One significant drawback with most distance-oriented irons has been that, when compared with traditional blade styles, their profile often tends to be larger and thicker. While not doubting the game-enhancing performance of such clubs, some potential customers are wary of their oversized, heavily-offset appearance. Enter Ping’s new custom-made i525 irons which successfully incorporate ultimate distance-gaining technology, along with improved feel, into a sleek, Hydropearl-finished head design. This club is that rarest of creatures: a ‘player’s distance iron’.
Ping’s solution involves the innovative engineering of metal wood technology into the i525 iron head. The use of forged, variable-thickness, maraging steel allowed for the creation of a thinner, more-dynamic face structure that, when wedded to an internal sole undercut in the 17-4 stainless steel body, significantly increases flexing potential. The result: increased ball speed and shots that launch faster and higher with enhanced distance control. As Ping President John K. Solheim promises, the i525 offers “exceptional forgiveness concealed in a players-style head.”
However, the design story of the i525 doesn’t end there. As Solheim notes, a further engineering problem arose to challenge Ping’s R&D section: “Because of the i525’s metal-wood-style face design, we knew that the sound aspect would require additional attention to ensure that gains in distance didn’t come at the expense of the feel. We couldn’t sacrifice one attribute just to improve another. ” The solution came in the form of a special polymer that has been precisely injected behind the face to significantly improve the resultant sound and feel.
The i525’s internal weighting system has also been designed to promote ball speed through greater face deflection and features the dynamic combination of strategic tungsten toe and shaft tip weights with a precisely-tiered face structure. The all-important moment of inertia (MOI) has effectively been increased both vertically and horizontally to tighten the variables of shot dispersion and increased forgiveness.
When it comes to the actual hitting surface, Ping has more tech in store. This comes in the use of MicroMax milled grooves that utilise a tighter spacing geometry to actually add four extra grooves. The result is a direct reduction in the potential incidence of short iron fliers and the preservation of controlling spin in the longer irons.
Under John Solheim’s leadership, Ping has continued to challenge the technical boundaries of golf club design and construction by successfully evolving a distance club with the stylish appearance of a traditional blade iron. In this context, the i525 is not only a significant mechanical-engineering accomplishment but also an aesthetic one.
These exciting new i525 irons will be available locally from April1,2022.
Specifications:
*3-9, PW, UW ( besides Black dot /Standard lie, there are 9 other colour-coded lie options available for both RH and LH).
* Loft options: Standard, Power Spec (stronger) and Retro Spec (weaker).
Shafts options: Project X 10 (5.5,6.0,6.5), Ping AWT (R, S,X), Ping Alta CB Slate (SR, R, S) and Alta Distanza 40, UST Recoil 76 ES SMAC (A) 780 (R,S).
Additional Stock Options: Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold 120 ( S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (R, S, X), Elevate 95 (R, S).
Stock Grip: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet (*6 sizes).
RRP:
$340 (in stock steel shaft)
$370 (in stock graphite shaft)
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