Equipment

Ping releases Rapture driving iron

Published

10 years ago

Nov 22, 2013

Talk about good timing for a club release.

Ping’s new prototype “Rapture” driving iron will be available to golfers this week at the British Open and the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship.

The move makes sense, as many British Open contestants decide to swap out their 5 woods and hybrids for clubs that offer lower trajectories such as driving irons.

According to a Ping press release, the Rapture driving irons have faces that are made from 455 Carpenter Steel: a strong metal that is used to make the faces of many of today’s high-COR fairway woods.

“455 Carpenter Stainless Steels’ high strength allowed designers to thin the face to create faster ball speeds,” the press release said. “Thinning the face increased discretionary mass, which was then re-positioned low and back on the club head.”

The Rapture is also designed with high-density tungsten weights in the rear portion of the sole. According to Ping, the weights account for a sizable 20 percent of the entire club head’s mass, and their low, rearward position boosts the Rapture’s moment of inertia (MOI) and perimeter weighting, adding forgiveness on mishits.

The sole of the club also includes what Ping calls a “Tungsten Polymer Blend Sole Weight,” a screw-in weight that adds even more mass into the club’s sole. It helps decrease spin and can be used to fine tune swing weight.

Technical specifications:

17-4 stainless steel body, 455 stainless steel face
Tungsten heel and toe weights
39.75-inch length, 18-degree head
Foggy-chrome finish
Stock graphite shaft: TFC 949 with chrome PVD finish (R, S, X flexes)
U.S. MSRP: $220.00

Click here to see more photos of the Rapture D.I. and to read more discussion in the forums.

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36 Comments

Ivan

Aug 7, 2014 at 9:16 pm

Why not just go ahead and make the 1 iron again?

Reply Report comment
Mike from NR

May 24, 2014 at 5:28 pm

Last season I was frustrated with my inconsistency with using rescue clubs in the fairway on my second or third shot. Since I was constant with my irons I figured I would give the Ping 2 Iron a chance and it paid off HUGE. It took at least 5 strokes off my game. I look forward to hitting my second shot on all par 4 and 5 when I am around 200 yards out. The slower and smoother I swing the straighter and longer I hit this club. Trust me, put your rescue clubs up for sale and buy this 2 iron. You won’t regret it. I actually went out last week and ordered a second one to put it away so in 4 or 5 years from now I will have a new one to replace my current one. I don’t want to take the risk Ping changes or stops making this iron someday. Thank you Ping for solving my inconstant play.

Reply Report comment
TJ

Dec 5, 2013 at 1:55 pm

Good afternoon all,

I have to say that I am excited to test this out though I am partial to the Answer 2 Hybrid (stupid long), but if this performs better (launch angle)I will be putting in my order.

The real reason for my post is that the word on the street is that there will be a Rapture 3 wood at 14.5deg which is slightly oversized. has anyone else heard about this and if so do you happen to know any specs on it. I could be wrong but I was told its going to be a smaller version of the answer driver which would be great off the tee for my game anyways.

Any information on this would be welcome.

Reply Report comment
naflack

Dec 4, 2013 at 3:24 am

this club has wannabe scratch golfer written all over it…how long until 2nd swing has a whole rack of them? lol

Reply Report comment
Brian

Nov 29, 2013 at 5:16 pm

This looks awesome. Hopefully the 2 is a success and we see a 3 and 4 in another few months.

Reply Report comment
- PatrickR
  
  Nov 29, 2013 at 10:09 pm
  
  Hope it compares to the titleist utilities by coming out with a 3 & 4. Honestly can’t wait to demo this when availble. Any one know if it will be available in any shaft besidea the tfc?
  
  Reply Report comment
Patrick

Nov 26, 2013 at 4:18 pm

Looking forward to trying this out and potentially replacing the Adams Idea Pro currently in the bag.

Reply Report comment
Spengler

Nov 26, 2013 at 1:52 pm

anyone compare this vs. the callaway Utility?

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Pingback: Desde el tee: semana 47/2013 | Golf76.com
JLeclair10

Nov 22, 2013 at 5:21 pm

Yous guys need to try this club…I can cruuush it 270 in the air!

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Tyler

Nov 22, 2013 at 1:40 pm

Looks like they are available at 2nd Swing already…

http://www.2ndswing.com/p-238690-new-ping-rapture-driving-iron-graphite.aspx

Reply Report comment
Jezz

Sep 21, 2013 at 10:54 pm

Well,
Ping may even release this Iron in a set 18* & 21* Driving Iron with combo (if so desired). 4 Iron to PW in the new I25 player Irons. Haven for equipment junkies like myself. Also it would help a brother out, alot if less than a grand.
Cheers Jezz

Reply Report comment
Andy B

Aug 4, 2013 at 9:30 am

I play the i20’s but I put the callaway 24* x utility in the bag at the first of the season and just added the 18*. Looks like I will be sending those to the BST or the ebay. Can’t wait. I actually have a close friend who is a ping staffer (web.com) and he said they are more forgiving than his s56 irons. To bad he doesn’t live near me for me to try and he wont risk losing his contract by having one magically appear at my front door (I totally understand why he cant). It doesn’t hurt to dream. I will keep dreaming until january when they will be retail.

