Forgive me but I am not perfect! Founder Karsten Solheim must have been watching a bit of my golf game from above when Ping released the irons - hybrids that bear it's founders name.Rated Gold on many a golf hotlist, and rightfully so, the newest release from Ping offers unbelievable forgiveness which should make it a top golf club on any beginners' "must-try" list...male and female!
This may sound like an advertisement but trust me, it is not. With a honed down choice of three different golf club manufacturers - Titleist, Callaway and Ping - while being custom fit by PGA Tour Superstore, I swung away, watching the flight of the ball on the screen basing my decision on several different factors:
1. Weight of the club in my hands
2. Look of the club (it's got to be something you want to swing)
3. Trajectory and flight of the golf ball (not so much the path of the ball as that could very well be fault in my swing)
Naturally not all clubs are designed for all swings. I currently own a Titleist 905T driver and Titleist 904F fairway woods so I wanted to test their comparable irons...fair enough...although I did have a set of 804's in my distant past. As deciding upon a new set of irons is also a very personal decision, Titleist just did not suit my swing and I didn't feel comfortable with the Callaway irons either.
It has been several weeks since I received my Ping Karsten irons and hybrids.
I have been playing on an executive golf course once per week, trying to pull each club out of my bag several times during each round. Here is my current assessment of the Karsten irons/hybrids performance.
My ball distance and consistency has definitely improved...by about ten yards per iron! The arc of each golf ball hit is high and I don't get many "rollers".
Ping lingo for why this happens is, "Longer distance comes from precision-engineered loft and club length progressions paired with wide soles and a deep center of gravity. The Custom Tuning Port reinforces the thinner face to increase ball velocity for greater distance and higher ball flights for stopping power."
My club fitter decided that my Karsten Irons should be custom built with the KS 401 Regular Shaft - 64 grams of weight with a mid-high launch angle...perfect for my game. He also measured the lie of the club to make sure the club head was flat at address. The grips were also changed to fit my smaller female grasp.Measurements by computer and by human hands are just some of the reasons why you need to get custom fit for your clubs.
I may sound like a broken record but, again, I will never buy another golf club without being custom fit...the results are making a world of difference in my game.
In my opinion, Ping Karsten Irons deliver on their claims - distance, forgiveness and consistency and are a perfect fit for me!
Have Questions About Being Custom fit for Your Golf Clubs? Ask @PGATSS with hashtag #PGATSSCustomFit
Do you have a set of Ping Golf Clubs? My husband still has his Ping Eye2's (black dot)! Tell us about it on Twitter @Golf4Beginners or write a comment on this Golf for Beginners blog.
