Editor's Review- Ping i20 irons

[br61]

One of ultimate point and shoot irons??

Ping i20 Irons-

Could they be one of the ultimate “point and shoot” irons?

First and foremost I want to thank PING golf and GolfWRX giving me this wonderful opportunity to test and review the latest and greatest iron offering from PING. I’m humbled to be selected to do this review and I hope my review will help GolfWRX members in making their iron selection process easier. This will be a running review with periodic updates as I’m nearly 100% positive that this set of i20’s are firmly established in my bag.

About myself, I currently carry +1 handicap and play often in competition, mostly at state level. I’m not a long driver, mostly in the area of 250-260 yards bunts.

Irons set ordered-

Ping i20 4-W & UW, Red color codes(.75* flat),Project Xi (PXi) 6.0 at ½” longer than Ping standard length. D2 swingweight, ID8 full cord white grips.

I came up with these specifications after a previous fitting last year and after consulting with my club pro. I was concerned about the effect of shaft’s extra length on the lie angles but I read in my club pro’s Ping fitting book that each ½” longer length will alter the lie angles as ¾* flatter. ½” shorter will enable lie angles to be ¾* more upright.

Pros-

-Sweetspot seems very easy to hit.

-Shots with mid and long irons are ridiculously easy to hit. I actually felt like a PGA touring professional after hitting my longer iron shots.

-Sole’s design definitely helps with shots out of thick rough or fairway bunkers

Cons-

-Those irons might not be intended for golfers who likes to work their shots left or right often. S56 might do a better job of that workability.

-I had little bit more difficult time hitting finesse or sawed off shots consistently. It demands a full swing or close to get the most of it.

-On very firm ground, the soles might bounce somewhat with shorter irons.

-A person who does not like their offset, the longer iron’s offset will bother them.

Bottom Line-

If anyone has trouble hitting their mid and long irons consistently or too low for their liking, look no further, this i20 irons fills the bill. Short irons are excellent to use. It really has improved my long to mid iron game that I’m actually considering what used to be unthinkable for me, have my club pro order a 3 iron for me as I’ve had retired from using a 3 iron for about a decade. I’m actually hitting my 4 iron much better than the hybrid that it replaced. I'm starting to think i20 irons could be one of the better point and shoot iron sets on the market. I kept on hitting so many iron shots right at my target that it got ridiculous at times.


Editor Review-

Looks- (4 stars)

The looks of the new i20 irons are pleasing to one’s eye if one is a Ping fan. The ferrule on newer Ping irons makes their heads aesthetically pleasing to look at. The size of the heads are on the larger side to many golfers but It really isn’t as large as many iron offerings on the market. The progressive offset seems to instill more confidence in executing good long iron shots.

A person who is not an offset fan, the long irons may not be as appealing. Fortunately for me, I don’t mind having some offset, as it helps elevating my shots with longer irons.

Performance/playability- (4.5 stars)

Ping mentioned having tungsten weight in the toe of the head and in the cavity. It seems to enhance the feel with a better balance of the head on my swings. I can draw or fade the shots on demand but it seems to perform better as “point and shoot” instead of working your shots left or right every time. Also I saw a good solid trajectory which was a little bit higher than my previous sets but without ballooning.

The rough is brutal right now at my home course but I’ve hit few shots out of it with very surprising results. I even holed out a shot from fairway in my 2nd round with these clubs. Sole’s design definitely helps with shots out of thick rough or fairway bunkers. I’ve also noticed that my shots flies little bit higher and stops much better on greens than my previous 2 sets.

Only problem is that I seemed to have more difficulty hitting my finesse or sawed off shots to my desired yardage consistently. Perhaps little bit more time and practice can fix this for me.

With both of my previous sets(Adams satin Pro A12 & TM MC irons), I was hitting my 7 iron between 150-155 yards but with this set of i20, albeit with stronger lofts, I was hitting my 7 iron between 160-165 yards.

Feel- (4 stars)

Coming from playing almost exclusively forged irons in the past few years, I honestly can say that I’m very surprised with the feedback from this cast head, good and bad. It does not feel as harsh at all as compared to all the Ping irons I’ve played in the past. Plenty of them since late 1980s! Although I haven’t tried Anser irons but this set might be considered as one of Ping’s best feeling irons including S56, which is already an excellent set.

Overall bottom line- (4.5 stars)

I had been playing my current set nicely before testing the Ping i20 Irons, so I honestly did not think they could kick my gamers out of my bag. I was wrong. The Ping i20s have a chance stay in my bag for an extended period of time. I’m very happy that I had a chance to test these irons.

Well, Ping has won me over and I think I’m very happy about it because I felt the quality of my iron game has improved. Ping truly has a winner with their latest iron offering.

