my honeymoon with SGI's

[Bucken77]

Well thanks to you MTLJeff I have just ordered the G15's. I have been searching for new clubs for awhile now and the G15's were not even on the radar. Hit every club under the sun and had it narrowed down to I15's and the new Mizuno offerings. I really liked the Mizuno JPX 800 Pros quite a bit but this thread got me thinking. Why am I only looking at Players/GI clubs? So I went back to the range and started hitting the G15's.

First thought was boy these feel really good. I grew up on cast clubs and so I was very comfortable with the feel. I loved the Mizuno forged feeling but I have to admit I think I like the feel of a well struck cast just as much. So I went home to think about it some more. Well I found myself on here doing a search for G15. Kept reading more and more posts of people with better handicaps than me saying they were gaming the G's. So next day I went back to the range for the final shootout. Got the JPX 800 Pro's with KBS shaft and the G15 with AWT(that is the only shaft they had. Cmon Ping time to upgrade the fitting cart) and headed to the stalls.

Started off the matts and hit four balls a piece alternating between the 2 clubs.After about 50 balls the G's were the clear winner. Shot after shot was just tight little draw right at the flag. Mizzies were nice also but I would throw in a chunk every once in a while. Went down to the grass part of the range as it had cleared out. Did the same thing alternating clubs after 4 shots. Started really flushing the Mizzies. The sole grind on those are really nice off grass. Was able to play every shot I wanted whether it be left/right or high/low. Ping was just consistent little draw and was also able to get a little fade if I tried to with a slightly exaggerated move. Got down to the last 20 or so balls and really wanted to get the Mizzies so I started cheating. Gave the Mizzies nice lies and hit nice shot after nice shot. Started giving the Ping poor lies and was unable to hit a bad shot. Then I just started putting the Ping balls into the divots of the Mizzies shots and was still unable to mishit with these bad boys. I started laughing at myself and decided I was a Ping convert. These G15's have some magic to them. Sure I think the 800 Pros are the better looking of the 2 but my score doesn't care what my clubs look like. Final straw is that I just purchased the PIng visor from TGW. I'm rolling with the Pings baby!

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='Chunkylover77' timestamp='1284590502' post='2698842']
Well thanks to you MTLJeff I have just ordered the G15's. I have been searching for new clubs for awhile now and the G15's were not even on the radar. Hit every club under the sun and had it narrowed down to I15's and the new Mizuno offerings. I really liked the Mizuno JPX 800 Pros quite a bit but this thread got me thinking. Why am I only looking at Players/GI clubs? So I went back to the range and started hitting the G15's.

First thought was boy these feel really good. I grew up on cast clubs and so I was very comfortable with the feel. I loved the Mizuno forged feeling but I have to admit I think I like the feel of a well struck cast just as much. So I went home to think about it some more. Well I found myself on here doing a search for G15. Kept reading more and more posts of people with better handicaps than me saying they were gaming the G's. So next day I went back to the range for the final shootout. Got the JPX 800 Pro's with KBS shaft and the G15 with AWT(that is the only shaft they had. Cmon Ping time to upgrade the fitting cart) and headed to the stalls.

Started off the matts and hit four balls a piece alternating between the 2 clubs.After about 50 balls the G's were the clear winner. Shot after shot was just tight little draw right at the flag. Mizzies were nice also but I would throw in a chunk every once in a while. Went down to the grass part of the range as it had cleared out. Did the same thing alternating clubs after 4 shots. Started really flushing the Mizzies. The sole grind on those are really nice off grass. Was able to play every shot I wanted whether it be left/right or high/low. Ping was just consistent little draw and was also able to get a little fade if I tried to with a slightly exaggerated move. Got down to the last 20 or so balls and really wanted to get the Mizzies so I started cheating. Gave the Mizzies nice lies and hit nice shot after nice shot. Started giving the Ping poor lies and was unable to hit a bad shot. Then I just started putting the Ping balls into the divots of the Mizzies shots and was still unable to mishit with these bad boys. I started laughing at myself and decided I was a Ping convert. These G15's have some magic to them. Sure I think the 800 Pros are the better looking of the 2 but my score doesn't care what my clubs look like. Final straw is that I just purchased the PIng visor from TGW. I'm rolling with the Pings baby!
[/quote]

glad to help! hope they work out for you!

[Tero Partanen]

Hi all,

A 35hcp player from Finland chiming in .

After playing two seasons (well almost) with Wilson DI9's with Pro Force V2 regular shafts, I finally decided to get better irons and most importantly: get fitted.

