2018 Official Forum Member Review - PING i210 Irons

[Angry Yeti]

Some great stage 1 posts so far. Consider me sufficiently stoked for stage two and seeing if these perform as nicely as they look.

[russtopherb]

Lot of lefties in this round of reviews. These would be a little more my style vs the i500s so I'm curious to see how everyone makes out. 

[MattF]

Great start all. I really like the intro posts to learn more about you fellas.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Lot of lefties in this round of reviews. These would be a little more my style vs the i500s so I'm curious to see how everyone makes out. 

Always nice to have a few more lefties on board.
I have to admit I'm very happy I picked the i210, however after seeing the i500 stage ones I'm a tiny bit jealous.

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[B81Smith]

After seeing both sets in person over the weekend I can say both have a players iron look. Regardless of tech built in and who they’re made for, both fit my eye and trust me the only irons that fit my eye are players irons. I’m not a fan of blades because I like a little forgiveness not saying they don’t look good.
I just think it’s stupid to play them unless you can wear a penny sized spot in the face of your 6,7,8,9 and pw in 1 season. I was able to accomplish this in two seasons but i still consider myself not good enough to play them. If you can’t then you’re wasting shots, time, effort and you’re not good enough to game muscle back blades.

These offerings from ping are amazing on what they claim they can do. I can’t wait until next year when maybe I can get a set on sale or maybe slightly used. I’ve had the same irons now since 2005 when I got them for graduating from college.


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[GolfSpy_APH]

Although I'm sure most of us testers are well along in stage 2 is there anything from anyone out there that they would like to see us cover or test while we are going through the paces?
We only have another few weeks left of golf here in Halifax so trying to make the most of the shorter days and dry days we have left!

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[russtopherb]

9 hours ago, Danbrook said:

Although I'm sure most of us testers are well along in stage 2 is there anything from anyone out there that they would like to see us cover or test while we are going through the paces?
We only have another few weeks left of golf here in Halifax so trying to make the most of the shorter days and dry days we have left!

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Scoring iron height & stopping power is always a big thing for me with irons. I tend to hit a lower ball which can be a problem when I'm trying to hold a green. so whenever there's an iron review, that's one area I'm always interested in. Especially if you can hit some side by side shots with the same club from the i210s and your current gamers to see how they perform. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Scoring iron height & stopping power is always a big thing for me with irons. I tend to hit a lower ball which can be a problem when I'm trying to hold a green. so whenever there's an iron review, that's one area I'm always interested in. Especially if you can hit some side by side shots with the same club from the i210s and your current gamers to see how they perform. 

Sure thing! What irons are you currently using?
That is something I also was concerned with and have done a lot of work and will touch on in stage 2!

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[GolfSpy_APH]

These will be the irons I compare with. I am also going to attempt at getting my brother in law's jpx ex forged for a range session to help with some "forged" feel comparisons.

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[russtopherb]

23 hours ago, Danbrook said:

Sure thing! What irons are you currently using?
That is something I also was concerned with and have done a lot of work and will touch on in stage 2!

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Currently have the Wilson/Staff D300s in the bag. Many thanks!!

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 hours ago, russtopherb said:

Currently have the Wilson/Staff D300s in the bag. Many thanks!!

The i210 compared to the d300s won’t be an apples to apples comparison. I210 per ping is a distance precision based club where d300 is designed for distance.  Not sure i500 would be a direct comparison but would be a lot closer.

in my testing with the i210 I see very similar stopping power to pxg 0311t, 716/718 CB. The p790 had a little less stopping power where I would see a few feet of roll out in the 4-6i...p790 would be a direct comparison to i500 

[Golfspy_CG2]

On 10/8/2018 at 12:01 AM, txgolfjunkie said:

Many thanks to Ping and MyGolfSpy for this opportunity. This is going to be a great test for me and hopefully some folks enjoy these reviews as much as I’ve enjoyed others on this site. If you don’t want to read the long version, skip down to the end for the tl;dr summary.

