Distance.

That was the key to the hollow body i500 irons. From an aesthetics perspective, they had the look of an iron played by a low-handicap golfer. But they offered the advantages of a game improvement iron. It was an ideal mix—and the irons resonated with PING customers.

But there are always sacrifices in searching for distance. In the case of i500, the tradeoff for distance was some sound and feel. That’s the objective of the replacement line, i525, which offers both great distance advances and improved sound and feel. The result is an iron that PING says plays a club longer than the previous generation but sounds and feels like a player’s iron.

“What’s most satisfying in the i525 iron from an engineering standpoint is how our team has been able to maximize the flexing of the metal-wood-style face structure while creating a pleasing sound and feel,” says PING President John Solheim. “As golfers know who’ve played this type of iron design, they often sacrificed some of the feel for more distance. That’s not the case in the i525 as we’re able to provide golfers a solid-feeling iron with the increased ball speed they need to hit longer, higher shots that hit and hold the green.”

Key technologies

Forged face

Using maraging steel, PING created a variable-thickness face that flexes more, increasing ball speed. The maraging steel allows for a thinner, more dynamic face structure with an internal sole undercut. The result is higher, faster shots. The face also allows for forgiveness, something you wouldn’t necessarily expect in this compact package.

Extreme Weighting

With Tungsten in the toe, and shaft tip weights, the perimeter weighting on each iron is expanded, preserving ball speed, while offering tighter dispersion and increased forgiveness. PING calls this a “mechanical engineering accomplishment.”

Friction Face with MicroMax Milled Grooves

This was first seen in PING’s i59 irons, and resurfaces in the i525. MicroMax grooves offer tighter spacing and the result is an average of four extra grooves on each club. The added grooves reduce fliers in short irons and make the longer irons easier to control with consistent distance.

Sound Engineering

Using a polymer that is precisely injected inside the face, PING has improved the sound on every shot. And since golfer’s relate sound to feel, the irons have an improved, softer feel as well without impacting ball speed.

Loft options

Like recent PING sets, i525 comes in standard loft, a Power Spec loft with strong lofts, and a Retro Spec, with weaker lofts.

Stock Shafts

Project X IO (5.5, 6.0, 6.5), PING AWT 2.0 (R, S, X), PING Alta CB Slate (SR, R, S), Alta Distanza Black 40, UST Recoil 760 ES SMAC (A), 780 (R, S)

Optional Stock Shafts

Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon Pro Modu

Now how do you know if these are the Irons for you?

Are you a strong player who has lost a little distance while getting older? Did you fit somewhere between a player’s iron and game improvement? If so, PING’s i525 irons are something you should check out. The mix of distance and feel is ideal for a variety of golfers.