Has anyone played the i15 driver/fairway's/hybrids?

[uppi]

Hi all, just curious if anyone has some experience with these. I really like the look of the i15's compared to the G15's (especially the hybrids) and I also tend to overdraw/hook the ball, so I am really intrigued by the fade bias design. However, When I went into golf galaxy and asked one of the store attendents about them, he said you better be VERY VERY GOOD and went on to say how he has never had anything bad to say about pings clubs until these. He basically made it sound like unless your a pro/elite amateur you will hate these clubs because they are so unforgiving. I have i10's and love them, so I figured the i15 woods series would have at least the same type of forgivness as the i15 irons (which are suspose to be more forgiving then the i10's). Anyone around my handicap have any experience with these clubs and if so what did you think?

[Ash1974]

Your right about the i15 irons I hit both the i10's and i15's and the i15's had more forgivness in the longer irons, 3,4,5,6 which is exactly what Ping were after when doing a progresive set.

As for the i15 woods/hybrids I cannot see that the hybrids or 3/4/5 wood would be that unforgiving (unless like me you hit a draw in your driver and 3 wood which the i15 woods range do not do) as for the driver it sits quite open so I can see how thsi would put some lesser players off.

I don't see what Ping were trying to do really, they made the i15 irons a bit more forgiving which is fine but then introduced an i15 woods/hybrid range that clearly is made for the better player as no draw options exist in the 3/4/5 woods and driver?

[michaeljames92]

You're 100% right on the unforgiving part. I hit a 4-5 balls with the i15 with the stock shaft. I caught one towards to heel, not far from the sweetspot and it felt horrible. It also has the speetspot more towards the heel rather than the toe. After hitting that I would say my 909d2 has more forgiveness than the i15 driver.

[swark]

I would really advise you to trial them out yourself. My experience with the I15 driver was a little different to that of the above poster.

We had the Ping fitting van at my home course recently and I went along for a hit. I was in the market for a new driver, and was keen to hit the G15 to see how it compared with my current driver (MacGregor MT 460). The I15 wasn't really on my radar because of receiving similar feedback to what you have. The G15 completely underwhelmed me though - I was hitting moon balls with a big hook (interesting combination I know) even with the 9 degree stiff shaft.

The fitting guy then gave me an 8 degree I15 driver which I had heard mixed reviews on (apart from most people agreeing that it looks stunning). I was blown away by its performance - it is easily the best driver I have ever hit. Launch angle of around 12 degrees with a spin rate of 2300. The ball was going dead straight on a perfect trajectory. According to the computer, eight of the ten balls I hit carried over 260m (including one over 270m). The other two carried 252 and 258 metres, with each of the 10 balls hitting the nominal fairway on the driving range. All of this into a slight headwind. Dunno whether you can trust the computer stats. or not, but they certainly appeared visually to be far longer than my normal drives (always a bit hard to tell on a driving range how far they really go). And they were all with a nice flat trajectory that would have given me a fair amount of run.

If you hit the ball too high, or your bad shot is a hook (as the OP notes), give the I15 a trial run. If you hit a low ball, or struggle with a slice, it probably isn't the option for you. But don't just write it off as a 'low handicap' club. The I15 really surprised me, and it was significantly better (for me) than the G15. It may not be for everyone, but it suited me down to the ground. I am certainly not a great golfer by any means, but I found the I15 to be very forgiving. I got far more distance and accuracy with it than the G15, and it outperformed my MT460 as well.

I ordered one that same day and have not regretted the decision at all. It is the first Ping driver I have ever had (previously used Callaway/Taylor Made and more recently MacGregor), but it is the one that fits my game best of all.

[Calc]

I saw the i15 Driver and Fairway yesterday. Regret not hitting em'. The i15 driver looks a little open too. The finish really reminds me of a new SuperQuad!

[georgep]

I'm currently reviewing the i15 driver for The Sand Trap. After one round, I can report that I don't find it to be all that unforgiving for a better player's driver. If you're wild off the tee with your current driver, the i15 might not help much. But if you are regularly hitting fairways without a game-improvement type driver, the i15 is not going to make you suddenly erratic.

Length is very good as with other recent Ping drivers, but you won't see a huge difference unless your current driver is a poor fit for your swing. Distance technology is pretty much maxed out at this point. Feel is similar to the G5 I used to play, not bad, but not great either. Watch for the review to be up in the next few weeks.

[hamletsdead]

I hit the i15 driver and the 7-iron this morning over at my local golf emporium while I was getting some new grips put on, and I was tempted to take the driver with me when I left. That thing looks great, and I was smacking the bejesus out of it. The irons were ridiculously easy to hit, too. If I didn't have a closetful of newish backup clubs I'd be all over it. I can hardly wait for six months to go by so I can snap them up cheap(er).

[pingman]

Hi all, just curious if anyone has some experience with these. I really like the look of the i15's compared to the G15's (especially the hybrids) and I also tend to overdraw/hook the ball, so I am really intrigued by the fade bias design. However, When I went into golf galaxy and asked one of the store attendents about them, he said you better be VERY VERY GOOD and went on to say how he has never had anything bad to say about pings clubs until these. He basically made it sound like unless your a pro/elite amateur you will hate these clubs because they are so unforgiving. I have i10's and love them, so I figured the i15 woods series would have at least the same type of forgivness as the i15 irons (which are suspose to be more forgiving then the i10's). Anyone around my handicap have any experience with these clubs and if so what did you think?

I'm the man for this question. Check my signature man. To be honest, the i15 woods are hands down, the best clubs I have ever had the pleasure to own! I got them before they were available to the public from a connection of mine. They're great off the tee, I bomb my shots around 302 yards! My 3 wood is just as great off a tee as well as off fairway, rough, and sand! AMAZING....but the guy was right, every now and then I get excited and become to quick with my swing, and let me tell you, hitting off the sweet spot is NOT pretty. Damn, it really lets you know, and visualize, how great/bad your shot was. Again though, the clubs are the greatest ever! I'm not a fan of hybrids as i prefer to switch between a 5 wood and a 2 iron, but i'm sure the hybrids are just as good. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!