Equipment
SPOTTED: Ping “Blueprint” Forged prototype irons
On Tuesday, Ping staffer Louis Oosthuizen posted photos of Ping prototype irons, which look as though they will be called “Forged Blueprint” based on the stampings.
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Ping prototype irons.
Looking forward to testing my new @pingtour prototype irons. #forged Been working with @PingTour for a long time to get these in the bag ???? pic.twitter.com/REAh5glGee
— Louis Oosthuizen (@Louis57TM) October 2, 2018
Judging by their sleek designs, and the fact that Louis Oosthuizen is testing them, the irons could be the replacements for Ping’s previous iBlade irons, which mixed design principles of both blade irons and more forgiving cavity back irons. But if you look closely, the irons also have a screw, or “tuning port,” in the toe of the irons. This could mean that they are hollow-bodied, much like the current, game-improvement G700 irons. But the irons also say forged; is the entire iron forged, or just the face? Are we looking at a forged blade iron with the forgiveness designs of a G700?
For now, we’re left to speculate on the designs and analyze the photos from Louis.
See what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Ping prototype irons.
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- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Kevin
Jan 5, 2019 at 9:46 pm
As someone who has heard from Ping inside reps I can tell you they have no foam inside and the screw on the toe will open up to a hallow inside. The club is fully forged and may not be released to the public in general. I would love to have a set of these myself but I fear they might not be released to the public. Ping is only going to release these if they fee the demand is worth the price tag they would need to place on them due to the forging process as it is far more expensive than casting as they have done for most of their irons. They now have access to the Nike golf technology as Nike sold them many patents when they exited the golf business as Nike repspected Ping enough to go to them first and is the reason why a decent amount of the Nike tour pros are playing Ping now.
ht
Oct 3, 2018 at 3:53 pm
NIP set of MP-64’s in the BST right now for less than half of what these will cost. Can’t see any other reason to buying other than to satisfy your hoe urges. Nothing wrong with being a club hoe
William Davis
Oct 3, 2018 at 1:54 pm
I have a set of 25 year old Mizuno TP9 irons. Why would I want these?
William Davis
Oct 3, 2018 at 2:06 pm
…. and I’m only 22 years old ….!!!!!!
The dude
Oct 3, 2018 at 8:05 pm
Ya don’t get IT
Jim
Oct 3, 2018 at 12:14 pm
Meh… Buy & use late 60’s / early 70’s Wilson Staff – better clubs, solid carbon steel, no hollow or foam-filled gimmicks. But of course, if “growing the game” and helping manufacturers survive is your goal, then by all means acquire new clubs every few months.
oppie
Oct 3, 2018 at 2:03 pm
… for rich, old and impotent Baby Boomer (1945-1965) golfers who have more money than brains or talent… and gotta have a good looking WITB set of arsenal of weapons.
Mokokos
Oct 3, 2018 at 11:37 am
This not the first attempt by Ping of this type of forged irons. I have the 2nd generation Anderso irons which were forged and hollow bodied. They are very good and accurate and Miguel Angel Jimenez won a tournament gamingvthese irons. The only drawback was the dead feel and dull sound of these irons. Hopefully Ping has addressed that issue with these prototypes. I still think when you go hollow body you need some kind of creative insert to improve the feel and sound of the strike.
Mokokos
Oct 3, 2018 at 11:40 am
Sorry, I meant to type Anser irons.
oppie
Oct 3, 2018 at 2:05 pm
Yes…. sound and orqasmic impact feeeel are so important to incompetent duffers with no consistent swing.
ogo
Oct 2, 2018 at 1:46 pm
Kudos to Andy Tursky for this!!!:
“But the irons also say forged; is the entire iron forged, or just the face? Are we looking at a forged blade iron with the forgiveness designs of a G700?”
I’ve been questioning the “fake forged” scam starting with the P-790 and now you’ve taken up the cudgel questioning another hollow iron design. Welcome aboard!!!!
ogo
Oct 2, 2018 at 1:52 pm
Furthermore, it’s obvious the club OEMs are attempting to design in that soft buttery feel of fully forged irons but only hit on the sweet spot. A hollow iron filled with jello goop may absorb the clank of off-center hits to make the duffers feeeel gooood. Obviously an open cavity back with a rubbery insert just doesn’t do it so PING is following the herd their their PXG/TM hollow versions.
jo
Oct 3, 2018 at 9:21 pm
maybe in some cases, but wait until you get old and you’ll appreciate the shock absorption.
ogo
Oct 4, 2018 at 9:55 pm
Use soft lady’s flex graphite shafts because you must stop the mis-hit ‘shock’ in the shaft… NOT the clubhead.
James
Oct 2, 2018 at 11:39 am
Looks like there is a faint mark on the toe area to designate tungsten (much like the iBlade).
ogo
Oct 2, 2018 at 2:28 pm
Do you know why TM and PING are inserting very high density tungsten plugs low in the toes of their irons…. and why PXG achieves the same effect with external tungsten screws? I do…. 😀
Luke
Oct 2, 2018 at 5:26 pm
Why?
oppie
Oct 3, 2018 at 2:09 pm
… because most recreational golfers hit low in the toe… and the extra metal toe weight compensates for incompetence.
rex235
Oct 2, 2018 at 10:27 am
Am in as soon as they show a LH set.
Roy
Oct 3, 2018 at 9:36 am
so never…:-(