Golfspy_CG2 Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 The long awaited release from PING. PRESS RELEASE PING introduces Blueprint; forged blade iron PHOENIX (May 20, 2019): Focusing on the needs of highly skilled golfers who rely on pinpoint accuracy, PING introduced the Blueprint today, a forged-blade iron sized and shaped to ensure the workability and confidence required to play with score-lowering precision. The 8620 carbon steel iron is available for pre-order and custom fitting at authorized PING golf shops around the world beginning today. “As the name suggests, we’ve applied a Blueprint approach to the new irons,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “Every detail is extremely precise and carefully calculated. The resulting design is spectacular in every way for the elite player -- performance, feel and looks. It’s a true shot-maker’s iron crafted with precision, and for precision.” “With that in mind,” Solheim continued, “we know the Blueprint iron isn’t for everyone. We encourage golfers interested in the Blueprint to get fit and compare it to other PING iron designs to find the best solution for their game. To paraphrase the warning sign next to the first tee at Bethpage Black that we saw so often last week during the PGA Championship, ‘The Blueprint is an extremely difficult iron to play, which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.’ ” Workability, versatility Fully forged from 8620 carbon steel, the Blueprint’s small blade design appeals to the player who puts a premium on workability and trajectory control. Shorter blade lengths, less offset and narrow sole widths optimized to perform in all conditions give elite players an iron to attack any pin with confidence. A machined tungsten toe screw increases the MOI for additional forgiveness and combines with an internal heel weight to provide precise swing-weight tuning. “I put them in play immediately once they arrived,” said PING pro Tony Finau, the 15th–ranked player in the world. “They’re workable, incredibly versatile and feel great. There isn’t a single shot I can’t hit with them, which gives me a lot of confidence in pressure situations. The look at address is also perfect; the size and shape really fit my eye.” Tour inspired, Tour validated Based on requests from several PING professionals for a blade-style iron sized and shaped to deliver more control and workability, PING’s engineering team took a scientific, methodical approach to the development and design of the Blueprint iron. Through on-course observation sessions and conversations with the players about the shots they rely on to excel in competition, the engineers began the prototyping process to apply their learnings and gather additional feedback. After extensive in-house research with varying head sizes, the findings revealed the theory of “aim small, miss small” was validated by many of the highly skilled players in the test, who produced tighter stat areas when hitting the more compact head. That design was prototyped in limited quantities and released on tour nine months before the official introduction. “When we launched it on tour, a few players put it in play immediately and it wasn’t long before we had our first win,” continued Solheim. “Based on a lot of their input, we were able to deliver exactly what they were looking for while expanding our iron offerings into a new category. We’re very pleased with the development process we went through and are looking forward to applying our learnings to future PING products.” Four-step forging process A four-step, multi-stage process for the one-piece forging provides very tight dimensional tolerance control within the compact design. The high-strength, 8620 carbon steel increases the iron’s durability, ensuring long-lasting performance and quality. More than 50 steps in the manufacturing process, including machining the face and grooves, are 100% inspected. Pleasing sound and feel The choice of 8620 carbon steel combined with a head design that concentrates mass through the impact zone delivers a pleasing sound and feel. “The feel is amazing,” reports PING pro Louis Oosthuizen, who was the first player to put the new irons in his bag last fall and the first to win with them at the South African Open in December. “I love the feedback I get and how smoothly they go through the turf from any lie. They’re like no other iron I’ve ever hit. The Blueprint’s workability gives me the