Let’s get things going with a few of my favorite quotes to live by:

‘Oh, who the f*** are you?!?’ – The Who

Well to start things off, I’m Shane, 37, and I’ve been enjoying this game for about 26 years. My dad introduced me to this glorious journey of fairways and greens when I was in elementary school and it’s been a love affair that has only gotten stronger over time. I played for a local junior college (McLennan) and had a great time admiring the competition in the JuCo ranks, but didn’t really enjoy the game until I graduated from Baylor. I was reared in Waco until 2005 when I moved down to the Houston area solely for the 11 month golf season…and jobs in the oil industry. I currently play close to a scratch and truthfully some of my best golf has come after the birth of my son. Back in the spring, I had a streak of 6 consecutive sub-par rounds only to be broken by a bad swing flaw that has sent the scores back up into the mid-70s. My smoking hot wife knows that if she wants a happy husband, a two-hour practice session or a quick 18 will bring her a tasty meal, a back rub and all the cuddle time she wants afterwards. My son is only 10 months-old but his future will be caddying for his old man until he decides if he enjoys the game as much as I do.

‘What’s love got to do with it?’ – Tina Turner

Outside of God and my family, golf is next in line for things I love the most. It’s an unhealthy relationship according to my wife. There’s a lot of time and effort on my end, but there are times I don’t get the same in return. I’m super needy, I need to over-analyze everything from driver angle of attack to putter grip weight and I love to tinker. My dream after I win the lotto is to buy a 12 acre tract of land, build a modest house with a big indoor golf facility and then design my own short course so I can make my friends jealous of my playground.

‘Just how big a boy are you?’ – Roy D Mercer

I’m a stout, broad-shoulder fella with a hard-loading swing that only has one speed: fast. I’ll hit touch shots with short irons and wedges, but if I’m between clubs, you damn well better believe I’m going with the shorter club and swinging for the fences. I’m a high launch/high spin player thanks to my steep angle of attack. My scores are the lowest when the fade is working but as soon as the pull-draw finds its way into my clubs, I quickly go into survival mode. Not quite Bear Grylls ‘drink your own pee’ mode, but punch-outs and up-and-downs will soon be prevalent. My putting is perfectly average for a scratch, my driver is usually good for 2 out of 3 fairways hit, my long irons never do what they’re told, and my mental approach to the game is my strongest aspect.

Here's a full send with the driver:

And a more controlled short iron attack:

 

‘What in the world is in that BAG, what you got in that bag? – Ludacris

The weapons of mass destruction are as follows:

Carry yards based on GC Quad session on Sept 3^rd with TM TP5X golf balls:

Driver: ’17 TM M2 w/ Oban Kiyoshi 65X tipped ½” playing at 44.5”. Carry: 287y  

3W:       Cobra F7+ 14.5* w/ HZRDUS Black 75 6.5.  Carry: 260y

Hybrid: Cobra F8 19* w/ HZRDUS Black 85 6.5. Carry: 240y

Irons:    Bridgestone J15CB w/ KBS C- Taper S+. Ping ID-8 grips – Yellow +2 wraps

4i (22.5*): 207y

5i (25*): 200y

6i (28*): 191y

7i (32*): 181y

8i (36*): 165y

9i (41*): 148y

PW (46*): 133y

Wedge: Callaway MD Forged 52*: 109y

              Callaway MD3 58* C Grind: 72y

              Cobra Tour Trusty 62*: 58y

Putter: Piretti Bosa 35” w/ SS Slim 3.0

I’ll say this about the Bridgestones, I absolutely love the feel these irons bring to my game. I wasn’t fit for these irons but through years of tinkering and sampling, I was drawn to these by the classic shape, the grind and the fact that they were Endo forged. These irons remind me of the Miuras I played a few years ago. Very smooth at impact. Great swings equal great shots and bad swings are punished with these irons. These originally came with Dynamic Gold X100 but I recently changed to KBS C-Tapers S+ and really enjoyed the change in ball flight (higher), spin (lower) and dispersion. All of this joy has come dropped a few notches over the summer as the yardage gaps on the long irons and the PW to the 52* have come into play. The occasional slight pull has also dropped my GIR percentage. My short and mid irons are my favorite to hit with the consistent flight and carry distance. My 4i is probably the weakest club in the bag. I consistently over-estimate the carry yardage of the club. Even with the TP5X, the 4i spin is north of 5300rpm with a launch of 16*.

