Just when I thought the G30 irons from PING were about as long as any iron I could possible want, they come out with something even longer. PING’s new G Series irons are designed with Hyper 17-4 Stainless Steel and PING’s COR-Eye technology that increases ball speed and accuracy. The steel has been heat treated which increases the material’s strength 40%, allowing for a thinner face. This increases ball speed across the face and easily adds 5 yards of carry distance. The heat treating process takes about 6 hours at temperatures up to 1040°C.
When Ping introduced the GMax irons last year, the key feature was their COR-Eye technology, which is visible on the back of the clubhead. Look at it and it seems to be staring back at you. COR-Eye Technology provides four times the amount of face flexing. This produces consistently faster ball speeds across the hotter face. The club face on the G Series irons is 32% thinner than that of the G30 irons.
In addition, PING’s Custom Tuning Port (CTP) has been pulled away from the clubface and connected to the sole for the first time. This deeper center of gravity helps raise the Moment of Inertia (MOI) for more forgiveness, higher launch and better stopping power. Combined, the COR-Eye and the CTP create PING’s version of the “trampoline effect” most other club manufacturers are coming out with to gain ball speed and distance. A thinner face means higher ball speed, higher launch angle and a steeper landing angle. In testing of comparable 7-irons, there was an average ball speed increase of 1.25 mph and a 0.5-degree higher launch angle. In golf terms, that equates to several yards. And we all want more distance.
But the technological advancements in the new PING G series irons don’t end there. There’s also something called Perimeter Weighting whereby the weighting in the clubhead is concentrated on the toe and the hosel which increases accuracy and consistency. The feel and sound produced by the new G Series irons is what you would expect from a premium game improvement iron. This is due to a thicker adhesive behind the silver aluminum badge on the back of the head. Some players say that these irons sound like they are generating more club head speed.
In redesigning the cavity, the sole of the G Series iron is a little wider than the G30, with a straighter trailing edge as the design allows more weight to be pulled back. The trailing edge is also cambered up to help it get through the turf, which it does very well.
OK, all of this information is well and good, but how do they perform? Here’s what I know: I did not hit the G series irons as far as some other irons I tested, but I did have a much tighter shot dispersion. I’m willing to give up 2-3 yards in order to put the ball where I want. The G Series irons have a good look at address with thinner toplines than the G30. This may seem insignificant, but better players prefer thinner top lines. Strike the ball pure and you will know it; you will feel virtually nothing.
Mishit it and you won’t suffer the distance penalties you do with so many other irons on the market. These irons glide effortlessly through the turf and seem to make playing out of the sand a little bit easier with the wide sole. I also found myself hitting the ball higher – which is understandable, and the ball seemed to drop from the sky and hold the greens well. Overall, I saw significant improvement in my iron play over my G30 irons.
The G Series irons are available in 4-9, PW, UW, SW, and LW with either a CFS graphite shaft available in senior, regular or stiff flex, or with Nippon’s new AWT 2.0 steel shafts (regular, stiff, extra-stiff. AWT stands for Ascending Weight Technology; the shafts get lighter as you move from the short irons to the long irons in an effort to improve distance with long irons and accuracy with the short irons.
PING G Series irons are available at all major golf retailers both on and offline. To learn more about the G series irons or any of the other great PING products, visit their website at www.PING.com.