control to hit all the shots with the precision I need to win tournaments.” Blueprint Iron Specifications Manufacturing process: One-piece, four-step, multi-stage forging Materials/finish: 8620 carbon steel, tungsten toe/heel weights, hydropearl 2.0 finish Available: 2-9, PW, +- 2° lie angle Stock grip: Golf Pride MCC Align Black/White (Std., Mid) Optional grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 in six sizes (Blue -1/16", Red -1/32", Aqua -1/64", White Std., Gold +1/32", Orange +1/16"); Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord (upcharge) in two sizes (White Std., Gold +1/32”) Arccos Smart Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 (upcharge) in two sizes (White Std., Aqua -1/64") Stock shaft options: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), PING AWT 2.0 (R, S, X) Aftermarket shaft options (no upcharge): True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), True Temper Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Project X LZ (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5), True Temper XP95 (R300, S300), Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (S, X), KBS Tour (R, S, S+, X) U.S. MSRP: $230 per iron w/steel shaft (stock or aftermarket) ### PING and Blueprint are registered and unregistered trademarks of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. goaliewales14, downlowkey, JohnSmalls and 3 others 6 Quote G430 Max 10K TSiR1 15.0 Aldlia Ascent 60g TSR2 18.0 PX Aldila Ascent 6og TSi1 20 Aldila Ascent Shafts R T350 5-GW SteelFiber I80 SM10 48F/54M and58K S159 48S/52S/56W/60B Select 5.5 Flowback 35" ProV1 Play number 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejgaudette Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Great looking irons if only I had the game to even consider playing them but that is not the case. Interesting that the toe screw is for swing weight purposes only. Quote Epic Max LS 9° Ventus Blue 6X (2021 Official Review) | Epic Speed 18° Evenflow Riptide 70g 6.0 816 H1 21° Diamana S+ Blue 70 S | SMS 4-5/SMS Pro 6-PW Steelfiber i95 S (2023 Official Review) Glide 4.0 50°.12°S/54°.14°W/58°.6°T PING Z-Z115 Wedge Flex | SOFT 11S Super Stroke Mid-Slim 2.0 Hoofer Bag | Pro V1 | Right Handed | Tracked by V3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TR1PTIK Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 I'd certainly consider trying a combo set with the iBlade. You know, if I had the pockets for it.... $230 per club is definitely running a little steep, but darn those things look good!!! LoganT, JohnSmalls and PMookie 3 Quote Driver: ST190 9.5* Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S Fairway Wood: ST190 15* Fujikura Atmos Blue 6S Hybrid: CLK 17* Fujikura Speeder EVO HB Irons: J40 CB (3-PW) Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 Wedges: Milled Grind 2 54* & 58* Dynamic Gold S200 Putter: Tri-Hot 5k Two 34" Bag: Players 5 Stand Bag Ball: Maxfli Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shankster Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Price tag is dumb. Who else is selling blades for $230 a club? Looking at over 2k for a set.PXG effect is real, and only will get worse. Kansas King, JohnSmalls, PMookie and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wipierce Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 These clubs are beautiful! My pro and I had a conversation about potentially holding off on ordering the i210's for the Blueprint. After watching videos and reading reviews today I'm happy with placing the order for the i210's. Although I play well enough to probably game these, the added forgiveness with the i210's will be helpful when I only get out once per month.Sent using the MyGolfSpy mobile app Quote Driver: i20 8.5*, Project X Blue, stiff Fairway Woods: r9 3W 15*, r9 5W 19* Fujikura Motore 70 stiff Irons: i210's 4-UW Wedges: Glide 2.0 55* MD3 Milled S Grind 60* Putter: B60i Isopur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMookie Posted May 22, 2019 Share Posted May 22, 2019 Not sure I could play a piece of paper at the end of a shaft.... But they look nice, and the sound these made in Mark Crossfield’s review was incredible!