2020 Official Member Review: PING G710 Irons

[fixyurdivot]

On 5/21/2020 at 4:52 PM, Lacassem said:

Hey all, here are my initial impression on these clubs hope you enjoy!

Pre-Arrival/Arrival:

After my virtual fitting with PING, the communication was honestly top notch. Bill, who is a Head-Master Fitter from PING, was always informative and kept me in the loop. Customer service needless to say, was A++. The clubs were received on 5/20 within 10 days after the fitting. During these times to me it was really unprecedented and was expecting a longer lead time.

The clubs came in and again I was really just blown away from the care that was taken in packaging. All the clubs had covers and whoever packaged them and engineered the boxes…well done because there was 0 room to spare. PING really blew me away initially with there professionalism and quick turnaround that’s all I can really say, can’t speak highly enough of that.

But we aren’t here to talk about PING are we (the people anyway just the clubs)? So on to the sticks

Set:

Anyone that did not see my fitting, I went with 4-UW with Project X 6.5 X-stiff shafts with Golf Pride grips with Arccos.

First Impression:

So, first impression was WOW. The black really stands out. The grey on the face really offsets and compliments the black well. The finish on these clubs are silk (and I do not really like black clubs). When they say Hydro-pearl they mean it. The paint looks so smooth (more on that later) compared to your typical silver finish.

I do not currently have a set to compare them to because I sold mine and am waiting on the other set, so will have more on this later. Initial thought though was that they were smaller at address than I anticipated. I was expecting a larger overall look but between the black club and grey face, it’s “slimming” (is that why they call it a little black dress?). Compared to my CBX2 wedges you can see a massive difference. Another thing I noticed was right at the hosel and heel there is a nice groove taken out, assuming to remove some of the weight and place closer to the toe for all that forgiveness. It complements the profile of this club nicely.

The Arccos in the grip was different for me. The grip felt bigger on the palm of my left hand, which they are slightly but was noticeable. Not a bad thing but just a note if you never used Arccos. I think I would prefer the inserts VS it in the actual grip like these. Lastly the Arccos was very easy to setup, took me longer to get the cover of the unit itself than it did to pair.

On to some modeling before we get into the first use of these bad larrys:

Fortunately, I was able to get right out for my 1^st round of the year the day after I received the clubs, got to love that because the itch was real waiting for these bad boys. SO lets get right into it!

First Crack at these Beauties!

My biggest questions going into my first round with the clubs were:

What am I looking at for distances?

How are these going to do in the morning dew grass?

How is the finish overall after just one round? My question for this was because my previous black wedge showed signs of wear right after its first use.

My first shot with the clubs was a 4 iron. Not a great tee shot and had myself in some trouble in thick rough. The 4 iron sliced through the rough with ease, if there was any grab I didn’t notice it!

I was pleasantly surprised with sound. The only time I have ever heard or seen PING was @b.boston driver and was not a fan of the sound, and from what I have read its not for everyone. To me for these G710’s the sound was a good “crack”. It almost was like the sound of a pure wood bat. I loved it.

I had my fare share of good and bad shots today. The sales position for forgiveness is accurate, and that is putting it lightly. I usually have a light fade and bad shots are…bad fades (can you hear me yelling four while reading this?). These mishits and bad shots I found put myself in far less worse situations than I would normally find myself in.

The distance on these clubs after my first round is also REAL! Granted loft is slightly different but to put it into perspective the 4 iron for me was anywhere from 220-230 today, as I like to say...:

 

The ball flight was almost majestic. It was a little different for me just because I am used to a stronger fade but there were several times the ball seemed to just be straight at the flag. One example was on the shot trace PW @b.boston was able to get a great video.

Shot Trace PW

Shot Trace 4 Iron

 

Throughout the round I was keeping an eye on water and how much I was going to need to clean these. The below picture is right after a swing in the dew…there was barely any moisture on the club, very impressive. As many of you are used to I am sure in the morning dew the club has the grass stick as well as substantial water build up. These virtually had 0 moisture on them. Curious how this will hold up after many rounds (and I love morning rounds so they will get wet).

