Amazing Solid Feel

I played Ping Eye 2 irons for most of my “growth” stage in golf. For 4 years I played a club that was ultra forgiving and enabled me to learn this game. Ping irons were the rage in the late 80’s. In fact I still play my Ping Eye 2 one iron…it is by far the easiest “knife” I’ve ever hit. I also have a stable of Ping putters…I mean who doesn’t. Kushin, Anser 2 and 4, Zing, and Piper. I wasn’t one to ever give Ping a chance when it came to metal woods…maybe it was the strange experience I had playing Ping Zing woods…and yes they were wood. I never thought they looked normal, and I had a tough time convincing my eyes that these clubs could move the ball down the fairway.

Well today it’s a different Ping, and they have a great line of game enhancing and player woods…this time they are metal thank goodness!

The Ping i15 is a players club. The Ping website has it in the “competition” category. Coming in at 460 cc and a traditional pear shaped head, the Ping i15 looks clean. The smoke grey deep titanium face looks sleek and sexy. The face has an amazing solid feel, not too much “ping” or “pong” or “dink”….just a solid “thwack”, which fills my ears with joy. The ball flight and results were a joy as well! I was surprised that I enjoyed the look, usually anything other than a Titleist looks bulky and toolish. Ping hasn’t gone the route of removable (anything) but sets up the club in a fade bias. This allows the player to work the ball.

The 8° i15 was the club of choice for me. The higher lofts seemed to accentuate my high ball flight, which could also be a result of the shaft I was hitting. I tried the i15 in two shaft models the Fujikura Motore F1 and the UST Mamiya AVIScore Tour Red 69. The Fujikura Motore F1 is a nice option and a great sidekick to the i15 driver. The Fuji comes in at 65 grams and has a low to mid lauch angle. The UST is a slightly heavier shaft and a mid launch. Both have 3.2° of torque, if there was one thing I would have changed…it would have been to a slightly heavier shaft, which is a personal preference since I do not need to increase my swing speed to gain distance.

Overall

The Ping i15 Driver is a very nice club. In fact it has made the short list for my new 2010 bag makeover. The ball jumps off the face, it has a very solid feel and can be worked. I did find that my draw (10-15 yards) was slightly less than with the Titleist 983K  that I currently love….My ball flight was typical…sorta high, but when I focused on hitting a low shot, ball back in the stance and tee’d lower…the ball screamed about head high.

This driver isn’t for high handicap players…the face is somewhat less forgiving (a miss is a miss with this club). The deep face and classic look is for purists or traditional players. Other models of Ping woods offer elongated faces to increase the sweet spot. So if you want a really solid feeling driver without all the wrenches, ports and screws…more of a set and forget…then I recommend giving the Ping i15 a try.

Back in the Saddle

I guess it is like riding a bike. It might have taken me an hour, but I quickly got back into the “golf” mode. Helping my friend Lou Cesarek of Mizuno Golf at the demo day was uber cool. The neat thing about Mizuno for the 2010 season is the Optimizer Swing Fitter. Swing the club, gather info and input into the computer and out pops your suggested golf shaft…it’s all about your swing and tendencies. Subjective decisions on shaft flex are gone…you actually hit the shaft that you would purchase. Now that’s a great use of Technology.

Impressive Stuff

A couple new clubs stand out. I was able to swing Wilson Golf’s new FG Tour Irons. Wow, I was surprised how clean they felt. They have a classic look from the toe to the heel. Their game improvement clubs were impressive as well. Thank god! Wilson has finally added some great clubs to their historic line…about time and kudos to the design team at Wilson.

Titleist has a winner in the 909H. I just love the look of this hybrid. It’s not overpowering and awkward looking. Can’t wait to take on on-course for a demo. I tested the AP2 iron…and it’s very nice. Titleist is a players club and it works for this player!

Callaway was a busy place on the range. I hit the FT Tour Driver and FT Hybrid. They intrigue me and will be testing them more in-depth. They also sported the TrackMan Golf Radar system. This might be the ultimate fitting tool. I won’t disclose my stats (open club face=power fade!) but I will say that the info provided is pure awesome!

Nike has a hot driver. I’m not a big Nike fan (love the shoes, not so much the clubs) but the new VR Tour Driver…um yes please. To say that I was shocked is an understatement.

The Mizuno MX-300 could be the best forged club for the widest spectrum of golfers on the market. The MP-62 with a Project X 6.0 shaft is so pure…think Greenland Glacier Water x’s 100.

What a great way to spend a March day. Thanks to Lou, Mark Clavey, Jimmy Michaels, Chris O’Brien, Billy Nestel and the cat from Nike (I forgot his name sorry). I enjoyed helping Scott (dude is 6′8 and swings smooth, good luck in Lexington) Brandon MP-52, Mike, Jim, Gary, Lefty, Shorty and Off balanced dude.