Personal Observations and Sidenotes-

I ordered this set at ½” longer than Ping’s standard specifications as my current Adams 5 iron is at 38.25” but putting Adams and Ping 5 irons together, I noticed that Ping is slightly longer, maybe ¼” at the most. If the length is going to be an issue for you, you might want to consult with your Ping fitter before determining your desired length. I got used to this length after a bucket or so on the range.

It has been 6 rounds already with this set of irons before I felt comfortable enough to put up this review. I’ve shot better than expected scores considering the newness and unfamiliarity of the irons, in fact it wasn’t until my 5th round with this i20 irons before I finally shot a round over par. 4 straight rounds under par is very uncommon for me.

I had few friends try them out and most of them were very impressed, to the point that one of them actually ordered an identical set as mine!!!


My new toys!!! Ahem, I mean Ping i20 irons :man_in_love:





Wedge-









8 iron-







6 iron-







4 iron-

[Buzzkill]

Thanks for the review and I agree - they're great sticks and my bag is full of them.

[br61]

As I've read few threads commenting about older, darker finish and newer, lighter finish of the heads. Here are few pictures. The fitting head is from my club pro's fitting cart.

So far, I have not noticed any wear issues and there's a local friend that has older finish heads, he does not have any finish issues as of this time. I will keep an eye on those two finishes as time progresses.

[attachment=1143916:IMG_7848.JPG]
[attachment=1143918:IMG_7850.JPG]
[attachment=1143920:IMG_7851.JPG]

[takafam]

Nice write up, I look forward to your updates. I agree with your comments on the sawed off shots it doesn't seem like I lose the same amount of distance on my half shots or when I choke down. Then again mine are going further than I'm used to as well and might just need more time playing with them.

[hornet703]

Do you have any pics of your ping i20 irons after a few rounds and a few buckets of range balls? I recently started to hit my new irons and they are in attrocious condition after 4 buckets (new balls) and 3 rounds on a good course. I will post some pictures tomorrow if possible...

[hornet703]

[quote name='br61' timestamp='1335836297' post='4820228']
[size="5"][color="#8b0000"]Ping i20 Irons-[/color][/size]

[size="3"][b]Could they be one of the ultimate "point and shoot" irons?[/b][/size]

First and foremost I want to thank PING golf and GolfWRX giving me this wonderful opportunity to test and review the latest and greatest iron offering from PING. I'm humbled to be selected to do this review and I hope my review will help GolfWRX members in making their iron selection process easier. This will be a running review with periodic updates as I'm nearly 100% positive that this set of i20's are firmly established in my bag.

About myself, I currently carry +1 handicap and play often in competition, mostly at state level. I'm not a long driver, mostly in the area of 250-260 yards bunts.

[b]Irons set ordered-[/b]

Ping i20 4-W & UW, Red color codes(.75* flat),Project Xi (PXi) 6.0 at ½" longer than Ping standard length. D2 swingweight, ID8 full cord white grips.

I came up with these specifications after a previous fitting last year and after consulting with my club pro. I was concerned about the effect of shaft's extra length on the lie angles but I read in my club pro's Ping fitting book that each ½" longer length will alter the lie angles as ¾* flatter. ½" shorter will enable lie angles to be ¾* more upright.

[b]Pros-[/b]

-Sweetspot seems very easy to hit.

-Shots with mid and long irons are ridiculously easy to hit. I actually felt like a PGA touring professional after hitting my longer iron shots.

-Sole's design definitely helps with shots out of thick rough or fairway bunkers

[b]Cons-[/b]

-Those irons might not be intended for golfers who likes to work their shots left or right often. S56 might do a better job of that workability.

-I had little bit more difficult time hitting finesse or sawed off shots consistently. It demands a full swing or close to get the most of it.

-On very firm ground, the soles might bounce somewhat with shorter irons.

-A person who does not like their offset, the longer iron's offset will bother them.

[b]Bottom Line-[/b]

If anyone has trouble hitting their mid and long irons consistently or too low for their liking, look no further, this i20 irons fills the bill. Short irons are excellent to use. It really has improved my long to mid iron game that I'm actually considering what used to be unthinkable for me, have my club pro order a 3 iron for me as I've had retired from using a 3 iron for about a decade. I'm actually hitting my 4 iron much better than the hybrid that it replaced. I'm starting to think i20 irons could be one of the better point and shoot iron sets on the market. I kept on hitting so many iron shots right at my target that it got ridiculous at times.


[b]Editor Review-[/b]

[b]Looks- (4 stars)[/b]

The looks of the new i20 irons are pleasing to one's eye if one is a Ping fan. The ferrule on newer Ping irons makes their heads aesthetically pleasing to look at. The size of the heads are on the larger side to many golfers but It really isn't as large as many iron offerings on the market. The progressive offset seems to instill more confidence in executing good long iron shots.

A person who is not an offset fan, the long irons may not be as appealing. Fortunately for me, I don't mind having some offset, as it helps elevating my shots with longer irons.