Another thing I will be keeping an eye on is the dirt build up. These were very easy to clean I am assuming it’s the finish because I barely needed my brush just a towel and they were good. The only thing I noticed post round was the buildup in the numbers on the sole, the brush wasn’t quite cutting it so will have to do some investigating on maintaining that. (Picture below on the 4 iron)

Lastly the finish after 1 round showed no blemishes and actually fared better than my wedges which are also brand new. The sole of the wedges were showing swing path swirl marks, the G710’s wiped down perfectly with virtually 0 blemishes.

 

To wrap this bad boy up I am highly impressed so far especially coming in skeptical on the black finish and what I thought they would sound like.. Things I will be looking at is :

-Continuing to gauge distance gains and what my true numbers are with these. I struggled with that today.

-Also creating some dispersion tracking and see if this forgiveness passes the smell test (smelled pretty good today I will say that)

-Will be keeping a keen eye on the finish and if it holds up as well as it did today!

But until then enjoy the modeling:

Great write-up. Curious what device/app you're using for the shot trace?  I was thinking of kicking it up a notch on the AlignXL thread and shot trace some of my putts . It would be great if all the testers would check back in towards the end of the summer with some posts and pics of how these are wearing.

 

[Rickp]

Sounds like you might want to trade in the G410's on a set of the G710's?  

Not really, I am going to take out the G710 Demo 7i for Tuesday & Wednesday and see how it goes.


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[GolfSpy_SHARK]

37 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Great write-up. Curious what device/app you're using for the shot trace?  I was thinking of kicking it up a notch on the AlignXL thread and shot trace some of my putts . It would be great if all the testers would check back in towards the end of the summer with some posts and pics of how these are wearing.

 

So it’s called shot tracer: 

 

I will definitely be posting more throughout the summer. My father is playing 2 rounds a week minimum lately now that he’s retired so I’ll be posting as much as I can when I play with him! 

[fixyurdivot]

25 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

So it’s called shot tracer: 

 

I will definitely be posting more throughout the summer. My father is playing 2 rounds a week minimum lately now that he’s retired so I’ll be posting as much as I can when I play with him! 

Cool, though I'm afraid if I try and add another app to my Moto E (yes, you read it correctly) "smart" phone...

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

11 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Cool, though I'm afraid if I try and add another app to my Moto E (yes, you read it correctly) "smart" phone...

When I got out of boot camp my first real phone was a blackberry....Atleast you have apps lol

[Rickp]

Hit a few 7i w G710. Have a “play date” tomorrow 7:02am.


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[Berg Ryman]

Really intrigued to see how you get on Rick. As an update, I'm hoping to maybe get out this weekend for a round. Was gonna play last weekend but there was a charity tournament at the course I was looking at. Might be time to hit up golfnow to find some deals.

[Rickp]

Really intrigued to see how you get on Rick. As an update, I'm hoping to maybe get out this weekend for a round. Was gonna play last weekend but there was a charity tournament at the course I was looking at. Might be time to hit up golfnow to find some deals.

Interesting morning. G710 is no joke, nice iron but head to head w 919 Hot Metal was up to the challenge.
919 is slightly longer carry and I mean slightly but G710 had a little more rollout. G710 felt great and the larger head was no problem.
Going at it again tomorrow but these are 2 high quality irons.


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[Berg Ryman]

Had an interesting thought about bag makeup, emailed Pat, the guy who fit me about it. Watch this thread for updates. 

[Berg Ryman]

1 hour ago, Berg Ryman said:

Had an interesting thought about bag makeup, emailed Pat, the guy who fit me about it. Watch this thread for updates. 

I'll even tease it. Maybe 5 wood needs to go.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Was able to get out with my father the past 2 days. 
Quick take aways he is seeing:

-About 10 yards longer gaming the 710’s

-He is launching higher and landing softer on greens allowing him to not run off.

-Finish is still holding up well. 
 
He struggled yesterday shooting 103. Not from iron play but off the tee and putting. Today was a little better 98 still struggled off the tee. I have been trying to tell him hit the 4 iron he will keep everything in play but has not listened.

