63 replies to this topic

[mljones99]

Great write-up.  I would love to have a full blown fitting at their facility one day.

[stacked]

PingDrv00, on 02 January 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

What do you think was the reason for the crazy iron performance?  Did they really seem that hot, and did you compare them to the S56's that same day as a baseline?

+1

Did you hit some baseline shots with your s56 irons?  Just wondering if you feel there is much difference in distance between the two irons?  Nice write-up!

[WVP]

Great summary and write-up, Ben. And looks like you have some serious game!

Any of the i20 stuff going in your bag full time?

[FATC1TY]

The pics where you are hitting the driver in the bay. Is that real grass they have in like a pallet sized frame? I swear it looks like there are divots on there, and in one picture, turf sprayed in front of it.

Thats pretty cool if it is. Gets you the grass feel and level, and the whole nine.

[pdaero]

FATC1TY, on 02 January 2012 - 05:20 PM, said:

The pics where you are hitting the driver in the bay. Is that real grass they have in like a pallet sized frame? I swear it looks like there are divots on there, and in one picture, turf sprayed in front of it.

Thats pretty cool if it is. Gets you the grass feel and level, and the whole nine.

IIRC from the previous Ping threads of touring, they almost exclusively use that bay for the Tour and bring in a new pallet of grass every day. Really would love to try something like that!

[Ernie1060]

[size="2"]
I hit it low on the face. The club was, IIRC, a 10.5º G20 with a stock stiff shaft - not my ideal set up. From what the engineers told me, there is no way that number is a glitch. ZERO chance that number is anything but true. This is the most accurate measuring tool ever used to gather information about the swing and the effects on the shaft and club head. My smash factor is ideal from my outdoor fitting, so maybe it was just lower in my first few swings of the day?[/size]
[/quote]

I thought it was probably the former... thats a lot of club head speed!!!  

its pretty amazing you got to do something like this... i can only imagine it was over before u knew it!  U gotta make friends with those guys so you can go back and play around on their stuff whenever u want!!!!

[shadowCLV]

Very jealous on the fitting.  The Ping fitters have to give you a feeling of hitting it longer and showing gained distance. The high numbers on some of the hits and with irons are due to the fact that they have the settings on ground to hard and you get an extra 10 yards on almost everything! Your numbers are good but enhanced by the firm nature of ground by the launch monitor. I was not believing the hybrid numbers as you cant hit a D 283 carry and then carry a 20 Hybrid 254 and 274 Total. Those are DJ type numbers. I hit it exactly as your numbers indicate in terms of speed and my 21 Hybrid is 232 carry 238 total all day.

[nova6868]

Eynt, on 02 January 2012 - 10:23 AM, said:

how does the cfs shafts feel?  the x stiff feel softer than the x100?  I play Px 6.0 and I'm thinking of getting the cfs xstiff soft stepped once.   thanks for any input.

I'm considering this exact same switch. Would love to hear input on how the CFS X-stiff compares to other shafts.

[bjackson]

CT10, on 02 January 2012 - 06:42 AM, said:

How forgiving would you describe the i20 driver and fairway woods as being. Is there a massive difference in g20 to i20?  

I really like both the i20 driver and fairway wood. They may not be the absolute highest MOI clubs on the market, but they are plenty forgiving if you have a repeatable swing. Not the type of club I may suggest for a higher handicap player, but if you can play some, they are phenomenal. While the G20 is going to be slightly more forgiving than the i20, I found the i20 to be a great club that isn't hard to hit.

PingDrv00, on 02 January 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

What do you think was the reason for the crazy iron performance?  Did they really seem that hot, and did you compare them to the S56's that same day as a baseline?

I was amped up? haha. They did seem hot. Maybe not to the extent that my numbers show, but they certainly perform VERY nicely. I did not hit S56s, though now looking back it would have made sense to. This was more a session to get first impressions of the new product line rather than trying to switch out my gamers.

Eynt, on 02 January 2012 - 10:23 AM, said:

how does the cfs shafts feel?  the x stiff feel softer than the x100?  I play Px 6.0 and I'm thinking of getting the cfs xstiff soft stepped once.   thanks for any input.

I was really impressed with the CFS shafts. I'm not normally one for stock shafts, but these definitely changed my perspective. Slightly softer than X100s, smoother feeling than PX shafts I've tried in the past.

[bjackson]

homergolf, on 02 January 2012 - 10:37 AM, said:

Can you make a comparison between that and your current  driver the, the Cally Razr Hawk Tour, and also the feel (very subjective and difficult to describe, I know) of the G20 vs the 909d2.  Thanks again.