If the Ping i210s can provide me with the same short iron consistency and proper long iron gapping, then it will be an easy decision to send the Bridgestones off to a new home. Kor.A.Door, did you read that?!? More of my stuff possibly heading to the BST. Get your PayPal warmed up.

The day of arrival:

I rarely check my front porch camera unless I’m getting a golf related item delivered. The delivery of the i210s was no different. FedEx usually arrives around 1:30pm but ol Janet was running late. Here she is delivering the goods at 2:12pm:

Specs:   Ping i210 ** 4-GW w/ DG X100 +.5” Green Dot (2* up) ** Golf Pride Yellow + 2 Wraps

There's a lot of golf on the horizon as the Houston golf season doesn't end until mid-January. These Pings are a serious contender to oust the Bridgestones but we'll save that for Stage 2! 

 

Here's the Too Long; Didn't Read summary:

·       37, married, one kid with many more to come. Live just north of Houston, TX. Work for large oil company, but still find time for practice and playing.

·       Played golf for over 25 years. Played JUCO ranks and now just really enjoy the game. Love to tinker.

·       Current hdcp right around scratch. Swing is hard loading, quick tempo, fast…think caveman killing dinner. Ball striking has always been a strong suit of my game. I play my best when the ball flight is a high, soft fade.

·       Current irons: Bridgestone J15 CB with KBS S+ shafts. +.5” and 2* upright.

·       B-stone Pros: Great feel, very smooth. Love the ball flight and performance in windy conditions. No issues with grind. Love the compact look.

·       B-stone Cons: Shafts starting to give me inconsistent yardages. If I pull a shot, the carry distance increases by 7-9 yds. Yardage gaps are really big in short irons (15-20 yds) and really short in long irons (7-9 yds) despite getting lofts/lies checked frequently.

·       What I’m looking for: Consistent yardage gaps and ball flight. See my GIR % improve from the fairway.

Great stuff Shane, I really enjoyed that.   That driver swing was over before it started it seemed....man that's a quick tempo.   

[russtopherb]

8 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The i210 compared to the d300s won’t be an apples to apples comparison. I210 per ping is a distance precision based club where d300 is designed for distance.  Not sure i500 would be a direct comparison but would be a lot closer.

in my testing with the i210 I see very similar stopping power to pxg 0311t, 716/718 CB. The p790 had a little less stopping power where I would see a few feet of roll out in the 4-6i...p790 would be a direct comparison to i500 

I never said they would be an apples to apples comparison. I said that I liked reading the testers talk about height and stopping power vs THEIR gamers... not mine

[GB13]

Can any of y'all give a comparison to the original I200's?

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, russtopherb said:

I never said they would be an apples to apples comparison. I said that I liked reading the testers talk about height and stopping power vs THEIR gamers... not mine

Gotcha. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, GB13 said:

Can any of y'all give a comparison to the original I200's?

Better imo in every aspect

[Reesedw]

great stage 1's. Keep it coming, can't wit to read stage 2's as they come in.. 

[Nunfa0]

Love the stage ones guys, I am going to enjoy your journeys with these clubs. I am looking forward to seeing how the flight, spin and yardages compare to your current gamers

Oh and I love how so many lefties are getting tests

[goaliewales14]

I know it was mentioned a few comments ago, but I'm interested in how you feel about a "players" iron not being forged.  Is it soft enough to the point you don't think it needs to be? 

Also how are the mishits?  Are you seeing a lot of distance drop off with them?

[RickyBobby_PR]

9 minutes ago, goaliewales14 said:

I know it was mentioned a few comments ago, but I'm interested in how you feel about a "players" iron not being forged.  Is it soft enough to the point you don't think it needs to be? 

Also how are the mishits?  Are you seeing a lot of distance drop off with them?

 I’m sure many will touch on these questions in stage 2, I know I will be so not to spoil those updates here’s my thoughts 

For me ping delivers on their claim of feel

mishits produce the expected results from this type of club and with many clubs there is a difference in distances with mishits and god strikes 

[GolfSpy_APH]

 I’m sure many will touch on these questions in stage 2, I know I will be so not to spoil those updates here’s my thoughts 
For me ping delivers on their claim of feel
mishits produce the expected results from this type of club and with many clubs there is a difference in distances with mishits and god strikes 

I'll second that. I will certainly be diving more into in stage 2.

