Why have Ping created a new category with the Crossover?
Hybrids are supremely playable, which is why they have become the most reliable clubs in so many club golfers’ bags.
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On the down side, they can be difficult to control the flight of and distance control is not a precise science.
That’s why most of us have at one time or another watched as a hybrid from the semi rough comes off like a bullet and flies over the green. While the next shot has floated up and come down short.
The traditional alternative is long irons and, if you can use them, they offer precision and control of your trajectory. Unfortunately, most of us find them intimidating and unforgiving in equal measure.
What if a club were introduced that offered the best of both worlds? Because that’s exactly what Ping claim to have done here.
Introducing the Crossovers ” which are described as an entirely separate equipment category.
They are designed to offer “the distance of a hybrid with the control and accuracy of an iron”.
An iron-style Carpenter 455 VFT Steel face is thinner than an iron to increase the ball speed by bending more.
However, the flat face generates precision and workability with a spin rate slightly higher than an iron but much lower than a hybrid.
The clubs have extreme toe weighting to position the CG low and back and also increase the MOI for hybrid-like forgiveness.
Finally, a tiered internal sole maximises and spreads the bending of the face resulting in a springing effect.
Ping expect most consumers to choose the graphite option to maximise distance.
In terms of distance, a 4 Crossover will go further than your 4 iron, simply due to the size and design of the clubhead and the length of the shaft.
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