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2019 Official Forum Member Review-Ping G410 irons


StrokerAce

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Just saw on Golfwrx they rated the PING g410 irons as one of: 
The easiest to launch
&
Best for pure enjoyment

I don’t know if I’d go that far but definitely a decent stick.


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Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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7 hours ago, Rickp said:


I don’t know if I’d go that far but definitely a decent stick.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Hi Rick, I’m thinking about putting together a second bag I can leave up on Long Island.

I’m trying to decide between the 410s and the Mizuno 919 hot metals. I saw your post when you compared your 900 HMs to the 410s, and you said carry was about the same, the Pings rolled out a little more.

Im leaning Mizuno because of the slightly smaller profile, but especially because at the same exact price they have no upcharge for their shaft and grip options. With Recoil shafts and MCC plus 4 grips, that’s about a $300 savings for a 7 club 5-GW setup with the HMs

i’m also assuming? the newer 919 hm might be a little longer then the 900s. That said, I’ve had success with the G series irons in the past, and haven’t hit a non forged Mizuno iron. Years ago I had a set of MX20 irons which I loved.

After all that prelude, my question is given the price difference, if you weren’t a tester and just walked into a store and hit the 410s, would you have considered trading in your 900s for them, or left well enough alone?

Also if you were trying the two for the first time would you have paid the extra $300 for the Pings or gone with Mizuno? 

Driver:          :ping-small: G425 Max 10.5*

Fairway:      :ping-small: G425 Max 14*5* & 17.5*

Hybrids:      :ping-small: G425 Max 22* & 26*

Irons:           :callaway-small: Apex DCB 6-AW

Wedges:      :callaway-small: Jaws Raw Face 54-10

                      :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore 58-6

Putter:         :EVNROLL:  ER7  34”

                      

                      

 

 

             

             

 

 

 

 

 

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Rick, I’m thinking about putting together a second bag I can leave up on Long Island.
I’m trying to decide between the 410s and the Mizuno 919 hot metals. I saw your post when you compared your 900 HMs to the 410s, and you said carry was about the same, the Pings rolled out a little more.
Im leaning Mizuno because of the slightly smaller profile, but especially because at the same exact price they have no upcharge for their shaft and grip options. With Recoil shafts and MCC plus 4 grips, that’s about a $300 savings for a 7 club 5-GW setup with the HMs
i’m also assuming? the newer 919 hm might be a little longer then the 900s. That said, I’ve had success with the G series irons in the past, and haven’t hit a non forged Mizuno iron. Years ago I had a set of MX20 irons which I loved.
After all that prelude, my question is given the price difference, if you weren’t a tester and just walked into a store and hit the 410s, would you have considered trading in your 900s for them, or left well enough alone?
Also if you were trying the two for the first time would you have paid the extra $300 for the Pings or gone with Mizuno? 

PM


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Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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8 hours ago, Grand Stranded said:

 

After all that prelude, my question is given the price difference, if you weren’t a tester and just walked into a store and hit the 410s, would you have considered trading in your 900s for them, or left well enough alone?

 

Off the rack, I would have walked away from the PING's.  It took me multiple rounds to start to like these.  I have the Mizuno 900 forged and based on feel alone, the PING's don't do it for me.

   Driver:  :callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub Zero Hzdrs Smoke x flex 70g

3 Wood:  :titelist-small: 917 w/ Diamana Whiteboard stiff

5 Wood : :callaway-small: Epic Flash 18* Hzdrs Smoke stiff

4 Hybrid: image.png.cf6ab25979c6727ff31e6cc6f719636c.png TSi3 Hzdrs Smoke X flex

     Irons:  :callaway-small: 5-7  Apex forged 19 w/ Modus 120 X

                         9-A Apex Pro 19 w/ Modus 120 X

Wedges:  :callaway-small: MD5 52&56 Jaws Dynamic Gold wedge flex

    Putter: :titelist-small: Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 34"

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10 hours ago, Grand Stranded said:

After all that prelude, my question is given the price difference, if you weren’t a tester and just walked into a store and hit the 410s, would you have considered trading in your 900s for them, or left well enough alone?

 

2 hours ago, ballplayer002003 said:

Off the rack, I would have walked away from the PING's.  It took me multiple rounds to start to like these.  I have the Mizuno 900 forged and based on feel alone, the PING's don't do it for me.

I think I'm with ballplayer here. It has taken multiple rounds (like it normally should) to get used to the feel and performance of the new set. Right off the rack I didn't like the look of the increased offset in the longer irons, on the course though, I've hit them straight. I also winced a bit standing over the wedges the first time just due to the bulk of the clubhead. 

If you are accustomed to and comfortable playing an iron like the 919 (especially forged), the 410s are going to feel like a step back for you. Feel and feedback for sure are more muted than the forged Mizunos or Hogans I've compared to. 

