Equipment
Ping Blueprint irons are officially coming to retail
After what has been much speculation they are here: Ping’s Blueprint forged blades.
Born from the idea of creating a club for the most exacting of golfers, Ping meticulously prototyped and tested in house with their tour staff and other highly skilled players on everything from preferred shots, grind, to blade size and shape. When it comes to shape, the Blueprints are one of the smallest blades on the market, but there’s some reasoning behind this.
From Ping:
“After extensive in-house research with varying head sizes, the findings revealed the theory of “aim small, miss small” was validated by many of the highly skilled players in the test, who produced tighter stat areas when hitting the more compact head.”
Only the bravest golfer will take on this 2-iron
It makes a lot of sense when you consider the fact that the more you concentrate mass, the more that mass will transfer energy when you get close to it right? It was that final design that we saw out on tour around nine months ago that has ended up becoming what we will see at retail. Tried tested and ready for fittings and finding their way into golf bags.
From Ping’s President John K Solheim:
“When we launched it on tour, a few players put it in play immediately and it wasn’t long before we had our first win. Based on a lot of their input, we were able to deliver exactly what they were looking for while expanding our iron offerings into a new category. We’re very pleased with the development process we went through and are looking forward to applying our learnings to future PING products.”
Like everything Ping, the company has gone the extra mile when it comes to engineering every last aspect of these irons. Even something as simple as a tip weight has a calculation attached to it. Just like the G410 irons, the Blueprint irons have a visible tungsten toe weight.
Let me explain: basically every iron on the market utilizes a tip weight, either inserted into the shaft or into a port in the bottom of the hosel. (We’re about to go deep into the weeds from a design standpoint but stick with me). There is 100 percent nothing wrong with OEMs using tip weights to achieve desired swing weight but when you use them you move the CG closer to the hosel/heel side of the club…not on a humanly noticeable level but certainly from a definite engineering perspective.
This is why Ping has always placed the CTP (Custom Tuning Port) in the middle of the club head, directly behind the COG. But with a forged blade this is NOT possible because it’s solid metal, but there is a way to keep that COG EXACTLY where you want it: taking the amount of needed mass, dividing it by two and placing equal amounts in the hosel and in the toe. Simple? Yes. Done by anyone else? No.
Ping Blueprint irons construction
Ping is utilizing a four-step, multi-stage process for the one-piece forging to create the Blueprint forged iron. This process provides very tight dimensional tolerance control within the compact design. The high-strength, 8620 carbon steel (same material used in the Glide forged wedges) increases the iron’s durability compared to other carbon steels, ensuring long-lasting performance. The Blueprint irons go through more than 50 steps in the manufacturing process, including milling faces and grooves to ensure quality control club after club with each and every head checked for absolute accuracy.
Details
- Available in 2-PW, starting at $230 per club
- Stock shaft options: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), Ping AWT 2.0 (R, S, X) with all other Ping shafts available at additional cost
- Arccos Smart Sensor grips available at an additional cost
This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.
Joel Thelen
Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.
First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.
Mitchell Meissner
Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.
Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX
7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX
Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.
@Lamosteve began:
Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine
Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6
Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
- JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
- jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”
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Pingback: Best irons in golf of 2022: Best blades – GolfWRX
Mark
Jun 9, 2019 at 11:47 am
I tried those irons today. They are so easy to hit straight (smaller MOI makes it easier to square the face) and really very forgiving as for blades. There is no comparison to traditional Miura blades that are more demanding for sure. I am 2 hcp and I don’t think at all that better players will have any problem hitting them but rather will play better. This is one of bigger innovations lately.
Dave r
Jun 6, 2019 at 9:19 am
Ping has to come up with a smaller golf ball now just so you can hit them. Just think at $100.00 bucks a dozen you would have the best of both worlds. You would be the envey of your club.
Chris
May 27, 2019 at 6:15 pm
The blade length is WAY TOO SHORT. Otherwise, good looking iron.
JP
May 21, 2019 at 12:38 am
Ping can thank PXG for allowing the price gouging. It’s ridiculous, but almost expected these days. Now with all these oem’s following in PXG’s model, PXG themselves introduces a lower priced iron model! They do a 180 and once again twist up the market! Haha.
.