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro JohnSmalls 1 Quote Driver: Ping G430 Max 9*, Ping Tour 70X Fairway: Ping G425 15*, Ping Tour 70X Hybrid: Ping G425 22*, Ping Tour 80X Irons: Ping i230 4-GW, TT DG X100 Wedges: SMS 50D/54V/58DModus 130 stiff, +1” Putter: EAS 1.0 Ball: Titleist 2023 AVX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sluggo42 Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Everyone from high to low seems to love em, but like the Shank says.. price point is dumb. Gimme a break eh? Kansas King 1 Quote TSr2 on tensi blue stiff Speedzone 3-wood on Tensi blue S Epic Max 5 and 7 woods on HZRDUS Reg flex Paradym 9 wood on HZRDUS reg flex P770 / P790 combo set on Ventus R-6 shafts 6-AW T22 Denim Copper 54°, 58° on Kinetic X Trajectory ER3 or, E.A.S. #4 (“Fang” or “Adele”) ProV1x, or, Maxfli Tour X .Org 14 cart bag Adidas Tour 360 , or Sketcher shoes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungkory Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 I think the price is a by product of how much labor goes into their forging process. I think I saw that all together it's like 18 steps to build one iron? Quote Driver: Rogue ST Max LS Tensei AV Blue S 3w/5w: TSi2 Tensei AV Raw Blue S 4h: CLK 22* Hybrid Tensei CK Pro Blue 80HY S Irons 5-PW: 223 Steelfiber PR 95 S Wedges: RTX Zipcore Tour Rack 50, 54, 58 Steelfiber PR 105 Putter: LAB Link.1 Ball: Z-Star Diamond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogginBullfish Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Yeah, $230 an iron is expensive. But you have to consider that Ping isn't expecting to sell many of these, and given how much effort goes into manufacturing them, I can't blame them for trying to make the product worth their while, otherwise there's no point to them even selling them to consumers.I might be wrong, but I seem to remember Ping always being on the high side when it came to price, even 10 or so years ago when $300 seemed like too much for a driver.Sent from my Pixel 2 using MyGolfSpy mobile app Quote DRIVER PXG 0811XF GEN4 (10.5°) FAIRWAY WOODS PXG 0341XF GEN4 (16°) HYBRIDS PXG 0317XF GEN4 (19°), PXG 0317X GEN4 (22°) IRONS PXG 0311T GEN3 (5 - 9) WEDGES TAYLORMADE MG3 (45°, 50°, 55° TW Grind, 60° TW Grind) PUTTER PXG BATTLE READY ONE & DONE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfertrb Posted May 24, 2019 Share Posted May 24, 2019 Budget Golf is taking pre-orders on the Blueprint irons - 8 irons $1,699.99 or $212.50 per club. Still quite pricey but better than $230. I've played a lot of Ping clubs through the years and they are typically priced quite well with a few notable exceptions. I very much see the competition between Ping and PXG. PXG stole away several of their design team and they have similarities in terms of some anesthetics at address and I agree with the thoughts of others in terms of the "PXG effect." The Blueprint irons are very much a departure for Ping but they are lovely and I would enjoy a Como set myself! With all the competition it is a great time to be a golfer and to wait until the next greatest thing comes out so we can buy what will be last year's "must have" at discounted prices haha.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Ping G400 LST 8.5* Graphite Design DI 6 stiff 45" Taylormade RBZ Proto 14.5* Oban Kiyoshi 85 04 42.5" Adams 4555 19* Matrix Ozik Altus 80 S/X 42" Ping G410 Crossover 2 Project X Even Flow Blue 85 6.0 40" Ping i500 4-8 Modus 105 Stiff Ping Blueprint 9-P Modus 105 Stiff Fourteen RM-12 53* and 58* Tour Issue Black Onyx s400 Odyssey Tour Black Series 9 35" Flatso 1.0 Srixon Z Star XV 2018 Ping Hoofer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryC Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I've tried the 7 iron at my local range the other day and they look increible - granted I thought it was a childs iron at first by how small it looked!! First shot, I managed to cream it out of the middle and thought sold! Next three shots I felt like I had broke my hands after evidently not hitting the middle! Stunning looking clubs though! cnosil 1 Quote Driver: TS2 (GD AD Tour) Wood: TSi3 3 Wood Driving Iron: P790 (Dynamic Gold) Irons: T100 5 - 9i (KBS C-Taper 130g x-stiff) Wedges: SM7 46, 50, 54, 58 Putter: Toulon Las Vegas with StrokeLab shaft/ 2021 SS28 Armlock Ball: TP5X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnosil Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Next three shots I felt like I had broke my hands after evidently not hitting the middle!My experience as well; feel great when struck in the center. Miss even a little and your hands will know. HarryC 1 Quote Driver: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven Fairway: TS3 