All that to answer your actual question - probably would have kept my Mizunos based on the cost of changing the shafts.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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There have been lots of comments on the sound and feel of the G410 irons. I'll expand on the idea a little more in my full review (pending soon) but here's what I've noticed so far. With sound and feel, the less you get of either the better the strike. The pure/flush shots I've hit so far have felt like I hardly hit anything and made hardly any sound at all.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Not to belabor the point I think we’re 3 for 3 on the Pings.


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Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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On 12/2/2019 at 1:14 PM, ballplayer002003 said:

Ok gang, here we go.  I am trying something a bit different.  I took my trusty cell phone with me and made videos of each section for my review.  I know some people don't want to read paragraph after paragraph.  Now, I am no YouTube star so forgive me.  I did not retake any of the videos and no animals were harmed in the making of these videos.  Hope you like them...if not, I hope you shank your next drive into the woods.  haha

LOOKS:

 

SOUND AND FEEL:

 

 

PERFORMANCE:  

 

 

 

ON COURSE PERFORMANCE:  (I call you all schmucks in this, sorry, this is just used as a general term for all of us)

 

 

Miscellaneous:  

 

 

PLAY THEM OR TRADE THEM:  

 

 

SUMMARY: 

 

 

Really great stuff there Ballplayer!  True to the mission of MGS you gave honest and fair feedback on the subjective things, but then said those can be overlooked when the number/results/data is in, they perform and will help you and other Schmucks shoot better scores!   

That's what it's all about.  

:ping-small: G430 Max 10K 

:titelist-small: TSiR1 15.0 Aldlia Ascent 60g

:titelist-small: TSR2 18.0 PX Aldila Ascent 6og

:titelist-small: TSi1 20 Aldila Ascent Shafts R

:titelist-small: T350 5-GW SteelFiber I80 

:titelist-small: SM10 48F/54M and58K

:ping-small: S159 48S/52S/56W/60B

:scotty-cameron-1: Select 5.5 Flowback 35" 

:titelist-small: ProV1  Play number 12

 

 

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16 hours ago, Grand Stranded said:

Hi Rick, I’m thinking about putting together a second bag I can leave up on Long Island.

I’m trying to decide between the 410s and the Mizuno 919 hot metals. I saw your post when you compared your 900 HMs to the 410s, and you said carry was about the same, the Pings rolled out a little more.

Im leaning Mizuno because of the slightly smaller profile, but especially because at the same exact price they have no upcharge for their shaft and grip options. With Recoil shafts and MCC plus 4 grips, that’s about a $300 savings for a 7 club 5-GW setup with the HMs

i’m also assuming? the newer 919 hm might be a little longer then the 900s. That said, I’ve had success with the G series irons in the past, and haven’t hit a non forged Mizuno iron. Years ago I had a set of MX20 irons which I loved.

After all that prelude, my question is given the price difference, if you weren’t a tester and just walked into a store and hit the 410s, would you have considered trading in your 900s for them, or left well enough alone?

Also if you were trying the two for the first time would you have paid the extra $300 for the Pings or gone with Mizuno? 

I was fitted into both and went in wanting to purchase the hot metal, G410 gave me better spin. The HM was below what you want to see. So it is going to depend on how you deliver the club and the shaft pairing. The G410 feel will leave a lot to be desired in terms of feel compared to japanese forgings. I think this is as much due to the "trampoline" face on these irons in the search of higher ball speeds as my 2011 Cobra S3 irons felt much less clicky. The HM is one of the softer cast clubs but will still be a big difference from forged. 

:ping-small: G425 MAX Driver & 5W

:cobra-small: Baffler Rail-H 3H-4H

:Sub70: 699 Pro Utility V2 - 4i

:callaway-small: APEX CF19 6-AW

INDI Wedges 52, 56, 60 

 :edel-golf-1: EAS 2.0

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3 hours ago, BMart519 said:

I was fitted into both and went in wanting to purchase the hot metal, G410 gave me better spin. The HM was below what you want to see. So it is going to depend on how you deliver the club and the shaft pairing. The G410 feel will leave a lot to be desired in terms of feel compared to japanese forgings. I think this is as much due to the "trampoline" face on these irons in the search of higher ball speeds as my 2011 Cobra S3 irons felt much less clicky. The HM is one of the softer cast clubs but will still be a big difference from forged. 

Thanks for the input.

I’m just about certain which way I’m going here. Once I found out about Mizuno’s policy of free upgrades on shaft and grips, that just about settled the matter. Both companies have a great product, and both sets cost the exact price with the stock options. 

I will save $340 though by getting the Recoils and mcc plus 4’s with the Mizuno’s as opposed to ordering the 410s in the same setup. 

I’ll be back down to Myrtle Beach right after Christmas, and even though I know the recoils work well in my current set, I want to hit the Mizuno’s with them also, just to make sure.