Few things I have noticed are his misses are off the heel, but is still getting good distance from them. The biggest take away are when he’s landing on the green he is keeping them on. He is not the best ball striker and will never have enough spin to check up. What he is gaining out of these is that he can shoot for middle of the green and be confident that he’s not going to run out.

Multiple shots on both days Had me saying wow that looks good, never really saw that before out of him.

i was not able to get a good video of him as I missed all his good shots (of course).

 

 

[Rickp]

Was able to get out with my father the past 2 days. 
Quick take aways he is seeing:
-About 10 yards longer gaming the 710’s
-He is launching higher and landing softer on greens allowing him to not run off.
-Finish is still holding up well. 
 
He struggled yesterday shooting 103. Not from iron play but off the tee and putting. Today was a little better 98 still struggled off the tee. I have been trying to tell him hit the 4 iron he will keep everything in play but has not listened.
Few things I have noticed are his misses are off the heel, but is still getting good distance from them. The biggest take away are when he’s landing on the green he is keeping them on. He is not the best ball striker and will never have enough spin to check up. What he is gaining out of these is that he can shoot for middle of the green and be confident that he’s not going to run out.
Multiple shots on both days Had me saying wow that looks good, never really saw that before out of him.
i was not able to get a good video of him as I missed all his good shots (of course).

 
 

Sounds like “Pop” is a G710 poster Senior


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[Rickp]

Did a “Big Boy 9” this morning kinda tough and little longer than I like but is what it is.
Hit the G710 7iron as much as I could and I’m loving this iron. From tee to nasty Bermuda rough this club was workin it.
There’s a very good chance the G710 are on my Birthday present list.
BTW, the Recoil shaft really felt good


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[GolfSpy_SHARK]

1 hour ago, Rickp said:

Did a “Big Boy 9” this morning kinda tough and little longer than I like but is what it is.
Hit the G710 7iron as much as I could and I’m loving this iron. From tee to nasty Bermuda rough this club was workin it.
There’s a very good chance the G710 are on my Birthday present list.
BTW, the Recoil shaft really felt good


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I don’t now how or why but they seem to really cut through grass extremely well

[Rickp]

These irons definitely have my interest........


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[JonMUSC08]

12 hours ago, Lacassem said:

I don’t now how or why but they seem to really cut through grass extremely well

maybe its that weight that prevents the grass from really grabbing it. The smaller the head, the easier it is to get wrapped up.

I guess the lack of 'workability' plays in this favor.

[Berg Ryman]

So I heard back from Pat about my questions and it's something I figured I share. I asked about potentially going to shelf the five wood in my bag due to the success with the my G710 4 iron. What he hold me was that the Power Spec 4 Iron could be in play or to consider hybrids, maybe even a Crossover. When I get a chance I think I'm going to go get a shot to hit that club to see what kind of performance I can get out of it against my 5 wood. 

To give you an idea, according to Arccos, I have a 4 iron range of 192-208, smart distance of 204. MY 5 wood is a range of 186-212, smart distance of 200. Maybe the Power Loft can make that move to 3 wood a bit more consistent.

[Rickp]

I hope to add a little to this thread in a couple of weeks.
Pulled the Trigger on a 6-GW Friday. I’m going to use the 5 G410 to fill out the irons.
Just can’t resist a pretty face


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[Berg Ryman]

So played 18 yesterday.

 A traditional battle back round for me. 46-39. Hit almost 50 percent of greens, and more importantly when I missed from ideal situations was around pin high, just didn't put a great swing on it. 

I'm liking Arccos the more I use it, amd the irons continue to be able to hit the types I'm looking to hit. I feel like I'm getting close to putting it all together and that back nine today was proof of that. I had some good opportunities for birdies that just missed and the 2 bogeys on the back were results of a bad par 3 tee shot and a bad first putt on a tricky green.

I'm hoping to report something awesome soon, these G710s are legit.

[Berg Ryman]

Played another 18 this weekend, and results were solid for irons, not so much with other stuff.

43-38 for 81, +8 on the front, +1 on the back. Hit 10 of 18 greens in regulation. Of the 8 I missed one was a fat wedge shot to a par 5 from 120 yards, one was due to penalty strokes, one spun back off the green (chipped in for birdie btw), two were wide misses on par threes, two were fringe balls, and the last was due to an awful tee shot on a par four.

