PING Rolls Out Its New 2014 Line of Clubs

This month, PING is rolling out a comprehensive line of new clubs with a common theme, and that theme is increased distance. While more distance is something that everybody wants, PING has also paid special attention to making sure that the new clubs are both forgiving and consitent as well. Among the new products is the i25 lineup of clubs which include a new driver, irons, fairway woods and hybrids. In addition to the i25 series, there is also the new Karsten hybrid irons which should provide higher handicap players with both the distance and increased forgiveness that they seek. The new 2014 line is rounded out with the product that made PING a household name, putters, with the introduction of the Karsten TR line.

i25 Series
Chief among the new lineup is the much anticipated i25 Series, and that should come as surprise to pretty much nobody. The i20 series was very popular among golfers as it provided an iron that was playable by a wide array of golfers. The new i25 Irons pick up where the i20’s left off. They are cast from 17-4 stainless steel and are designed to deliver both distance and forgiveness. The long irons feature a slightly larger head than the shorter irons and also have increased sole widths which help to give golfers a higher trajectory and maximum forgiveness. The more compact short irons also have narrower soles and less offset letting the golfer be more precise and giving them increased accuracy. The i25 Irons also have face stabilizing bars, in the long irons, these are narrow and help to increase ball speed for added distance as well as add height to the shot. In the shorter irons, the stabilizing bars are wider, helping to create a lower and more controlled ball flight. The clubs also have tungsten weighting in the low toe to add to the forgiveness of the club. Continuing with the look of the i20 Irons, the i25’s have a foggy chrome finish. Set make ups will include the standard 3-PW as well as a UW, SW, and LW. The stock steel shaft is PING’s CFS and the stock granite is the TFC 189i. Both shafts are available in Soft R, R, and S flex; the steel is also available in X flex. MSRP for the irons is $110/steel shafted club or $137.50/graphite shafted club.

While the irons are nice, you can’t build an entire line around increased distance without a new driver, and with the new i25 Driver, PING as made a few notable changes. If there is one basic formula for big drives, it is high launch with low spin, and according to PING, that is exactly what its new big stick delivers. The new driver has a multi-materal design consisting of a Ti 8-1-1 body joined to a variable thickness Ti 6-4 face. The variable thickness of the face helps to ensure maximum energy transfer to generate the highest ball speed. Strategically placed tungsten sole weights lower the center of gravity of the club to reduce spin and flatten out the ball flight which maximizes roll out. Perhaps the most noticeable change, however, is the addition of subtle racing stripes to the crown of the club. These stripes provide a visual cue to help the golfer both align properly as well as take the club back on the proper path. Like the last few PING drivers, the i25 is adjustable, using the company’s Trajectory Tuning technology, allowing the golfer to add or subtract a 1/2 degree from the clubs stated loft. Speaking of lofts, the driver is available in 8.5°, 9.5°, and 10.5° models. For stock shafts, PING is offering its own PWR (Performance, Weighting, Responsiveness) shaft in three different weights. These shafts are an industry first as they offer unique weights and stiffness profiles without altering the swing weight of the club. The lightest is the PWR 55 and it’s available in R and S flex. The PWR 65 is available in R, S, Tour S, and Tour XS and the PWR 75 is available in S, Tour S, and Tour XS. MSRP for the club is $440.

Rounding out the i25 series are new fairway woods and hybrids. Both clubs are crafted from 17-4 stainless steel  and feature the same racing stripe graphics as the driver. Like the driver, the fairway woods are adjustable by 1/2 degree and have the same shaft offerings. They also feature a taller face with a very thin perimeter design to boost ball speed, while internal weighting in the club brings up the MOI for more accuracy. The i25 Hybrids have a compact design with more forward hosel axis and less bulge and roll than a traditional hybrid for more control.  Lower lofted hybrids have CG which is further back to promote a higher launch wile the higher lofted clubs have a CG that is more forward to reduce spin. The hybrids have similar shaft offerings to the driver and fairway woods. The PRW 80 is available in R, S, and Tour S flex while the PWR 90 can be had in S, Tour S, or Tour XS flex.

The fairway woods are available in S3w (14°), 3w (15°), and 5w (18°) models and have a MSRP of $275. The hybrids are available in lofts of 17°, 19°, 22°, and 26° with a MSRP $242.50.

Karsten Hybrid/Iron Set
In addition to the new i25 Series, PING has unveiled the new Karsten Hybrid/Iron set. Typical of PING irons, the irons in this set are cast from 17-4 stainless steel. According to PING the longer distance in these irons come from precision-engineereed loft and length progressions and a wide sole design leading to a deep center of gravity. The clubs also featue a Custom Tuning Port (CTP) that integrates with the sole and reinforces the thinner face to increase ball speed and height. This CTP is made from a soft elastomer giving the clubs a solid feel, a feature that is not often found on clubs that focus on distance. The hybrids in the set have a deeper had profile and a wide sole which helps them to blend nicely with the irons and give proper distance gaps. Like the i25 hybrids, the hybrids in this set have a progressive CG location so that the low lofted hybrids launch high and the high lofted ones spin less. Forgivness is also amped up in the hybrids with extreme internal heel and toe weighting.

Hybrids are available in 3h, 4h, and 5h models with the irons being avail be in 5-9, PW, UW, and SW. The stock steel shaft is the PING CFS Distance (Soft R, R, S, X) and the stock graphite shaft is the KS 401 (Soft R, R, S). The MSRP for the clubs is $106.25/steel shafted club and $125 for graphite shafted clubs. It should also be noted that the hybrids are only available with the graphite shaft and they are not sold separately.

Karsten TR Putters
Rounding out the 2014 line are the new Karsten TR Putters. Availble in five timeless and tour proven head designs, these new flat stick have PING’s True Roll technology. This design uses variable depth grooves where the grooves are deepest in the center and shallower towards the perimeter. This helps to create more consistency across the face leading to more made putts and less three putts. The new putters also have an elastomer back-cavity insert that enhances sound and feel.

The new putters are available with either a fixed shaft  (35″ is standard) or an adjustable shaft that can be modified from 31 to 38 inches. The fixed length model has an MSRP of $162.50, with the adjustable length model going for an additional $35. The available head shapes are the Anser 2, Anser 5, B60, PAL, and Zing.