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This is a full review of the PING G Series iron.
Featuring PING’s “revolutionary” COR-Eye Technology, the game-improvement G ironfocuses on maximum carry distance througha higher launch and hotter ball speeds across the face.
The G irons are a slimmer take on the bulkier game-improvement profile found on many of PING’sprevious iron models.
Does the G hold its own as a worthy game-improvement stick?Can low handicaps and professionals be successful with it? What are its strengths and weaknesses?
Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note:Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The Gironshavebeen received very well by customers and critics. For example, they have a perfect 5/5 average rating on Global Golf.
What People Like
- superb distance
- terrific ball speed forgiveness
- nice high non-ballooning trajectory
- consistent and playable
- premiumfeel through impact and through the turf
What People Don’t Like
- the naturally high ball flight of the G irons can prove a littletoo high for some golfers, especially strong swingers and high spinners
- thesole is a little too wide for some golfers’ tastes
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What are the features?
COR-Eye Technology
The G irons feature newCOR-Eye Technologythat“activates” the sole, top line and clubface to substantially increase face flex (four times as much as in the previous model G30 iron).
According to PING, the G iron is also more forgiving and stable than theG30.
Hyper 17-4 Alloy
The G irons have undergone a specialized heat treating process to create a Hyper 17-4 alloy that is 40% stronger than traditional 17-4 stainless steel; this allows the face to be made thinner by 32% while maintaining strength, resulting in faster ball speeds, higher trajectories, more carry, more distance and better stopping power into the greens.
Custom Tuning Port
The Custom Tuning Port (CTP), which is connected to the sole, helps move the center of gravity (CG) farther back to increase launch angle and increase moment of inertia (MOI) for greater forgiveness and accuracy.
Multi-Material Damping Badge
The multi-material damping badge joined to the cavity, combined with the COR-Eye Technology, is said to contribute to greatly improved sound and feel.
The visual aspects of the G irons are discussed in more detail later in the review, so be sure to check that out.
Stock Info
The G irons come stock with PING’s proprietary Ascending Weight Technology (AWT) 2.0 steel shaft (R, S, X flexes), said to produce an “optimal combination of physics and feel”.
The weight of this shaft progresses through the set; specifically, they get lighter as you move from the short irons to the long irons.
In the case of the long irons, the relative light weight issaid to help square the clubface at impact for more distance and accuracy. In the case of the short irons, the heavier shaft weight is said to improve touch/feel andball flight control.
Other available stock shafts are the CFS Graphite and theladies TFC 80I. Available stock grips include the PING 5L and PING 5L Cord.
Full details and specs on stock shafts and grips can be found on the PING website.The specs of the G irons are displayed below:
Name | Loft | Length | Offset | Lie | Bounce Width | Swing Weight | Hand |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 21° | 38.88" | 0.29" | 60.56° | 0.59" | D0 | RH/LH |
5 | 24° | 38.25" | 0.26" | 61.50° | 0.62" | D0 | RH/LH |
6 | 27° | 37.63" | 0.23" | 62.44° | 0.65" | D0 | RH/LH |
7 | 30.5° | 37" | 0.20" | 63.38° | 0.66" | D0 | RH/LH |
8 | 35° | 36.5" | 0.18" | 64.13° | 0.66" | D0 | RH/LH |
9 | 40° | 36" | 0.16" | 64.88° | 0.66" | D0 | RH/LH |
PW | 45° | 35.5" | 0.14" | 65.50° | 0.66" | D2 | RH/LH |
UW | 50° | 35.5" | 0.12" | 65.50° | 0.66" | D2 | RH/LH |
SW | 54° | 35.25" | 0.10" | 65.75° | 0.66" | D3 | RH/LH |
LW | 58° | 35" | 0.08" | 66.00° | 0.65" | D4 | RH/LH |
How do these irons perform?
Distance
The G irons arelong, and not only are they long, but they land more softly than many other “distance” irons on the market which makes for wonderful scoring potential.
On an absolute scale, they’re not the longest irons in existence, but they’re plenty long (and then some) for all but the most distance-obsessed.
The G irons also overcome what seems to be the Achilles heel for so many game-improvement irons these days: ball speed forgiveness on heel and toe strikes. Overall ball speed preservation across the face is excellent, but that’s not even where the story ends.
Forgiveness
Among the best in the game-improvement category. The G irons are easy to hit and they tend to fly straight with minimal loss in ball speed on mis-hits.
One of the things that impressed methe most during my test was the tendency of the G irons to save severe heel and toe misses, whether it’d be keeping them in the fairway or away from thick rough to the right of the green.
This is likely due to the positioning of the CTP and resulting high MOI along with the “flexibility” of the face.
Ball Flight/Playability
Typical ball flightswith the G irons are straight and relatively high with a steep landing angle conducive to landing and holding greens.
Shots can be shaped to a degree by competent players but, unsurprisingly,they’re not as workable as more compact better-playerirons might be.
The wide sole makes it easy to scoop clean shots out of the rough and fairway bunkers.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
At address, the iron has a fairly standard game-improvement look with a good amount ofoffset and a satin-blast finish. The back of the iron has a sharp badge aestheticwith a blue/black/gray colour scheme encircledby a chrome finish.
The top line is slightly thinner than that of the G30 and quite a bit thinner than that of the GMax, while the sole is slightly wider than that of the G30 as part of the deep-CG design.
All in all, the G iron inspires plenty of confidence at address without looking overly chunky.
The Sound & Feel
The G irons, which feel a little less sharp at impact compared with the G30, produce a solid, hot, dampened “click”across a large area of the face. Mis-hits don’t feel terrible by any means (they feel quite good in fact) but do tend to feel less hot than center strikes.
While hit feedback seems to lack a littleboth audibly and visually, golfers can generally feel their misses which bodes well for isolating and attempting to correct swing flaws.
Overall, sound/feellives up to and arguably even surpasses what we’ve come to expect from PING irons in this class.
Where should you buy these irons online?
Years later, it can be difficult to find the G Series irons in new condition.
Regardless, you can find some fantastic deals from trustworthy and reputable sellers on eBay, but just be aware of their policies. If you look through the search results, you can find plenty of listings for both new and used G irons.
What’s great about eBay is that you’re completely protected by their Money Back Guarantee.
Alternatively, Global Golf still has some of these irons in stock. You should grab some before they’re gone. Check and see what coupon codes they’re running here.
If you aren’t sure which dot colour is right for you, you can do the following: measure both your height and the distance from the ground to your wrist when standing naturally, and then match these two measurements to a PING colour code chart to find a lie setting that works for you.
Conclusion
Rating:4.9/5 (Outstanding)
Classification:Game-Improvement
Best suitedfor:Mid-to-high handicappers looking for a higher trajectory, top forgiveness, and otherwise great all-around performance.
Pros
- long without sacrificing height
- very accurate and reliable for every shot
- dependable and playable out of a variety of lies
- easy to hit and get the ball up in the air
- fantastic ball speed and directional forgiveness on off-center strikes
- very satisfying PING feel
Cons
- some would like a little more workability
- trajectory may be too high for natural high-hitters
- mis-hit feedback is questionable
The G Series ironisaterrific game-improvement offering from PING. Itimproves upon the previous model G30 is many ways and continues the delivery of the quality performance that PING has come to be known for.
If game-improvement irons are your thing and you’re a fan of the PING brand, these head-turners are a must-try.
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If you have any thoughts or questions about the PING G irons, go ahead and leave a comment below!