G25 Iron Review (Low Handicapper)

[Bogie_Nights]

For what it's worth, and this is minor, the G25s look better than the G30s to me.

I know Ping will do lie angles, but does anyone know if they bend the irons to stronger or weaker lofts?

[BeTheBall]

[quote name='putts4bogey' timestamp='1423582947' post='10924209']
[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1423580805' post='10923969']
Don't ask me why but I bought a set of G30's off ebay. The price was right and it's only money so...

I've reinstalled the CFS's into my 25's in anticipation of throwing them on BST. Getting ready to take some new photos and couldn't help notice that most of the dark finish is gone from the heads. I clean the heads with a toothbrush and dish soap after each round (yes I'm anal), but the finish on the back side of the heads is same so can't blame the change on abrasion wear like the face/sole on some darkened clubs.

No big deal but was wondering if anyone else has noticed this? The lightening of the finish occurs so gradually it's not something you may even notice. At any rate, I think the G's are some of the best clubs ever made. I'm happy to be satisfying my hoing needs, while staying in the G family.
[/quote]

I still own my G25's although I've been playing my i25's exclusively for 6 months or so. I have well over 100 rounds on the G's and use a similar cleaning routine that you described, with the addition go using a can of compressed air to blow out the water from around the back cavity badging (anal +1). Yes, my finish is lighter as well. I noticed this right away and when comparing to new G's in the store, mine look more like the older, lighter finish on the previous G models. The finish, to me, looks fantastic, just lighter. They wear great.

Interested in hearing your G30 review once you have a few rounds with them. Good luck with the sale of the 25's. They should move quickly. Fantastic clubs.
[/quote]

putts
i currently love my i25 w/cfs stiffs, but trying to hold on to my 5 index playing only 2 x month and no practice. on good days love my i25s, on my bad days, thinking the 25s may be best? any insights would be appreciated. not looking to get rid of i25s but looking for more fun on my bad days

[shankz]

Can the G25's still be ordered with custom shafts, swingweight and lie angle new?

[putts4bogey]

[quote name='BeTheBall' timestamp='1423709282' post='10935839']
[quote name='putts4bogey' timestamp='1423582947' post='10924209']
[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1423580805' post='10923969']
Don't ask me why but I bought a set of G30's off ebay. The price was right and it's only money so...

I've reinstalled the CFS's into my 25's in anticipation of throwing them on BST. Getting ready to take some new photos and couldn't help notice that most of the dark finish is gone from the heads. I clean the heads with a toothbrush and dish soap after each round (yes I'm anal), but the finish on the back side of the heads is same so can't blame the change on abrasion wear like the face/sole on some darkened clubs.

No big deal but was wondering if anyone else has noticed this? The lightening of the finish occurs so gradually it's not something you may even notice. At any rate, I think the G's are some of the best clubs ever made. I'm happy to be satisfying my hoing needs, while staying in the G family.
[/quote]

I still own my G25's although I've been playing my i25's exclusively for 6 months or so. I have well over 100 rounds on the G's and use a similar cleaning routine that you described, with the addition go using a can of compressed air to blow out the water from around the back cavity badging (anal +1). Yes, my finish is lighter as well. I noticed this right away and when comparing to new G's in the store, mine look more like the older, lighter finish on the previous G models. The finish, to me, looks fantastic, just lighter. They wear great.

Interested in hearing your G30 review once you have a few rounds with them. Good luck with the sale of the 25's. They should move quickly. Fantastic clubs.
[/quote]

putts
i currently love my i25 w/cfs stiffs, but trying to hold on to my 5 index playing only 2 x month and no practice. on good days love my i25s, on my bad days, thinking the 25s may be best? any insights would be appreciated. not looking to get rid of i25s but looking for more fun on my bad days
[/quote]

My cap is higher than yours, yet I still find the i's a joy to hit. I love the G25's as well and I can't say I see a great deal of difference in forgiveness (a little in favor of the G's) or playability between the two. I guess the bottom line, for me, is as much as I love the I's, I can't bring myself to sell the G's!! Hope that helps!

[Ti-Père BBQ]

[quote name='Son_of_Sahm' timestamp='1423708104' post='10935679']
For what it's worth, and this is minor, the G25s look better than the G30s to me.

I know Ping will do lie angles, but does anyone know if they bend the irons to stronger or weaker lofts?
[/quote]
Yes I've sent my PW to be bent from 45 to 47 and the 9 iron from 41 to 42.

