Ping Karsten Irons - Hybrids #Golf Club Review

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.

Who is YOUR Favorite #Golf Buddy? #PhotoContest

Who is your favorite golf buddy? Sounds like a silly question but we all have our weekly foursomes, EWGA groupings or the guy we call when we just don't want to go out as a single, right? It's summertime, the golf season is in full swing and the courses are packed with scrambles and cameraderie!

Barry and Stacy - Black Mesa Golf Course

It's fun to see my Facebook timeline filled with golfers taking pictures at outings, at the 19th hole and winning trophies because it shows that golf is alive, thriving and fun!

My twilight golf bud is my husband Barry...who's yours?

Why not share that photo of you and your favorite friend...the one who ham-and-eggs it with you at the weekly scramble or the guy/gal you have traveled with to St. Andrews or to Pebble Beach ...and have the chance to win a prize! Groups, teams, Juniors and Seniors are all encouraged to participate!

Crown Awards, America's leading supplier of sports and corporate awards loves handing out trophies and is calling all golfers to participate in the My Very Best Golf Buddy Contest on Facebook. You can even win an exclusive, beautiful crystal award without having to hole out at eighteen!

Just Like Crown.Awards on Facebook to Enter the Contest to win $100 in Crown Awards (great for your Club Championships) and then, if you want to show off you and your buddies, add a photo. The most votes wins the trophy!

Here are all the details to the My Very Best Golf Buddy Contest. 

Look for my picture...I uploaded it yesterday via Twitter @Golf4Beginners :-) Oh yes, if you want to upload your photo to Twitter just add the hashtag #GolfBuddyContest.

What do you think of this contest? Let us know on our Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter!

Tips for Creating a Custom #Golf Club Fitting Experience #PGATSSCustomFit

Recently I was invited to participate in a PGA Tour Superstore custom fitting promotion. In essence, I received golf clubs in exchange for telling my readers about the experience.

Naturally, I accepted - a few of my golf clubs are almost ten years old and, although they have served me well, they show signs of age - also, changes in technology have made some of my clubs a bit outdated.

That being said, after being overwhelmed with joy at the prospect, I jumped into my car and met with PGA Tour Superstore reps Todd and Stanton who placed me into a hitting booth complete with video software designed to tell me everything from my swing speed to spin rates, in order to help place me together with the best set of clubs for my game.

We used my original Driver, 7-iron and sand wedge as test subjects; my current set includes a Titleist 905T Driver with a 9.5% loft, Square-Two irons and a Vokey Spin Milled Wedge.

We began testing with the Driver - according to the custom club fitter, on the longest stick in our golf bags we needed to learn my initial club head speed, if I hit it high, spin rate etc. Todd was telling me that a higher kickpoint shaft makes the ball go lower, which is what I needed to achieve. I nodded as he kept educating me.

For the irons, swing as many as necessary until you find one that feels comfortable in your hands.

In my case, I only needed three different brands before I chose my new Ping Karsten Irons - Hybrid set (spoiler alert). Then, the club fitter began to address the proper shaft for the club. Finally, I stood at address while Todd placed a board underneath my club to check the lie angle - that the club was flat at address.

As for the wedge, it's all about the comfort!

I love my Vokey Spin Milled Wedge but ten years has taken its toll on the grooves. Would I have been happy with a simple grind-out? Probably but, according to my custom club fitter, my original wedge had too much of a bounce so he selected a Vokey Spin Milled Wedge with less bounce which placed the leading edge closer to the ground and allowed the club to cut through the sand better (yes, I have already taken my new wedge to the golf course!)

Here are a few tips to help you with Your next Custom Fit Golf Experience:

1. Never buy a golf club without it being fit to your swing. PGA Tour Superstores have custom fitters and custom fitting booths for you to take full advantage of their services...and they are happy to help fit you so ask questions and don't be shy!

2. My custom fitter mentioned that a properly matched shaft is most important in increasing your clubhead speed. Grip size and the lie of the club are other important ingredients in creating a golf club specifically for your swing.

3. The most common complaint in the simulator is that people claim they hit their clubs farther than what is shown however increased clubhead speed and accuracy of your shots are more important than the distances shown at the booth.

Which golf clubs did I take home with me? None! They had to be built to my specs! But fear not, the fitting took less than a week and I am now the proud owner of the following new golf clubs:

Callaway X2Hot Driver - 10.5% loft
Ping Karsten Irons - set from 3-Hybrid through Gap Wedge
Vokey Spin Milled Wedge

One last note...

My PGA Tour Superstore Custom Club Fitter, Todd, is straight out of the military and is currently attending golf school. He left me with one thought that seemed to sum up my whole experience:

"If you can fit a customer and give a tip to improve their game and help them on the golf course in the process, I don't think they could be any happier." Thanks Todd, Stanton and the rest of the gang at PGA Tour Superstore in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for making my golf club fitting experience a special one.

Now, I'm going to try out my new golf clubs! I'm so excited!! I'll report my findings.

Direct your golf club-fitting questions on Twitter to @PGATSS and @Golf4Beginners.


Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.