I'd say my Razr Hawk tour is slightly more 'tinny' feeling, probably due to the titanium/composite design. The G20 reminded me lots of the 909D2 in terms of ball flight, workability, feel, and looks. The Razr Hawk tour is a cannon and I'm not set of changing from it, though the G20 gave me plenty of reason to switch if I decide to.

stacked, on 02 January 2012 - 02:49 PM, said:

Did you hit some baseline shots with your s56 irons?  Just wondering if you feel there is much difference in distance between the two irons?

I did not hit any baseline shots, as this was more a first demo of the i20s with a fitter rather than a full on comparison of my gamers compared to PING's latest offering. I feel like the i20's were carrying farther, though not extremely.  They were flying higher and probably spinning more, so I'm not surprised in the distance jump.

WVP, on 02 January 2012 - 02:57 PM, said:

Any of the i20 stuff going in your bag full time?

Not immediately, but I'm not counting it out. I like the line a lot, but I'd want to give other clubs that catch my eye a chance before deciding on my 2012 bag.

[bjackson]

FATC1TY, on 02 January 2012 - 05:20 PM, said:

The pics where you are hitting the driver in the bay. Is that real grass they have in like a pallet sized frame? I swear it looks like there are divots on there, and in one picture, turf sprayed in front of it.

Thats pretty cool if it is. Gets you the grass feel and level, and the whole nine.

Yes, it is real grass. They grow it on the PING campus and change it out (I believe) on a daily basis. Really, really cool.

shadowCLV, on 02 January 2012 - 10:19 PM, said:

Very jealous on the fitting.  The Ping fitters have to give you a feeling of hitting it longer and showing gained distance. The high numbers on some of the hits and with irons are due to the fact that they have the settings on ground to hard and you get an extra 10 yards on almost everything! Your numbers are good but enhanced by the firm nature of ground by the launch monitor. I was not believing the hybrid numbers as you cant hit a D 283 carry and then carry a 20 Hybrid 254 and 274 Total. Those are DJ type numbers. I hit it exactly as your numbers indicate in terms of speed and my 21 Hybrid is 232 carry 238 total all day.

Agreed. Trust me, I was skeptical of some of the numbers myself, but at the end of the day, I'm not going to argue with the carry numbers - I trust TrackMan. As far as rollout, I don't care too much about that. I play most of my golf these days in Oregon (where I'm at school) and the courses are almost always wet so I'm happy when I get any roll at all.

nova6868, on 02 January 2012 - 10:34 PM, said:

I'm considering this exact same switch. Would love to hear input on how the CFS X-stiff compares to other shafts.

I don't have much experience with anything besides X100 (what I've gamed for the last several years). They are slightly softer, a little smoother maybe (more active tip section?). Great shafts though. I've hit PX and KBS (though not the C-Taper), but Dynamic Gold is a standard shaft I've been using and am comfortable with. All I can recommend is that you consider the CFS and PLEASE try them before you buy.

[Sean2]

You did a terrific job. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's nice to see what happens behind the scenes.

I do have one question: now that you have this information, do you think it will improve your golf game?

[yeezy]

195 carry with the 7.....

[bjackson]

Sean2, on 04 January 2012 - 12:18 AM, said:

You did a terrific job. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's nice to see what happens behind the scenes.

I do have one question: now that you have this information, do you think it will improve your golf game?

It has the potential to, but at the end of the day it's just number and what I make of it. To be honest, in my hyper critical ways, I look at it all this way - if I am able to hit the ball this far, farther than most professionals, and only be as good as I am, my short game sucks. Plain and simple. It makes me look at myself and think, wow, I should go putt for an hour rather than hit the range. I know it's not as fun as bombing drivers, trying to somehow sneak a couple more yards with a better shaft of something, but that is where strokes are gained. Ya it's kinda cliché, but that is all that matters. There gets a point where from tee to green I might be able to stand a chance, say, playing collegiately, but it's a matter of being a great putter, escape artist, and making basic chips, pitches, sand shots, etc look standard. Spending time simply doing arguably the simplest piece of this ever so difficult game is the most important. I suck at putting - and that's why it's one of my 2012 resolutions to spend more time seriously working on my putting.

[bjackson]

yeezy, on 04 January 2012 - 12:27 AM, said:

195 carry with the 7.....

Moral of the story - not everybody who says they hit it far on the internet is lying.

[PingDrv00]

bjackson, on 04 January 2012 - 12:00 AM, said:

CT10, on 02 January 2012 - 06:42 AM, said:

How forgiving would you describe the i20 driver and fairway woods as being. Is there a massive difference in g20 to i20?  

