PING Unveils i500 Irons, i210 Irons, Glide Forged Wedges, and Prodi G Junior Clubs

PING Releases i210, i500 Irons, Glide Forged Wedges

i210 and i500 Irons

PHOENIX (July 16, 2018): Continuing its reputation as a leader in high-performance iron designs engineered to provide the exceptional distance, forgiveness and precision today’s golfer demands, PING introduced the i500 and i210 irons today. The new irons are available for custom fitting and pre-order at authorized PING golf shops around the world beginning today.

“Unlike a lot of irons on the market, PING irons are created without sacrificing the performance attributes all golfers need to improve the distance, accuracy and consistency they require from their iron play,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “In the i500 and i210, we’re offering two distinctly different technology platforms to give golfers additional choices and fitting options. The i500 delivers unbelievable distance with amazingly high ball flights. In our testing, some golfers gained as much as 15 yards with the i500. In the i210 iron, we focused on designing a club that ensures a soft, buttery feel with the distance precision to attack flagsticks. We’re already seeing a lot of our tour players seamlessly transition into the i210 iron, including Brandon Stone who shot 60 yesterday to win the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open with the 3, 4 and 5 iron in his bag.”

The sleek-shaped i500 iron employs much of the same technology as the popular G700 iron in a smaller, more compact, muscle-back appearance. Its forged, C300 maraging-steel face is precision milled and combined with a 17-4 stainless steel body to create metal-wood-like performance, generating significant ball-speed increases and lower-spinning, higher-flying shots with stopping power.

“With the forged, maraging-steel face and metal-wood-like construction of the internal cavity, we’re seeing five times the face flexing,” Solheim said. “Golfers are experiencing significant ball-speed gains, which translates to more distance and a higher overall ball flight so the ball holds the green. The trajectory is unlike anything we’ve seen in an iron its size. They can expect to hit one less club into the green when properly fit for the new i500 iron. They’ll be amazed at the power and performance engineered into an iron this size. On top of that, it has a blade-style look at address with less offset, which a lot of golfers prefer.”

In the compact i210 iron, PING’s engineers put a premium on the feel and precision by leveraging a patented multi-material construction that combines a 431 stainless steel head with a larger and softer elastomer insert. The additional volume of the custom tuning port, which also increases perimeter weighting and provides swingweight fine tuning, allows for a 30% larger insert and creates 25% more face contact, resulting in activation of the elastomer to produce a soft and pleasing feel. They also took great care in refining the shape and look to ensure the iron appealed to the discerning golfer’s eye.

“The soft feel of the i210 irons is unlike any we’ve ever offered,” said Solheim. “We know players who rely on precise iron play also require exceptional feel to control their ball flight and trajectories. The improvements to the tuning port and elastomer insert along with the exacting, refined details of the i210 iron offer a new level of performance for this style of iron.”

The i210 iron’s face and grooves are precision milled as is the cavity, giving it a high-end appearance. Tighter groove spacing in the pitching wedge and U-wedge provides greater precision and helps prevent fliers on shots where control matters most. A new hydropearl chrome 2.0 finish repels water to greatly improve consistency from the rough and wet conditions.

i500 Irons Specifications

Multi-material construction: Forged, maraging steel, precision-milled face. Precision-milled grooves. 17-4 stainless steel head. HydroPearl Chrome 2.0 finish.

Available 3-9, PW, UW in 10 color codes (lie angle).

Stock steel and graphite shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), UST Mamiya Recoil ES SMAC (760A, 780R, 780S)

Aftermarket shaft options (no upcharge): True Temper Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), Project X LZ (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5), True Temper XP95 (R,S), Nippon NS Pro Modus 105 (R,S,X), KBS Tour (R,S,X)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16″, Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″, White Std., Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″)

U.S. MSRP: $175 per iron w/steel shaft; $190 per iron w/graphite shaft

i210 Irons Specifications

Multi-material construction: 431 stainless steel head. Elastomer CTP insert. Machined face, grooves and cavity. HydroPearl Chrome 2.0 finish.

Available 3-9, PW, UW in 10 color codes (lie angle).

Stock steel and graphite shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), ALTA CB (Soft R, Regular, Stiff)

Aftermarket shaft options (no upcharge): True Temper Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Project X LZ (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5), True Temper XP95 (R,S), Nippon NS Pro Modus 105 (R,S,X), KBS Tour (R,S,X)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16″, Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″, White Std., Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″)

U.S. MSRP: $137.50 per iron w/steel shaft; $152.50 per iron w/graphite shaft

Glide Forged Wedges

PHOENIX (July 16, 2018): Forged from 8620 carbon steel with sizing and shaping influenced by PING tour professionals and advisors, the Glide Forged wedge is the company’s newest wedge engineered and crafted for golfers wanting to improve their shot-making by employing a sleek, high-spinning blade-style design with a soft, pleasing feel.

