Ping's Iron Lineup Shows a 5-Degree Loft Swing by Model

A test session with former PGA Tour winner Hunter Mahan and Ping fitting consultant Kenton Oates showed how far iron lofts diverge across Ping's current lineup, from a 29.5-degree 6-iron in the player-focused Blueprint series down to 24.5 degrees in the max-forgiveness G740.

How much do Ping's iron lofts vary across the lineup?

In the player-focused Blueprint T, Blueprint S and i240 models, the 6-iron carries 29.5 degrees of loft and the 9-iron sits at 41.0 degrees. Moving into the i540 and G440, both strengthen to a 25.5-degree 6-iron and 37.0-degree 9-iron. The max-forgiveness G740 goes further still, to 24.5 degrees in the 6-iron and 36.0 degrees in the 9-iron.

A 5-degree loft swing across one manufacturer's lineup means the number stamped on the sole no longer predicts how far a club will fly.

Why do game-improvement irons use stronger lofts?

Ping's distance and game-improvement heads pair the stronger lofts with wider soles, a lower and deeper center of gravity, and added length in the long irons, engineering intended to control launch rather than simply add distance. The goal, according to the fitting session, is to help golfers maintain the gapping, launch and carry distances they are used to as swing speed declines with age or injury.

What did testing show about spin and ball speed?

Mahan, whose shallow swing sweeps the ball off the turf rather than taking a steep divot, found his gamer Blueprint S produced roughly 600 to 700 more rpm of spin than the traditional Blueprint T muscle-back, a margin the session's fitters said matters for players who rely on spin to hold their landing window. Stepping into the i540, a 9-iron produced a 124 mph ball speed for Mahan, about 9 mph faster than his standard setup, carrying the loft of a traditional 8-iron. Mahan joked about the jump: “I need three 9-irons and just change the lofts every two degrees.”