15* w/Project X Hzardous Smoke Hybrids: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype 915H 24* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype Irons: TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite Wedge: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite Putter: Sacks Parente MC 3 Stripe Backup Putters: Milled Collection RSX 2, mFGP2, Futura 5W, TM-180 Member: MGS Hitsquad since 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryC Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 3 minutes ago, cnosil said: My experience as well; feel great when struck in the center. Miss even a little and your hands will know. Unfortunatley at my handicap my hands would be stinging all the way round an 18 cnosil 1 Quote Driver: TS2 (GD AD Tour) Wood: TSi3 3 Wood Driving Iron: P790 (Dynamic Gold) Irons: T100 5 - 9i (KBS C-Taper 130g x-stiff) Wedges: SM7 46, 50, 54, 58 Putter: Toulon Las Vegas with StrokeLab shaft/ 2021 SS28 Armlock Ball: TP5X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shankster Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Unfortunatley at my handicap my hands would be stinging all the way round an 18 Is it your iron ball striking that makes your handicap higher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryC Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Shankster said: Is it your iron ball striking that makes your handicap higher? Not really - it's mainly my course management and trying to overplay things which causes the biggest issue and I can be quite erratic with my arms from time to time. But I felt like I really had to hit the Blueprints well in order to not feel it in my hands (if that makes sense) Shankster 1 Quote Driver: TS2 (GD AD Tour) Wood: TSi3 3 Wood Driving Iron: P790 (Dynamic Gold) Irons: T100 5 - 9i (KBS C-Taper 130g x-stiff) Wedges: SM7 46, 50, 54, 58 Putter: Toulon Las Vegas with StrokeLab shaft/ 2021 SS28 Armlock Ball: TP5X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyBobby_PR Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Had the chance to swing these last week at a ping wood fitting while I was warming up. they look gorgeous...some of the best looking butter knives on the market. they definitely require a good and consistent swing. Like any blade they will punish you on misses. The sound on sweet foot contact is very soft and the feel (obviously will change slightly based on shaft) is what’s expected on good and bad hits. Quote Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4 Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120 Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60 Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1 Ball: Titleist Prov1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I hit these during my True Spec fitting. Loved them but I just kept catching everything fat with them. Extremely sharp leading edge and narrow sole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rtracymog Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 I was less than impressed with them when I hit them. They look good, but I thought they felt very harsh, especially for a “forged” club. I don’t have the game to do a full set, but for me, this wouldn’t be in my list of 3-4 blade irons that I would combo.Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy jinxianjun 1 Quote Cortex w/MGS Motore X F1 7X tipped 1" F5 17 degree hybrid w/Rogue Black 85X C300 Forged 3-5 w/C-Taper 130X FG Tour V6 5-6 w/C-Taper 130X Staff Model Blade 7-PW w/C-Taper 130X RTX4 52, 56, 60 w/S400 Tour Issue ER7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxianjun Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 I hit these along with the Wilson Staff blades yesterday at my local golf shop. I wasn’t extremely impressed. Really couldn’t get a feel for the head. It didn’t feel like a forged head to me. But I was hitting from a worn mat so take this with a grain of salt. I do look forward to trying it out more. Quote WITB 2019 Callaway Rogue SZ 9*, PX Evenflow White 6.5, 68g, Rogue SZ 15*, PX Evenflow White 6.5, 76g TM P790 3iron, PX 6.0, Titleist 690.MB 5-PW, PX 6.0 Cleveland RTX4 54* mid, S400, TM HITOE 58*, KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 115 Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Newport 2, 34" Titleist ProV1 Jones Golf Utility Stand Bag, Navy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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