BTW, I apologize for veering off the topic here. This is a review thread for the Ping’s, and I’m sure they’re great irons. I mentioned earlier here I’ve had success in the past with their G series irons, and love my G400 max driver. The last thing I’d ever do is disparage one of their products.

Edited by Grand Stranded

Driver:          :ping-small: G425 Max 10.5*

Fairway:      :ping-small: G425 Max 14*5* & 17.5*

Hybrids:      :ping-small: G425 Max 22* & 26*

Irons:           :callaway-small: Apex DCB 6-AW

Wedges:      :callaway-small: Jaws Raw Face 54-10

                      :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore 58-6

Putter:         :EVNROLL:  ER7  34”

                      

                      

 

 

             

             

 

 

 

 

 

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'd rather read an honest opinion than a shill for a company. Everyone has their own requirements for clubs. The hard part is to determine what you want/need. Once you can pinpoint that, then you can go through the club options.

:callaway-small: Mavrik Max, 9* 
:taylormade-small:Stealth 15* / 18*
:callaway-small: Rogue 4H, 21*
:callaway-small: Steelhead XR 5-AW 
:cleveland-small: RTX ZipCore 52* / 56*
:odyssey-small: White Hot Versa Seven S , 35"
Many other putters in the bullpen waiting for call

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IMG_0510.JPGIMG_0511.JPGIMG_0284.JPG


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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On 12/20/2019 at 8:10 AM, GregB135 said:

The pure/flush shots I've hit so far have felt like I hardly hit anything and made hardly any sound at all.

Exactly... I'm now in love that that sound 😉.  

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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On 12/20/2019 at 11:33 AM, Golfspy_CG2 said:

Really great stuff there Ballplayer!  True to the mission of MGS you gave honest and fair feedback on the subjective things, but then said those can be overlooked when the number/results/data is in, they perform and will help you and other Schmucks shoot better scores!   

That's what it's all about.  

#powertousschmucks 🤣

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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Great review Rick. 4* change in lie angle is huge. I am not sure I could have overcome that.  Great that you kept an open mind about it and worked on it.

:callaway-small: Mavrik Max, 9* 
:taylormade-small:Stealth 15* / 18*
:callaway-small: Rogue 4H, 21*
:callaway-small: Steelhead XR 5-AW 
:cleveland-small: RTX ZipCore 52* / 56*
:odyssey-small: White Hot Versa Seven S , 35"
Many other putters in the bullpen waiting for call

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Thanks for the input.
I’m just about certain which way I’m going here. Once I found out about Mizuno’s policy of free upgrades on shaft and grips, that just about settled the matter. Both companies have a great product, and both sets cost the exact price with the stock options. 
I will save $340 though by getting the Recoils and mcc plus 4’s with the Mizuno’s as opposed to ordering the 410s in the same setup. 
I’ll be back down to Myrtle Beach right after Christmas, and even though I know the recoils work well in my current set, I want to hit the Mizuno’s with them also, just to make sure.
BTW, I apologize for veering off the topic here. This is a review thread for the Ping’s, and I’m sure they’re great irons. I mentioned earlier here I’ve had success in the past with their G series irons, and love my G400 max driver. The last thing I’d ever do is disparage one of their products.

Don’t worry you didn’t disparage Ping. Everyone will play what works for them for variety of reasons.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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Great review Rick. 4* change in lie angle is huge. I am not sure I could have overcome that.  Great that you kept an open mind about it and worked on it.

Greg
Thanks. I was apprehensive at the change but I trusted Scott glad I did. I’m hitting the ball better than I have in years.
I’m a big fan of Fitting now.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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So what is the current status on the "love them or list them" - are we 4 for 4?

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

So what is the current status on the "love them or list them" - are we 4 for 4?

Sorry gang... I am stuck in winter and won't get a chance to finish my review until the Spring.

Had a few rounds with them and enjoyed them a lot.

Will be interesting to see how they are after a long layoff.

DriverCobra  Aerojet LS
Woods-
Cobra  LTD 3w 15*, 5W 19*,  F9 24* 
Irons- XXIO X (6-A)

Wedges- Callaway Jaws Raw (54/58)

Putter- Bettinardi BB56
Ball- Maxfli Tour X/Wilson Triad
Buggy- Clicgear 4.0
Bag- Callaway Org 14/Fairway C

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Sorry gang... I am stuck in winter and won't get a chance to finish my review until the Spring.
Had a few rounds with them and enjoyed them a lot.
Will be interesting to see how they are after a long layoff.

Kinda figured you would get not get much of a chance to do Testing especially with the weather in NE past month+.
Looking forward to your review in the Spring.



Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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16 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

So what is the current status on the "love them or list them" - are we 4 for 4?

