Ping Anser Forged Irons Review

[wedge1]

Good Lord the soles of those look huge. I'm not sure why Ping will not make a player iron that is just a little "Bigger" in overall size than the S56 without the moster sole width.

[TMBob]

I hit em today in these set ups, AWT R Blue, PX 5.5 Purple and KBS Tour SBlue. I also hit some S56 with DGS300's Black, i15's with AWT R Black, and i15's with KBS Tour S Blue.

For me, I hit the KBS Tour S and AWT R the best in the Ansers, but not one club could compare to the i15's with the KBS Tours which were like 15 yards longer! I loved the look of the Anser's since I currently play i15's with AWT S...The feel was OK to me but nothing special. I tend to toe a lot of shots these days and I think the toe heavy i15's just felt better to me overall. The S56's felt also really good but they were not me. Also, is it me, or do the DGS300 feel skinny when compared to all those other shafts?

I have a plan with my current i15's and once I get them done, I will show and tell......BG

[Hooker56]

I have had the Anser's with KBS since May, I bought the s56's with KBS a couple of months ago. I sat on the range with our head pro for about 2 hours comparing these irons and the i15's with KBS. The i15's aren't even in the conversation! The anser is a better i15! Way better. The s56's are great easy to hit, easy to work the ball, forgiving etc. but the anser's are better feel and better in evey other category except workability. mishits Anser hands down! I'm a 5.8 index give me the anser's all day!! Add a couple of Vokey TVD wedges and you are set to go! 2k less in your pocket, but hey you can't take it with you!!!

[TheMoneyShot]

Ping says these are a LE item, is this true? Everyplace I go say they can order them with no problems. Kind of like the Call x protos when they were released I guess.

[Pinggolf04]

Is there anyone with any more great feedback for these irons? I really want a set......

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='Pinggolf04' timestamp='1292850660' post='2849610']
Is there anyone with any more great feedback for these irons? I really want a set......
[/quote]
+1

[JMSDKS]

I just got back from visiting the Ping fitting building over lunch (I am lucky enough to work only about 3 miles away from it here in Phoenix). They had a set there along with the S56's. I did not hit either so I can't vouch for any performance but in looks the Anser had a much thicker top line and sole as you all know. The tungsten on the Anser gives the sole a bigger size. If you took the tungsten away and thinned the top line these would probably appeal more to some. The back toe kind of has the same look as the i15's with that 'flare' while the S56's are more like a blade. Who knows what Ping has in mind for the Anser but they will probably tweak it some for the next version.

Thanks for the great review/pics and the assembly pics!

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='JMSDKS' timestamp='1292876255' post='2850235']
I just got back from visiting the Ping fitting building over lunch (I am lucky enough to work only about 3 miles away from it here in Phoenix). They had a set there along with the S56's. I did not hit either so I can't vouch for any performance but in looks the Anser had a much thicker top line and sole as you all know. The tungsten on the Anser gives the sole a bigger size. If you took the tungsten away and thinned the top line these would probably appeal more to some. The back toe kind of has the same look as the i15's with that 'flare' while the S56's are more like a blade. Who knows what Ping has in mind for the Anser but they will probably tweak it some for the next version.

Thanks for the great review/pics and the assembly pics!
[/quote]

Why did you not hit the ansers when you were there?

[illini]

Currently testing the Ansers with TT Black Gold regular, Nippon 1050 regular, TFR 5.0. Coming from TFR 5.0. These irons feel way to good to be true and the heads are nicely weighted. The heads have micro milling in the grooves so they spin the ball more than my R7 TPs, a lower spinning/launching shaft is the way to go in my opinion. Ping WRX sucks and the requested D2 swing weight was not even close, I was expecting that from previous custom orders and new I had to blueprint my set any way. An expensive set but golf is my passion and the only thing I really don't mind being frivolous in.

[jubess]

I second that thought...Just ordered Ping Anser Forged with AWT regular shafts. I currently play the I15...Can you tell me if they are as forgiving as the I15??

[mp29]

I just posted in the Ping tour thread about these irons. I'm loving these clubs. I've been a certified club whore for years and I've finally kicked the habit with these babies. They'll be in the bag for a long time. Dynamic Gold S300 gives a nice flat traj with these. They look so good at address and the soles are so forgiving. Ultimate combo of playability and forgiveness IMHO. Amen, the search is over.

