Golf Industry Online Equipment Reviews

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PING GOLF
The Best of the Best

By: Dr. Barry Lotz

Recently the golf world paid homage to the passing of Karsten Solheim, the beloved founder and pioneer of the best selling irons and putters ever produced for golf. On two recent visits to PING Golf, one cannot help but feel exactly as those who make pilgrimages to Scotland when one takes a tour of the facilities. It is the nirvana, the hallowed halls or whichever synonyms you wish to employ to describe this occasion and experience.

Solheim's uniquely-designed original putter circa 1959, named PING because of the P-I-NNNNNNNN-G sound it made at ball contact, was crafted in his garage in Redwood City, Calif. It seemed slow in gaining acceptance from golf shops and professional players.

Thereafter, Solheim's heel-and-toe weighting theory for clubs revolutionized the industry. He pioneered investment casting in the golf club manufacturing business. It didn't take long for other golf club manufacturers to copy his methods. In fact, Ping has always shown the unique ability to "take care of the customer as the first order of business" by implementing the single most outstanding custom golf fitting operation in the world bar none. PING has no equal with regard to both custom fitting and customer service. The new PING WRX fitting program is also drawing wide acclaim with golf professionals throughout the world.

Eventually, in the 1980's, Solheim's PING EYE2 model irons became the No.1 seller in the history of golf.

Now, for the first time in over 40 years, this golfing institution has developed a product line that has become so successful, that multiple shifts are trying to keep pace with the backlog of orders. Today, PING's new i3 irons are again leading the world.

The new i3 Series- Blade vs. O-Size

Four design features differentiate the Blade from the O-Size: offset, size, bounce and markings.

Offset and Size

The compact i3 Blade gets its name from the classic lines created by its rounded toe and thin top line. As with most blade designs, the Blade has less offset to give accomplished players the ability to precisely control the shape and trajectory of their shots. As with all PING designs, the Blade does this without compromising forgiveness. Both the Blade and O-Size irons are designed with progressive offset, which optimizes the trajectory of the long irons and makes the short irons easier to align. The O-Size head is slightly larger than the Blade (3/16" longer from hosel to toe) but the same height. The longer clubhead increases the perimeter weighting and the inertia, or resistance to twisting, to make it the more forgiving of the two models.

Bounce The Blade irons are also designed with less bounce, ideally suited for better players who have more control of their ball contact and divot depth. The higher bounce angles designed into the O-Size help the average player by not "digging", should the club enter the turf slightly behind the ball. The result is cleaner contact and better ball flight.

Markings

To assist in alignment, the number 1 groove on both models is painted white with the O-Size having white lines on the face on either side of the unpainted number 2 groove. A patented feature first found in the ISI series of irons, these markings provide an additional reference to aim the clubface at address. Another patented feature that has been present on every PING iron since the EYE2 is the indented trailing edge of the sole, which increases the perimeter weighting effect.

As with all PING products, custom fitting is available throughout the US and worldwide through specially trained PING Certified Fitting Specialists

Steel Shafts (3-PW) $ 880 Graphite (3-PW) $1120.

Ti3 and i3 Fairway Woods

Having earned a reputation as one of the most popular, longest and straightest drivers in golf, the custom-fit TiSI driver is engineered for golfers of all abilities. To complement the TiSI, PING developed the Ti3 and i3 fairway woods. These woods utilize the same proven performance features found in the TiSI, like the parallel top and sole and strategically placed back weight for maximum distance.

The optimum-sized Ti3 fairway woods have a strong, lightweight titanium body to which a pure zirconium soleplate is welded. Zirconium is a "sister" metal to titanium, which allows the two metals to be welded together easily. Zirconium is also 50% heavier than titanium, which creates a lower center of gravity (cg). A pure tungsten bottom weight is screwed into the soleplate to lower the cg further, helping create optimum ball trajectory.

Players looking for a smaller-headed fairway wood will appreciate the compact i3 stainless steel fairway woods, which are available in 5 different lofts. The smaller head allows a shorter radius sole, making it easier to hit solid shots from all types of lies. To create a lower center of gravity for optimal trajectory, a tungsten bottom weight is installed on the sole.

Both the Ti3 and i3 fairway woods are available with the rose accent that identifies women's clubs. i3 grips in 3 different sizes and the 350-L graphite shaft are also available with the same accent for a color-coordinated look.

These fairway woods are designed to be custom-fit to the golfer. This is accomplished with a modified JX hosel, which is available in 4 different lie angles:

F- Flat S- Standard U- Upright X- eXtra upright

For the Ti3 Steel Shaft $430 Graphite $495 (Available only in 3 and 5 woods)

For the Steel i3 Steel Shaft $210 Graphite $275 (Available in 3,5, 7 and 9)

PING Golf Shafts

Because of the importance shafts play in overall performance and feel, PING offers several types of steel and graphite. Each is designed to work best within a specific club head speed range. Club head speed can be equated in the fitting process by the distance a golfer hits a 6-iron. However, club head speed is not the only factor considered when choosing the proper shaft. The club fitter must also evaluate ball trajectory and how the shaft feels to the player before making the final recommendation.

Steel shafts

All steel shafts feature the PING Cushin Selective Filtering Insert. The JZ is the standard steel shaft for all i3 and ISI irons. 6 flexes are available based on distances of a 6 iron.

Graphite shafts

The 350 Series is the standard graphite shaft for all i3 and ISI irons. These shafts are available in 5 different flexes also based on distances of a six iron.

Grips

The newest PING grip, the i3, is the standard for the i3 series of irons, and is available in all 6 PING grip sizes. The new rubber composition has a soft feel for positive control of the golf club at every point in the swing. In addition to the standard rubber grip, there are also half cord and full cord models available in three sizes. Note: all i3 grips are available with reminder only.

Test Results

In all tests conducted to date by our 25 testers, 15 pros and 10 mid-handicappers, the overall findings for a combination of both irons and fairway woods, both collectively and singularly (a set of irons, driver and a set of woods), the PING i3 irons and i3 woods together with the PING TiSI Driver, no other manufacturers achieved a rating as did PING – the best of the best!

Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America and a contributing writer to numerous national magazines. He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com