Irons

Ping Anser 2010 Irons! (1st Ever Production Forged Iron by Ping)

BY Adam Beach
Feb 22nd 2010
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Ping Anser Irons – First Large Production Forged Iron EVER by Ping!

Now you might think this is the first forged iron Ping ever made but actually it’s not. The first forged irons ever produced by ping (1961) were actually forged blanks that Karsten milled cavities into. They were his first cavity back irons and only a couple hundred were produced before he turned to investment casting that would revolutionize the industry.

Will Be A BIG Hit in Japan & US As Well (In Fall)

The Ping Anser Forged 2010 Iron I think will be a massive hit when they are released in April in Japan. And as far as we know when they are released in the US later in the Fall they will fly off shelves as well. I feel it was the next logical step for Ping to make…although when we heard the rumors about this a few months ago I was shocked to hear about it. That is because Ping had stuck to their guns for so long when it came to casting there clubs…and the quality of their castings were done so well. But this allows them to grab a piece of the market that they might not have been able to in the past and will open more doors down the road I feel.

What They Are Made Of

The Ping Anser 2010 irons are made of 8620 carbon steel with a partial tungsten sole. They have a larger then average sole width and offset as well. So you might ask why forged and why now? Well the Japan market prefers forged irons and this will in our opinion dramatically grow their market share in that market. And why the wide sole and offset on a forged iron…well the Japan market prefers this style a little more then a pure blade as well. I also feel that they will eventually come out with a more traditional forged blade in the US in the coming years. Well as long as they feel it will improve on the other blades on the market. Because that is what Ping is all about.

The looks are similar to the Ping i15’s and when we tested the i15 irons there was not much you could say bad about them really. The only way they could improve on them might be the feel and the 8620 forged version will surely improve on that. Even though Ping’s castings are some of the best in the business when it comes to feel already.

So guys what do you think about the “1st Ever Large Production Forged Iron by Ping”?

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Adam Beach

My name is Adam Beach. This place, this site, it’s more than just a business to me, it truly is an expression of who I am and what I believe in, down to my core. I feel the work I do is a reflection of who I am and the idea behind the work I do is more important than the work itself. You see, I don’t actually see myself in the golf business at all, I am in the business of caring. I am a guy who wakes up with one goal: do the right thing.

Adam Beach

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Adam Beach

Driver PING G430 Max 10k	Hybrid PING G430
Irons Srixon ZX5 MK II	Wedges TaylorMade MG4
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Adam Beach

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Join The Discussion

MyBluC4

14 years ago

I called Ping to ask about the forging: their reply was that the forging is done in China and assembly is done in the U.S.
The offset is .118.
One can get fitted on the Ping fitting system as the Anser forged will be very similar to the i15’s.
Should be available in the states in November. MSRP: $190/iron.

Jim

14 years ago

$190 per iron? They just lost me. You can pick up a new set (3-pw) of Nike Split Cavities Forged for $600 or even the new Adams CB2 Forged irons for $800. Both are amazing to hit – both forgiving and long, workable. Not sure why Ping thinks they should get $1400 for theirs.
I have a friend at Ping; maybe he can get some from the returns rack for $800 or so.
Thanks for the Intel!!!

Jim

14 years ago

PS – You say the offset is .118 – which club is that on?

Bill

14 years ago

Jim,

Thanks for your thoughts…if and when I ever make it to AZ you got a deal. Ditto if you travel to Thailand. We have some mighty nice courses up here in the far north and beautiful, friendly lady caddies as well!

Jim

14 years ago

Bill – it is great to hear a few things: 1) the heads a re a bit smaller 2) the heads are lighter 3) the offset is less. I found what you found when hitting new forged irons – the “quickness” I feel gets me through the shot better and I tend to take a full swing (which is good). My good friend is a senior level director at PING here in AZ, so I might be able to get some “return rack” irons for more than half price.
Your game sounds a lot like mine; once I got the short game rolling the strokes came off, but for me, being able to now fly a 6 iron 190 – 195 (with a few pure shots at 205), I can get to the long par 4’s more consistently and the par 5’s in 2 more often. The S57s I played with got me closer than my current X-20 tours, but I have found the new forged irons (all I have tried) even easier to hit and much more feel oriented.
If you get to Arizona, look me up for a round or two – I get great deals here and can swing a personal tour of PING probably.

Bill

14 years ago

Thanks for your comments, Jim. I have been using the new Ansers for about 2 weeks now and after some initial adjustment problems, found that I was hitting them better and longer than my G15s. These clubs are a lot lighter than my G15s and I am generating much more speed through the shot. The Anser clubheads are definitely smaller and lighter and take some getting used to. I have also added additional, early wrist cock to my swing, improved my rotation around the body and worked on a better release; these changes have helped immensely.
I initially have missed some of the additional offset that I had in the G15’s 5 & 6 irons, but I am adapting with my faster, longer swing.

I made an error in my earlier message. I purchased my Ansers with black dots rather than red dots and had them fitted with TPC615 regular flex shafts. They were assembled by Ping in Japan and shipped down to Thailand in 10-days. This (standard) lie angle definitely worked out better for me. Ping sells a lot of red dot sets in Asia due to the shorter stature of typical Asian buyers, but they can bend to any lie angle needed.

