Ping Crossover v long iron – which will perform best for our anonymous big hitter?
The introduction of the Ping Crossover last year caused a bit of a stir.
It wasn’t a hybrid, a long iron or a driving iron. It was a completely new category of club for Ping.
As soon as word got out about its performance, Ping were up against it trying to meet the demand.
Some people just don’t get on with hybrids. The flight can be a bit high and spinny and people are often unsure whether to hit down on them like an iron or sweep them away like a fairway wood.
But most players need a bit of extra help when it comes to long irons, particularly when hitting out of a less than favourable lie.
That’s where the Crossover comes in with it’s easy launch and added forgiveness.
But how does the performance compare when it comes to Ping Crossover v long iron?
We drafted in our anonymous big hitter to test them both out.
Ping Crossover v long iron – The methodology
Our anonymous big hitter used a Ping i 3-iron to hit a range of shots on Trackman 4 under the watchful eye of our resident pro James Whitaker.
He then hit a load of shots with the Ping 3 Crossover and we compared the data.
Ping Crossover v long iron – The results
Before the test both myself and James Whitaker expected the 3-iron to be fairly consistent but not very forgiving on off-centre hits.
We expected a higher flight and a bit more carry with the Ping Crossover.
What we found was a very tight front-to-back dispersion with the 3-iron where each shot was carrying around 210 yards.
With the Ping Crossover there was a fairly large gap between the shortest shot, 217 yards carry, and the longest which had a 234 carry.
Ping Crossover v long iron – Conclusion
This is maybe not the most relevant test for your average club golfer as who actually carries a 3-iron these days?
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And who can hit is consistently well in the way our anonymous big hitter can?
Anyway, we certainly learned that you get a bit more pop off the face with the Crossover which is what most people need in their longer irons.
For me, I’d always favour the Crossover to a long iron when hitting out of the semi rough or on a less than decent lie.
I feel like the lie has to be perfect to have confidence in executing a well-struck long iron. That’s why mine get the most use when pegged up on a par-3.
The extra carry with the Crossover makes it ideal as a driving club as you will happily take a few extra yards. Or as a second shot on a par-5.
When hitting into a green you don’t really want 15 yards of extra carry but I guess you’ll factor in how far it could go when it comes to club selection.
In summary, the Ping Crossover is easier to hit, launches higher and carries a bit further than a long iron.
But we will come back to you with an on-course review to test how well each club performs from a variety of lies.
For more visit the Ping website HERE
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