Ping i525 iron £180 per club
The replacement for the impressive i500 iron has been long in the making, but it’s finally here and the i525 was surely a shoe-in for our Editor’s Choice awards. The players’ distance iron category is extremely competitive, but Ping’s irons always slightly favour forgiveness and consistency over out-andout power, something we really appreciate in an iron.
But the i525 is a hollow-headed iron in a slimline chassis built for both forgiveness and distance. It doesn’t look drastically different to the i500, but this is no bad thing as it continues to blend the appearance of a blade with the performance of a cavity back.
Packs a punch
Despite its modest size and focus on forgiveness, the i525 still has plenty of firepower, stepping on the toes somewhat of the game-improvement G425. On test, it was instantly obvious that the i525 has a lively, stable feel.
While some golfers may want their irons to feel and sound softer, the energetic ball-striking experience left us eager to hit more shots. As a result of this hot feel, we gained distance over i500, albeit less than a handful of yards – still a significant feat as the lofts remain the same.
User-friendly
This is a surprisingly playable iron given its thin topline and slimline overall size. This is partly down to the tungsten toe and shaft-tip weights that really help minimise the effect of off-centre strikes.
Much of the consistency we enjoyed may also have been down to the Micromax grooves. Their geometry and tighter spacing results in an average of four extra grooves on each clubface to help reduce the risk of short-iron fliers and preserve long-iron spin. The Hydropearl 2.0 finish helps further with this when conditions are wet.
All in all, the i525 immediately becomes a major player in the compact distance irons category and is well worthy of its selection.