Equipment

Ping launches new i59 irons

Published

5 years ago

Aug 24, 2021

Ping has finally, officially unveiled its iBlade successor: New i59 irons, which we first spotted on tour in May, and which GolfWRXers have been discussing in the forums for months. Ping i59 irons feature a thinner sole, an aluminum insert, and a Hydropearl 2.0 finish, among other elements, differentiating them from the five-year-old iBlades.

At the heart of the new 2021 i59 irons from Ping is an aerospace-grade aluminum insert joined to a forged (yes, forged) 1025 carbon steel body and forged 17-4 SS laser-cut face, with the combination designed to provide crisp, consistent impact, as well as a solid feel and a flighted trajectory with added forgiveness, according to Ping.

See more photos, comparison pics and read the discussion in the forums

Regarding the centerpiece AlumiCore insert, Solheim said

“We know this type of player may not put forgiveness at the top of their list when considering their iron choice, so we engineered it in a way that increased the MOI in a clean and impactful way. At address, it’s perfectly sized and shaped with a thin top line and the right amount of offset. It has a narrow sole to move smoothly through the turf and ensure a pleasing impact experience. Inside, the AlumiCore technology allows us to increase the MOI by moving the weight to the perimeter using toe and shaft tip weights. Our player testing shows tighter dispersion throughout the set and very high marks for feel.”

The irons’ aerospace-grade aluminum insert (1/3 the density of stainless steel) also saves approximately 30 grams of material.

This weight saving allows for tungsten toe and heel weights that elevate MOI to match the larger i210 iron to achieve a level of forgiveness uncommon in a forged design, according to the company.

The face of the new additions is engineered with MicroMax grooves. The grooves allow for tighter spacing and a geometry that results in an average of four extra grooves in design to reduce fliers in the short irons while preserving spin in the long irons.

“It’s a true forged blade on the outside, but inside it’s like nothing ever engineered. Our team took on the challenge of disrupting an iron category that traditionally has lacked a lot of performance innovation and developed an iron unlike any other. The combination of the look, feel and forgiveness ‘when you need it’ sets it apart from anything else in the industry. Once golfers hit it, they’ll be pleasantly surprised by its versatility. The i59 will clearly appeal to better golfers but the combination of forgiveness and clean appearance will attract golfers of all skill levels,” said John K. Solheim, Ping’s president.

In addition, the Hydropearl 2.0 finish on the irons repels water in design for predictable, consistent performance in both wet and dry conditions.

Speaking to the rapid adoption on Tour, Ping president John K. Solheim said, “It’s been very well received on tour and was in the bag of Viktor Hovland when he became the first Norwegian to win on the European Tour earlier this summer. Johannes Veerman just won with a full set of the i59s on Sunday at the Czech Masters. The players really like the distance control and the ability to consistently flight the ball to the precise yardages required to succeed at the professional levels.”

Ping i59 irons: Specs

Stock Shafts: Project X LS (6.0, 6.5); UST Recoil 760 ES (A), 780 (R, S)
Optional Stock Shafts: Ping AWT 2.0 (R, S, X), Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), NS Pro Modus 105 (R, S, X), Elevate 95 (R, S), Ping Alta CB Slate (SR, R, S)
Stock Grip: Golf Pride New Decade MCC White w/Arccos
$275 per club with stock steel shaft; $290 per club with stock graphite shaft

See more photos, comparison pics and read the discussion in the forums

Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

18 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

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.

Whats in the Bag

Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)

Published

18 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

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

See more in-hand photos of Bud Cauley’s clubs here.

Equipment

Name every set of irons you’ve owned – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

18 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Will Schube

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”

Entire Thread: “Name every set of irons you’ve owned.”