I really like both the i20 driver and fairway wood. They may not be the absolute highest MOI clubs on the market, but they are plenty forgiving if you have a repeatable swing. Not the type of club I may suggest for a higher handicap player, but if you can play some, they are phenomenal. While the G20 is going to be slightly more forgiving than the i20, I found the i20 to be a great club that isn't hard to hit.

PingDrv00, on 02 January 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

What do you think was the reason for the crazy iron performance?  Did they really seem that hot, and did you compare them to the S56's that same day as a baseline?

I was amped up? haha. They did seem hot. Maybe not to the extent that my numbers show, but they certainly perform VERY nicely. I did not hit S56s, though now looking back it would have made sense to. This was more a session to get first impressions of the new product line rather than trying to switch out my gamers.

Eynt, on 02 January 2012 - 10:23 AM, said:

how does the cfs shafts feel?  the x stiff feel softer than the x100?  I play Px 6.0 and I'm thinking of getting the cfs xstiff soft stepped once.   thanks for any input.

I was really impressed with the CFS shafts. I'm not normally one for stock shafts, but these definitely changed my perspective. Slightly softer than X100s, smoother feeling than PX shafts I've tried in the past.

I love the S56's just worried about those off days, so the question is would you game the I20's?

[bjackson]

PingDrv00, on 04 January 2012 - 01:20 AM, said:

bjackson, on 04 January 2012 - 12:00 AM, said:

PingDrv00, on 02 January 2012 - 10:04 AM, said:

What do you think was the reason for the crazy iron performance?  Did they really seem that hot, and did you compare them to the S56's that same day as a baseline?

I was amped up? haha. They did seem hot. Maybe not to the extent that my numbers show, but they certainly perform VERY nicely. I did not hit S56s, though now looking back it would have made sense to. This was more a session to get first impressions of the new product line rather than trying to switch out my gamers.

I love the S56's just worried about those off days, so the question is would you game the I20's?

Yes I would game them, but I can't say for sure that I will be switching.

[sandiegonative]

Ben, great read. One word, JEALOUS

You stated, " my dispersion was tighter with the CFS" but yet you would choose to stick with the X100 shaft.

Can you elaborate on what you did not like about the CFS Shaft? Too much spin (ballooning)? You mentioned the possibility of a "more active tip section"?

I play both the Project X Flighted and the Rifle Flighted in a 5.5 flex. Do you think hardstepping a CFS Stiff shaft would give me the same feel?

Thanks again for the "i20" info.

[bjackson]

sandiegonative, on 05 January 2012 - 07:19 PM, said:

Ben, great read. One word, JEALOUS

You stated, " my dispersion was tighter with the CFS" but yet you would choose to stick with the X100 shaft.

Can you elaborate on what you did not like about the CFS Shaft? Too much spin (ballooning)? You mentioned the possibility of a "more active tip section"?

I play both the Project X Flighted and the Rifle Flighted in a 5.5 flex. Do you think hardstepping a CFS Stiff shaft would give me the same feel?

Thanks again for the "i20" info.

I just prefer the slightly lower launch and ability to control trajectory of the Dynamic Gold a little more. It's a shaft I've used for a long time, so I'm comfortable with the feel - not to mention I don't like changing my equipment around too much. I'm not sure exactly what the relationship would be going from Project X Flighted and Rifle Flighted. I'd probably just call PING customer service or go to a demo day in your area and see what their opinion is.

[Sean2]

bjackson, on 04 January 2012 - 12:29 AM, said:

Sean2, on 04 January 2012 - 12:18 AM, said:

You did a terrific job. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's nice to see what happens behind the scenes.

I do have one question: now that you have this information, do you think it will improve your golf game?

It has the potential to, but at the end of the day it's just number and what I make of it. To be honest, in my hyper critical ways, I look at it all this way - if I am able to hit the ball this far, farther than most professionals, and only be as good as I am, my short game sucks. Plain and simple. It makes me look at myself and think, wow, I should go putt for an hour rather than hit the range. I know it's not as fun as bombing drivers, trying to somehow sneak a couple more yards with a better shaft of something, but that is where strokes are gained. Ya it's kinda cliché, but that is all that matters. There gets a point where from tee to green I might be able to stand a chance, say, playing collegiately, but it's a matter of being a great putter, escape artist, and making basic chips, pitches, sand shots, etc look standard. Spending time simply doing arguably the simplest piece of this ever so difficult game is the most important. I suck at putting - and that's why it's one of my 2012 resolutions to spend more time seriously working on my putting.

