Ping i5s for the single digit handicapper.

joneser · July 8, 2006

I am curious to hear some feedback from those of you that are low single digit handicappers that have played or are playing Ping i5 irons. What has your experience been, what shafts are you playing? I picked up the standard 6 iron out of the fitting cart with the cs light and took it to the range to do some comparisons with my 695cb 6iron and a couple of 735s that I was using to test shafts. Much to my surprise the i5 seem to be outperforming the Titleist clubs that I do like alot. I found that it went through the turf better and i basically was throwing darts at the target. The shaft was the CS light (stiff). Would love to know what this felt like with a project x 5.5.

I guess I would like to hear shaft preferences and how the short irons are playing. I dont care for that much off set but so far I cant argue with what i am seeing out of that 6 iron. I have basically played 2 brands of clubs over thepast 15 years or so, Ping and Titleist.....so I am familiar with the quality of Ping. I just did not expect these to feel so soft and to be so good. If these things were polised I would probably not even blink an eye but my Titleist look an feel so good!

MGB · July 8, 2006

I have two buddies who are both +2 handicaps; one uses I5s the other G2s. Draw your own conclusions. It's what you're looking for in your irons. A really good player could play with a ladies set if he had to.

dwb7272 · July 9, 2006

I am a 4 hadicap and have the I5s with DGSL300s. Brings the ball flight down compared to the CS Lites. I have owned all the Pings at one time or another and for feel, the I5s are the best. I also polished mine to a chrome look finish and the results turned out very good. Hope this helps.

Punchy50 · July 10, 2006

I am a 4 hadicap and have the I5s with DGSL300s. Brings the ball flight down compared to the CS Lites. I have owned all the Pings at one time or another and for feel, the I5s are the best. I also polished mine to a chrome look finish and the results turned out very good. Hope this helps.

Can you post pics of your polished i5s? Thanks.

scotte · July 10, 2006

I too am currently playing the 695cb.

I also have only ever owned titleist and ping, with the exception of Mizuno mp33 and zevo blades.

The bottom Line :

It's probably the cs-lite shaft that you like and why you are hitting that club so well. You would probably hate that club with a rifle 5.5

I personaly like the s59 and zing 2, I own both, but I would not let them kick the 695s out of my bag.

The forged feel is so much nicer than the pings.

I know some people say that you should go with the pings for forgivness, but honestly I can't tell the difference between the pings and any other club (including blades) except with the big offsets you hit behind the ball.

Other than that I score the same with blades or super cavities or something in-between like the 659's.

dwb7272 · July 10, 2006

I will post some pictures of the I5s later this evening.

hoganboy · July 10, 2006

I'm currently playing off 1 in the UK and have been playing the i5's since the start of this season. Last year i played the G2's and changed for the smaller head and thinner sole. So far i've been happy with the I5's. I have Dynamic Gold S400 in them to help keep the ballflight down as they do tend to go high. However they are workable and i can play a knockdown shot when required.

I'm pleased with the short irons and find the new lead edge grind good on the clubs. The courses are hard at the moment and again i've had no problem with bounce. Overall i'm pleased with the change i made and i'm really happy with the I5's. Hopefully they'll be in the bag for a while.

kurob · July 10, 2006

I'm a 4.7 or so and went to the i5s back in May. My wife and I had a baby in January, so my playing time has been cut and my practice time has gone to zero. My typical miss tends to be toward the toe, so I was looking for forgiveness out there. At the same time, I'm a dedicated forged blade/player's cavity guy, so I didn't want just tons of offset or too thick of topline. Frankly, I'm still getting used to what they look like at address.

All that said, they are really good irons. I got the ZZ-65 S shafts and a D2 swingweight, coming over from Mizuno MP30s with S-300s. My ballflight tends to be a little bit higher in the long irons but pretty similar to the Mizunos in the short irons. I'm able to hit knockdowns to keep the ball low easily enough, in fact that shot has less hook tendency for me now than the MP30s. I'm able to shape them both ways, though they don't turn as easily as the Mizunos. The tradeoff is I don't tend to overshape them as often, either.

If you can stand looking at 'em, they're worth seriously thinking about.

joneser · July 10, 2006

Thanks for the feeback. I am going to keep my 695cb in the bag but change shafts. The Pings are great on the range but you dont play on the range and I love my 695s. I just am not enjoying the s300s compared to my TFR 6.0 I had in my 690.cb. I have been experimenting with the Project x so I am going to put some 5.5 project x in and will have them for the weekend. I will seriously consider the I5 if and when I decide to make a change.

dwb7272 · July 10, 2006

Took a few pictures but my camera is a low end one. They really do look good and you can pm me with any questions about them.

Thanks

jscw · July 11, 2006

God, they looks marvelous..can we know how do you do that?

dwb7272 · July 11, 2006

I already had a grinder with a buffing cloth. I bought an orbital disc sander and used 2 different grits of sanding disc. I taped off the face and I5 emblem. I sanded them to a smooth dull finish them used the cloth wheel and polishing compound to put the chrome look finish on them. I did not sand the serial number off as Ping won't touch a club if the number has been removed.

Its like anything else, if you have the right tools and take your time, its not hard to do. I have only done mine but would be willing to discuss doing others. Just pm me to discuss.