Maybe 3.5 for 4. I'm still not sure they are going to stay in the bag long term. I'll get my review posted today/tomorrow with the full dirt, but I have some dislikes at the top and bottom of the set that have me anxiously awaiting Ping's iron release this year (should start with i ) and thinking about a fitting for irons to me rather than me to irons.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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1 hour ago, GregB135 said:

and thinking about a fitting for irons to me rather than me to irons.

I presume you mean a mixed bag?

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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23 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

I presume you mean a mixed bag?

Well, with the test we were committed to fitting into the G410 irons so we had to fit me to those irons. Without the test opportunity, my thought would probably have been similar to my coach/fitter that the G410s would not have been a likely choice going into the fitting. I'm going to get some more time and a few more rounds with them before I decide whether to make them the gamers or not. If not, I'll go back and do a more thorough iron fitting with the options open from the start and see what we get from there. The long club fitting (D, FW, Hyb) is set for this week. If I don't make up my mind soon though on the irons I'll keep them in the bag through the league season.

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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Ping G410 Irons – Official MGS Forum Review by GregB135

November 2019 - January 2020

IMG_0047.jpg.cbd93d8d42f00a9fb882172c3fdc0290.jpg

Intro

Over the past season I’ve worked my handicap down from 16 to 11. That puts me at the lower range of the handicap levels that Ping claims these irons will fit. What gets me there? My lowest scores wind up being rounds where I hit more fairways and stay away from penalties. If I’m honest, I give away more strokes with poor driving and chipping than with poor iron play. My GIR average over the last year is at 26%. That’s a little lower than where I want it to be.

My last two sets of irons have been forged cavity backs, the Mizuno JPX850 and Hogan PTx, with more blade type wedges. That type of set makeup seemed a good match to me and my game. My ball flight with irons is mid to high. The A-game swings have a slight draw, and shots land with something between short hop and roll, and back up a little.

I was excited to see the test opportunity for the G410 because I had previously gamed the i10 irons, and the marketing of more forgiveness which might help me in my quest for a better GIR average. My only big questions going in were; will the GI engineering of the clubs exaggerate my high ball flight, and how will the transition to wedges at the bottom of the set be affected.

 First Impressions

My first impressions started a little bit before the iron fitting. I went to one of the local golf shops and just checked them out on the rack (no swings to alter perceptions at that point), and did some side-by-side comparison to clubs similar to mine. The first thing I noticed was the increased offset (particularly in the long irons) but also how the offset reduced down through the set. The size of the club heads also has some variance.

 The hitting area of the club face was about the same as the other irons, but there is noticeably more club head around it. The thickness of the top line was noticeable as well, but not off-putting, and in the middle of the set at least keeps the workings of the back of the club head out of sight. I saw a little more of the club head in the 4 and 5 iron and the PW and UW just looked like an awful lot of golf club to my eye.

 On to the fitting. I was fortunate that I was able to do the fitting with my Golftec swing coach. His only comment before we got started was we was ‘not sure that’s the club I would have started with’ in a regular iron fitting. We got started with a shaft similar to my Mizuno and Hogan (lightweight, stiff flex) and I was absolutely awful. We did some tweaking based on feel and balance and got to the AWT Red in regular flex. We worked through a few more swings to dial in the lie angle and length and bingo, mid-high ball flight down the line. At the end of the session we had selected the AWT Red R flex shaft for 4I through UW, set 2* upright (that’s blue dot to Ping), and ¾-inch longer than standard.

 The clubs arrived looking great even if I did have a slightly longer wait than the other testers. That’s actually a plus rating to Ping as the delay was due to blemishes in the shafts they received and not wanting to ship an inferior quality product to the customer (not even a comp set). The club heads were all individually wrapped with neoprene covers on them.

Grading

Looks (8 out of 10 points)

 Generically these clubs look great. The color scheme and the badging of the back of the club head looks good in the bag.  I really like the hydropearl finish. It’s clean and subtle and reduces reflected sun glare at setup. I still can’t tell if it makes a real difference in wet conditions, but it looks good.

 It’s the look at setup that gets the downgrade for me. I still find myself uncomfortable looking down at the long irons and seeing stuff from the back of the club head. The PW and UW still look like way too much club to my eye. Especially at the bottom of the set, the GI engineering of the irons makes it look and feel like way too much forward shaft lean for what I’ve grown comfortable with. Too many instances of having to remind myself to forget how it looks and swing.

Sound & Feel (6 out of 10 points)

 If you’ve been following the thread this far a middle grade here should come as no surprise. You’ll also have to keep in mind my previous two sets used to compare feel were forged cavity back not cast GI/SGI heads. It might be apples to apples, but it’s fresh from the store, whole honey crisp apples compared to multi-pack, pre-sliced, granny smith apples.

 I’ve got numerous range sessions and indoor practice bay sessions and I still can’t figure out whether or not I like the sound of these irons. That’s probably because I don’t think these irons can decide what they want to sound like. Flush strikes make a nice subtle click. Off center strikes vary between a loud, annoying whack from the heel, a weak splashy whack off the toe, and an ‘ugh’ inducing thud for anything thin.