As part of the introduction, PING also announced a new website where golfers can create one-of-a-kind Glide Forged wedges customized to their personal preferences.

The new Glide Forged wedges are available for custom fitting and pre-order at authorized PING golf shops around the world beginning today. Golfers can customize and personalize their Glide Forged wedges by visiting ping.com/glideforgedcustom.

“The Glide Forged wedge represents an exciting new direction for us,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “First and foremost, it offers the performance we engineer into every PING club, including an amazing feel. It’s also our first fully forged wedge offering in several years and it comes with the ability for golfers to create a truly unique wedge by adding custom graphics, stamping and paint fills. The combination of the wedge’s technology and the customization options gives golfers a great opportunity to improve their short games while creating a wedge that’s totally unique to them.”

Working closely with PING professionals and company advisors, including Louis Oosthuizen, Stan Utley and Todd Anderson, PING’s engineers designed the Glide Forged wedge to provide the feel and versatility required to play an array of approach and finesse shots around the green. A sole design with a rounded lead edge and more heel-toe camber allows for greater shot-making and creativity around the green. The gooseneck-tapered hosel ensures a smooth transition through grass and sand while providing a captured look at address.

Patented, precision-milled, wheel-cut grooves, first introduced in the Glide 2.0 wedges and developed by PING’s engineering and manufacturing teams, enable grooves with a sharper edge radius, which increases interaction with the ball at impact, creating more friction for improved spin and trajectory control.

“Everything about the Glide Forged wedge is created around quality and performance,” Solheim said. “From the 8620 carbon steel that produces the incredible feel to the tungsten toe weight that ensures forgiveness in a blade-style wedge, we made sure every detail was covered, including milling the back of the wedge to create a distinct, visually appealing pattern. Several of our tour professionals have already added Glide Forged wedges to their bags since debuting them last month. They really love the feel and are especially excited about the added spin and trajectory control they are experiencing.”

Customize and Personalize

By visiting ping.com/glideforgedcustom, golfers can experiment with various graphic, stamping and paint fill combinations to design one-of-kind Glide Forged wedges in up to six lofts (RH & LH). The site offers social media capabilities to encourage golfers to share their designs with their golfing buddies and family. In addition to the unique design experience, the website offers multiple shaft and grip options. Upon finalizing their design, golfers are encouraged to visit an authorized PING retailer in their area to determine their fitting specifications and place their Glide Forged custom wedge order. All customization is applied to the wedges by PING’s expert team of craftsmen in Phoenix, Ariz. Pricing is determined by the amount of customization as well as shaft and grip choices.

Four Custom Graphic Options: Mr. PING logo, American flag, Arizona desert scene, Boomerang

Three Stamping Options: 1) Up to three characters (A-Z, 0-9) in one of three locations (toe, center or heel); 2) Two characters applied in scattered fashion; 3) Mr. PING logo scattered.

12 Paint-fill Options: Black, Gold, Brown, Orange, Purple, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, White, Silver, Maroon

Glide Forged Wedges (RH & LH)

Multi-material construction: Forged, 8620 carbon steel. Tungsten toe weight. Precision-milled face and wheel-cut grooves. Machined flange and hosel knurling.

Available 50⁰, 52⁰, 54⁰, 56⁰, 58⁰, 60⁰ in 10 color codes (lie angle).

Stock steel and graphite shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300, ALTA CB (Soft R, Regular, Stiff)

Aftermarket shaft options (no upcharge): True Temper Dynamic Gold (R300, X100), True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Project X LZ (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5), True Temper XP95 (R, S), Nippon NS Pro Modus 105 (R, S, X), KBS Tour (R, S, X)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16″, Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″, White Std., Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″)

U.S. MSRP: $217.50 per wedge w/steel shaft; $232.50 per wedge w/graphite shaft.

Prodi G Junior Clubs

PHOENIX (July 16, 2018):  Engineered with the score-lowering technologies of its adult line and inspired by its commitment to introduce more juniors to the game, PING announced today the new custom-fit, custom-built Prodi G Series – its highest-performing junior clubs to date. The new Prodi G clubs are available for pre-order and custom fitting at authorized PING golf shops around the world beginning today.

“The Prodi G junior clubs are engineered by the same teams that design our adult clubs. They feature a lot of the same technologies and undergo the same rigorous testing as all of our products,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “From a performance standpoint, our research reveals the clubs far out-perform the competitive junior sets on the market, including the Prodi G driver being 15 yards longer with a moment of inertia that’s 50% higher than the top-selling junior driver.”

