Ping i15 & steel shafts

Working with PGA pro Pete Lockett and club-fitter Tom Brewster, Robin’s fitting was more of a new-build compared to Matthew’s more cultured upgrade. Robin loved his Ping i15 irons but he had been fitted for them a full decade ago— and without radar technology—and a decade in golf club technology is a different generation altogether.

The steel shafts on Robin’s Pings were too long for his swing and too heavy, and Robin was regularly striking the ground before the ball. (There are some instructional issues here and Pete worked with Robin on his take-away, he shortened Robin’s backswing and more...) To cut a reasonably long story short, taking a quarter of an inch off the shaft length, dropping 25g off the shaft weight and moving to Accra 80i shafts with a stiffer tip section, and Robin started to strike the golf ball literally better than he had ever done in his life.

There was improvement with the Ping i210 clubheads, even more with the Callaway Apex Forged, more again with the TaylorMade P790, and then they went out to leftfield and plucked the New Level forged 1031 off the shelf. Electricity was discovered: sweetness of strike, consistency of strike. New Level is a niche, Scottsdale company producing beautifully forged irons in small batches. The 1031 clubheads added 7g of weight compared to Robin’s old Pings, and with a generous sole width, thin topline, deep cavity and low center of gravity, Robin was adding 30 yards to his six-iron shot distance. Repeat: 30 yards, sometimes more.