 Feel players accustomed to using forged irons will wonder ‘Where’s all my feedback?’ For all the audible feedback these clubs give there is precious little the feel of the strike is going to tell you. With the exception of strikes well in on the heel or sufficiently thin there is not much translated all the way to the hands to tell you how good or bad the contact was.

 In general for sound and feel I’ll stick with my comment from earlier in the thread. The less you get of either, the better you’ve struck the ball.

 Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points)

 One area these irons definitely live up to the marketed billing is hitting the ball straight. They aren’t going to eliminate the hook or slice if that is what the swing dictates. The increased offset does tend to turn out more hooky hooks and less slicey slices. Side-spin on off center strikes is definitely reduced as well.

 I’m a little over a month into playing and practicing with these irons and they perform how I expect a GI design to perform. My baby draw ball flight stayed a baby draw with the short irons, but got more into being a hook with the long irons. Off center strikes didn’t want to curve back to the target line either way and became straight pushes or pulls. In general though that left me closer to the target with my misses even if it didn’t result in more GIR, so the forgiveness factor is definitely there.

 As far as distance goes I’m left with some mixed feelings. One of my initial worries was with yardage gapping at the bottom of the set. By that I mean these are designed to increase distance so I didn’t want the expected gains in distance from the PW and UW to create too large a gap to my other wedges. Turns out I didn’t need to worry because I’ve actually seen a distance drop with those clubs. The same is true at the other end of the set. I didn’t see my 4i distance encroach on the gap to the hybrid it went the other way as well. In between there though I didn’t have to alter my yardages much at all which was nice. I was getting similar yardages as before, just a little bit straighter with respect to the target line. Off center strikes also don’t cost as much loss of distance with the G410s. Again, we’re talking within 5 yards of desired for missing on the toe, a little more than that off the heel vs 10 yards lost by missing the center of the forged cavity comparison irons.

 Those who like to work the ball may not like these irons so much. While a draw swing will produce a draw, and a fade swing a fade; it took a significant effort to make the ball move more on purpose. That is just the nature of a GI club, it’s going to reduce side spin. Even though Ping markets these to include the ‘high single digit’ handicapper this is what might become a make or break point with that level of player. You may have to give up some control to get the forgiveness factor.

 I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to control height. Since I already hit the ball fairly high, I expected to see REALLY high ball flight with these. I think we did a good job at fitting to find a shaft that kept my ball flight where I wanted. Though I have had some shots I thought were very high, the difference is how long the ball maintained its peak height off the 410s. It gets up there, and SOARS. Even with the low cg engineering of the clubs I was able to play in some really windy conditions without it costing me that much. The ¾ punch or knockdown swing did its job and kept the ball down and boring through the wind. Same with punch shots and low tree limbs, asking for low I got low as long as I executed the swing well.

On-Course Performance (28 out of 30 points)

 While I am a decent enough iron player, no one is going to refer to me as a ‘great ball striker’. I got in about 8-10 rounds now with the G410 irons and my GIR numbers ranged from a low of 3 to a high of 9 during the test. So, not really a big change in the target stat of GIR, but I did average better scoring by a stroke or two. I attribute a fair portion of that to the G410s letting me get away with a little more of a miss than their predecessors.

 They performed well from all kinds of lies: rough, fairway bunker, thin fairway etc. The thicker sole interacted well with the fairway turf and bored through the rough so it gave an increased measure of confidence with distance control. I was able to play them in conditions ranging from ideal to ‘why am I still out here?’ and they held up their end in all of them. Shots hit the greens and stayed there. I realize green conditions have their fair contribution but I did notice more shots backing up a bit than I’d grown accustomed to with the Hogan set.

 As a challenge, I was lucky enough to be out on the course more or less by myself, so I decided to play my normal tees (6,300 yds) with the full set, against the forward tees (5,400) with irons only. ‘Iron Man’ was 3 FIR and 4 GIR better than full set and carded an even 80 to the 88 of the full set game.

 Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)

 Customer service gives Ping the whole box of points here. From offering the clubs for test, coordinating fitting and packaging Ping made sure it was a quality interaction all the way through. 

Play it or Trade it? (15 out of 20 points)

 I’m still not completely sold that the G410s need to stay in the bag long term. I’m having a tough time getting over the setup factor and looks of these irons compared to what my eye had gotten accustomed to with the smaller club heads of the Hogan/Mizuno sets. Even though it is at the extreme ends of the set, I’m a little unhappy with yardages going down. I can’t deny though that I’ve shot some of my best scored of the year with the G410 irons in play. A little more time and the early 2020 release announcements will tell.