There is a bit of irony here. I don't hit the ball very far, so I work incessantly on my short game. As a result I have a good short game (or so I'm told), especially putting. Perhaps we can "share"? haha

[pdaero]

Sean2, on 05 January 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

There is a bit of irony here. I don't hit the ball very far, so I work incessantly on my short game. As a result I have a good short game (or so I'm told), especially putting. Perhaps we can "share"? haha

Funny you should mention that - I'm of average to longer than average length (270-280 drives), and have a good short game because of my poor iron play. My normal 2-man scramble partner is long with good ballstriking ability, but not that great around the greens.

[magnus7319]

Pretty cool results. Definitely need to visit the Ping factory and do the whole 'normal tour' when I visit Arizona again next year. I'd be super excited about the numbers you put up. I wonder though, do you think the temperature/altitude had any affect on your results - compared to your baseline? Or are your baseline comparison numbers done under similar conditions? I know I am itching to try out the i20 line of products, and I know my mileage will vary, but I know if my numbers jumped significantly, and I knew they were legit (Trackman I believe to be very accurate) I'd be looking at all variables. Thanks for your post. Super cool stuff!

[blackcourse53]

Hey bjackson, thanks for the write-up, very interesting post.  I was wondering if you could comment on the headsize of the mid and long irons of the i20s?  I'm very interested in these irons but the i15 long irons were definitely too big for my taste, with the 5 iron becoming tolerable.  

Also, for the comments regarding the numbers that Trackman gave, at 95 deg F and 1100 ft altitude when compared to 75 deg F at sea level, the ball will carry about 12 yards longer with the irons and about 15 yards or so with the driver.  Hope this clears things up a bit.

[Late4ttime]

bjackson, on 05 January 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

I just prefer the slightly lower launch and ability to control trajectory of the Dynamic Gold a little more. It's a shaft I've used for a long time, so I'm comfortable with the feel - not to mention I don't like changing my equipment around too much. I'm not sure exactly what the relationship would be going from Project X Flighted and Rifle Flighted. I'd probably just call PING customer service or go to a demo day in your area and see what their opinion is.

Will you report on your opinions of workability with the i20 irons? I'd really like to know if the design of these heads makes it difficult to keep the ball down hitting into the wind. Thanks.

Late-

[bjackson]

So I put in an order for my i20 irons yesterday along with a few other goodies. I'll post a review after I've gamed them for a bit. Now I'll be able to see how they perform on the course, compare/contrast to S56s, etc. I'm very excited!

[scall1968]

bjackson, on 20 January 2012 - 10:52 PM, said:

So I put in an order for my i20 irons yesterday along with a few other goodies. I'll post a review after I've gamed them for a bit. Now I'll be able to see how they perform on the course, compare/contrast to S56s, etc. I'm very excited!

Have tried the i15s?  If so, how would you compare the two?

[bjackson]

scall1968, on 21 January 2012 - 04:41 PM, said:

bjackson, on 20 January 2012 - 10:52 PM, said:

So I put in an order for my i20 irons yesterday along with a few other goodies. I'll post a review after I've gamed them for a bit. Now I'll be able to see how they perform on the course, compare/contrast to S56s, etc. I'm very excited!

Have tried the i15s?  If so, how would you compare the two?

I have no experience with the i15s.

[Late4ttime]

Late4ttime, on 11 January 2012 - 12:19 AM, said:

bjackson, on 05 January 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

I just prefer the slightly lower launch and ability to control trajectory of the Dynamic Gold a little more. It's a shaft I've used for a long time, so I'm comfortable with the feel - not to mention I don't like changing my equipment around too much. I'm not sure exactly what the relationship would be going from Project X Flighted and Rifle Flighted. I'd probably just call PING customer service or go to a demo day in your area and see what their opinion is.

Will you report on your opinions of workability with the i20 irons? I'd really like to know if the design of these heads makes it difficult to keep the ball down hitting into the wind. Thanks.

Late-

How bout it BJax?

[bjackson]

Late4ttime, on 21 January 2012 - 06:14 PM, said:

Late4ttime, on 11 January 2012 - 12:19 AM, said:

bjackson, on 05 January 2012 - 10:56 PM, said:

I just prefer the slightly lower launch and ability to control trajectory of the Dynamic Gold a little more. It's a shaft I've used for a long time, so I'm comfortable with the feel - not to mention I don't like changing my equipment around too much. I'm not sure exactly what the relationship would be going from Project X Flighted and Rifle Flighted. I'd probably just call PING customer service or go to a demo day in your area and see what their opinion is.

Will you report on your opinions of workability with the i20 irons? I'd really like to know if the design of these heads makes it difficult to keep the ball down hitting into the wind. Thanks.

Late-

How bout it BJax?

While at PING I had very, very limited use of them on a range with no wind. Once my set gets here I'll post about them.

[toolman]

Wow thats pretty awesome, good read!