Newbie here....Considering a move to Ping i15's from "Classic" Karsten II irons.

Hello everyone...newbie here! This is great site full of great advice. Thanks for letting me be a lurker until now!

My kids are now @ the age (9 and 12), where both are seriously interested in getting into golf. The good news for me is this means going back up to 20+ rounds per year vs the last decade or so of 2 or 3 per.

A little background...I've played golf since I was 13 (now 45). When I stopped playing frequently, my handicap was around 20. Now if I were keeping track, it'd probably be closer to 25. My goal is to seriously work on my game now that golf will be back @ the forefront of our summers. My personal objective is to be @ 15 within the next two seasons and south of that within three. Yes lessons/clinics will be a mainstay to achieve this. Distance or shotmaking has never been an issue, consistency is my achilles heel (given my on/off approach to the game).

I still play my trusty set of black dot Karsten II irons (circa late 70's) and have always loved them. The set is in great condition (new grips, re-conditioned club heads, and zz lite shafts (in the early 90's). I've gone through plenty of fairway woods and drivers in this time, but have always stuck to my irons. Needless to say, I'm like a kid in a candy store now. I've swung the G15's and i15's. My initial feeling with the G15's is that I couldn't "feel" the bad strikes like I'm used to feeling with the Karsten's. The i's..on the other hand...feel very similar to my Karsten II's.

For those who may have had experience with the early Pings, my three questions are simple:

1) Will I find that the i15's have advanced enough to make a difference, or should I just hold onto my cash and invest in more clinics? I'm leaning towards pulling the trigger. After all,,,,30 years of development (even on Pings)..has to have made a difference.

2) Am I looking @ the 'right" Ping irons given my goal is to improve improve improve, but recognizing I have a long way to go?

3) Are there any other clubs outside of the Ping family that you can recommend I try out - which are similar?

Thanks in advance for any advice you have!

Man, i wish you'd gotten an answer. i'm going through the same dilemma. i have a set of karsten 2s that i like, they're the only clubs i've really known.

i'm looking to upgrade, but don't want to spend the cash if i'm going to regret it.

did you find an answer to your quest?

Guys, when it comes to recommending Irons, it is almost impossible to do via a forum.  Your best bet is go to Golfsmith (or that type of store) and hit the clubs that are within your price range.  Find the one that gives you the best numbers and that you feel the most comfortable with.

Ping has a great selection of Irons but so does Callaway, Tayloremade, Mizuno, etc.   I personally enjoy my Ping G20's but I also love the feel of the JPX 825's.  However, what I like could differ greatly from you so you need to go hit em up and enjoy the process.

Try lots of stuff....maybe buy what you get on with best. I would have thought the i15s would have some feel and forgiveness advantages over the K2s and I would think, in particular, the long irons in the i15s would be a bit easier to get along with. The i15s have a lump of tungsten in the toe I think to increase the MOI/forgiveness. The i15s would suit your desire to progress - Lee Westwood uses the newer i20s I think, for example.

One thing to watch if you do go for the 'upgrade' is distances - pretty sure the i15 lofts will be greased cf. the equivalent iron in the K2s so your i15 7-iron might travel a similar distance to your K2 6-iron.

Hit the wilson CI 11's... Thin top line... Plays like a blade in feel and forginess of anything out there in cavuty back... Nice shafts matched perfect... And dont hurt the wallet... Wilsons are way underrated... I still hit my 99 set better then anything out there... Gave my callaways away.. x 14's.. No feel at all...

The only thing is my wilsons are 17-4 stainless steel... Ping is the only one still using that... But none of the pings are smaller and narrow except the s 56... If you got the money go with them... On a budget the CI 11.s are the choice...