We sometimes use affiliate links to products and services on retailer sites for which we can receive compensation if you click on those links or make purchases through them.
Ping’s new iDi driving irons offer fast-swing-speed players a highly appealing new option towards the top of the bag. Dan Murphy has tested them to bring you all the details on how they perform out on the course
The Ping iDi driving iron is the brand’s latest addition to their array of options at the top end of the bag. Available in 2, 3 and 4-iron versions, each club is engineered slightly differently. Aimed at the faster-swinging player, these clubs are perfectly suited to firm, fast-running, summer conditions. Find out how they perform in our comprehensive Ping iDi driving iron review.
The Ping iDi driving iron is a great addition to the Ping line-up at the top end of the bag.
It’s aimed at the stronger player and is ideally suited to those with fast clubhead and ball speeds who are playing on fast-running courses in breezy conditions.
The 2-iron version generates a lovely, flat, penetrating flight that gets the ball to where it is going quickly. There is plenty of mass behind the ball so it does not feel intimidatingly difficult to use. It’s a specialist driving club and should be used as such.
The 4-iron version, by contrast starts to offer the opportunity to hit softer-landing shots – it’s a great option for those long par 3s where you want to marry distance with control.
PROS
CON
For a driving iron, you want to see a very particular combination of things when you set up to the ball. These are clubs designed with the specific needs of stronger players in mind and the principle appeal of an iron over a wood or hybrid is additional control.
So you don’t want to see a bulky hosel and you definitely don’t want to be getting involved with too much offset. That said, if you are standing on a lonely back tee and the wind is blowing you do want to feel that there is a bit of bulk behind the ball.
By eschewing adjustability, Ping have been able to give this club a more traditional and visually appealing look, while the covered cavity – with In-R Air technology – ensures there is real substance behind the ball.
Ping aim to offer a range of solutions that match the wildly varying needs of golfers. Between your driver and your set of irons, you can choose between fairway woods, hybrids, crossovers and now these driving irons.
That is a veritable array of options. I have tried both the #2-iron and #4-iron versions of the iDi and I found I got very different shot tendencies – which is exactly how Ping have designed them.
I was able to test the clubs in ideal conditions to put them through their paces – namely on firm, bouncy courses in strong breezes.
My first shot with the 2-iron was a real bullet – just what I wanted to feel and see. When I looked up, the ball was travelling fast and flat, bouncing two or three times up into the air as it chased down the fairway.
Advertisement
It didn’t feel intimidating to use – the only question is likely to be whether the flight works for your launch conditions. I reckon you are going to need a certain amount of ball speed to get the best out of this club.
It’s a compact yet powerful look behind the ball and I’m a big fan.
I also hit a couple of shots with the 2-iron off the deck. For me, this would be a niche use for the club, a little like trying to hit a driver off the fairway. You can do it and it will chase forever, but to find and hold a target, I would suggest that there are other options out there that would be preferable.
At 17˚, and with a slightly shorter shaft than you would expect to find in a hybrid or fairway wood equivalent, the Ping iDi is attempting to marry power with control. I think it hits the spot.
Off the tee, I’ve had great success drilling it down the fairways and with the courses I have been playing being so firm at the moment, there is plenty of run-out to boost the total distance. It’s a combination of this and the penetrating flight that make it such a strong option in the right conditions. It feels great too and has given me additional control from the tee.
With the 4-iron version, though, it is a different story – or at least it was for me anyway. I am a high ball hitter and when I used this from the tee, I was getting that rainbow-style trajectory that is much better suited for approach shots to a green.
Advertisement
I tried it off the deck and had no trouble at all generating a similar flight. That quickly made me feel differently about how best to utilise the club. For me at least, it’s very much an approach club. Lots of us still prefer the look of an iron to that of a hybrid or indeed a lofted fairway wood and it makes the iDi a great option.
The other key use for me is on long par 3s. If you have one or more of the kind of hole at your home course that often has you reaching for the heavy artillery, then this would be a great option because you do feel like you have more control over it than you do with, say, a wood.
It wasn’t a surprise to notice this distinction in the performance between the #2 and the #4 because that is exactly how Ping have designed them.
The 2-iron promises low launch and low spin, the 3-iron mid launch and mid spin, and the 4-iron high launch and higher spin for greater stopping power.
The Ping iDi 2-iron will be getting plenty of use from me for as long as the conditions remain fast and bouncy on the links and heathland courses I play the vast majority of my golf on.
The 4-iron version will come into its own depending on the course I am playing as I know I can achieve a softer-landing flight.
As ever with Ping, the iDi driving irons are a real feat of engineering. I think they have done a phenomenal job here.
Available: Now for custom fitting – general sale July 17th
RRP:
Stock Shafts:
Grip:
Lofts: 2-iron (17°), 3-iron (20°), 4-iron (23°)
Advertisement
More information: Ping Website
Don’t forget to check out and like our YouTube channel – YOUR GOLF NCG – where you will find lots of hints, tips and equipment reviews.
Advertisement
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