 Conclusion

Ping markets these irons as suitable for the low-mid to high handicapper. I read that as a range from about 10-25. Spending some time with them makes me believe the closer to the lower end of that scale the player is, the more they will find not to like. Improved accuracy lived up to the hype throughout the set, not so the claim of improved distance to go with it. I got moderate gains in the middle of the set, but actually saw distance drop off at the top and bottom of the set. The low CG did not grossly exaggerate my high ball flight, but the hotter face improved hang time and distance on off center hits.
 

Final Score: 84/100
(I'll come back and add more pictures)

Driver:  :PXG: 311XF Gen5, Tensei CK Pro Orange, S flex

Fariway:  :PXG: 311XF Gen6 3-Wood, Tensei Blue 55g R flex

Hybrid:   :PXG: 211, 3H Project X Evenflow H, 80g, 5.5

              :titleist-small: TSR2 4H, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester)

Irons:  :titleist-small: T200 2023, Tensei Blue R (Forum Tester), 5-GW

Wedges:   :cleveland-small: CBX2 Zipcore  52*, 56* Project X Catalyst Spinner Graphite Shaft

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2 Murdered Out

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11 minutes ago, GregB135 said:

I'll go back and do a more thorough iron fitting with the options open from the start and see what we get from there.

I think for most, iron fittings result in downselecting between particular brands/models/shafts, but ultimately a full set of whatever that is.  It seems the next level of iron fitting would be these companies that stock virtually everything and can tailor the selection purely by numbers - without regard to club sets.  That said, most of the typical iron fittings are done using a 7i. Would I have better numbers across the full spectrum of the JPX900's (my close second)?... I do not know. 

For pro level (and really serious non pros who don't care how much it costs), they can spend gobs of time testing different combinations (all irons), and repeatedly, to ensure the optimum club is identified. While I think that would be fun to do, I suspect it largely a waste of $$ for the vast majority of us mere mortals.

I'm really liking my G410's, but there is a part of me that keeps wondering if they are my optimum club 🤔.  That's why I have been looking at and test hitting more players category irons.  It's my contention that I'll need to move into that category of club to really see a significant shift in performance.

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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I played a round yesterday, first round in a month and shot a 76.  I played mostly the G410's while substituting a few of my Mizuno's in there here and there.  I have to say, I still can't say 100% that I like them.  The wedges are too big and chunky, the feel still in harsh and the sound still sounds like hitting two rocks together.  I may be having "buyers" remorse, I don't know.  Don't get me wrong, the clubs performed as expected but I don't know if I can get over the sound and feel. 

I will say that the PING's are 2* upright while my Mizuno's are standard.  I am going tomorrow to get my Mizuno's bent 2* upright for a closer comparison.  I really WANT to love these irons but I just can't seem to settle on them.  I absolutely love the forgiveness of them and the hot face that PING has designed, however can I find that in a better players iron such as the Mizuno MP/JPX range or the TM 790 or the Titleist T100, maybe the Callaway Apex.  I would like to feel or try the Blueprint as well.  Maybe the answer for me is a mixed set.  I'm just not sold on these yet. 

   Driver:  :callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub Zero Hzdrs Smoke x flex 70g

3 Wood:  :titelist-small: 917 w/ Diamana Whiteboard stiff

5 Wood : :callaway-small: Epic Flash 18* Hzdrs Smoke stiff

4 Hybrid: image.png.cf6ab25979c6727ff31e6cc6f719636c.png TSi3 Hzdrs Smoke X flex

     Irons:  :callaway-small: 5-7  Apex forged 19 w/ Modus 120 X

                         9-A Apex Pro 19 w/ Modus 120 X

Wedges:  :callaway-small: MD5 52&56 Jaws Dynamic Gold wedge flex

    Putter: :titelist-small: Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 34"

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14 hours ago, GregB135 said:

Ping G410 Irons – Official MGS Forum Review by GregB135

November 2019 - January 2020

IMG_0047.jpg.cbd93d8d42f00a9fb882172c3fdc0290.jpg

Intro

Over the past season I’ve worked my handicap down from 16 to 11. That puts me at the lower range of the handicap levels that Ping claims these irons will fit. What gets me there? My lowest scores wind up being rounds where I hit more fairways and stay away from penalties. If I’m honest, I give away more strokes with poor driving and chipping than with poor iron play. My GIR average over the last year is at 26%. That’s a little lower than where I want it to be.

My last two sets of irons have been forged cavity backs, the Mizuno JPX850 and Hogan PTx, with more blade type wedges. That type of set makeup seemed a good match to me and my game. My ball flight with irons is mid to high. The A-game swings have a slight draw, and shots land with something between short hop and roll, and back up a little.

I was excited to see the test opportunity for the G410 because I had previously gamed the i10 irons, and the marketing of more forgiveness which might help me in my quest for a better GIR average. My only big questions going in were; will the GI engineering of the clubs exaggerate my high ball flight, and how will the transition to wedges at the bottom of the set be affected.

