Hybrids: Ping G15 v. Ping i15

[Danny Noonan]

Exactly as the title says, Ping G15 v. Ping i15? Which would you go with?

I bought a 17 degree G15 on a whim. I hit it really well. Only after I played with it a little did I actually realize that the head shape is not traditional. Shockingly, it didn't even occur to me. Then I began playing mind games with myself, once I realized that the i15 had a traditional head shape.

I've debated taking this hybrid back for the i15, but I hit it so good. Still, I hate the head shape, it looks like a swollen toe. But I hit it long and straight.

I'm probably setting myself up for more mind games by starting this thread, as I have been pretty much resigned to the fact that the G15 is great for me.

I did a search but didn't really find a thread with comparisons between the two. The Ping website doesn't seem to really push one over the other. Neither do the reps, but the reps I've spoke to don't seem to know that much.

Whichever I go with (G15 or i15), I'm also going to add a 20 and a 23 degree hybrid.

Anyway, any thoughts are appreciated.

[Gerald]

I was in the same trouble as you are now..... I went to a Ping dealer to work out G15 or i15 hybrids, being a mid handicapper it was a difficult decision to make.

I went for the i15 20*, because I thought that this low handicapper's hybrid would give less hooks ...... but outside the shop I found it difficult to hit consistent with it. I had some great shots with it, but also some great misses.

One of my buddies has a G15 17*, don't look to the shape of this "thing" ...... geeeee this is a great club, easy to hit and straight !

Read this .... http://thesandtrap.com/clubs/ping_g15_hybrid_review

Still I prefer woods instead of hybrids and I am good ballstriker with my irons, so I don't really need a 2i replacement...... so if I would buy a 2H I would have to kick out the 5W ...... not going to happen.

[surfnspy]

OH MAN! I love the G15's! I am a high handicapper and I must say that these clubs have saved my a*s many times.

I originally bought one when they first came out after reading the reviews about the clubs' foregiveness. After taking it out ONE round I was convinced I couldn't play it based on a review I read the night before my round in which many people said it was ugly and just plain dumb looking.

I promptly traded it in for a Baffler TWS feeling like I had made the right move by getting a more "conventional?" and traditional looking club. Well, that didn't work as I struggled to hit that club consistently.

Rethinking my impulse transaction I decided to repurchase the G15 and have it shafted like my irons. WOW! The result was immediate. If you play them like an iron they really deliver.

I have the 4, 3, 2 iron replacement G15's (17*, 20*, 23*) with Dynamic Gold SL R300's.

Since I'm not a good wood or long iron hitter I rely on these clubs a lot. For us high handicappers... they are an "equalizer" of sorts.

I could go on so I'll leave it at 3 words... Function Before Fashion!

If you can get over the looks you will be rewarded

Good luck!

[Stretch]

If you hit the G15 well, who cares what it looks like?

I'm in a quandary about mine. I loved it when I first got it, but after working on my swing a bit since then it now really, really seems to want to go hard left on me. That's got into my head and every time I pull it I'm immediately focused on just how much trouble a hook would put me into. Not a great frame of mind to approach the ball with.

[shades9323]

Exactly as the title says, Ping G15 v. Ping i15? Which would you go with?

I would go with the one that I HIT the best regardless of looks. You don't buy a club to look at it, you buy a club to hit it.

[themightytimmah]

I hit the G15, i15, and a couple other hybrids on a launch monitor last week. The i15 was a lot less consistent than the G15 for me - on great hits, it flew about 5yds farther, but on bad mishits, it left the fairway. I think my longest hit with a G15 20* was about 150 and ~155 for i15. I preferred the Rapture as far as Pings go, it had a nice "click" on solid shots and was a bit more forgiving than either the G15 or I15.

Oddly enough, the club I ended up going home with was the ugly duckling of the bunch. I absolutely crushed the Nike Machspeed - longest hit with it was about 12 yards longer than any of the competition. It sure is about the ugliest thing ever put on the end of a stick, though. If you want to keep an all-ping bag, I would reccomend the Rapture.