Once my irons show heavy signs of wear, I won’t be buying anything. I’ll send them in to get cleaned up and rechromed. They’ll never leave the bag.
Dan
May 20, 2019 at 10:13 pm
Thanks for the specs
No Diggity
May 20, 2019 at 7:31 pm
was excited and debating picking up a set till the $1610 number showed up. You can pick up a new set of Cobra Mbs AND a F9 driver for that price and still have some greens fees cash left over.
Rolando Rushay
May 20, 2019 at 5:55 pm
I love Ping irons..Have used them for years!! I play with the cavity backed and play well. I tried switching to forged irons & they’re not for me. Unless one is a Tour professional the average weekend player needs to keep it simple and easy because golf is a difficult game to play…why make it hard & costly..$230/ WOW!!!!
T-Bone
May 20, 2019 at 5:32 pm
So PING made their name back in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s by inventing perimeter weighting. Now, in 2019, their touting the same blade technology they supposedly made obsolete way back when. Oh, and this 1940’s technology will now cost you what you could have bought a house for back then.
Tom54
May 20, 2019 at 5:13 pm
Gorgeous club – funny name – way too expensive. $1800 for 8 irons? No thanks
joe
May 20, 2019 at 4:54 pm
Don’t worry they will be in bargain bin in 5 years.
todd
May 20, 2019 at 4:34 pm
TW irons are $250/ea, Miura are $280, PXG are $400, CNCPT are $500/ea. So the cost on these are outlandish because…
I’m sure I would be deadly accurate buttering my toast in the morning with these. Hitting them would likely be another story 😉
Cdub
May 20, 2019 at 4:19 pm
Looked amazing until seeing the price.
Get in the hole
May 20, 2019 at 3:17 pm
$230 a club is outrageous. Just pricing the consumer out of the sport. But that said, these are for the serious of serious golfers. Ping does make good quality $600 iron sets that would work well for the majority of golfers. If you’re sporting these and not playing to at least a 2 handicap, you’re dumb.
Steve
May 20, 2019 at 3:41 pm
True, but not true enough! I’d wager a 2 hdcp would miss the 2-5i’s at least 30% of the time. Why put yourself through that kind of misery? A real player wouldn’t let ego cost himself that many strokes.
Carl
May 20, 2019 at 2:51 pm
At $230 per club, you better be making money with these.
If not, you’re looking like a poser.
David Lehmann
May 20, 2019 at 3:20 pm
Thats less than PXG and these look a heckuva lot better than those “toys”.
steve
May 20, 2019 at 2:51 pm
I’d like to offer a couple of thoughts about this new offering from Ping. First, wow!, that is a good looking club. Second, how many people do they really expect will pay $200+/iron For a full set? Lastly, I play to a three handicap. So while I am not bad, I am certainly not that great. I do this with a premier weighted set of irons. Why would I want to make the game more difficult than it needs to be? Club manufactures need to know that NOT ALL of us are clueless consumers
Steve
May 20, 2019 at 3:09 pm
Correction…Premier should read “perimeter”
BWatts
May 20, 2019 at 2:42 pm
Cue the Miura Baby Blade comparison! Smaller head=more mass concentrated to put into the ball. Last week I tested my small blades against ‘more friendly’ offerings: Mizuno, Cally Apex Pro, Srizon etc…none got the ball speed my small blades delivered. Cool to see this theory proved out by PING!
dat
May 20, 2019 at 1:50 pm
Insane price. Perhaps PXG should offer to buy Ping, or is it the other way around?
Milo
May 20, 2019 at 1:28 pm
Damn those are sexy, makes me drool. But for that price, maybe I’ll pick some up in 4 years.
Ray
May 20, 2019 at 11:24 am
Wow! $230 per club?
I’ve admired Ping and their engineering but that’s a pretty penny given some of the other irons in this class.
gunmetal
May 20, 2019 at 12:41 pm
Yeah, these guys like Ben Hogan and their ‘direct to’ model is going to start looking more and more attractive if we keep delving into $1600 7 piece iron sets, IMO.
Dave Lawrence
May 20, 2019 at 11:03 am
Specs (in case anyone was curious):
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 PW
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17.5 20 23.5 27 30.5 34 38 42 46