[Night train]

[quote name='shankz' timestamp='1423719854' post='10936861']
Can the G25's still be ordered with custom shafts, swingweight and lie angle new?
[/quote]

yes

[shankz]

[quote name='Night train' timestamp='1423725636' post='10937029']
[quote name='shankz' timestamp='1423719854' post='10936861']
Can the G25's still be ordered with custom shafts, swingweight and lie angle new?
[/quote]

yes
[/quote]
Cool thanks. Thinking about saving a few bucks.and going 25's. Also like the black and grey better than the blue badging.



[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1423580805' post='10923969']
Don't ask me why but I bought a set of G30's off ebay. The price was right and it's only money so...

I've reinstalled the CFS's into my 25's in anticipation of throwing them on BST. Getting ready to take some new photos and couldn't help notice that most of the dark finish is gone from the heads. I clean the heads with a toothbrush and dish soap after each round (yes I'm anal), but the finish on the back side of the heads is same so can't blame the change on abrasion wear like the face/sole on some darkened clubs.

No big deal but was wondering if anyone else has noticed this? The lightening of the finish occurs so gradually it's not something you may even notice. At any rate, I think the G's are some of the best clubs ever made. I'm happy to be satisfying my hoing needs, while staying in the G family.
[/quote]

Would like to know your thoughts on the comparison between the 25 and 30 as I know you're a G series connoisseur. I played the G15's for a year until I got the 712 AP2's. I felt like the AP2's had G series forgiveness in a player iron package at the time. Seems like I'll be playing once or twice a month with no practice for the time being so might as well have fun on the course and swithing to a fun oriented bag.

[peakposition]

guess I make the switch from i20 back to the G25 with the Recoils. Just played them a few days ago - so stupid easy to hit! Why have I changed anyway?!

[Donno]

If interested, see my post whereby I compare MP69's to the G30's. I own both sets and after lots of testing the distinctions between the two are not as vast as one might think, at least during my tests. Yes, the G30 has an expanded sweet spot vs. the 69. However, and I caveat this evaluation by stating I am not a tech data maniac because I just test by 100's of hits, that the G30s added sweet area is at best marginally helpful, but when hit solid the ball rockets on a penetrating path. Not as "comfortable" as other "helpful" sets, but comfort is not my personal goal. Weirdly enough, some thin shots, and it's not consistent, go crazy far with the G30s vs. the MPs.

I have trailed the G25s and they are excellent clubs, but IMO the G30s are designed more towards players irons, and the G25s, as others say, are more "helpful". Not saying the G25s are any less of a club, it's just the design and weighting is possibly more "inclusive" of all kinds of mishits. I don't get the solid "click" on solid shots with the 25s like the 30s.

All the above said, I have never "met" a Ping iron that I didn't like, likewise with Mizuno.

[kchuckb]

I've been resisting the 25's since they came out because I'm happy with my 15's but the more I read this thread it's getting hard not to want the 25's. I think this spring I'll make my move and the 15's will go on the BST.

[jeffrey r]

[quote name='kchuckb' timestamp='1424607934' post='11002735']
I've been resisting the 25's since they came out because I'm happy with my 15's but the more I read this thread it's getting hard not to want the 25's. I think this spring I'll make my move and the 15's will go on the BST.
[/quote]

Just sayin', I'd recommend that you actually play the G25's, out on the course, before you get rid of those G15's... As I posted a few pages back, the G25's are really a bit of a different animal than the G15's or G20's, and while superb irons obviously, didn't work for me. And it is not so much a forgiveness thing, as I hit my CB3's better than the G25's.

At one time recently, I had sets of all three around, the G15's, G20's and G25's. I now just have my G15's with CFS stiff shafts, as they simply work better for me than the G25's, and the G20's were virtually identical. You should definitely give the G25's a go though.

[Nessism]

[quote name='jeffrey r' timestamp='1424611399' post='11002861']
[quote name='kchuckb' timestamp='1424607934' post='11002735']
I've been resisting the 25's since they came out because I'm happy with my 15's but the more I read this thread it's getting hard not to want the 25's. I think this spring I'll make my move and the 15's will go on the BST.
[/quote]

Just sayin', I'd recommend that you actually play the G25's, out on the course, before you get rid of those G15's... As I posted a few pages back, the G25's are really a bit of a different animal than the G15's or G20's, and while superb irons obviously, didn't work for me. And it is not so much a forgiveness thing, as I hit my CB3's better than the G25's.

