50 Word or Less
PING’s best-ever irons in terms of looks and feel. A surprising amount of forgiveness for a club geared towards top-tier ball strikers.
Introduction
“I don’t often change irons, but when I do, I change to the S55.” –Bubba Watson
I don’t know if Bubba actually said that, but PING should make him say it and turn it into a commercial.
Seriously, though, by Tour standards, Bubba Watson never changes irons…until now. The new S55 irons have finally replaced his beloved S59’s. Why change? Because PING has maintained the compact profile that players have come to expect from S-series irons while adding higher launch and more forgiveness.
Looks
When I think of PING, I think “function before form.” After seeing the S55 irons that may have to change because they’re as good looking as any player’s iron on the market. In the bag, they are totally understated: there’s very little branding at all. The cavity hints at the multi-material technology without screaming, “Look at me!” It’s one of the few irons that isn’t going to look dated in 2 or 5 or 10 years.
At address, it’s everything you’d want in a player’s iron. The offset is minimal and the top line is quite thin. What really stood out to me was the length of the blade from heel-to-toe. I’m not sure if it’s reality or just the shaping of the club, but it appears shorter than most other irons. I found that the S55 framed the ball really well and the shorter heel-to-toe look reminded me to concentrate.
Sound & Feel
The feel of the S55 is, in my opinion, the single biggest improvement over previous generations of S-Series irons. Having played forged irons almost exclusively, past S-Series irons felt too hard, sometimes even harsh. The S55, by contrast, feel solid, but never hard. Pure shots feel absolutely outstanding.
Performance
When I first spoke with PING about reviewing the S55, I was asked a question I had never encountered from an OEM before, “What’s your handicap?” This was a fair question; these are not irons for the average double digit handicapper. That said, they are not nearly as punishing as the looks would suggest. I actually came away from each of my sessions with the S55 impressed with the level of forgiveness that PING has packed into this very small blade.
The element of forgiveness that surprised me the most was that you can hit a thin shot and still get a playable trajectory. With a typical blade, hitting a thin shot is death because the CoG is fairly high. With the S55, however, the CoG is lower, so you can hit it a little thin and get a result that looks very close to your best shot.
Everything else about the performance of this club is exactly what you’d expect: it’s a player’s club that’s all about precision and shot-shaping. If you have the skills, the S55 will allow you to hit any trajectory or shape that you want.
Conclusion
If you have the game for them, the PING S55 is a fantastic iron. The aesthetics should please even the pickiest golfer, and the feel is very solid. Most importantly, they perform. They offer all of the ball control that you’d expect from a player’s club, with enough forgiveness that you can still play them on your off days.
Price and Specs
The PING S55 irons are available for $999 for a 3-PW set.
The stock shaft options are PING’s CFS, Z65, or TFC 189I (graphite). Other shafts from True Temper, Project X, and KBS, among others, are available through custom order.
Watch the Video
Matt Saternus
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The more I look at these the more I love them
This is gonna sound like an iron-snob comment, but the fact that Pings are cast (even the anser) means I never take them serious.
my ansers are forged.
lmao, really? that swing though..
Only played with these three times as the onset of winter has arrived . Absolutely love them. I would tell previous poster Albert he should take these seriously. He can’t be more demanding than a tour pro and they seem to be very pleased with these irons.
Patrick, you could not have been more right! These irons have converted me into a Ping follower. In fact, I just ordered a set. 1/2″ extra long, blue dot. Can’t wait.
These irons look awesome but I don’t think that I am consistent enough to carry these. I would love to see a review of the new I-25 irons.
We have the i25 irons in for review, we’re just waiting for the snow to melt so we can give you in depth information about on course performance and turf interaction. The preliminary results are fantastic!
-Matt
These are absolutely gorgeous. I was hoping to get a set of mizuno’s this year but will definitely be trying these out before I do. I like a lot of feedback from my irons on the quality of the strike so I can get better but never complain with some added forgiveness.
I am prob a 8 handicap (because of putting) these are the best irons I have ever hit easy to hit and works ball amazingly. I would pay 1500$ and be stoked
If anyone hits these I believe they will buy them
I went to a ping Demo day and hit both the I25s and the S55. The rep also asked my handicap (9.6). I ordered the S55 and absolutely love them. Traditional forged iron player (Mizunos). Now a Ping converter.
Look and feel great, OK they have a small sweet spot and narrow sole.
But with practise and perseverance you will become a better ball striker and reap the rewards that blade irons give.
Love coming back to read this review. I got a used set in late 2017 and absolutely love them. Still get compliments on the way these irons looks in my bag, 7 years after this article.
Stew, I got my S55’s in 2014 and I’ve demoed quite a few cavity back irons up until now and I still can’t let these go. The lofts are still relevant (not weak or retro lofted) and carry long enough for me. I was thinking about re-shafting them with either the Nippon Modus 3 120 gram stiff shafts or Project X 6.0 shafts.
Mine are on the way after hitting them at ping demo day. Sold my mizuno mp4s. Haven’t been this excited for a set of clubs in a long time