PING i500 AND G700
YOU NEED TO KNOW: Ping came at hollow heads slightly differently to most brands, who use hollow tech to make more forgiving better player irons. Ping started at the opposite end of the scale and produced a good-looking super game improvement model (the G700) before introducing the i500 players’ distance iron eight months later. Essentially, the face in both the i500 and G700 is made from the same maraging steel used in their fairways and hybrids, but the i500’s face is forged. There’s no mention of tungsten weighting or foam/elastomer inside either head.
i500 VERDICT: Irrespective of how i500 performs, it’s the best-looking iron Ping have ever made in our eyes. It really is gorgeous. Gone is any hint of the, long boxy head which has been Ping’s trademark for years, and in its place is just the sort of profile (low offset, compact size with a thin top edge and reasonable sole width) that decent club golfers will love. Compared to Ping’s other new iron (the cavity back i210) i500 offers similar levels of forgiveness, but is capable of producing 3mph faster ball speeds and 7-8 yards more carry with a 7-iron. We’d say i500 is a brilliant choice for any reasonable ball striker who wants to maximise iron distance, in a players-shaped head. We’re big fans of Ping’s fitting heritage and how you get to choose from 10 premium shafts at no extra cost, and because clubs are priced individually you only need buy what you intend to use.
G700 VERDICT: As the most forgiving and longest iron in Ping’s range (bigger heads mean more face flex and ball speed) the G700 has pretty broad shoulders. Where before super game improvement irons were chunky in all the wrong places, G700 is sleek and desirable. SGI irons never used to look this good. By launching shots higher than any other iron and peaking shots out among the highest on test, with low spin, it’s no surprise the G700 recorded very solid carry distance numbers and gained eight yards over the i500. As with all hollow-body irons, they come at extra expense over cavity backs, and that’s because the heads are produced in two pieces, which ramps up the costs. There’s lots of average golfers out there who’ve wanted a great-looking, game-improving iron for years, but haven’t wanted to give up any forgiveness or playability to get it. In our opinion G700 does exactly that; you won’t find a better-looking SGI model out there.