I read the threads over here at WRX and elsewhere too. It became quite clear that Ping irons are one of the better options to go with. Went to my local range (where you can't hit off grass, just mats), and tried out G15 and I15. Both colors were not right for me then. I found the I15 much nicer to hit off the mat (it was blue dot, G15 was yellow dot, I am white dot in reality). So I decided I'd go for a fitting session outside of my home town. Last weekend I went to get fitted but their sim / measurement machines were out of order! Bummer... But they offered to give me a set of irons with various colors of G15, I15, Mizu MX100, K15 and even S56 7 irons to the range. And drivers I15, G15 and K15.

At that range I was able to hit off a nice grass. I hit something like 300+ balls and finally found my picks: I15 driver 11deg, regular default shaft, and G-15 irons, white dot, +1/4 inch.

What finally made the difference was how consistent and EASY the G15 was to hit off grass. From the mat, on the previous test session I15 was a LOT easier (imo) to hit. It never dug into the mat (how could it lol), and produced consistent, straight and even highish ball flights when compared to my DI9 Wilson clubs. At the first session I felt the G15 too offset and too bulky to hit, even though I got nice results from the mat with them too. Somehow I had predicted that I'd get the I15 after the final session, but G15 won hands down. At the end there was actually a battle between K15 and G15 irons. IMO they both hit exactly the same: very higjh ball flight, extremely forgiving, and produce nice draws with my swing. Or dead straight shots. The difference that I noticed was the feeling on hands during the hit. K15 irons feel harder during impact. The sound is more harsh, and the feeling at your palms and fingers is more harsh. Offering at least to me nothing in advantage over G15, that feels silky smooth and even buttery at times. So G15 it was!

Why not the I15 then? Well, off grass they felt a lot harder to hit with than G15/K15. I would throw in the occassional fat shot, thin shot, hook shot that didn't finish high and through etc. The results with the I15 on those shots were far far worse than with G15s. Having such a high hcp of 35 I am the perfect target for these kinds of SGI irons. My only wonder is about the DI9s I own. They are supposed to be SGI irons too, but I found the G15s so much more easier to hit off grass than the DI9s. God knows why. I wonder if I could hit the Wilsons well with proper lie / shaft fitting....

The specs of my pings will be: white dot, +1/4 inch, Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips, Steel standard shafts. And the driver I15 11deg with the standard default graphite shaft. The web-fitting doesn't quite agree and suggested silver dot +½ inch, but it's anyway at the border for me so I decided to go with less upright anyway. My best shots at the range were with a white dot G15. I am 6'2" (187cm), 95cm Wrist to Floor, 19.5cm hand, 8.5cm longest finger.

I will report here how my iron and driver play goes after getting the clubs next week I hope. I am really excited about them .

Tero

[caller]

Gents.

Let me share my experience with you.

I have been playing golf 2yrs now,

Started January with 18hcp.
Worked on my swing with the coach once a month (along with short game)

By March of this year, I became 14.8hcpper.

Back then, I was playing Srixon 701-I Tour which is sweet iron but wasn't forgiving enough for me.
Also, played with plus hcppers who are pros and Hooters players and they played "shovels".

I went out to Ping N Flight center and got fitted with G15.

By May, I was 11.8hcpper....

Today, I received email showing my handicap at 9.6!!!

I have to say, my swing has changed and improved but having confidence and forgiving iron over forced carry 180yrds par3 and
high soaring shots going after tight pin position is new found joy in my game.

It doesn't make me to hit real golf shot but doesn't punish me for bad shot not as much as other irons I tried in the past.
(Callaway X-20, Srixon 701 Tour, Bstone J36PC, Mizuno MX1000)

Distance control and trajectory control is easier than others.

[mantan]

My two thoughts. I got the opportunity to take a set of G15's out on a two day demo this week. And given all the hype, I had to give them a try.

Overall I was very impressed. Three things jumped out at me.

1) They are amazingly forgiving. While no club will let you get away with anything, these do a great job of masking minor mishits and keeping you in position to score.

2) The feel is decent. The knock on SGI clubs have always been that they feel hollow, dead or springy. These have a really nice feel at impact.

3) The accuracy, especially with the short irons is VERY good. I especially found the 8-PW DEADLY accurate with rock solid distance control. I know some people think about getting a combo set or less forgiveness in their scoring irons. I can't see why. I felt I could take dead aim and shoot at pins all day with these.

I was a bit surprised that I didn't have as much love for the 5-7 irons. They were very good, no doubt, but didn't blow me out of the water like the scoring irons.

