Equipment
Today from the Forums: “Ping iBlade vs i210 irons – High spinning player’s club testing”
Today from the Forums, we take a look at a high spinning player’s club testing involving Ping’s iBlade and i210 irons. WRXer ‘MofoJones’ is a +3.5 handicap player looking for more forgiveness who tested with a 7-iron and ProV1x and had this to say on his club testing:
“I tested using 7 irons, lofts shown on each club. I used ProV1x for the testing and was limited in shaft combinations that were consistent among each product. I used DG 120 X-100 for every head except the Mizuno (DG 130g X-100, I know it’s a very different shaft).
I started to swing slower after the T100, so ball speeds drops are a little misleading. I had a lot more swings than just the screenshots I have provided; I tried other shafts with each model as well, just kept the #’s with the shaft that I could compare and contrast the easiest with.
The fitter said that he had noticed a good 500rpm increase in spin with the Ping heads in fits, so I tried them. Was shocked to see the numbers back up his findings. I was more amazed that the i210 spun higher than the other heads even with a degree less of loft (33*). Never knew something with such a chunky sole could feel so good off the face and with turf interaction. We should have deleted a couple of bad swings from the data to compare the clubs more equal for std deviations, my first swing after waiting for the clubs to be built with each of the ping heads was slow and not great; hence the bigger outliers for std deviation
Numbers at a glance:
- Mizuno MP-20 MMC (DG 130g X-100): 33* Loft (Bent up 1)
- Ballspeed: 130.8 (STD DEV. 1.3) Backspin: 5449 (STD DEV.197)
- Titleist T100: 34* Loft
- Ballspeed: 129.6 (STD DEV. 1.0) Backspin: 5500 (STD DEV.191)
- **Start swinging slower at this stage of testing**
- Ping iBlade: 34* Loft
- Ballspeed: 128.5 (STD DEV. 1.0) Backspin: 5933 (STD DEV.422)
- Ping i210: 33* Loft
- Ballspeed: 129.6 (STD DEV. 1.7) Backspin: 6344 (STD DEV.410)”
‘MofoJones’ asks WRXers for their opinions on both Ping’s iBlade and i210 irons, and our members have been sharing their thoughts on the clubs in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire thread and have your say at the link below.
- HighDrawsLowFades: “I’m a plus handicap and play the i210s. The short irons are actually my favorite part about them. Very consistent yardages and easy to flight etc. I even switched from a specialty wedge to the gap i210 because they’re so consistent. Good luck!”
- tets: “0 to plus handicap and I have gamed the iBlades … very solid clubs and much more forgiving than I had anticipated! To me, the i210s felt and looked chunky of tight firm fairways.”
- leftycabe: “I played both the iBlade and i210s and the i210s were superior in my mind. The only thing I did decide to change was I removed the GW and PW and went to the glide 3.0 wedges for them. Full shots were basically the same for both, but I found that around the greens I really preferred the glides because I like to play shots with an open club face and it just works better for me with a thinner sole.”
- Golf64: “The exact reason I bought 210s was the launch and spin numbers. Being a low launch and spin guy, the 210s were by far the best fit for me! And they are the softest cast club I have ever hit! Nice thing about these, a Pro can use them and a 15 capper!? Probably why Ping hasn’t replaced them yet, hard to beat!?”
- BoricuaGolf: “I play the iBlade, as you can see in my sig, I play all Ping, I’ve demoed the i200 and i210, in terms of feel, they are almost identical. But my numbers and overall performance is much better with the iBlade, I have a set of Callaway TA Prototypes (which I love), but the iBlades are much more forgiving. I don’t see them going anywhere anytime soon…just try out other clubs and stay with you think looks and performs best. Good luck.”
Entire Thread: “Ping iBlade vs i210 irons – High spinning player’s club testing”
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Whats in the Bag
WITB Time Machine: Danny Willett’s winning WITB, 2016 Masters
Driver: Callaway XR 16 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana W-Series 60 X
Length: 45.5 inches
3-wood: Callaway XR 16 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana W-Series 70X
5-wood: Callaway XR 16 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana W-Series 80X
Irons: Callaway Apex UT (2, 4), Callaway Apex Pro (5-9)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Superlite
Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy 2 (47-11 S-Grind) Callaway Mack Daddy 2 Tour Grind (54-11, 58-9)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Superlite
Putter: Odyssey Versa #1 Wide (WBW)
Lie angle: 71 degrees
Ball: Callaway Speed Regime SR-3
Check out more photos of Willett’s equipment from 2016 here.
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Equipment
Project X Denali Blue, Black shaft Review – Club Junkie Review
Originally, Project X was known for low-spin steel iron shafts. However, the company might now be known for wood shafts. Denali is the newest line of graphite shafts from Project X. With the Denali line, the company focuses on feel as well as performance.
There are two profiles in the Denali line, Blue and Black, to fit different launch windows. Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin profile for players who are looking for a little added launch and Denali Black is designed for low-launch and low-spin. Both models are going to offer you a smooth feel and accuracy.
