Ping Anser Forged Irons

[varsityhacker]

[quote name='stage1350' date='23 April 2010 - 11:18 AM' timestamp='1272035882' post='2396346']
[quote name='Obsessotron' date='23 April 2010 - 09:52 AM' timestamp='1272034350' post='2396287']
[quote name='varsityhacker' date='23 April 2010 - 10:27 AM' timestamp='1272032869' post='2396237']
Nice sticks. In Japan if an iron is not forged it is looked down on as being inferior.
[/quote]

Those sound like my type of people! I see where they are coming from, although there has never been anything inferior about any of Ping's cast offerings
[/quote]

I'd reconsider that to the possibility that the issue is carbon steel versus stainless. Hiro Honma irons are certainly not scoffed at. Yet they are produced from carbon steel using the wax lost casting method.
[/quote]

Good point, carbon is the choice steel in Japan so maybe I should wrote stainless steel is looked at as inferior. However, most clubs that are carbon steel are forged and the skilled players club in the Honma line up are forged as well. I wonder if they chose to cast some of the GI line up because they can't get the shape they want from forging the iron at the cost they want.

[kombivanman]

Hit these with KBS tour S and felt amazing. Very forgiving. I think the slightly stronger lofts make up for the LCG perimeter weighting, I didnt find they came out too strong.

[shawnee]

filthy

[rblmp32]

Cripes, a 45* PW?

Nice sticks though.

[station2station]

These pics look great - I wasn't sure when I saw the original pics a few months ago.

Concern: PING puts that large notch/cutout in the hosel heel of their cast clubs to make it easier to bend the lie. In a soft forged club I'd be scared that they would self adjust with each fat shot I'm sure they tested for this.

[Foreleft]

In this week's Golfweek, they are reporting that the forged Anser will be released in the US and Europe this fall.

On the notched hosel, I have never warmed up to the look. Makes the clubhead look disjointed, IMO.

[TheMoneyShot]

If Ping releases a S57 type of iron that is forged I would pull the trigger on it for sure! Ping has the best CS in the business!!!

[phil75070]

These look like a forged version of the i15's to me, using the same "weight port" concept. I would think the S57 design would be more appropriate for a forged club.

[TheMoneyShot]

[quote name='phil75070' date='25 April 2010 - 02:28 PM' timestamp='1272223693' post='2399843']
These look like a forged version of the i15's to me, using the same "weight port" concept. I would think the S57 design would be more appropriate for a forged club.
[/quote]
Hopefully the U.S. version will be more blade like the S57, let's hope so anyways...

[PreppySlapCut]

These are perfect. I want them now.

[walts00]

I've wandered into this thread a few times now to look at these sticks but Ping "forged" irons just seems off. Oddly, my iron preference has always been cast cavity back irons so Ping's offerings have always been on my radar. As good as these look, it is just too weird.

[Hifade]

waiting for the review.......

[bama11]

Those irons are sweet!! Hope Ping will sell them here, do not want to pay $1,000+ for 5-pw from Tour Spec golf.

[moonshine]

[quote name='rblmp32' date='23 April 2010 - 10:04 PM' timestamp='1272078264' post='2397477']
Cripes, a 45* PW?

Nice sticks though.
[/quote]
Crazy I think as well, no wonder the set is 5-pw, the 5 is really a three! I think 47 pw is still 2 stronger than what was original lofts at one time. Also, everyone going goo goo over these, and the s57 is such a great stick as far as feel and workability go.

[InTheHole!]

Ok guys here goes. I played 27 with these irons over the weekend. Set comprised 5 to P, standard loft save that lie was 1 knotch flat (red dot).

Having tried a few shots side by side with my playing partners' I15, I can say that the Anser Forged is way softer than the cast Pings, no argument, night and day different. No noticeable ball flight difference from my other gamer set of TM 2005 TP, perhaps due to the stronger lofts. distance was marginally greater on all irons, again prob due to the lofts, together with a slightly bigger and more forgiving iron head.

I played the PW a couple of times from between 50 - 60 yards, and the ball (Prov 1X) managed to check up to a hop and a stop on all occassions - prob due to the new grooves, but nonetheless noteworthy.

Where I had some problems was with the sole width on the irons. Where I play, the ground tends to be soft, and I was having trouble with the wider sole of the Ping Anser,, at times taking huge divots that did not feel good at all, but was surprised that the ball still went - albeit a couple of yards short. Might be my swing, but I definitely need to adjust for the Ping's sole design.

[ckguy914]

thicker soles should prevent you from digging instead

[InTheHole!]

[quote name='ckguy914' date='27 April 2010 - 11:00 AM' timestamp='1272337202' post='2403072']
thicker soles should prevent you from digging instead
[/quote]

I know I guess its my swing fault, somehow I pick the ball cleaner off the turf with irons with narrower soles

[gonzo]

You should try playing the ball a little further back in your stance. It might help. How does the finish look after 27 holes?