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[GolfSpy_APH]

A little preview for stage 2 which on this wonderful rainy day is being written and worked on!

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[GolfSpy_APH]

Had what will likely be the last round of the season and was able to finalize any thoughts with the i210. Now to finish writing it all up.

Very busy week with moving into a new home Friday and preparing for a work trip to Finalnd at the beginning of November. Here are some pictures to get everyone a little more excited as well!

However if there are any final questions or anything you'd like me to touch base on on the review let me know!

Oh and demo sale at the local shop Thursday morning at 8am can't forget about that!


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[Kanoito]

Love that shot of the course, Dan! Stunning!

[GolfSpy_APH]

Love that shot of the course, Dan! Stunning!

Thanks! It's a great little par 3/4 course. Stays open year round as long as there is no snow or frost.
Greens are tiny! But roll really well. Anyway great spot for testing irons as the longest hole is 320 and they have a ton of different distances to hit from.

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[SteddyGolf]

On 10/12/2018 at 4:30 PM, GB13 said:

Can any of y'all give a comparison to the original I200's?

I've never hit the i200 but I do have a set of i25s.  The i210s are larger by approximately 1/4 inch longer and maybe an 1/8 of an inch taller than the i25.  If I am honest I prefer the performance of the i25s.  If you are in the market for new irons and already own the i200s or i25s I recommend you not trade for the i210.  If you have another brand or older model PING then strong consideration should be given to the i210 irons.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, SteddyGolf said:

I've never hit the i200 but I do have a set of i25s.  The i210s are larger by approximately 1/4 inch longer and maybe an 1/8 of an inch taller than the i25.  If I am honest I prefer the performance of the i25s.  If you are in the market for new irons and already own the i200s or i25s I recommend you not trade for the i210.  If you have another brand or older model PING then strong consideration should be given to the i210 irons.  

Goes to show how clubs can be different for everyone. I thought the i25 was a bad release from the i20 and went away from ping at that point. The ie1 were an improvement on the i25 but not as good as the i20. Like the i25 I though the i200 failed on improving from the ie1.  I think the i210 are back where the i20 left off in looks, feel and performance. 

[GolfSpy_APH]

I didn't use the i200 a whole lot other then a few hits at a demo day. But they didn't seem to be a massive upgrade of my e1.
It's a long line of irons and I'm sure everyone has had their favorites over the years.

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[SteddyGolf]

Goes to show how clubs can be different for everyone. I thought the i25 was a bad release from the i20 and went away from ping at that point. The ie1 were an improvement on the i25 but not as good as the i20. Like the i25 I though the i200 failed on improving from the ie1.  I think the i210 are back where the i20 left off in looks, feel and performance. 

You are so so right. How many times have you hit a friend’s clubs and found them to be garbage in your hands even though that person raved about them? To many to count would be my answer. I think often we all fail to look at the complete package in terms of shaft, grip and fitting. It makes a world of difference if you have the right combination.

During my review of the i210 I took the i25s out to the course with me. Every time I hit an iron I hit two balls; one with each model. The i25s one the match by a whopping two strokes . My i25 have the Ping model CFC shafts while the i210s were fitted with XP 95s. I think there I’m lies the difference.


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[RickyBobby_PR]

28 minutes ago, SteddyGolf said:

 

 

You are so so right. How many times have you hit a friend’s clubs and found them to be garbage in your hands even though that person raved about them? To many to count would be my answer. I think often we all fail to look at the complete package in terms of shaft, grip and fitting. It makes a world of difference if you have the right combination.

During my review of the i210 I took the i25s out to the course with me. Every time I hit an iron I hit two balls; one with each model. The i25s one the match by a whopping two strokes . My i25 have the Ping model CFC shafts while the i210s were fitted with XP 95s. I think there I’m lies the difference.


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A little difference in shafts but having hit both not sure they vary performance much

i had a conversation with three people today about the grips on mine. While I have no issue with the midsize that Ping got tool recommended and as noted above I’m a fan if the i210s (was before the review started as I tested them several times) I am curious to se how the feel in hand would change abd if I would see any change in performance. 

Golf and golf equipment is fun