Ping has a winner with these. I'm not in the market for a new set right now, but if I was....these would definitely top the short list.

[Ripken08]

Not sure whether to jump aboard the G15 train or not. I had a set with KBS and sold them before I hit them. It's either these or the MP53s for this 12 HC. While I like the durability, not sure I can live with the chunkiness, sole, and flight of the G15s and I am already a high ball hitter that picks the ball.

[nicekindtrue]

[quote name='shortgamehero' timestamp='1284652317' post='2700054']
Not sure whether to jump aboard the G15 train or not. I had a set with KBS and sold them before I hit them. It's either these or the MP53s for this 12 HC. While I like the durability, not sure I can live with the chunkiness, sole, and flight of the G15s and I am already a high ball hitter that picks the ball.

[/quote]


I must say that I'm very satisfied with my G15 hybrids. The 27 degree is so super, producing trajectories that really look "pro", that I almost never got with my 5 iron! And it dubbles as a really good chipper around the greens! Putter grip it and go!

I must admit that I as a kid saw a guy with some (I think) Japanese bought Bridgestone set en the early 1990's. It was rather similar to what I've got now, with a smooth transition between irons to hybrids to woods - anybody remember those Bridgestones?

Anyway, I thought that they looked dorky. For me GI was for the 1 iron, playing blades from 2 iron and shorter... But somehow I understood, since I consider myself pretty quick, that this WAS the way of the future.

And the future is now! 20 years later, and I finally get it!

:clapping:

[Timmay_MO]

Just ordered Rapture 5-P AWT Stiff. I can't wait to start hitting 'em all over the face. Need to sell my Big Bertha Tungsten Ti's now though........

[minhjn]

i'm bringing this thread back,

i almost sprained my ankle jumping onto this bandwagon, but i did it. G15 5-PW w/ AWT X-Stiff are on the way.

i play to a 4, but with fall in full force, and grad school, i can't play as much anymore. the G15s seem like the perfect offseason clubs when i can only play maybe once a week, and the swing may not be completely there. i'm pretty excited to try these out.

props to jeff for starting this mini-trend.

ping needs to send him a commission check, god knows how many sets of irons he is responsible for selling

[Timmay_MO]

Played a few rounds with the Raptures. I'm a mid 90's shooter and get out once a month these days. Had the first tee time yesterday, it was freaking cold, greens were wet with heavy dew. Through 7 holes I was even par and hit 6 greens after missing 5 fwys. lol! I was minus 1 until bogeying no. 7. I'd usually be close to 10 over after 7. And I only sank one putt.

Freaking LOVE the Raptures. Thanks MtlJeff for the enlightening thread. I never gamed my BB Tungs/Ti's, and thought my i701s were forgiving, but dang, the Ping SGI's are crazy good.

[Mikmak]

I play to an 8 and I buy the most forgiving stuff I can get my hands on. I checked my ego at the door a few years back and have dropped a stroke or 2 every year since. I haven't gone as far as buying an all hybrid iron set as I do think you need more control 120 yards in. But when I am 165 out I just get it on the green and give myself a chance. Works for me.

[suwdawg]

Good thread Jeff. I saw this back 6 or so months ago and thought about it for months. I am not low but mid capper been playing the mx 23s for 5 or so years and intially loved them. Before that played various callys, pings and taylors as I was staring to learn how to play and get better. Long story short I just don't have the time or money anymore to play as much as I would like, my iron play really started to suffer tha last few years coming off back surgery and I was at a point were for the first time in a while I felt I was starting to regress and not enjoying the game as much anymore and even thought about quitting and doing something else for a hobby. Well saw your thread and thought back to my days of playing sgi irons and remembered how I thought it really helped me improve especially with gir took the plunge didn't buy the pings but got the burners for a good deal. Took right out without any practice and had one of my best iron rounds I have had this year. Just got better and also don't see where I will ever have the time again to think about anything other than sgi type irons. Yeah they don't feel as good a good shot on my mizzys but I am happier and playing better.

Thanks.

[timsin]

Thanks a lot !
This discussion has just cost me $680.
G-15s w/ KBS Tour 90s should be here by Thursday.

