Equipment

Spotted: In-hand photos of the new Ping i500 irons

Published

6 years ago

Jun 29, 2018

First, we spotted Tony Finau testing out an unidentified Ping utility iron that was rumored to be the new i500 by GolfWRX Forum members. Then, we learned that Ping’s Director of Product Design Marty Jertson used “Ping i500” long irons to qualify for the 2018 PGA Championship.

Now, we have in-hand photos of the Ping i500 irons in our forums. It’s now clear that this will be a full set of clubs, not just utility irons. It also appears, judging by the screw in the toe of all the irons pictured, that the irons will have a hollow-bodied construction throughout the set.

Check out photos of the 7 iron below, and check out photos of all the irons we photographed in the forum thread.

Ping i500 7-iron

Click here for more photos and discussion.

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46 Comments

rex235

Aug 9, 2018 at 4:13 pm

Let us know if and when a LH i500 model shows up…

Reply Report comment
Mike

Jul 28, 2018 at 9:18 am

Don’t understand the Ping strategy. G400, G700, I500, I210, I700, etc. And the prices are sky-high, ESPECIALLY re the G700. As a mid-handicapper, am I really going to spend $1,200 for a set of irons? What will these do that the previous G-Max irons can’t do (& they can now be had for half the cost).

Reply Report comment
- Mat
  
  Aug 9, 2018 at 5:42 pm
  
  You think $1200 is a lot for irons? And why not wait so you can have these for ‘half the cost’?
  
  If you hit the G700 and the i500, you’ll know immediately that they are very, very different clubs.
  
  Reply Report comment
mizuno29

Jul 14, 2018 at 11:18 am

Remember the Anser irons? They were 8620, the body of this iron is 17-4, the face is 8620. I’ve hit this club, got a set on order, they are $162.50 per with the graphite Recoil shaft, they have all the same playing characteristics that the G 700’s have without all that offset, but you can control the trajectories with these and the 700’s you couldn’t. Hollow club design is the future of irons, makes the face hotter, launches higher, and produce very little spin. Great job Ping!

Reply Report comment
Mmmmooooo

Jul 13, 2018 at 1:50 am

Hit it. Feels and sounds terrible. Very hollow and cracked sounding. Need foam in it lmao

Reply Report comment
- David
  
  Aug 7, 2018 at 5:50 pm
  
  Came to the exact opposite conclusion. Love the feel and sound.
  
  Reply Report comment
jc

Jul 2, 2018 at 4:28 pm

one thing for sure…they will be longer, higher, straighter and more accurate..might as well throw your old stuff out or donate to kids.

Reply Report comment
- Mike
  
  Jul 13, 2018 at 8:17 am
  
  And they’ll probably be on about $160+ a club. (refer to G700)
  
  Reply Report comment
Austin

Jul 1, 2018 at 12:57 am

It is a hollow body full set. Also coming out with new i210s that look and feel good

Reply Report comment
- george
  
  Jul 1, 2018 at 10:46 pm
  
  …. look and feel good when you grab the club in your hand and rub it down….
  
  Reply Report comment
Captain Obvious

Jun 30, 2018 at 12:13 pm

Clearly says forged for people who comment without actually looking at the pictures…. ????

Reply Report comment
Caroline

Jun 29, 2018 at 11:21 pm

Any one else find the lie angle on Pings getting changed after a few rounds on these hard summer fairways? I guess the notch in the hosel makes them easier to bend?…I had my short iron lies corrected a month ago and today I had them checked and two of them were off enough to be reset again???

Reply Report comment
- dilly dilly
  
  Jun 30, 2018 at 1:15 am
  
  Most Pings are cast and don’t bend at all.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Tom
    
    Jul 1, 2018 at 12:27 pm
    
    cast stainless is difficult to adjust. Ping knew this and addressed this with the hosel notch.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Steve Buchanan
    
    Jul 9, 2018 at 11:54 am
    
    Of course they bend. Even the old Ping Eye 2 Irons were bendable. They did it at the factory as one of the last steps. That is how they adjusted to the correct lie. They didn’t have different castings for the different lies. The irons were pounded by a mallet into the correct lie and then the dot was painted to show which lie it was as the last step.
    
    Reply Report comment
- Swing Dr
  
  Jul 1, 2018 at 7:11 am
  
  Impossible. The guy checking them probably doesn’t have his machine calibrated correctly. Send them back to Ping for loft/ lie and put your mind at ease.
  
  Reply Report comment
calc

Jun 29, 2018 at 7:21 pm

Drink GOLFERAID …. there’s a swing in every can …. 😮

Reply Report comment
- ogo
  
  Jun 30, 2018 at 3:08 pm
  
  LOL 😀
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom

Jun 29, 2018 at 6:58 pm

That iron has 7 less screws in the head than PXG…..lol!