 First Impressions

My first impressions started a little bit before the iron fitting. I went to one of the local golf shops and just checked them out on the rack (no swings to alter perceptions at that point), and did some side-by-side comparison to clubs similar to mine. The first thing I noticed was the increased offset (particularly in the long irons) but also how the offset reduced down through the set. The size of the club heads also has some variance.

 The hitting area of the club face was about the same as the other irons, but there is noticeably more club head around it. The thickness of the top line was noticeable as well, but not off-putting, and in the middle of the set at least keeps the workings of the back of the club head out of sight. I saw a little more of the club head in the 4 and 5 iron and the PW and UW just looked like an awful lot of golf club to my eye.

 On to the fitting. I was fortunate that I was able to do the fitting with my Golftec swing coach. His only comment before we got started was we was ‘not sure that’s the club I would have started with’ in a regular iron fitting. We got started with a shaft similar to my Mizuno and Hogan (lightweight, stiff flex) and I was absolutely awful. We did some tweaking based on feel and balance and got to the AWT Red in regular flex. We worked through a few more swings to dial in the lie angle and length and bingo, mid-high ball flight down the line. At the end of the session we had selected the AWT Red R flex shaft for 4I through UW, set 2* upright (that’s blue dot to Ping), and ¾-inch longer than standard.

 The clubs arrived looking great even if I did have a slightly longer wait than the other testers. That’s actually a plus rating to Ping as the delay was due to blemishes in the shafts they received and not wanting to ship an inferior quality product to the customer (not even a comp set). The club heads were all individually wrapped with neoprene covers on them.

Grading

Looks (8 out of 10 points)

 Generically these clubs look great. The color scheme and the badging of the back of the club head looks good in the bag.  I really like the hydropearl finish. It’s clean and subtle and reduces reflected sun glare at setup. I still can’t tell if it makes a real difference in wet conditions, but it looks good.

 It’s the look at setup that gets the downgrade for me. I still find myself uncomfortable looking down at the long irons and seeing stuff from the back of the club head. The PW and UW still look like way too much club to my eye. Especially at the bottom of the set, the GI engineering of the irons makes it look and feel like way too much forward shaft lean for what I’ve grown comfortable with. Too many instances of having to remind myself to forget how it looks and swing.

Sound & Feel (6 out of 10 points)

 If you’ve been following the thread this far a middle grade here should come as no surprise. You’ll also have to keep in mind my previous two sets used to compare feel were forged cavity back not cast GI/SGI heads. It might be apples to apples, but it’s fresh from the store, whole honey crisp apples compared to multi-pack, pre-sliced, granny smith apples.

 I’ve got numerous range sessions and indoor practice bay sessions and I still can’t figure out whether or not I like the sound of these irons. That’s probably because I don’t think these irons can decide what they want to sound like. Flush strikes make a nice subtle click. Off center strikes vary between a loud, annoying whack from the heel, a weak splashy whack off the toe, and an ‘ugh’ inducing thud for anything thin.

 Feel players accustomed to using forged irons will wonder ‘Where’s all my feedback?’ For all the audible feedback these clubs give there is precious little the feel of the strike is going to tell you. With the exception of strikes well in on the heel or sufficiently thin there is not much translated all the way to the hands to tell you how good or bad the contact was.

 In general for sound and feel I’ll stick with my comment from earlier in the thread. The less you get of either, the better you’ve struck the ball.

 Basic Characteristics (17 out of 20 points)

 One area these irons definitely live up to the marketed billing is hitting the ball straight. They aren’t going to eliminate the hook or slice if that is what the swing dictates. The increased offset does tend to turn out more hooky hooks and less slicey slices. Side-spin on off center strikes is definitely reduced as well.

 I’m a little over a month into playing and practicing with these irons and they perform how I expect a GI design to perform. My baby draw ball flight stayed a baby draw with the short irons, but got more into being a hook with the long irons. Off center strikes didn’t want to curve back to the target line either way and became straight pushes or pulls. In general though that left me closer to the target with my misses even if it didn’t result in more GIR, so the forgiveness factor is definitely there.

 As far as distance goes I’m left with some mixed feelings. One of my initial worries was with yardage gapping at the bottom of the set. By that I mean these are designed to increase distance so I didn’t want the expected gains in distance from the PW and UW to create too large a gap to my other wedges. Turns out I didn’t need to worry because I’ve actually seen a distance drop with those clubs. The same is true at the other end of the set. I didn’t see my 4i distance encroach on the gap to the hybrid it went the other way as well. In between there though I didn’t have to alter my yardages much at all which was nice. I was getting similar yardages as before, just a little bit straighter with respect to the target line. Off center strikes also don’t cost as much loss of distance with the G410s. Again, we’re talking within 5 yards of desired for missing on the toe, a little more than that off the heel vs 10 yards lost by missing the center of the forged cavity comparison irons.