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='timsin' timestamp='1286622191' post='2735482']
Thanks a lot !
This discussion has just cost me $680.
G-15s w/ KBS Tour 90s should be here by Thursday.
[/quote]

Woohoo! Another convert LOL

Does anyone know anybody at Ping? They totally owe me something for this!

let us know how it goes

-I played mine the whole season and just reshafted with X100's. They'll be in the bag next year. And then we'll see what the G20's look like

[PT1911]

[quote name='MtlJeff' timestamp='1286664676' post='2736120']
[quote name='timsin' timestamp='1286622191' post='2735482']
Thanks a lot !
This discussion has just cost me $680.
G-15s w/ KBS Tour 90s should be here by Thursday.
[/quote]

Woohoo! Another convert LOL

Does anyone know anybody at Ping? They totally owe me something for this!

let us know how it goes

-I played mine the whole season and just reshafted with X100's. They'll be in the bag next year. And then we'll see what the G20's look like
[/quote]
I hear ya man, I played the first part of the summer with AP1's and now I have some G15's and plan on using them next year. The days of blades for me are GONE!

[nicekindtrue]

[quote name='Tero Partanen' timestamp='1284637814' post='2699708']

...

What finally made the difference was how consistent and EASY the G15 was to hit off grass. From the mat, on the previous test session I15 was a LOT easier (imo) to hit. It never dug into the mat (how could it lol), and produced consistent, straight and even highish ball flights when compared to my DI9 Wilson clubs.

...

I will report here how my iron and driver play goes after getting the clubs next week I hope. I am really excited about them .

Tero
[/quote]


I'm suspecting that the problems I have with inconsistency with my G15 hybrids are due to how they interact with the mat at my driving range. The G15 irons slide through the plastic mats without problems.

[elp3022]

You might have another convert on your hands. I went to a demo day this weekend and decided to try these out just because of this thread. I've been a forged iron player all my life and currently game MP-52's (HCP is 10.3 for reference). I wanted to like the new Mizunos but was harly blown away. A few spaces down was the Ping rep. I tried the G15's and gotta say I was impressed. Definitely lose that feel of a Mizuno but if I can hit it straight and on the green all day, I think I'll get over it. Unless something major changes, these will be my Christmas present this year.

[Asleep]

Considering a set of G15s and wanted to see if all is still good for those who have them.

I'm thinking Ping WRX Tour grinds, 3,4,6-PW with adjusted 4 & 6 iron lofts to fill the 5-iron gap?

On shafts, ZZ65 vs KBTour vs Dynamic Gold --- I'm assuming these hit the ball pretty high?


Sounds like a fun experiment.

[willgolf4]

I came from some MP32's. Had a reality check and bought the G15's with S300 shafts. It was hard to give up the buttery feel of the Mizuno's when well struck, but after playing with the G15's throughout the summer I am definitely very happy with them. I would not go back to a blade. Its great fun to hit more greens. I find that you can work the ball with them as well.

The DG S300's were lowest ball flight next was project x then KBS. I would think the zz65 would be higher ball flight than the DG. You can also order them to swingweight , which I did to D-2.

[MtlJeff]

[quote name='Asleep' timestamp='1286823038' post='2738203']
Considering a set of G15s and wanted to see if all is still good for those who have them.

I'm thinking Ping WRX Tour grinds, 3,4,6-PW with adjusted 4 & 6 iron lofts to fill the 5-iron gap?

On shafts, ZZ65 vs KBTour vs Dynamic Gold --- I'm assuming these hit the ball pretty high?


Sounds like a fun experiment.
[/quote]

i used to hit the ball very low naturally and was fine with the AWT's...but when i weakened my grip substancially a little while ago and started playing a fade i was hitting the ball too high. I now have X100's in them. If you hit a high ball i would certainly recommend dynamic gold.

[BraveAnthony]

For those who converted from playing players irons how do you guys control your hooks?
I've tried g5s and g10s and I'd guess g15s would be the same and they're just mad hook machines for me. I really want to play them as I need forgiveness but i just couldn't get them to go straight. The well struck shots feel great and go miles but to left only. Any advice? What part of your swing did you guys change going from less offset to more offset?

[minhjn]

offset doesn't cause hooks. it's either your swing or it's in your head

[golfnuthb]

BraveAnthony,
It could be a simple lie angle..ie..color code issue. I have the same problem with all Ping irons going left and it aint in my swing or my head. I mostly play mizuno irons whose standard lie angles are almost a full 1-1/2 degrees flatter than Pings standard black lie angle.Not sure what your color code is but I fixed my 10-20 yard pulls with Ping i5's and G5's by going to orange dot in the pings which is 2 degrees flat according to Ping but to me its more standard compared to Mizuno specs. Btw..Im 5'10" with 34.5 wrist to floor. You need to find out what length & lie allows you to hit the ball straight and then set up the pings with those specs.