[gusher311]

Very Nice

[kesler]

Are they a players iron or GI iron?

[Asleep]

[quote name='dannymac63' date='23 April 2010 - 09:29 AM' timestamp='1272032983' post='2396240']Just grabbed this info from the Ping Japan website for all to see. Info on the Ping Anser Forged Irons.

3 38.75" 20.0° 59.25° 0.23" -2.7° D1
4 38.25" 23.0° 60.00° 0.20" -1.8° D1
5 37.75" 26.0° 60.75° 0.17" 0.8° D1
6 37.25" 29.0° 61.50° 0.14" 2.8° D1
7 36.75" 32.5° 62.25° 0.12" 5.0° D1
8 36.25" 36.5° 63.00° 0.10" 6.0° D1
9 35.75" 40.5° 63.75° 0.08" 8.0° D1
[size="4"][b]PW[/b][/size] 35.50" [size="4"][b]45.0°[/b][/size] 64.00° 0.07" 9.0° D2[/quote]
Very disappointing and a deal-killer for me.

Man ..... those looked so good, too.

[PreppySlapCut]

I guess because I carry 4 wedges I don't mind the 45* PW. All I have to do is make my gap 50 instead of 52. Done.

[Drucurtis]

[quote name='Asleep' date='09 May 2010 - 08:51 PM' timestamp='1273456319' post='2431395']
[quote name='dannymac63' date='23 April 2010 - 09:29 AM' timestamp='1272032983' post='2396240']Just grabbed this info from the Ping Japan website for all to see. Info on the Ping Anser Forged Irons.

3 38.75" 20.0° 59.25° 0.23" -2.7° D1
4 38.25" 23.0° 60.00° 0.20" -1.8° D1
5 37.75" 26.0° 60.75° 0.17" 0.8° D1
6 37.25" 29.0° 61.50° 0.14" 2.8° D1
7 36.75" 32.5° 62.25° 0.12" 5.0° D1
8 36.25" 36.5° 63.00° 0.10" 6.0° D1
9 35.75" 40.5° 63.75° 0.08" 8.0° D1
[size="4"][b]PW[/b][/size] 35.50" [size="4"][b]45.0°[/b][/size] 64.00° 0.07" 9.0° D2[/quote]
Very disappointing and a deal-killer for me.

Man ..... those looked so good, too.
[/quote]


They are forged...just take them to your club maker and have the lofts adjusted. I agree that 45 is a strong, but it is not a deal breaker for me because of the adjustability of forged irons.

[InTheHole!]

I too found the strong lofts not suitable - and I did bring my set to be adjusted for loft and lie. Believe me when I say that these forged irons do bend like forged irons. Fitter mentoned that they do not fee any different from your Titleist or TMs.

So if you do not mind getting the irons bent, they should work out fine for a 47* PW set.

[Asleep]

I'd have to order bent 2* weak, then ask for a trailing edge grind to remove the extra bounce ( these are a little fat soled for me as it is ) ... but then they'd be grinding into that tungsten weight. So swingweight would have to be added back. Just seems like I'd be re-engineering the head and could end up with a one-off, unwanted set.

This whole loft jacking dance is getting silly. 3-PW now becomes 4-GW just so "we" can trick ourselves into [i][b]feeling[/b][/i] longer. Silly ego exercise.

Apologize for stepping up on the soap box.


Still, I really like the look of the Ping forged.

[HeadonaStick]

[quote name='Asleep' date='10 May 2010 - 09:16 AM' timestamp='1273497391' post='2432014']
I'd have to order bent 2* weak, then ask for a trailing edge grind to remove the extra bounce ( these are a little fat soled for me as it is ) ... but then they'd be grinding into that tungsten weight. So swingweight would have to be added back. Just seems like I'd be re-engineering the head and could end up with a one-off, unwanted set.

This whole loft jacking dance is getting silly. 3-PW now becomes 4-GW just so "we" can trick ourselves into [i][b]feeling[/b][/i] longer. Silly ego exercise.

Apologize for stepping up on the soap box.


Still, I really like the look of the Ping forged.
[/quote]
They are just numbers on the sole. Have them ground off and the set will be whatever you want it to be...

[Shanksamillion]

Also remember when you bend to change lofts you are changing the intended sole bounce also. 2* weaker loft = 2* more bounce...which may not be bad for some people.

[Bob57]

Don't forget any grinding on the soles of the Ansers (the 8620 part not the tungsten) or the S56s will remove the plating which will rust with no finish. The Ansers will rust quickly and the S56s will take a while longer. You are grinding off the plated finish and while ping will do it they will also tell you they will not refinish where they ground only will polish which won't last long. I had a grind done on the Tour W wedges and they look pretty bad a year later with rust spots where they ground and then polished it. It looks bad/odd because the rest of the iron is still plated..

[jh23010]

45* pw? really?

[lefty_70]

Very sharp looking set of irons! Too bad I'll never get to hit them being lefty.