[ghalfaire]

I read and article many years ago by Arnold Palmer on how to purchase clubs. One of his comments was "if you don't like the way it looks when you address the ball, don't buy it".

[Rochester]

My driver is one of the best clubs in my bag, but I struggled with fairway woods (3wd, 5wd, and 7wd). I'd tried several hybrids (mostly those that look like small fairway woods) and struggled just as badly with them as the fairway woods. I hit the long irons consistently straight, but didn't have the distance I was looking for.

Several weeks ago, I tried a G15 20° because there was a used one that looked like new in the rack at my favorite local golf store. It is ugly, but boy, could I hit it. I thought ,what the heck... it's worth a try, and bought it. Man do I love that club. My average shot with it is about 200 yds. So... I bought a 23° G15. Hit it about 185-190 yds. Bought a 27° G15. Hit it about 170-175 yds. These clubs have made an incredible difference in my game, probably about 8-10 strokes. This is primarily because I can swing the hybrids the same way as my irons. Constantly trying to "fix" my swing with the fairway woods, and the other hybrids I'd been trying, was wreaking havoc on my swing with my irons. Now... I use the same swing with everything except my driver and putter, and at least recently, have been shooting in the low 80s rather than the low 90s.

After getting the G15 hybrids, I bought a G15 4 wood as my only fairway wood, thinking that I had to have at least one fairway wood in the bag. Well... while I hit it better than the other fairway woods I've had, but I have been inconsistent with it as well. So... I just got a G15 17° today, and bumped the 4 wood out of the bag. My guess is that I won't be carrying anything but G15 hybrids between the driver and the 6 iron.

[Stretch]

Out of interest, what's your normal shot shape? My G15 progression is: Driver -- baby draw, 4 wood -- full draw, hybrid -- big ass hook. I wonder if they're just better suited to someone with a straight or fade bias.

[Rochester]

I have a MacGregor Mactec NVG2 driver with a stiff shaft, 10.5° loft. It has a Fujikura shaft that looks like the Speeder, but was made for MacGregor. It is the only stiff shaft in my bag. I average about 240 yds with it. I usually hit a slight draw or straight with it. I rarely hit it to the right. I don't have a long back swing, but I really snap my wrists with it. When I hit the 4 wood well, I hit it straight, but I tend to top it. With the hybrids, I put the ball in the middle of my stance, and swing them like my irons. I've had my best luck with irons modeling my swing after Stricker's. Most of my shots are straight, especially with the 23° and 27° clubs. I have a slight draw with the 20° occasionally, 1-2 shots out of 10.

[adamg]

Have you tried other Hybrids? I had the same issue. Hit the G15 pretty well, but would muff it sometimes when trying it because of the head shape. I just never felt confident over it. I tried the i15 but couldn't hit it consistently. I ended up going with the Cobra and have been very happy. I would bet if you tried other manufacturers that you could find one you hit just as well as the G15 but feel more comfortable standing over.

[Danny Noonan]

Some awesome tips, guys. I really appreciate it. Much more than I thought I'd get on this topic.

As for adamg's question, I've not tried other hybrids. I'm sort of loyal to PING because almost everything that "fits" in a blind test winds up being PING. I'm professionally fitted for my clubs and I'm very particular about the bind test when I'm being fitted.

Last time I was fitted, I wound up with G10 hybrids. But I didn't buy anything with lower than a 20* loft, and unless I want to buy used, which I won't do, I can't get G10s. Oh, I also am kind of nutty about clubs matching fairly well, so I'll be abandoning my G10s for three G15s.

Yes, I've decided to get over the swollen look of the G15 and just forget about the i15. I hit my 17* G15 very pure and crispy and I get great distance and very nice, straight shots. I'm just going to have to train my mind to forget about the swollen look.

If I can peel 5+ strokes off my game with these clubs, I should be able to get over the swollen look rather quickly.

Thanks again, guys.

[c. lassiter]

If you fight a slice, the G15. If you fight a hook, the I15.