Produced for players of all abilities, the new, multi-material i25 driver from Ping is designed to reduce spin while increasing the launch angle for better distance and accuracy.
Company officials say they use a lighter density titanium in the body of the club head in an effort to save weight and improve Center of Gravity (CG) for greater distance and Moment of Inertia (MOI) for enhanced forgiveness. And they join that body to a variable thickness titanium face that is designed to bolster ball speed, which by extension should also add length.
In addition, high-density tungsten sole weights are made to lower the CG even more, for a flatter ball flight and landing angle, which should improve roll out. And when those weights are properly placed, they can significantly increase moment of inertia, which is a key to enhanced forgiveness. The clubmaker’s Trajectory Tuning technology ensures that standard lofts are adjustable plus or minus ½-degree, while a lightweight hosel is crafted so that it provides the benefits of adjustability without sacrificing the performance that can be lost with clubs that have bulkier designs in that area.
Another feature of the i25 driver is the utilization of subtle racing stripes on the crown that are the same width as a golf ball. Company engineers say that the stripes can help a player aim the clubface more accurately and also adjust his or her alignment to the target while assisting in taking the club back on a proper swing path.
In addition, Ping has produced for this line what its technicians describe as an industry-first shaft series that offers different weights and flex profiles without altering the club’s swingweight. Dubbed PWR (for Performance, Weighting and Responsiveness), it is made to match shafts to golfers by the weight and flex that best fits the motions of their swings and their desired shot shapes.
Says John Solheim, Ping chairman and CEO: “With adjustable clubs, fitting for shaft weight has been limited because of its effect on swingweight. The PWR series overcomes that by varying the CG location of the different weights so we can offer options that optimize ball flight while providing a better-feeling, more responsive shaft.”