Reply Report comment
Tom

Jun 29, 2018 at 5:46 pm

PING clubs are the most copied of all time and have brought the most innovations to the industryratepayers by far. They are engineers, it’s the others who copy.
i500 is a beauty to behold.

Reply Report comment
- Jeffrey Anderson
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 10:54 pm
  
  Stan Thompson had ‘‘tthis design in the 60’s -70’s
  Less the hotel ….
  Great looking iron
  
  Reply Report comment
Milo

Jun 29, 2018 at 3:11 pm

Doesn’t look to bad honestly.

Reply Report comment
- Marklar
  
  Jul 12, 2018 at 2:50 am
  
  *too
  
  Reply Report comment
HDTVMAN

Jun 29, 2018 at 3:07 pm

These are hollow and not “gel” filled. I have the G700’s and the ball “flies long and high” off the face. The i500 is designed for the low-digit handicap player. The new designs are great looking and perform beautifully, construction is based on Ping driver, fairway, and hybrid construction.

Reply Report comment
- calc
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 7:12 pm
  
  So the toe port is for variable weighting and the rest of the head is solid? Okay, I suppose that’s better than lead tape but why only the toe?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Swing Dr
    
    Jun 29, 2018 at 7:30 pm
    
    Good question. There is a matching screw hidden in the hosel for heel-toe balance.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Travis
    
    Jun 30, 2018 at 10:18 am
    
    If they can drill out a section and put heavier weight in the toe it will move COG more towards the middle of the face instead of being heel biased.
    
    Reply Report comment
- Noa Idea
  
  Jul 4, 2018 at 9:34 pm
  
  the g700’s have a lot of good points, but they are way too loud at impact. Hope the i500’s have sorted that issue.
  
  Reply Report comment
MuskieCy

Jun 29, 2018 at 2:15 pm

They are all copying the Adams XTD forged irons from 2014.

Forged face, hollow urethane-filled bodies.

Reply Report comment
- Wiger Toods
  
  Jun 30, 2018 at 3:34 am
  
  Not even close. Cavity is much bigger in the 500.
  
  Reply Report comment
calc

Jun 29, 2018 at 1:51 pm

Looking at the i500 toe, is that a weight port or is it a jello-elastomer port… like TM and PXG ??!!!

Reply Report comment
DougWilsonsSlapper

Jun 29, 2018 at 11:45 am

Countdown to “their copying TM who’s copying PXG” and “these aren’t forged” and “Ping are ugly” and “thick topline” in 3…2…1…

Reply Report comment
- JJD
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 1:13 pm
  
  Yeah but, I don’t think these are forged. And, everyone knows they are just copies of TM and as you know, they copy PXG. But we all know PXG copies Tommy Armour.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Marooned
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 2:35 pm
  
  No. PXG copied TaylorMade. In the year 1993 TM put foam in the Burner midsize irons. In 1993 PXG did not even exist.
  
  That’s why PXG lawsuit never go anywhere, seemed just like a poor PR stunt from PXG to be honest since it’s pretty easy to look it up beforehand…
  
  Reply Report comment
Tim Armington

Jun 29, 2018 at 11:30 am

Really like it!!! What is the difference between the i500 and the i210?

Reply Report comment
- calc
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 1:45 pm
  
  That’s easy….. i500 minus i210 = i290 …. 😮
  
  Reply Report comment
- Chuck Barkley
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 3:07 pm
  
  One’s a race track in Indy, and the other is a freeway in Los Angeles!!! Hahahaha!!! Yuk yuk!! I should’a been a comedy guy.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Anthony Williams
    
    Jul 3, 2018 at 12:40 am
    
    lol
    
    Reply Report comment
2putttom

Jun 29, 2018 at 10:57 am

I’ll give em’ try

Reply Report comment
- calc
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 1:53 pm
  
  … sure you will Karsten Jr. ….!!!!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - 2putttom
    
    Jun 29, 2018 at 4:19 pm
    
    calc ! ya bald headed wombat where ya been … are we still on for Monday?
    
    Reply Report comment
The dude

Jun 29, 2018 at 10:50 am

They look great……but printing Forged on the back of the cast club is a bit misleading (I know….marketing has their hook for gullible wannabe players)

Reply Report comment
- Brooky03
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 11:34 am
  
  How do you know it’s not forged? You can forge multiple pieces of the club and weld them together. That’s still a forged club. It’s possible just the face is forged and the body of the clubs are cast, but you can’t know that from the pics.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - calc
    
    Jun 29, 2018 at 1:47 pm
    
    Ping and other golf club companies who claim their clubs are “forged” are scamming gullible golfers… they’re more like “forgeries”… 😉
    
    Reply Report comment
- calc
  
  Jun 29, 2018 at 1:50 pm
  
  … not “forged”…. “forgeries” ….. 😮
  
  Reply Report comment
- Travis
  
  Jun 30, 2018 at 10:20 am
  
  Titleist AP2’s are only a forged face, they call them “forged”, nobody seems to complain about that….
  
  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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