For a full in-depth review check out the Club Junkie podcast on all podcast streaming platforms and on YouTube.
Project X Denali Blue
I typically fit better into mid-launch shafts, as I don’t hit a very high ball so the Denali Blue was the model I was more excited to try. Out of the box, the shaft looks great and from a distance, it is almost hard to tell the dark blue from the Denali Black. With a logo down install of the shaft, you don’t have anything to distract your eyes, just a clean look with the transition from the white and silver handle section to the dark navy mid and tip.
Out on the course, the Blue offers a very smooth feel that gives you a good kick at impact. The shaft loads easily and you can feel the slightly softer handle section compared to the HZRDUS lineup. This gives the shaft a really good feel of it loading on the transition to the downswing, and as your hands get to impact, the Denali Blue keeps going for a nice, strong kick.
Denali Blue is easy to square up at impact and even turn over to hit it straight or just little draws and most of the flex of the shaft feels like it happens right around where the paint changes from silver to blue. The Blue launches easily and produces what I consider a true mid-flight with the driver. While it is listed as mid-spin, I never noticed any type of rise in my drives. Drives that I didn’t hit perfectly were met with good stability and a ball that stayed online well.
Project X Denali Black
When you hold the Denali Black in your hands you can tell it is a more stout shaft compared to its Blue sibling by just trying to bend it. While the handle feels close to the Blue in terms of stiffness, you can tell the tip is much stiffer when you swing it.
Denali Black definitely takes a little more power to load it but the shaft is still smooth and doesn’t give you any harsh vibrations. Where the Blue kicks hard at impact, the Black holds on a little and feels like keeps you in control even on swings that you try and put a little extra effort into. The stiff tip section also makes it a little harder to square up at impact and for some players could take away a little of the draw from their shot.
Launch is lower and more penetrating compared to the Blue and produces a boring, flat trajectory. Shots into the wind don’t rise or spin up, proving that the spin stays down. Like its mid-launch sibling, the Black is very stable and mishits and keeps the ball on a straighter line. Shots low off the face don’t get very high up in the air, but the low spin properties get the ball out there farther than you would expect. For being such a stout shaft, the feel is very good, and the Denali Black does keep harsh vibrations from your hands.
Overall the Project X Denali Blue and Black are great additions to the line of popular wood shafts. If you are looking for good feel and solid performance the Denali line is worth trying out with your swing. Choose Blue for mid-launch and mid-spin or Black for lower launch and low spin.
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Equipment
What we know about Bryson DeChambeau’s 3D-printed Avoda irons
Bryson DeChambeau fired an opening-round 7-under 65 at Augusta National, hitting an impressive 15 of 18 greens in regulation in the process. Golf’s mad scientist’s play grabbed headlines and so too did his equipment. In place of the Ping i230 irons he had in the bag last week for LIV Golf’s Miami event, DeChambeau is gaming a prototype 5-PW set of irons from little-known direct-to-consumer manufacturer Avoda.
What is Avoda Golf?
Founded by Tom Bailey, also a Mike Schy student like Bryson DeChambeau, Avoda Golf is a direct-to-consumer golf equipment company that currently manufactures both single and variable-length irons in one model that are available for pre-order.
What irons is Bryson DeChambeau playing?
Per multiple reports, DeChambeau is playing a custom-designed set of single-length irons that incorporate bulge and roll into the face design. The two-piece 3D-printed irons were reportedly only approved for play by the USGA this week, according to Golfweek’s Adam Schupak.
Regarding the irons, DeChambeau told Golf Channel the irons’ performance on mishits was the determining factor in putting them in play this week. “When I mishit on the toe or the heel,” DeChambeau said. “It seems to fly a lot straighter for me and that’s what has allowed me to be more comfortable over the ball.”
What can we tell about the design of the clubs?
These days, it is a little hard to speculate on what is under the hood with so many hollow body irons. DeChambeau’s irons look to be hollow on the lower section as they do flare back a decent amount. That “muscle” on the back also looks to be fairly low on the iron head, but we can assume that is progressive through the set, moving up higher in the short irons.
A screw out on the toe is probably used to seal up the hollow cavity and used as a weight to dial in the swing weight of the club. From pictures, it is hard to tell but the sole looks to have a little curve from heel to toe while also having some sharper angles on them. A more boxy and sharper toe section looks to be the design that suits Bryson’s eye based on the irons he has gravitated toward recently.
What are bulge and roll, again?
Two types of curvature in a club face, traditionally incorporated only in wood design. Bulge is heel-toe curvature. Roll is crown-sole curvature. Both design elements are designed to mitigate gear effect on off-center strikes and produce shots that finish closer to the intended target line. (GolfTec has an excellent overview of bulge and roll with some handy GIFs for the visual learner)
What else is in DeChambeau’s bag?
Accompanying his traditional Sik putter, Bryson builds his set with a Ping Glide 4.0 wedges, a Krank Formula Fire driver and 5-wood, and a TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver, all with LA Golf graphite shafts.
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