At one time recently, I had sets of all three around, the G15's, G20's and G25's. I now just have my G15's with CFS stiff shafts, as they simply work better for me than the G25's, and the G20's were virtually identical. You should definitely give the G25's a go though.
[/quote]

No disrespect but I'm a bit perplexed by comments like this. I've played G's in various iterations for the last several years and consider the difference between them, from 10-30, to be quite minor. Lofts have gotten stronger, shafts have gone from AWT to CFS, and the sole has evolved some, but all are substantially the same. I used to literally switch from 10's to 25's on any given day and never noticed any affect on my game (as a 7 handicapper).

I played my first round with the 30's yesterday and thought they were true to the G tradition. Haven't decided what to do about the top of the bag, more specifically, not sure I want to carry the 4 iron. Thinking about bending the lofts 1 degree weak so the 5 is 25 degrees, then dropping the 4 for a 23* hybrid. We'll see.

[jeffrey r]

[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1424613403' post='11002953']
No disrespect but I'm a bit perplexed by comments like this.
[/quote]

Yes, I am well are that this perplexes you, because every time something like this is posted, you comment on it... And as I've said before, different strokes for different folks. And you of all people should know that there is a tangible difference in size of the G25's compared to the G10's, 15's and 20's, but if not, I posted a picture a few pages back showing the differences plain as day. The G25's are different than those others, and that means that they will play differently than those others. The G25's are not inherently better than its predecessors, nor inherently worse. But they will work better for some than for others.

And again, I am not bashing the G25's, but I can only say that they played very differently for me than the 15's or 20's. I dug more. Hit more thin shots. You have said before, and probably will say again, that this is a swing fault. And as I've said before, my swing is my swing, and some clubs work better than others. Nothing more than that.

[MattMo]

Jeffrey, I've enjoyed reading your take on the 15s vs the 25s. I'm in the same boat as I'm playing great golf with the 15s, but love the looks of the 25s. Debating whether or not the looks can validate the cost to "upgrade"

[mikec3672]

[quote name='jeffrey r' timestamp='1424616074' post='11003129']
[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1424613403' post='11002953']
No disrespect but I'm a bit perplexed by comments like this.
[/quote]

Yes, I am well are that this perplexes you, because every time something like this is posted, you comment on it... And as I've said before, different strokes for different folks. And you of all people should know that there is a tangible difference in size of the G25's compared to the G10's, 15's and 20's, but if not, I posted a picture a few pages back showing the differences plain as day. The G25's are different than those others, and that means that they will play differently than those others. The G25's are not inherently better than its predecessors, nor inherently worse. But they will work better for some than for others.

And again, I am not bashing the G25's, but I can only say that they played very differently for me than the 15's or 20's. I dug more. Hit more thin shots. You have said before, and probably will say again, that this is a swing fault. And as I've said before, my swing is my swing, and some clubs work better than others. Nothing more than that.
[/quote]The key is "you dug more".....For me I hated the departure from the shape of the G2/5 to what the 10, 15, and 20 became. Bottom line is the overly large sole helped in some ways (fat shots) and hurt in others (rough, workability, tight-firm lie). So for you, the G25 dug more, your swing is steep and the SGI sole of the prior G's helped. I like where PING is going with 4 lines, of S, i, G, and K, with the K being SGI and the G and i somewhere less than that, down to the S that is pretty much a blade. Essentially PING offers an iron for every type of player. I own the i5, G10, and G25, and play any of them on any given day equally well with the 10's being the most forgiving. I could never get on though with the G15's for whatever reason likely the shaft (AWT). My 5's have TT TC R3 and the 10's have TT BG R SS2X and 25's TT BG R.....have a second set of 25's that am testing a 6 iron about to reshaft the whole set with KBS C-Taper R+ SS2X half club strong in loft. Have to say for my swing and that head the C-Tapers are AMAZING. Hit my buddies CT's in a Titleist 712's and they felt almost to soft/muted. In the PING's the CT's have a nice crisp/feel-sound.

[jeffrey r]

[quote name='MattMo' timestamp='1424617203' post='11003211']
Jeffrey, I've enjoyed reading your take on the 15s vs the 25s. I'm in the same boat as I'm playing great golf with the 15s, but love the looks of the 25s. Debating whether or not the looks can validate the cost to "upgrade"
[/quote]

Yes, I agree that the G25's do indeed look better than the G15's, though I do have a sweet spot for the G15's. And to be honest, I think that any fan of the earlier Ping G series irons would be crazy not to hit the G25's. And by the looks of this thread, many, many people love the G25's, and that is great.

My primary point is, the G25's, while still in the same vein as its predecessors, have become just another GI iron. It is not like the "fatties" of yesteryear. So there should be no surprise that they may not work for everyone. And heck, there have been a million posts on WRX over the years of people who hate the G10's, 15's and 20's. Those certainly didn't, and don't, work for everyone either.

