Ping are really well known for their game improvement irons, but when it comes to tour and better player models, they are not always the first on the radar. That could be about to change with the latest Blueprint line-up.
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NCG SUMMARY
These are another great set of Ping irons that expand their line-up in the better player market.
Not only are these great-looking clubs, but they also provide good distance, serious control and workability that better players are looking for.
PROS
- Great compact-looking golf club
- Really workable
- Good forgiveness relative to size
CONS
- Just suits the better player market
Ping Blueprint S Irons Review: First Impressions
This is a great-looking iron. I love the small, compact look and the fact there is really minimal offset. It still has that typical ping shape with the slightly higher toe, but I think that gives this smaller iron a look that isn’t intimidating at all.
NCG Verdict
Straight away, I loved the great feel of these clubs. Once I started hitting, I just wanted to keep going. These have a real players’ feel but somehow feel soft and fast at the same time. I tested a half set of odd irons and started at the bottom of the bag with the 9-iron.
The control of these was remarkable. The first two balls I hit out on the course basically landed on top of each other on the green. The ball flights were also really consistent, which made predicting what your ball was going to do a lot easier.
These flew at a really good height, getting up to 98ft in my indoor testing and came down at a descent angle of 47.7°, which will provide loads of stopping power. An average of 7466 rpm of spin is also going to help with control.
There was definitely more forgiveness in these than I expected. I especially liked the fact that even on slightly low-on-the-face strikes, I still got enough distance to get the ball to the green. The consistency of my distance was a lot better than I would have expected with the size of these irons, which is obviously important when you are firing into greens.
These were carrying 126.5 yards on average in my simulator testing, which is a tad shy of the 133 yards I would generally get out of my 9-iron, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a slight loft tweak.
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My 7-iron was still getting over 98ft of height with over 6565 rpm of spin on average, which again will give me great control.
My 7-iron was carrying 151.3 yards on average. I generally like something that sits in the 150-155-yard carry with this club, so this fits into my bag gapping perfectly.
Personally, I think the small shaping and narrower sole width are things I am more comfortable with, so it gives me more confidence through the shot and actually creates more consistency, which isn’t necessarily what you might expect. It also gives you the ability to work the ball easier, which is key for a better players club.
Throughout the set, each iron is a different shape depending on what it needs to do in the bag. The longer irons feature a new patented technology called Precision Pocket Forging. This allows for a pocket to be forged into the cavity of the 5, 4 and 3-iron. This saves 10 grams of weight, which is relocated to optimise the centre of gravity and make the club more forgiving.
I was interested to see how this would work and if I would keep the consistent gapping through the bag, as sometimes, I can see my distance drop off in the longer irons.
While the 5-iron flew slightly lower than the rest of the irons, it still got up to 88ft on average. It also generated 5257 rpm of spin and 44° of land angle, which will give you plenty of control into the greens. It is worth checking this data in your fittings as if the flight, spin, and land angle drop too low, that may be a good point to move into a higher launching iron as a combo set or swap to a hybrid.
Interestingly, these have the same lofts as the Blueprint T blades and the i230 irons, meaning there should be some really interesting combo sets to be made.
I actually saw the biggest jump in distance at this point in the bag, with this carrying 173.4 yards on average. This was definitely more than I expected, given the size of the club, but thankfully, this fits perfectly into my bag gapping.
Overall, I was really impressed with these irons. I knew they would be good in terms of control and workability, but I was concerned about if they would fly far enough to be potential gamers.
Given this is just initial data with stock shafts, I am really excited to hopefully get fit for these and see if they could be new gamers for me this year.
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Ping Blueprint S Irons Review: The Details
Available: Now
RRP: £200 per iron (steel) £210 per iron (graphite) / from $1274 set
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), PING Alta CB Black graphite (SR, R, S)
Optional Stock Shafts: PING AWT (R, S, X), Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 105 (R, S, X), Elevate MPH 95 (R, S), UST Recoil Dart 65 (A), 75 (R, S)
Grip: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16”, Red -1/32”, Aqua -1/64”, White-Std, Gold +1/32”, Orange +1/16”)
Lofts: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec
More information: Ping Website
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