As an example a standard mizuno PW lie angle is 63 degrees. Ping standard black dot PW = 64.38 degrees. Thats too upright for me and about a 15 yard pull if I don't consciously adjust for it. To be fair the lie angles match up pretty close and are both at 60 degrees by the time you get to the 4 iron's. I use Mizuno as a comparison because they use fairly traditional lie and lofts on their irons. Personally I hate upright lie angles on irons. I dont fight the ball going right and prefer flat lies if anything. That's what fixed the problem for me and with no swing changes. My swing is fine.Hope it helps...

[WichitaDuffer]

(threadjack)

Just a tiny related threadjack, for those of us that cannot afford the G15 series, would a similarly spec'd G5 set basically be the same thing or is there a massive difference because of where the tuning port is placed? I am on the fence about new irons, and my list is as follows:

Ping G5
Ping i5 or i10
Callaway X22 Tour
TM R7TP
BStone J36 Pocket Cavity


This thread has me thinking that maybe I don't need to go to a true players iron, and maybe hang back in the GI or better players GI part of the pool.

Info about me:
18HCP
Irons are the best part of my game because my driver leaves me wherever it feels like and I have to get it close to the pin cause I cannot putt to save my life or par, and I hate hitting wedges.
Current Irons are Affinity (Dicks house brand) and 7 years old, had them reshafted with PX to extend the life, I have tested the X22 tours and the G5s and both are blowing my current irons out of the water in terms of distance and accuracy. Any help would be appreciated, if you wanna PM me feel free so the threadjack only goes this far.

(/threadjack.)

[dees72]

G5's are nice. Also consider Nike OSS Slingshots. Can be found cheap. I've hit all three and owned the Nikes and the G5s. Prefer the Nikes for everything but resale value!

[dees72]

All three as in G5, G15, and the Nikes

[skyleralan]

[quote name='WichitaDuffer' timestamp='1286972558' post='2741049']
(threadjack)

Just a tiny related threadjack, for those of us that cannot afford the G15 series, would a similarly spec'd G5 set basically be the same thing or is there a massive difference because of where the tuning port is placed? I am on the fence about new irons, and my list is as follows:

Ping G5
Ping i5 or i10
Callaway X22 Tour
TM R7TP
BStone J36 Pocket Cavity


This thread has me thinking that maybe I don't need to go to a true players iron, and maybe hang back in the GI or better players GI part of the pool.

Info about me:
18HCP
Irons are the best part of my game because my driver leaves me wherever it feels like and I have to get it close to the pin cause I cannot putt to save my life or par, and I hate hitting wedges.
Current Irons are Affinity (Dicks house brand) and 7 years old, had them reshafted with PX to extend the life, I have tested the X22 tours and the G5s and both are blowing my current irons out of the water in terms of distance and accuracy. Any help would be appreciated, if you wanna PM me feel free so the threadjack only goes this far.

(/threadjack.)
[/quote]

The Ping Raptures should also be added to your short list, the price is VERY reasonable for the original Raptures at right around $350-375 on Ebay. They have more technology than any other Ping iron and when sitting side by side look very similar to the G15's and other Ping G series irons.

[Timmay_MO]

Png Raptures at GPP are a great deal. As far as hooking goes I think the offset makes it fairly easy to set up with the clubface closed. I've weakened my grip just a touch, but I was hooking my Srixon I701's as well. It just takes time getting used to seeing a square super offset clubface.


I hit a high ball and I'm playing AWT's and they're terrific shafts. I normally play S300's and I like the lighter weight of the AWT's. I haven't had any ballooning and they actually keep the short irons manageable. Lowest PW I've ever hit.

[caller]

I had hooking issue with players iron... mostly swing issue.

I had some lessons on swing, I was taking it too inside to begin with then try to pull the shot.
I don't think G15 off set caused issue for me.

One thing I did on G-15 was fitter got me into flatter lie (red dot) and see how it works first then move to standard lie (black) but I am happy with red dot set up.

Any new iron is big adjustment for many people so should give little more time (I give myself at least 10 rounds) to gather overall numbers and performance.

All I can say is g15 improved my game so much better and I swallowed my pride and ego.

I became better player for sure.

[hayzooos]

Man, this thread (I've actually read through most of it) really has me thinking about some new sticks next year already and I just had a set built for me about a month ago!

Question for y'all though...how many of you lower handicap guys thought about getting the grind that shaves a bit off the back of the sole? If the chubbier sole would cause any problems (though it doesn't sound like it does) I would think this would rectify the problem.

I just saw some pics of someone on here with AP2 (I think they were 2's anyway) and they had a bit of the back edge of the sole taken off and they looked fantastic. Just some food for thought, so any responses would be appreciated.