Today's Golfer (UK)

THE KEY TECH IN DETAIL

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Cast and forged

The i525s have a cast 17-4 stainless steel body and forged maraging steel face, so the model is fast and long but also feels great. Ping say the hollow, metalwood-style design (because it has a dynamic face structure and undercut sole) has the look of a player’s iron thanks to their engineers carefully considerin­g blade length and levels of hosel offset throughout the set. From what we’ve seen the model is a great looking stick, with a profile not too dissimilar to the excellent but more playerfocu­sed i59.

Improved sound and feel

Technology has moved on in the world of hollow body irons since 2018, and if the previous i500 had a downfall, we would say it didn’t give quite the crisp sound and feel expected of a player’s iron. Ping have taken the feedback onboard and say strategica­lly positioned EVA polymer inside the i525 creates both the sound and feel that players desire, while also not hindering or slowing face deflection.

Four more grooves

Like the i59s, the i525s have four more face grooves than the previous model. The idea is tighter grooves and a new groove geometry (with steeper side walls) which reduce the likelihood of fliers from the rough with short irons, while also preserving spin in the long irons for better control, consistenc­y and stopping power.

Toe and heel weighting

It’s not a brand-new idea and we probably already take it for granted, but there’s a clever toe screw and shaft tip weight embedded within the i525’s design. Just like Ping’s most recent iron launches, they nudge up MOI and forgivenes­s, while taking nothing away in terms of cosmetics. The discrete weights also allow the set to be accurately weighted for custom built over- and under-length sets, as thanks to the hollow head there’s no ‘custom tuning port’ as you get in the cavity back i210.

Choose your spec

Ping don’t just make their iron sets with just one set of lofts. Every time you buy a Ping iron you can choose to play the standard loft or opt to go 1.5° stronger (7-iron) with Power Spec, or 2° weaker with a Retro Spec set-up. It means you get to choose whether or not you play stronger or weaker loft irons, without having any standard spec forced upon your game.

‘THE I25S’ TIGHTER FACE GROOVES OFFER BETTER CONTROL, CONSISTENC­Y AND STOPPING POWER’

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