I'm buying new irons and these just moved to the top of my list. I'm a 16, and have played for about a year, so hoping to improve further and looking for an iron that will let me feel my mishits, but not punish me too severely for them

I'm just curious as to the different shaft options from Ping. I have tested them with the AWT shafts, and they launched fairly high and felt ok, though slightly lower than my old set. But the dispersion pattern was better with these. I'm presently playing wilson Di7 irons with the UST proforce V2 graphite shafts, and I'm happy with my graphites as I have a mild case of tennis elbow. I am how ever not too fond of the offset of my irons, as I'm sometimes getting really bad hooks. I thought the i15s set up much easier to the ball.

Could anyone advice to the launch characteristics of the PING graphites as I am not able to test these?
And what other shaft options are PING offering that launch high (graphite or steel)? I'm taking all the launch I can get at this point, though I didn't feel the i15s were low launching, they just flew ever so slightly lower than my Di7s.

[redlabel]

I got my i15s two weeks ago and was able to play 5 rounds with them before our course closed for the season. I really enjoy them. I picked them over the G15 as I could never get used to that clubhead look when I had the BeCu in the late 80's.

An added bonus was that in the fitting process our pro discovered I was scooping the ball, so was able to fix that as well. I had thought I had lost a club in distance due to age, but not true. I was also surprised by the fitting process. We went out on the range and he kept handing me different clubs to hit. I'm a straight ball hitter, so it was surprising that some went straight, some straight right at an angle, and the angle was consistent. It just shows how important proper fitting is to ones success at the game. I'd been playing 2 degrees upright since ordering a set of Apex PC's in 1985, and the i15's came out green, 2.25 degrees upright, and 1/2" long just like my DCI 762's were, a lighter shaft on these with the Ping shaft and truly a delight to hit.

These should help me get my handicap back into single digits next spring.

[307golf]

Exceptional review!

I was fortunate enough to hit the i15's in Chicago on a business trip. Great clubs IMO. Lots of offset in the long irons but otherwise, incredibly good. The only irons on my radar right now would be Scratch EZ1's and Ping I15's after seeing everything for the new year.

[ibradley]

I love my i15 irons. Longer than the S57's I used all year. Can't wait till next season!!

[ckguy914]

Very nice written review George, this review is featured on the PING_Man's twitter page.

[CROUSE99]

Either Golf Magazine or Golf Digest has a black and white photo of the i15s that will an idea of how they would look with all black paintfill -- for those of you not keen on the graphics. And, [b][/b]GREAT REVIEW![b][/b]