Reply Report comment
JEFF SMITH

Jul 22, 2013 at 5:33 pm

Ill be getting that I think. I cant hit a hybrid that well but pretty good w/ long irons…… well see!

Reply Report comment
Jeff Borders

Jul 22, 2013 at 12:45 pm

I wonder if the next Ping blade will look like a slimmer, narrowing version of this? I love the back of it.

Reply Report comment
tyler

Jul 20, 2013 at 11:07 am

Not a big fan of these utility irons.

IMO they look ugly at address.

Reply Report comment
Deaus666

Jul 18, 2013 at 2:55 pm

Very very nice, Ill put one in my bag if they release a 19-22* version, This actually reminds me more of the Yonex Zero driving iron with a Callaway style weight in the bottom. The only thing i wonder is how is it going to feel with that HARD face on slight miss-hits. I have a 20* old school Nike Pro combo utility in the bag right now.

Reply Report comment
golfing badger

Jul 17, 2013 at 1:42 pm

ping copying callaway…that’s a new one!

Reply Report comment
- McCleery Crow
  
  Nov 22, 2013 at 5:04 pm
  
  My buddy had a Mizuno driving iron in 97. Who’s copying who?
  http://silysavg.com/images/ebay/sporting/mizunodrivingiron_bottom.jpg
  
  Reply Report comment
- David Smith
  
  Mar 7, 2014 at 10:28 am
  
  I hope you’re just kidding around lol. If not, you’ve been under a rock for a very long time or are new to golf. I suspect the latter.
  
  Reply Report comment
thefullsp

Jul 17, 2013 at 1:54 am

I have the cally x utility in 18 with GDesign shaft. It’s pretty fantastic off the tee. If I were playing Muirfield this week and were a Ping Staffer, this would be solidly in the centre of the bag!!!! Go G-Mac!

Reply Report comment
cg

Jul 16, 2013 at 1:27 pm

golf club makers exec meeting”
okay, here is the plan, first we tell golfers to buy fairway woods to replace hard to hit irons…then we tell them that hybrids are the way to go..easier to hit than fairway woods…then we wait a bit…then tell them we now have driving irons that they have to have because hybrids go too high….

Reply Report comment
- Blanco
  
  Jul 16, 2013 at 8:41 pm
  
  Thats not what any manufacturer is saying about driving irons… They have all maintained, rightly so, that these are a specialty item for the better player/high ball hitter.
  
  I’ll take a 24* Mr. Solheim… Yellow dot.
  
  Reply Report comment
Steve

Jul 15, 2013 at 10:35 pm

@billyho_golf

Reply Report comment
Peter

Jul 15, 2013 at 6:46 pm

Looks very similar to the Titleist 712U…could be a great addition to my i20s in the future

Reply Report comment
Paul

Jul 15, 2013 at 2:37 pm

Looks like an AP2 and the X Utility got together in Phoenix.

Reply Report comment
Steve

Jul 15, 2013 at 1:30 pm

From a sole and address perspective, that looks a lot like the X utilities from Callaway.

Reply Report comment
- t120
  
  Jul 15, 2013 at 10:02 pm
  
  +1 looks identical from top view to the Cally…which I didn’t really hit well, so it’s almost instant “pass on it”
  
  Reply Report comment
Boo

Jul 15, 2013 at 12:00 pm

Good looking, but will not dethrone my Mizzy H4 2 iron (IMHO)!

Reply Report comment
- Stephen
  
  Oct 8, 2013 at 5:36 am
  
  Fact. 270 yards of straightness. No need to hit driver 320 anymore.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Brian Wilson
    
    Nov 22, 2013 at 6:19 pm
    
    Nice!
    
    Reply Report comment
Big_5_Hole

Jul 15, 2013 at 11:03 am

Need.

Reply Report comment
- Blanco
  
  Jul 15, 2013 at 9:11 pm
  
  you need?
  
  ME need
  
  Reply Report comment
  - bandrz
    
    Jul 16, 2013 at 12:27 pm
    
    left handed, PLEASE
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Blanco
      
      Jul 16, 2013 at 8:38 pm
      
      I love the guys who beg PING to release lefty versions… When was the last time ANY Ping club in ANY loft/style was not made for us southpaws?? I dont know of ANY in my lifetime.
      
      Reply Report comment
      - bandrz
        
        Jul 16, 2013 at 9:52 pm
        
        Sorry i didn’t research their entire company history prior to my post. I will do better next time.
        
        Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

17 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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