5 Ping S55 irons Looking at the new S55s it is hard to think it wasn’t all that long ago when Ping simply weren’t a consideration for the better player looking for a traditional, set of irons.
Performance, game-improvement qualities and forgiveness, certainly; sleek and compact heads, hardly.
This is actually the fifth incarnation of a range that began back in 2002 with the original ferrule-less S59. With each succession, on looks alone, Ping have made a better and better job. And the culmination is the new S55 that has been a long time in the pipeline for anyone hanging on before making their next investment.
Ping take pride in never releasing new product without being convinced it is superior to their existing offering. Ping take pride in never releasing new product without being convinced it is superior to their existing offering. And since the S56 is an iron that has won global appreciation, in a category where only subtle progression will ever be accepted, a three-year-plus interlude begins to make logical sense.
Ping expect the transition for existing S56 users to be an easy one.
In engineering terms, Ping made the face in the long irons thinner and moved the weight they had saved lower and further and back. This makes them a little bit more lively and also creates a different sound and feel.
Another key difference is that the weight in the back of the head is now made of a polymer. This dampens the feel, helps to get the weight deeper and leads to a higher launch.
THE FIRST VERDICT
By Dan Murphy, 3hcp
I played the S56 irons for over a year before switching to the i20s.
I loved the short irons but, at the time, my confidence had taken a hit and I was struggling with the longer irons – I knew I wasn’t getting them to the top of their flight. The i20s are much more forgiving and the top line reassuringly substantial.
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My feeling when I first set an S55 long iron behind the ball was that it looked sleek but not as intimidating and I was amazed to watch the flight, which seemed every bit as high as with my i20s.
The feel is solid and the short irons’ flight is pleasingly quick. It’s early days, but I’m very impressed.