[MG 1977]

One of my Playing partners has just purchased a set. He's been a long time Ping fan and just couldn't resist. He loves them already after a month or so with them. They look nice but it makes me laugh that Ping have claimed for years that cast is as good as forged, then they nearly double the price of there forged iron compared to there cast.

[Lobber]

I hit the 7 iron indoors and loved the feel. I am so tempted but honestly at $1,400 I need to take out a second mortgage.

[BigLeftyAllAmerican]

I like it better without the ping badge. grind down the badge holder and u got a good looking iron

[jick]

This is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Whenever there are Japan-market clubs, many here clamor that it should have been released in the USA (Nike SQ Machspeed Forged and Taylormade Burner Forged come to mind) or that they released the wrong model stateside (those who complain about the Bridgestone J-Series and preferred the Tourstage X-Blade series here).

In Japan, there is a market for forged game-improvement cavity backs. Most of the consumers prefer forged. Japan consumes more clubs than the US. People switch faster there. It is too big a market to ignore. Hence, the Ping Anser was developed in Asia for the Japan market and they chose a cavity-back design and not an "S-series" to make into a forging. The US, except the highest level execs, were kept in the dark about the development of the product. This was made purely for the Asian market initially and was priced for the Asian market.

Now, Ping has done us a favor which Nike or Taylormade haven't done - which is to release their Japanese offering in the USA. Of course, it comes with a hefty price tag just like it does in Japan or the rest of Asia. Yet people complain.

Ping knows its market is for cast clubs. They know they will never have the diverse product offerings of forged products like Mizuno. With this limited market, they have even declared that only 1,500 sets will make it stateside. So they are pricing it accordingly and targeted to a limited clientele. If you are not among these people willing to pay that price, then simply put the club is not for you. There are more affordable options (i15) that offer about the same performance and the feel you have been accustomed to from a cast Ping.

Rather than complain about the price, we should celebrate that Ping has decided to bring a Japanese release stateside.

[MCCA]

[quote name='jick' timestamp='1296086550' post='2927562']
This is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. Whenever there are Japan-market clubs, many here clamor that it should have been released in the USA (Nike SQ Machspeed Forged and Taylormade Burner Forged come to mind) or that they released the wrong model stateside (those who complain about the Bridgestone J-Series and preferred the Tourstage X-Blade series here).

In Japan, there is a market for forged game-improvement cavity backs. Most of the consumers prefer forged. Japan consumes more clubs than the US. People switch faster there. It is too big a market to ignore. Hence, the Ping Anser was developed in Asia for the Japan market and they chose a cavity-back design and not an "S-series" to make into a forging. The US, except the highest level execs, were kept in the dark about the development of the product. This was made purely for the Asian market initially and was priced for the Asian market.

Now, Ping has done us a favor which Nike or Taylormade haven't done - which is to release their Japanese offering in the USA. Of course, it comes with a hefty price tag just like it does in Japan or the rest of Asia. Yet people complain.

Ping knows its market is for cast clubs. They know they will never have the diverse product offerings of forged products like Mizuno. With this limited market, they have even declared that only 1,500 sets will make it stateside. So they are pricing it accordingly and targeted to a limited clientele. If you are not among these people willing to pay that price, then simply put the club is not for you. There are more affordable options (i15) that offer about the same performance and the feel you have been accustomed to from a cast Ping.

Rather than complain about the price, we should celebrate that Ping has decided to bring a Japanese release stateside.
[/quote]


, Everyone is now a product engineer. Ping is not a stupid company this is for a nitche market.

[pat_1100]

I read with great interest this review concerning the iron Ping Answer series.
I am very interested in the latter but I am wondering about the R9TP, as it is easy to use.
My handicap range is 11 and my weakness is the short game.
If you know both series your opinion would be greatly valued. I believe that the Ping might have a better feel, but I wonder whether it is as forgiving as the tailor made.
Many thanks

[lildev0426]

the anser is very forgiving. i am a 12 and hit them fine. kbs tour plus ansers = butter.

[pat_1100]

[quote name='lildev0426' timestamp='1297291823' post='2963992']
the anser is very forgiving. i am a 12 and hit them fine. kbs tour plus ansers = butter.
[/quote]


Many thanks, with Kbs for me too ...

[craz-e]

I posted earlier in this thread and I thought the Ansers were very average. A good friend has a set and I get to hit them pretty often, I have to say the more I hit these the more I want a set. They (along with the i15's) offer fantastic performance and superb levels of forgiveness, they are just great all round irons. I am off to the range in a mo and can easily see myself coming back a lot poorer!