The custom-engineered set is comprised of 11 clubs: a 15⁰ titanium driver, 22⁰ fairway wood, 27⁰ hybrid, perimeter-weighted irons (6-9, PW), two specialty wedges (52⁰ & 56⁰) and a blade-style putter. The lightweight clubs can be ordered in any combination and all are custom built at PING’s Phoenix headquarters. Two sizes (34″, 3.5 lbs. and 30″, 3 lbs.) of the Hoofer Prodi G carry bags can be purchased separately.

The proven technologies applied to the new line include turbulators on the driver for increased clubhead speed, and irons with a custom tuning port to allow for precise swing weighting during the custom-building process. Two lightweight graphite shaft flexes are optimized for weight and balance to match junior swing speeds.

“For the first time, junior golfers can play the same technology as mom or dad that is custom fit and custom built just for them,” Solheim said. “We believe that has an appeal all its own and will help get kids interested in playing more.”

In developing the new products, PING’s Fitting Science team created a junior fitting chart (a variation of the company’s iconic color code chart developed nearly 50 years ago) that takes into account a junior’s height and wrist-to-floor measurement to determine the appropriate lie angle and club length. The Prodi G clubs are recommended for juniors 4’5″ to 5’2″ and can be ordered in custom lengths based on the results of a fitting session.

As part of the launch of the new clubs, the company also announced the Prodi G “Get Golf Growing” program, an industry-first junior golf equipment initiative that offers custom-fit and custom-built junior clubs that include a one-time, no-cost adjustment to sets of five clubs or more. The program helps address an all-too-common occurrence that results in a lot of junior golfers playing clubs not suited to their games.

“One of the biggest barriers parents of junior golfers face is investing in a set of clubs that their kids will outgrow in a short time,” Solheim said. “As a result, they often buy clubs that don’t fit their kids in hopes they’ll grow into them or they cut down old clubs. Neither option is ideal and impedes the junior’s golf development. Our ‘Get Golf Growing’ program is designed to be an affordable way to get juniors into high-performance custom-fit clubs while bringing more boys and girls to the sport. The Prodi G clubs grow with the kids. We believe if juniors are exposed to better equipment, they’ll enjoy golf more, which will ultimately help grow the game as the kids fall in love with golf and play it for a lifetime.”

To be eligible for the “Get Golf Growing” program, five or more clubs must be purchased in one transaction. Allowable adjustments are re-shafting, lengthening, re-weighting and re-gripping.

Prodi G Driver

Head size/material: 460cc, Ti811 head. Machined Ti 6-4 face

Key technologies: Turbulators for increased clubhead speed, Dragonfly Technology optimizes CG position for maximum forgiveness

Loft: 15⁰

Standard length: 39.5″

Graphite shaft: PING Prodi G (R, S)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Junior

U.S. MSRP: $240

Prodi G Fairway Wood

Material: Machined 17-4 SS face, 17-4 SS body

Key technologies: Thin face for increased speed and distance, Easy-to-square

Loft: 22⁰

Standard length: 37.75″

Graphite shaft: PING Prodi G (R, S)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Junior

U.S. MSRP: $130

Prodi G Hybrid

Material: Machined 17-4 SS face, 17-4 SS body

Key technologies: Optimized loft and CG placement, easy-to-square

Loft: 27⁰

Standard length: 36.25″

Graphite shaft: PING Prodi G (R, S)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Junior

U.S. MSRP: $120

Prodi G Irons

Head material: 17-4 stainless steel, elastomer insert

Key technologies: Perimeter-weighted head, optimized loft configurations

Available: 6-iron (32⁰ loft, 34.125″ standard length), 7 (35⁰, 33.50″), 8 (39⁰, 33.00″), 9 (43⁰, 32.75″), PW (47⁰, 32.50″)

Graphite shaft: PING Prodi G (R, S)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Junior

U.S. MSRP: $90 per iron (graphite only)

Prodi G Wedges

Head material: 17-4 stainless steel, elastomer insert

Key technologies: Glide 2.0 wedge styling

Available: 52⁰ (32.50″) and 56⁰ (32.25″)

Graphite shaft: PING Prodi G (R, S)

Standard grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Junior

U.S. MSRP: $90 per wedge (graphite only)

Prodi G Putter

Head material/weight: 17-4 stainless steel, 320g

Key technologies: Voss inspired design, ball-width cavity for focus and additional alignment aids

Standard length: 29.50″

Grip: Original PP58

U.S. MSRP: $90

Hoofer Prodi G Golf Bags

Available in two colorways:

-Charcoal/Black/Electric Green (34″ tall, 3.5 lbs.)

-Black/Electric Green (30″ tall, 3 lbs.)

Key features: 4-way top, adjustable dual straps, aluminum bag stand

Pockets: 4

U.S. MSRP: $135