PREVIEW: Ping i200 Irons
What Ping Says
“The i200 iron is engineered for golfers who want an iron with a clean look that delivers exceptional feel, distance and forgiveness while providing the trajectory control they need to play with precision,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “Bringing all these benefits into one iron required our teams to re-think how the face and cavity structure can work together to improve overall performance. The feel is amazing and the gains in forgiveness are significant for an iron this size. It’s a shot-maker’s iron by design, but it will fit a lot of golfers because it’s so easy to play. This iron will exceed their expectations in every way, especially the feel.”
First Impression
Based purely on what Ping has told me, there is certainly a target demographic of golfers for these new irons: better players. Most Tour players on Ping's roster play an i-Series iron of some sort, and as MyGolfSpy.com suggests, those remaining will transition to the Ping i200 irons sooner or later.
I was a fan of the s-Series irons Ping offered a couple years ago, as well as the Ping i25 irons I gamed for about a year. Both featured the matte-finish and rounded profiles that fans of the brand love, and the i200 irons appear to stick with that look.
The problem for me? I don't love the look of Ping irons. I prefer chrome finishes and sharper lines at address, which is a stark contrast from what Ping offers.
Performance-wise, however, Ping is a name you can trust. Iron technology hasn't changed drastically over the last decade, but if any company is going to keep their loyalists happy in terms of tech, it's going to be Ping.
What This Means for You
I'm going to guess that the Ping i200 irons aren't substantially better than last year's model, despite what the PR language suggests. Consumers who purchased any i-Series club over within the last two years can probably look the other way for now and not miss much.
Of course, there are a small group of golfers who always need the newest stuff in their bags no matter what. Let those kids have their fun; the rest of us should be more stringent on how we spend our dollars.
As always, try these clubs out and formulate your own opinion. Go in looking for how the Ping i200 irons can improve a specific aspect of your game. I will be sure to do the same when testing these irons in the next few weeks.
The Ping i200 irons are available for pre-order now.
