Equipment

2020 Ping G710 irons: Loaded with new tech for distance and forgiveness

Published

4 years ago

Jan 20, 2020

With the introduction of the Ping G710 irons, Ping continues the tradition of making golf easier and more fun for the average golfer by offering their longest and most forgiving iron to date.

Ping G710 irons: Here’s why they’re better

One of the strongest materials available to the golf industry for club faces beyond titanium is maraging steel. Generally, we see it used in fairway woods, hybrids, and driving irons, but as designers continue to see faster ball speeds, higher launch, and greater MOI, maraging steel has made its way into more irons sets including, you guessed it, the Ping G710’s.

Thanks to the maraging steel’s high strength and durability attributes, engineers can push the face thinner, which in turn creates more discretionary mass to more around the head to raise MOI and increase forgiveness. The engineers at Ping didn’t just stop at thinner. Each face of the G710 series iron is machined with variable-wall thickness to increase ball speeds around the whole hittable surface to help with those pesky mishits and keep ball speeds and distances consistent.

Just like with other hollow irons from Ping, including the i500 and G700, the face is only part of the technology story. The body of the iron is maximized to flex along with the face to assist in energy transfer to the ball while also being built to provide a solid and pleasant feel. It’s one thing to offer more forgiveness, but if golfers don’t like the feel, all the effort is wasted.

The 5 Percent Factor: Ping has never shied away from providing quantitative values to back up how a product is better than a previous design. In the case of the G710, it offers a five percent boost in MOI compared to the previous G700, thanks to optimally placed tungsten heel and toe weights in the head. This further allows designers to actually shrink the head size while increasing forgiveness.

In-hand photos of 4, 7, PW in the forums.

Hydropearl stealth

The G710s come with a new hydropearl chrome finish with black PVD coating. The hydropearl makes the surface of the irons hydrophobic to improve performance through the turf and in wet conditions. The finishing process goes through two-stages to ensure durability.

If you were ever curious about the effectiveness of the hydropearl’s ability to increase spin in wet conditions, check out the independent test video from the team at TXG.

Newly engineered shafts

With the G710, Ping is introducing the Alta Distanza Black 40 graphite shaft. This proprietary Ping-designed shaft is a no-upcharge option in the G710 iron. The shaft is the lightest weight in the Ping shaft matrix and produces maximum trajectory available in a Ping iron shaft. A more active tip in the 43-gram shaft delivers higher trajectories and best matches golfers with slower swing speeds.

In-hand photos of 4, 7, PW in the forums.

Arccos sensors stock

Data is the most valuable asset to any golfer to help aid in improvement. From PGA Tour pros to weekend golfers, the more you know, the more you can systematically improve on weaknesses. Ping, along with Arccos, wants to help by offering Arccos sensors with each club.

The Arccos Caddie Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet is standard on every G710 iron and comes in three sizes. Along with the sensors, golfers who purchase G710s will also get a free 90-day trial of the app and eight additional screw-in sensors at no charge after the purchase of at least six G710 irons. (After the free 90-day trial the Arccos app is $99 annually)

Specs, pricing, and availability

The Ping G710’s come 4-PW with utility wedge and sand wedge also available to complete the set.

The stock steel shafts are Ping AWT 2.0 (R, S, X), while the stock graphite shafts are; Alta CB Red powered by AWT (SR, R, X), Alta Distanza Black 40, UST Recoil 760 ES SmacWrap (A), UST Recoil 780 ES SmacWrap (R, S)

Ping also offers a large array of aftermarket steel shaft options at no additional upcharge.

Ping G710 irons will retail for $175 per iron in steel and $190 per iron with graphite.

In-hand photos of 4, 7, PW in the forums.

Your Reaction?

LIKE215
LEGIT14
WOW22
LOL3
IDHT1
FLOP1
OB1
SHANK17

Equipment

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

Published

3 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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

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!

Your Reaction?