[bintandream]

I've been a pretty big fan of Ping since I started playing 12 years ago. I got the i15's as a gift with AWT shafts. I liked them in every way except the way they feel. Just wasn't all that "soft". The Ansers came out and I started drooling like an idiotic schoolboy at a bike store.
Eventually, the pull was just too great and I ordered a set 4-PW with KBS Tour 90's. Hitting them on the range, they didn't feel as great as I'd hoped. I even had a fair bit of buyer's remorse. But when I finally took them out on course, they came alive.
I'm confident that in a blind test, I'd be able to tell i15's from Ansers purely on feel alone. I
personally think they do feel so much better than the i15's. They're not as soft as some other clubs I've played with, that's for sure. But doing A/B comparisons with my Eye 2's, ISI's, i15's, I think they're the softest Ping irons I've owned.
I love them and I do hope to keep loving them for a while.

[newportbeach]

Had a chance to hit these again with KBS in them - the more I hit them the more I need to buy them

[KarstenK]

I love my i15's but would grab these in a hurry if they weren't $$$$$$$$

[Inthedrink]

Originally I didnt like the topline of these irons but after hitting them i think ill get over it!!

[easyyy]

[quote name='nitram' timestamp='1292547279' post='2844578']
Thanks for the review Easyyyyyy. I'm gonna have to hit 'em now.
[/quote]

They are good. I hit them again the other day. It will be interesting to play them for a few months and get some dirt on them. Track test them. LOL

[hvilletn]

I chose the S56 as I could not demo the appropriate Anser as it was not available. Hard to buy something you can be fitted to and try on the range. In any case, I played Mizuno MX-23's for over 5 years and Hogan Apex for 4-5 years prior. I was hesitant to give up on the forged model but the S56s have been an excellent club and I finally broke 80 (79) a few days ago with my new PING S56 irons. If you are overlooking the PING S56 you are making a HUGE mistake. I bought the 4-PW, 50, 56, 60 and am loving them. I have DGS300 shafts and spinner shafts in the 56 and 60. I am sure the Ansers are nice if you can get fitted but I bought all of the above for the same price as the set of Ansers and got three additional wedges. Again, I play to about a 12-14 handicap and finally shot 79 with a club perceived to be for low handicap players. Now to shooting par . . . .

[TheMoneyShot]

I would be interested in these but I cannot locate a store in my vicinity that has them.

[sharkiesj]

I always walk past by these clubs at my local store cuz they're so expensive. But due to this thread, it got my curiousity up. After spending about 5 min. hitting them, I'm really surprised by how good they feel . They're not the softest forging but man they feel good. Mishits felt better to me than the S56s Now I'm torn as to getting the 56s or bending over and grimacing for the Ansers. I wouldn't believe in a million years that I'd bag a set of irons worth over a thousand dollars, that's brutal just thinking about it.

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='sharkiesj' timestamp='1299350918' post='3028338']
I always walk past by these clubs at my local store cuz they're so expensive. But due to this thread, it got my curiousity up. After spending about 5 min. hitting them, I'm really surprised by how good they feel . They're not the softest forging but man they feel good. Mishits felt better to me than the S56s Now I'm torn as to getting the 56s or bending over and grimacing for the Ansers. I wouldn't believe in a million years that I'd bag a set of irons worth over a thousand dollars, that's brutal just thinking about it.
[/quote]
Ping hold their value better than anything out there. If you like them then buy them! I have been wanting to see a set of these for awhile now but no dice yet.

[sharkiesj]

[quote name='TheMoneyShot' timestamp='1299351574' post='3028363']
[quote name='sharkiesj' timestamp='1299350918' post='3028338']
I always walk past by these clubs at my local store cuz they're so expensive. But due to this thread, it got my curiousity up. After spending about 5 min. hitting them, I'm really surprised by how good they feel . They're not the softest forging but man they feel good. Mishits felt better to me than the S56s Now I'm torn as to getting the 56s or bending over and grimacing for the Ansers. I wouldn't believe in a million years that I'd bag a set of irons worth over a thousand dollars, that's brutal just thinking about it.
[/quote]
Ping hold their value better than anything out there. If you like them then buy them! I have been wanting to see a set of these for awhile now but no dice yet.
[/quote]


I'm feelin ya Money, I really want a set but the cheap *ss in me says no way. I think about showing up at local muni's and plopping my bag down with these in the bag and it would make me feel weird. I'm struggling with that right now but it may have to be done anyways......lol.