Equipment
PING i20 Driver Featured Review
Editor Review By: topekareal
Pros:
Ping touts this driver as the low-spin , lower launching companion to the G20 driver. Check. Tungsten weights provide a higher MOI and increased forgiveness. At address, the 460cc head sets up much smaller and the matte black finish is wonderfully inconspicuous. This driver just begs to be hit…hard.
Cons:
This is the not the driver for someone who struggles to elevate the ball or wants adjustability. While delivering a nice penetrating trajectory, this is not the ball flight everyone likes to see and if you are in search of the high-launch/low-spin combination, other drivers might serve your needs better.
Bottom Line:
I’ve been waiting for this driver for quite some time. Reminiscent of other legendary deep-faced drivers, the I20 is more forgiving (thank you tungsten) and retains freakishly low spin numbers, while maintaining high ball speed numbers across the face. Given invention and innovation, driver technology is tending towards the later. Not by choice, but by necessity , our game was once filled with seemingly unlimited variables and is now being driven by the constants. OEM’s all offer drivers which are long, forgiving and come with a range of custom options. Where Ping hits the mark on the I20 is that they have produced a driver which is all business and somehow still all pleasure.
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Full Review:
A low density titanium alloy saves weight to allow Ping engineers to strategically place tungsten weights to increase forgiveness while optimizing COG for low, penetrating tee shots. The classically shaped head is 460cc and utilizes improved aerodynamics to promote increased swing speed and ball velocity. The matte black finish is unique and purposeful. In a market dominated by adjustability, Ping makes quite a case that a driver doesn’t have to require a toolbox.
Looks:
The looks of the I20 driver are classy, classic and a bit raw. The matte black finish on the crown helps hide the 460cc head and displays a tough, industrial look. Because of this approach, the head does not glare and actually absorbs light. Players wanting a stark contrast between ball and clubface at set up might be a little disappointed as the I20 has ninja-esque qualities as you know it is there and you can sense it’s power, but it remains rather enigmatic.
Some larger drivers look like an orange on the end of a toothpick and I think are the impetus for OEM’s to reintroduce sub-460cc heads. If this club is any indication, you can certainly offer 460cc of forgiveness in a visually smaller package. The rounded profile suggests more of a 400cc-420cc head. The traditional half-moon alignment aid is something I’d rather do without, but it isn’t distracting. At address it is at most a subtle hint and nothing more. The white scoring lines on the face sit in nice contrast to the black face and form a U-shaped reminder as to where the sweet spot on the club sits.
Performance/Playability:
One great leap for man….uh, I digress. As we know, great leaps are not the modus operandi in the driver world right now. Two custom-fit drivers should yield similar results and should differentiate themselves based on playing characteristics and other subtle refinements. I tested the 8.5* I20 at 45” in length, SW at D2, and had the GD-DI 6x tipped ½”. The face was dead square and lie angle was 1* upright (59*) After several range sessions the most noticeable points of comparison were feel (more in the next section) and launch angle. The I20 didn’t want to go left, ever (insert political joke here __________), and it took me a bit to get used to the more boring trajectory. Despite the difference in launch angle, on course results (with the 2012 Bridgestone B330) confirmed my range experience. The I20 did a phenomenal job taking the left side out of play for me. In terms of distance, the I20 was as long as anything I’ve had in the bag. Depending on how firm the fairways were I was pushing 300 quite often . Finally, I took the I20 to the launch monitor to see if we could put some hard numbers to provide empirical evidence:
I20 – SS – 110 – Ball Speed -158 Launch Angle – 12.2 – Back Spin – 3000 Carry – 264-268
Some like the performance of a BMW, some like Mercedes – Either way, you’re driving something special.
Feel:
I did not hit the I20 with either of the stock shaft offerings and we all know how much a shaft can alter the feel of a particular club. With the DI-6x at D2 the club felt perfectly balanced and I could feel the head during all portions of my swing. I really abhor clubs which are too light and at D2, this club felt poised and secure. At this point, I should probably try and objectify “feel.” I like a driver with a bit more Cee Lo Green and an ounce less Blake Shelton…that is, a bit more soul and a bit less twang. The solid “thwack” of a wooden bat is always preferable to aluminum. Again, I digress. The I20 is exceptionally solid and offers a feel of substance sure to please even the most discerning player. It may not be in my all time top 5 for feel, but that’s like being a step below Kate Upton. Are you willing to “settle” for Sofia Vergara? Anywho, this driver is a hot-knife-through-butter pure and the sweet spot is money (and there is a possibility it might not even know it) What’s more, is while both heel and toe hits lacked the feel a pure strike (as you’d expect), ball speed was still more than you’d hope for…or deserve! In summation, the feel is solid and hot, while resisting the urge to be too metallic or clincky. Think liquid metal.
Overall bottom line:
Ping driver fans have long lamented the passing of the Rapture V2. The 120 has everything needed to make them forget. Low spin with a piercing trajectory for the stronger player, this driver is forgiving, sufficiently workable and as deep as anything on the market. Paired with either stock offerings or a host of wonderful upgrades, the I20 might be the darkest place you’ve been hoping to be. Back in black…most definitely.
CLICK HERE TO DISCUSS THE PING I20 IN THE FORUMS
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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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Christopher
May 2, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Hey
I have tried this driver and absolutly love it! Can someone tell me where I can still buy them brand new, stiff shaft; 9,5° loft and in mat black?
Much appreciated
john mcbride
May 23, 2014 at 11:19 pm
Just got one at rend lake golf in Mt Vernon Il and they had a few left for 179.00 golf Galaxy had them for 189.00
caleb
Jun 17, 2014 at 11:58 am
I have a I 20 stiff shaft played with twice wanting to sell 10.5 loft … got the titleist 913d2
Paul
Nov 6, 2013 at 11:01 pm
i bought the I20 with a 707D stock shaft in it. I find it a little harsh on anything not dead center, thinking of switching the shaft to something a bit smoother.
paul
Feb 3, 2014 at 7:34 pm
I swapped the shaft to a ust axiv core tour green stiff and like the feel a lot better. Ss105. Definitely eliminates the hook. Hook is a pull and old draw swing is straight. Straight became a nice fade. 18 hdcp hit all fairways last round.
ANTON
May 23, 2013 at 11:22 am
These reviews are meaningless. You must review the club with the stock shafts which I would buy. Adding a$300 – $400 shaft which I would not buy is just another way to fool the playing public. And you wonder why less people play now because of the costs !!
Ron
Apr 16, 2013 at 5:21 pm
I have the Ping I20 but i had a Nuchuk 110 gram extra stiff shaft put in it and i would not trade it for the worl. It is amazing.
Ben Taylor
Oct 29, 2012 at 10:48 am
currently playing a g10 7.5 with fujikura 70 tour vista shaft, but looking to sell if anyone is interetesed?
Jayr
Oct 7, 2012 at 1:49 am
Just demo’ed the i15 9.5 driver with prcrofoe shaft, one very serious golf club, was going for Titleist 909 now cant make up my mind.Fairway and rescue equally impressive.BTW Jez just doesn’t get through the ball(sorry) you will not benefit from these clubs.
Wayne
Aug 14, 2012 at 9:03 am
Last year I had the i15 driver, great club. This year I tested and purchased the i20, great feel, LONG, and easy to hit straight and shape right. I bit more difficult to draw but it can be done with some work. It’s a monster.