 Those who like to work the ball may not like these irons so much. While a draw swing will produce a draw, and a fade swing a fade; it took a significant effort to make the ball move more on purpose. That is just the nature of a GI club, it’s going to reduce side spin. Even though Ping markets these to include the ‘high single digit’ handicapper this is what might become a make or break point with that level of player. You may have to give up some control to get the forgiveness factor.

 I was pleasantly surprised at how well I was able to control height. Since I already hit the ball fairly high, I expected to see REALLY high ball flight with these. I think we did a good job at fitting to find a shaft that kept my ball flight where I wanted. Though I have had some shots I thought were very high, the difference is how long the ball maintained its peak height off the 410s. It gets up there, and SOARS. Even with the low cg engineering of the clubs I was able to play in some really windy conditions without it costing me that much. The ¾ punch or knockdown swing did its job and kept the ball down and boring through the wind. Same with punch shots and low tree limbs, asking for low I got low as long as I executed the swing well.

On-Course Performance (28 out of 30 points)

 While I am a decent enough iron player, no one is going to refer to me as a ‘great ball striker’. I got in about 8-10 rounds now with the G410 irons and my GIR numbers ranged from a low of 3 to a high of 9 during the test. So, not really a big change in the target stat of GIR, but I did average better scoring by a stroke or two. I attribute a fair portion of that to the G410s letting me get away with a little more of a miss than their predecessors.

 They performed well from all kinds of lies: rough, fairway bunker, thin fairway etc. The thicker sole interacted well with the fairway turf and bored through the rough so it gave an increased measure of confidence with distance control. I was able to play them in conditions ranging from ideal to ‘why am I still out here?’ and they held up their end in all of them. Shots hit the greens and stayed there. I realize green conditions have their fair contribution but I did notice more shots backing up a bit than I’d grown accustomed to with the Hogan set.

 As a challenge, I was lucky enough to be out on the course more or less by myself, so I decided to play my normal tees (6,300 yds) with the full set, against the forward tees (5,400) with irons only. ‘Iron Man’ was 3 FIR and 4 GIR better than full set and carded an even 80 to the 88 of the full set game.

 Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)

 Customer service gives Ping the whole box of points here. From offering the clubs for test, coordinating fitting and packaging Ping made sure it was a quality interaction all the way through. 

Play it or Trade it? (15 out of 20 points)

 I’m still not completely sold that the G410s need to stay in the bag long term. I’m having a tough time getting over the setup factor and looks of these irons compared to what my eye had gotten accustomed to with the smaller club heads of the Hogan/Mizuno sets. Even though it is at the extreme ends of the set, I’m a little unhappy with yardages going down. I can’t deny though that I’ve shot some of my best scored of the year with the G410 irons in play. A little more time and the early 2020 release announcements will tell.

 Conclusion

Ping markets these irons as suitable for the low-mid to high handicapper. I read that as a range from about 10-25. Spending some time with them makes me believe the closer to the lower end of that scale the player is, the more they will find not to like. Improved accuracy lived up to the hype throughout the set, not so the claim of improved distance to go with it. I got moderate gains in the middle of the set, but actually saw distance drop off at the top and bottom of the set. The low CG did not grossly exaggerate my high ball flight, but the hotter face improved hang time and distance on off center hits.
 

Final Score: 84/100
(I'll come back and add more pictures)

Great write up GregB135, I felt we shared some of the same views with these clubs.  Good Job!!!!

   Driver:  :callaway-small: Epic Flash Sub Zero Hzdrs Smoke x flex 70g

3 Wood:  :titelist-small: 917 w/ Diamana Whiteboard stiff

5 Wood : :callaway-small: Epic Flash 18* Hzdrs Smoke stiff

4 Hybrid: image.png.cf6ab25979c6727ff31e6cc6f719636c.png TSi3 Hzdrs Smoke X flex

     Irons:  :callaway-small: 5-7  Apex forged 19 w/ Modus 120 X

                         9-A Apex Pro 19 w/ Modus 120 X

Wedges:  :callaway-small: MD5 52&56 Jaws Dynamic Gold wedge flex

    Putter: :titelist-small: Scotty Cameron Phantom 5.5 34"

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7 hours ago, ballplayer002003 said:

I will say that the PING's are 2* upright while my Mizuno's are standard.  I am going tomorrow to get my Mizuno's bent 2* upright for a closer comparison. 

I remember a TXG video comparing blade vs game improvement iron. One thing they mentioned was club head drooping more with GI than the blade because of the toe weight of the GI heads. Which means requisite lie angle might be different for the G410 vs your Mizunos. Might be best to test before just changing the angle. 
 

 

WITB

TS2 10.5 

M2 3HL

Mavrik Max 5W

Titleist 818 4 hybrid 

Mizuno JPX921 HMP 5-Gap

Mizuno S19 56

Maltby TSW 60

Bobby Grace Shiloh putter

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