Ping i25 Irons Player Staff Review
28 Mar 2015
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The 17-4 stainless steel i25 irons deliver forgiveness
and distance to inspire confident shot making.
by Alan Alsheimer, Jr. - AmateurGolf.com Player
Staff
Having considered myself a traditionalist
growing up playing Hogan Apex blades in the
late 1980s, the golf scene became radicalized
by the popularity of the Ping Eye2 and later,
the Ping Eye2+. I went as far as playing
graphite-shafted Ping ZING 2’s in college and
never looked back. Performance, engineering
and pushing the boundaries of equipment
became Ping’s trademark. In fact they will
only release new model updates when they
truly believe they have improved upon their
previous offering. The i25 irons are the latest
in that long lineage.
Ping’s design team, led by Marty
Jertson, set out to improve upon their highly
successful and tour validated i20 irons.
Improved workability. Even greater
forgiveness. Distance control in a cast iron.
Higher launching long irons, almost hybrid-like
in performance, without higher spin. The i25 is
an “every man’s” iron, played by top touring
professionals, elite amateurs and even high
handicappers.
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The
custom tuning port sits lower in the head,
optimizing feel and trajectory control.
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“Golfers of all levels will achieve higher
ball speeds, more distance and greater height
with less spin from the 7-iron on down”,
Jertson said.
The scoring irons at address closely
resemble the S-Series (s55) with shorter
blade lengths and narrower soles. The longer
irons, while freakishly forgiving, maintain
enough of a players look to appeal to those
who play the game for a living. In the bag, the
satin “foggy chrome” look is stunning. Ping
has really nailed it here - glare free - and
very scratch resistant. The soles of the irons
shouldn’t be overlooked; They allow for
maximum playability from all types of lies.
Compared to their tour-leading blade offering
(s55), the i25’s feel less “clicky” and even a
tad bit softer. The long irons do have a thicker
top line, but the performance of the iron
quickly makes up for any lack of visual
appeal.
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The
foggy chrome finish and clean cavity design
on the i25 irons creates visual appeal.
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Having been a frequent “tinkerer” of
equipment, I have tried various blade and
cavity back forged offerings over the past few
years. The recent trend in the game has been
towards technology you can experience but
not see, with hidden cavities, speed slots, and
spring-like effects transferred from metal
wood designs into more top irons. Ping has
packed a ton of technology into this iron,
while maintaining their tour-inspired clean
looks. From the CTP (custom tuning port) in
the cavity, the tungsten plug in the toe
(something Ping introduced before any other
OEM), right down to the spacing of the
stability bars which create a livelier face. This
iron screams performance. It looks traditional,
falling in the players Iron category, yet gives
you everything needed to turn your good shots
into great shots. And don’t forget about feel.
Having tried the 2013 Anser Forged, I found
these to feel slightly better. When you
combine all the attributes of this iron, the only
thing keeping it from being labeled the best
iron ever made may just be the fact that it’s
cast and not forged.