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What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Jack Backhouse brings you the low down on Ping’s better player driving iron
Ping have added to their Crossover line with a new version aimed at the better player, so how did we find it? Find out in the Ping iCrossover driving iron review.
A great option for solid ball strikers looking to add a different option at the top end of the bag. This driving iron is brilliant for tee shots at firm ground courses as the flight it produces is hot and low.
Probably not the club if you are looking specifically for long iron replacement or something easy to hit, but this club is incredibly adjustable to allow a player to find their ideal ball flight.
PROS
A truly beautiful club
Great ball speed
Solid in the wind with low launch & low spin
CONS
The relatively small head may be intimidating for some players
Ping iCrossover driving iron review: First impressions
The Ping iCrossover is absolutely stunning. The black head and contrasting grey face sit beautifully behind the ball, and you would almost rather have it on display in your house than risk hitting one slightly out of the toe and marking the head. I am sure this is going straight into the bags of Ping’s tour players as it not only looks great but performs really well too.
Ping iCrossover driving iron review: NCG verdict
I have been looking for a new driving iron since joining a club that plays firm and fast during the summer, so I was absolutely delighted when the Ping iCrossover turned up for me to test. I have always tended to stay away from the Ping crossover line as historically the heads have been big, clunky and not suited my eye, but the iCrossover is different and is much smaller in profile, looking a lot more like a classic player’s driving iron.
The 2 iron I tested was a good inch and a half longer than my 4 iron so it took a few bad strikes for me to get the feel for the club, I was most surprised when looking at the data from my flightscope that the shots I’d hit had still carried well over 200 yards despite taking off low and left.
I love the idea of playing a driving iron but the low left pattern I suffer with usually means it ‘rests’ in my garage only coming out of special trips to links courses where even there it is often just for show.
Normally for me, this shot would be destructive and lose me shots and balls out on the course, but with the iCrossover instead, I saw shots that I could probably get away with, which speaks volumes of the forgiveness of this club.
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The big feature of the iCrossover is it’s adjustability, as by taking off the head you are able to adjust both the loft and lie angle of the club. The adjustable loft makes sense to most people as it allows you to hone in the flight depending on your swing and the conditions of the day. The big win for golfers, which people wont realise, is the ability to adjust the lie angle.
By being able to adjust the lie angle of the club, golfers can set this club up to avoid their big miss. For me who hooks the ball, I can make the club flatter which in turn helps me stop the ball go left. If like one of the many golfers I teach, you slice the ball, you could make the iCrossover more upright to stop the ball from curving right so much. This feature allows golfers who previously wouldn’t consider a driving iron into the market and is a genius move from Ping.
Once I had adjusted the lie to 1 degree flat I loved hitting this club, and the Flightscope data solidified my feelings for it. Crossover felt explosive off of the face, and the 136mph ball speed that I averaged backs that up.
To average over 220 yard carry with the 2 iron I tried would equate to a 250-260 yard total distance on a firm fast summer fairway, which is almost too far! I loved how far this went but that’s the same distance as my 3 wood so I would probably have to loft up or change to the 3 iron version of the club to fit my bag set up.
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The crazy ball speed and distances do however mean that if you are a golfer who hits irons great but struggles with fairway woods, this golf club could be a good option for you.
The only downside I could see to this club is that it does go very low. This could be in part due to my club set up, but as someone who does hit the ball relatively consistently (after a thorough warm up) the flight was low out of the middle, and low speed golfers might struggle to firstly launch it high enough to go anywhere, but secondly spin the ball enough to keep it in the air. This issue could be mitigated however with a proper custom fit.
The iCrossover has gone straight into my bag and will remain there for the foreseeable future. With winter approaching normally I would stop carrying a driving iron but as it is adjustable I will simply loft it up to negate the less roll I will get on the soft fairways. Be sure to give this a try at your earliest opportunity!
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