The real villain of this poor round, putting. If I could share my Arccos from my phone right now (stupid work) you'd see I was plus handicap on approach and chipping, around scratch on driving even though i didn't hit many fairways, but 30+ on putting. 4 three putts, including one from 15 ft for Eagle on a driveable Par 4 killed me. I never got comfortable for a round of 36 putts. Had I made that eagle I would have been four under through the first four holes on the back side.

It's getting closer guys, and these irons are leading the charge to make it happen. Having these smart grips to dial in distances is making a world of difference and knowing I can hit a variety of shots and get them to stop with the higher descent angles is really doing something for my game. I continue to love these irons.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

My father had his first sub 90 round ever yesterday. His struggles this year as I have said are off the tee the G710s have saved him allowing him to score ok.

well he broke that threshold with a good overall round top to bottom and specifically said “the feel of these irons is awsome, I feel like I can just swing freely and not worry about having an awful shot”. 

He has been playing twice a week continuously scoring in the low 90s. Will post pictures of finish wear soon.

[StrokerAce]

2 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

My father had his first sub 90 round ever yesterday. His struggles this year as I have said are off the tee the G710s have saved him allowing him to score ok.

well he broke that threshold with a good overall round top to bottom and specifically said “the feel of these irons is awsome, I feel like I can just swing freely and not worry about having an awful shot”. 

He has been playing twice a week continuously scoring in the low 90s. Will post pictures of finish wear soon.

That's fantastic!

Get him on here so we can give him a broke 90 badge.  

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

1 minute ago, GolfSpy Stroker said:

That's fantastic!

Get him on here so we can give him a broke 90 badge.  

He’s retired now so there is no excuse for him not to be!

he played maplegate too which has always given him trouble just because it’s so tight

[JonMUSC08]

4 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

My father had his first sub 90 round ever yesterday. His struggles this year as I have said are off the tee the G710s have saved him allowing him to score ok.

well he broke that threshold with a good overall round top to bottom and specifically said “the feel of these irons is awsome, I feel like I can just swing freely and not worry about having an awful shot”. 

He has been playing twice a week continuously scoring in the low 90s. Will post pictures of finish wear soon.

Thats awesome. He fits the mold very well for those clubs it seems. Breaking 90 is tough if you dont play much or practice a lot. So for a little change in equipment to drop a few strokes is major.

[MaxEntropy]

26 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

My father had his first sub 90 round ever yesterday. His struggles this year as I have said are off the tee the G710s have saved him allowing him to score ok.

well he broke that threshold with a good overall round top to bottom and specifically said “the feel of these irons is awsome, I feel like I can just swing freely and not worry about having an awful shot”. 

He has been playing twice a week continuously scoring in the low 90s. Will post pictures of finish wear soon.

I have not been keeping up with this thread like I wanted to. Did your dad buy some based on the results of your testing?

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

7 minutes ago, MaxEntropy said:

I have not been keeping up with this thread like I wanted to. Did your dad buy some based on the results of your testing?

Once they were not a fit during my review (do not need game improvement/SGI) my father asked if he could give them a run through (previous iron set was 15 years old) so far they are a really good fit for him it seems. Will be doing a secondary review with his thoughts on them once COVID work things settle down

[Berg Ryman]

Alright, another 18 scheduled for Saturday, but before then I'm hoping to get to the range this week to work on that 5 wood and the longer irons. I'm having a bit of trouble when I'm really going for one losing them left, and left of left. Think it's a path issue, but hopefully will work on it a bit.

[JonMUSC08]

Got a round scheduled for Thursday! Looking to push it low again as I've had more consecutive rounds in the 80's ever in my life (5). But consistency is KEY! Would love to hit that dream of a sub 80 round.

[JonMUSC08]

Played thursday and once again shot my 6th consecutive round in the 80's (88). Been under the weather too so my strength and touch was def not 100%. My putting was HORRIFIC (39) and still shot well. Missed 2 very short birdie putts.

[Rickp]

Supposed to get my G710 irons this week


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