Definitely give 'em a go Matt.

[Donno]

About 90% of my approach shots are off-line, not substantially short or long due to mishits. Misses are more due to club selection, not accounting for wind, or elevation changes, downhill lie to uphill green, etc. And for me, mishits, no matter the club, are not consistent enough to dial in a dependable cause-and-effect calculation. In reality most of us swear like a sailor first, toss the club back in the bag, then open another beer and move on. Few perform forensic analysis as to where the ball was struck on the face. For me, I know I goofed up.

Like some others here, most of my approach shots average about 150 yards, or 8 iron on average, so I don't get a big benefit on those shots from my G30s, or any club. The main benefit is on longer par 3's over 170 yards IMO. That's where any slight help might be found. But there's only 4 par 3's compared to at least 12 other approach shots. So for me, the G30s (could be any assumedly more helpful iron) "might help" on four shots. That's assuming the shot is on-line. But that's not why I bought the G30s.

Three things "sold me" on the G30s, and "help" had little to do with my decision. First, they are extremely solid feeling like my MP69s. They give me excellent sense of where the club is on the backswing and feel like I could cut through concrete if needed. Second, when hit flush, the ball rockets off the face with great feedback. Third, for those who like to control ball height the G30s have no problem doing so whatsoever, hit a 7 iron 15 yards high or whatever. Working the ball with the G30s requires a bit more effort because they prefer to go straight. No big deal, most fairway iron shots don't require working the ball, and if one is always in the rough after a drive, and I doubt that player has the ability to work the ball anyway, at least on purpose. The types of irons that drive me bonkers are those that get the ball up too fast. We all get into tree lines at times, for which hitting the "next branch" is an auto-double-bogey. For me, I prefer hitting a 100 yard punch 8 iron vs. a 6 or 5 iron. The G30s are closer to the MPs on low-liner punch shots.

There are far too many shot variations on a golf course, combined with normal swing variations, to dial in exactly what irons will work in all situations. Types of fairways also play into the equation, conditions, or if one is hitting approach shots more out of the rough vs. fairway. In the end, I try to pick irons that are all-around performers from long par 3's to 15 yard bump and runs, and unless you're always in the fairway, reliable for weird recovery shots. While I prefer the G30s, any G series on any given day would be just fine.

[Nessism]

[quote name='jeffrey r' timestamp='1424616074' post='11003129']
And again, I am not bashing the G25's, but I can only say that they played very differently for me than the 15's or 20's. [b][u] I dug more. Hit more thin shots. [/u][/b]You have said before, and probably will say again, that this is a swing fault. And as I've said before, my swing is my swing, and some clubs work better than others. Nothing more than that.
[/quote]

Maltby's website has the club head specs so you can compare things like MOI, CG height, C-dimension (referencing blade length), etc. for the various G's. [url="http://www.golfworks.com/images/art/MPF_PING.pdf"]http://www.golfworks.com/images/art/MPF_PING.pdf[/url]
Do so and you will see the heads are all very similar. Only real difference I've found is the sole width.

If you dig more AND hit thin shots that doesn't sound like a club fault.

[pingbling23]

I picked up a set off the bst forum. now if this snow and ice would melt so i can play....

[animalgolfs]

I found that Maltby chart, to be interesting, as the i series is classified as lowest rated.... All the way back to the i3 O-Size Blade.

[Centrecut]

Until the G25s, I had always been a I-series player. I had read on this site a number of low handicap players were also playing the G25s. With health issues limiting any practice time, I custom ordered a set from Ping which by the way they aways do an excellent job matching my specs. The short irons with less offset and thinner soles looked so much better to me than the earlier G versions. I also found the turf interaction with these irons to be excellent. I also really like the CFS shaft which is a modified ZZ65 shaft with the cushion insert. For me, these irons give me a little more distance than the I-series irons, more accurate, and definitely more forgiving. I noticed a discussion above on Maltby's (MPF). I look at this scale from a relative basis a low number not as forgiving and a high number more forgiving. I've not hit the G30 irons but the G25 MPF was higher than the G30 for what that is worth. In my opinion, the G25s would fit a wide range of handicaps.

[Nessism]

I've got a couple rounds under my belt with the 30's now and you 25 guys got nothing to worry about. Nothing wrong with the 30's per say, they play the same as the 25's to me so no need to "upgrade" unless you are like me and just like that new club smell.

