Irons test: Ping i vs. i200

Our Ping i200 v i irons test aims to give golfers a bit more information about the looks, feel and performance characteristics of each club.

We don’t necessarily expect golfers to be moving straight from the Ping i to the Ping i200 but we feel this test will highlight what improvements have been made from one iteration to the next.

Ping i200 v i irons comparison test – The methodology

Our editor Dan Murphy was the best person for this job as he has been gaming the Ping i irons on and off for the past 18 months.

He’s also been using Ping irons for a very long time.

Dan was custom-fitted into the Ping i200 at Tour X in Wigan and was fitted into the Nippon Modus 3 Tour120 shaft in x-flex.

In the i irons Dan was fitted into the Project X pxi 6.0.

The 7-iron loft on i200 is weaker than i and Dan is always looking to control his spin.

So the shaft he was fitted into for the i200 was designed to do that. If he had just gone for the same shaft as his i irons the extra loft may have resulted in high, skinny shots.

Sometimes just using the same shaft, especially when not custom-fitted doesn’t give the iron the best chance to perform.

We found this when comparing i and iBlade simply using the same shaft. It may work for one head but doesn’t mean it will work for the other.

The test took place at The Golf Shack at Moor Allerton in Leeds under with results monitored on Trackman 4 under the watchful eye of our resident pro James Whitaker.

He hit five 7-irons in each model.

Ping i200 v i irons comparison test – The results

Dan’s instant feedback on the i200 was that they felt a little bit crisper off the face.

He also noted how they look a little bit slicker and sleeker than the i irons.

Now we know that the shaft is a big factor in the results here but the ball speed and carry distance was up on the i200.

Considering the loft is weaker I think that shows the thinner face technology in the i200 is definitely working here.

The launch was much higher on the i200 as you would expect with more loft.

The shaft was probably the key factor in keeping the spin below 6,000rpm with the i200.

Ping i200 v i irons comparison test – NCG Verdict

Ping are not a company who chase distance with their irons.

They want irons to be consistent so you can hit the right numbers time after time.

Ping could have easily made the i200 longer than i simply having the same loft.

But they’ve played around with the lofts a bit to get more consistent gapping.

There’s no point in your 7 and 6-iron going miles but then the 5-iron only going a couple of yards further, if any at all.

So I think it’s clear the technology in i200 is really working.

Think of it like this. Dan was custom-fitted into i and had success with them over 18 months.

He was then fitted into i200 and saw some performance benefits.

So much so that I’m 99.9 percent certain he’ll have them in his bag this year. In the same way that Lee Westwood will.

There’s definite improvement from one iteration to the next.

So if you are moving from i20 or i25 we think the improvements will be far more significant.

For full specs and pricing details on the new i200 irons CLICK HERE

[skylab_video id=”62954″]Ping i200 irons review YouTube[/skylab_video]