[b]Performance/playability- (4.5 stars)[/b]

Ping mentioned having tungsten weight in the toe of the head and in the cavity. It seems to enhance the feel with a better balance of the head on my swings. I can draw or fade the shots on demand but it seems to perform better as "point and shoot" instead of working your shots left or right every time. Also I saw a good solid trajectory which was a little bit higher than my previous sets but without ballooning.

The rough is brutal right now at my home course but I've hit few shots out of it with very surprising results. I even holed out a shot from fairway in my 2nd round with these clubs. Sole's design definitely helps with shots out of thick rough or fairway bunkers. I've also noticed that my shots flies little bit higher and stops much better on greens than my previous 2 sets.

Only problem is that I seemed to have more difficulty hitting my finesse or sawed off shots to my desired yardage consistently. Perhaps little bit more time and practice can fix this for me.

With both of my previous sets(Adams satin Pro A12 & TM MC irons), I was hitting my 7 iron between 150-155 yards but with this set of i20, albeit with stronger lofts, I was hitting my 7 iron between 160-165 yards.

[b]Feel- (4 stars)[/b]

Coming from playing almost exclusively forged irons in the past few years, I honestly can say that I'm very surprised with the feedback from this cast head, good and bad. It does not feel as harsh at all as compared to all the Ping irons I've played in the past. Plenty of them since late 1980s! Although I haven't tried Anser irons but this set might be considered as one of Ping's best feeling irons including S56, which is already an excellent set.

[b]Overall bottom line- (4.5 stars)[/b]

I had been playing my current set nicely before testing the Ping i20 Irons, so I honestly did not think they could kick my gamers out of my bag. I was wrong. The Ping i20s have a chance stay in my bag for an extended period of time. I'm very happy that I had a chance to test these irons.

Well, Ping has won me over and I think I'm very happy about it because I felt the quality of my iron game has improved. Ping truly has a winner with their latest iron offering.

[b]Personal Observations and Sidenotes-[/b]

I ordered this set at ½" longer than Ping's standard specifications as my current Adams 5 iron is at 38.25" but putting Adams and Ping 5 irons together, I noticed that Ping is slightly longer, maybe ¼" at the most. If the length is going to be an issue for you, you might want to consult with your Ping fitter before determining your desired length. I got used to this length after a bucket or so on the range.

It has been 6 rounds already with this set of irons before I felt comfortable enough to put up this review. I've shot better than expected scores considering the newness and unfamiliarity of the irons, in fact it wasn't until my 5th round with this i20 irons before I finally shot a round over par. 4 straight rounds under par is very uncommon for me.

I had few friends try them out and most of them were very impressed, to the point that one of them actually ordered an identical set as mine!!!


[b]My new toys!!! Ahem, I mean Ping i20 irons[/b]

[attachment=1143754:IMG_7800.JPG]
[attachment=1143760:IMG_7801.JPG]
[attachment=1143764:IMG_7804.JPG]

[b]Wedge-[/b]

[attachment=1143766:IMG_7805.JPG]
[attachment=1143768:IMG_7806.JPG]
[attachment=1143770:IMG_7826.JPG]
[attachment=1143772:IMG_7828.JPG]
[attachment=1143774:IMG_7829.JPG]
[attachment=1143776:IMG_7830.JPG]
[attachment=1143778:IMG_7831.JPG]

[b]8 iron-[/b]

[attachment=1143780:IMG_7832.JPG]
[attachment=1143782:IMG_7833.JPG]
[attachment=1143784:IMG_7834.JPG]
[attachment=1143790:IMG_7835.JPG]
[attachment=1143792:IMG_7836.JPG]

[b]6 iron-[/b]

[attachment=1143800:IMG_7837.JPG]
[attachment=1143808:IMG_7838.JPG]
[attachment=1143812:IMG_7839.JPG]
[attachment=1143816:IMG_7840.JPG]
[attachment=1143822:IMG_7841.JPG]

[b]4 iron-[/b]

[attachment=1143824:IMG_7842.JPG]
[attachment=1143830:IMG_7843.JPG]
[attachment=1143832:IMG_7844.JPG]
[attachment=1143834:IMG_7845.JPG]
[attachment=1143838:IMG_7846.JPG]
[/quote]

Do you have any pics of your ping i20 irons after a few rounds and a few buckets of range balls? I recently started to hit my new irons and they are in attrocious condition after 4 buckets (new balls) and 3 rounds on a good course. I will post some pictures tomorrow if possible

[Green777]

I have had my i 20's for about 3 weeks and other than the coating wearing off they are awesome clubs. I can't really say I am pleased with this
wearing off of the coating on the face as it does come across a cheap. I have read about this issue on other sights and thought that Ping had gone with a
lighter more durable face. I have had my i15's for 2 years and the face is in much better condition. Anyway any comments would be appreciated. I am going to call Ping again and will post pictures when I can so you can make a more informed decision about these clubs when considering them.