One shot is sticking with me after the round(s). 135 yard bunker shot with a lip to get over. Took my PW and tried to quiet my lower body and hit the shots with an arm swing. Managed to put the club on the right general path but caught the ball way out on the toe, and I'm talking WAY out there. My brand new club now has dimples brandished into the dark finish outside the score line area. Ball came out of the bunker, carried the lip and landed about 20' right of the hole. Got me a chuckle out of this one. I'm half way tempted to go to one of these GolfWRX "blade vs. GI" club threads and post up this experience. The blade guys will dismiss the advantage of forgiveness though so why bother?

[Donno]

[quote name='Nessism' timestamp='1424784167' post='11016987']
I've got a couple rounds under my belt with the 30's now and you 25 guys got nothing to worry about. Nothing wrong with the 30's per say, they play the same as the 25's to me so no need to "upgrade" unless you are like me and just like that new club smell.

One shot is sticking with me after the round(s). 135 yard bunker shot with a lip to get over. Took my PW and tried to quiet my lower body and hit the shots with an arm swing. Managed to put the club on the right general path but caught the ball way out on the toe, and I'm talking WAY out there. My brand new club now has dimples brandished into the dark finish outside the score line area. Ball came out of the bunker, carried the lip and landed about 20' right of the hole. Got me a chuckle out of this one. I'm half way tempted to go to one of these GolfWRX "blade vs. GI" club threads and post up this experience. The blade guys will dismiss the advantage of forgiveness though so why bother?
[/quote]

I love blades but also the 30s. The 30s do have the propensity to fire off shots that I otherwise conceded to be complete duds. However, I think each iron has certain weird spots. I've had blades fly way farther would have guessed. Same for Ping Eye 2's, other clubs. I can't explain it, and it also explains why I can never completely assess overall performance of one iron set to another from pure scoring standpoint.

[pingbling23]

Ping is awesome. I needed a matching 3 iron for the set I got in the bst forum. I love the fact that I got the lie changed, the shaft soft stepped, midsize grip, and the serial number matched to the set I bought, all at no extra cost. $87.50 plus shipping, nice!!!

[Bogie_Nights]

Shot in the dark, but here it goes...

How would the CFS steel shaft (S-flex) play in comparrison to a DG XP R300? Do the CFS play a little softer to flex?

I'm asking because 2nd Swing has a bunch of great used G25 sets in the S flex (I normally play regular), and I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a set.

Thx in advance.

[Patrick_O]

[quote name='Son_of_Sahm' timestamp='1424972921' post='11033247']
Shot in the dark, but here it goes...

How would the CFS steel shaft (S-flex) play in comparrison to a DG XP R300? Do the CFS play a little softer to flex?

I'm asking because 2nd Swing has a bunch of great used G25 sets in the S flex (I normally play regular), and I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a set.

Thx in advance.
[/quote]
This is just based on my on-line research but I understand the CFS plays slightly soft of the stated flex (in other words a stiff CFS would play slightly softer than the average stiff flex but still stiffer than the average regular flex). I would say you could call Ping customer service to confirm that.

[kchuckb]

Has anyone ordered G 25's recently from TGW or Golfsmith? I was wondering what the lead time was right now on a custom order.

[fx324]

[quote name='kchuckb' timestamp='1425004804' post='11036965']
Has anyone ordered G 25's recently from TGW or Golfsmith? I was wondering what the lead time was right now on a custom order.
[/quote]

I ordered a g25 set from golfusa, and the leadtime from order placement to receipt of the custom irons was about 5-6 business days.

[Oldplayer]

[quote name='Son_of_Sahm' timestamp='1424972921' post='11033247']
Shot in the dark, but here it goes...

How would the CFS steel shaft (S-flex) play in comparrison to a DG XP R300? Do the CFS play a little softer to flex?

I'm asking because 2nd Swing has a bunch of great used G25 sets in the S flex (I normally play regular), and I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a set.

Thx in advance.
[/quote]
Yes they play quite soft to flex. I bought a set of g25's with the reg flex steel and had to swap the shafts to cfs stiff because the regs were to whippy and dispersion was not good. I normally play regs.

[gallas2]

Had to give this thread a bump after our opening day tournament last week. Our course is a tough 72.8/134 -- small hard greens, tree lined, thick rough. The pro's rated it their 7th fav on tour last time through.

So we get matched up with a couple of established long time members with 19 and 14 caps respectively. They both had brand new G30s (first rounds -- a gift to themselves on their way to Scotland the next day) and proceeded to hit towering high, soft landing, dead straight shots into tough pins and carded 93 and 85 respectively to win the tourny by 2 (net).