With practice and further adaptation, I expect to see my iron accuracy and efficiency improving, and hopefully my expensive purchase will be borne out with more GIR and a lowered index. My short game index is between +2, to 3, to 5 when isolating sand shots, chips & pitches and putting, respectively (determined via Shot by Shot.com), so assuming I can retain these skills I ought to be dropping my overall game handicap index closer to that lower range with an improved long game. The real issue here is ‘are the costly Ansers any better than the I-15’s?” I would say that is a bit subjective and I would suggest that each player really test each club thoroughly under the same conditions to make the right purchase decision.

Jim

14 years ago

I have been trying forged irons for about 4 months now – I am waiting to buy until these irons come out. I can tell you that I am a mid-8 handicap, but until my putting really came around, I was an 11. There are many forged clubs that are great for 11 and under (depending on how you hit with irons). I have found that there is mucho forgiveness in anything new – Adams CB2, Nike Split cavity forged, Callaway X-forged. Even better – if you feel like you need something bigger and more forgiving, the Callaway Diablo forged are great, but they are definitely much clunkier. As long as the Pings are not too top-line heavy, they will be great clubs. In summary, do not let your handicap determine your clubs, unless you are a beginner – hit everything and see which one feels best and most consistent!

Bill

14 years ago

A PS: I demoed the new Ping Anser iron, both in stock steel and graphite Ping shafts, as well as steel & graphite I15s, an S57 in steel and my own G15 graphite….all were 7-irons and testing was all done at the same occasion at a local driving range. All shots were played off of mats. I took the shots–about 10 each–after I had warmed up and then selected each club at random, but made two shots each before picking up a different club. All in all, I hit each club five times for a total of 10 balls. The results were surprising to me, as I had assumed that the Ansers would be more difficult to hit than my G15 but easier than the S57. In both steel and graphite shafted versions of the Ansers, I found my straightest and longest shots; there was almost zero dispersion at my 7-iron range….140-145 yards. The feel was silky and almost effortless, although I found that I needed to exert more speed to deliver the ball as far with the steel shafted version. The graphite shaft added about 3-5 yards but was just as straight. In contract, the I15s gave me th most varied shots; I could not seem to get two good ones in a row with either shaft. The S57 was dead straight and sweet but at my age (64) I found it couldn’t deliver the distance over the others. My own G15? It gave me the longest distance on a really well struck shot, but that huge head was harder to pure it with. I was totally imoressed with the Anser and made arrangements with the local dealer to buy a set of PW thru 5-iron at a specially discounted rate, which translates to US$1,350 with a surcharge for the graphite shaft fitted with aqua grips and withall clubs set with red dots to match my lie angle. Yes, this is hugely expensive; twice what a larger set of quality irons would set me back in the USA, but at my age and desire to continue improving my game, I decided to go for it. FInding more greens is my mantra and until I am able to do this, my handicap will be difficult to lower. Hopefully these clubs will give me the tools I need to bring the success I am seeking. Thanks for this website and for the ideas expressed by so many strong players.

gregory douglas

14 years ago

The Ping Anser Irons appear to be sleek looking perimeter weighted forged irons. The question is how to get them to the public at a “Reasonable Price” when the shafts need to be changed?
Ping’s Irons usually have a stock steel shaft and usually a reguler graphite shaft, but project x shafts or kbs shafts require 1) sending them back to the company and 2) tagging them with a king’s ransom!!! How can this be avoided so the price of your clubs don’t supercede the enjoyment level derived from them?????? Keep in mind that the anticipated cost for the Anser Irons ,as is, is aapproximately $1000.00. If in your benevolence you would endeavor to gift the Ping Anser Irons to me, 1/2 inch over and 1degree upright with the kbs shafts, I can assure you that it would never supercede my enjoyment level nor my gratitude!!!!!!!

Bill

14 years ago

I just found a set of these in a local Thai golf shop priced at the equivalent of US$1,240. I’m thinking of buying them before some Japanese expat or tourist finds them and beats me to it. But they are fitted with steel shafts and I believe I would do better with graphite. I am also attracted to the I15’s and the pricing between the graphite-shafted I15 and the steel-shafted Anser irons is only US$150….but the I15 adds a 4-iron as well. Let me ask some of you more experienced players a serious question: I am a 13.3 handicapper and shoot adequate iron shots (with my current G15 set), but believe the large oversize and bulky top line of the G15s detract from my game. I may not be good or fast enough to play blades, but perhaps a good compromise would be the I15 or Ansers–retrofitted with graphite shafts. Which set do you think I would be best suited for?

MyBluC4

14 years ago

While not sure, I would hope these are being forged in Japan vs. China. Also, I have not read any reviews regarding how much offset is built into these or if they are a progressive offset.
They look very clean, more so than than the i15’s that have so much going on in the cavity.

Peter

14 years ago

Actually, the best forgings are pretty much coming out of China, with most OEM’s and the high end component companies (now including PING) using these facilities.

Most people would be shocked to know that even our military and some aircraft manufacturers are using the facilities in China.

It seems like we no longer create, we just consume.

mygolfspy

14 years ago

Very true Peter.

MyBluC4

14 years ago

I would strongly disagree. While many companies, mostly U.S. manufacturers are using China to forge their sticks, the premium quality forging is still Japan.

JNolan

14 years ago

They kind of seem like a copy of the Titleist AP2’s concept, forged iron with tungasten soleplate. Also heard that they were not true forgings. I heard they are pre-cast then taken out while still hot a struck a few times…if that is true it is hardly a true forged iron…

John

14 years ago

I had a chance to demo these Iron in Phoenix in early April. I would rank them between the S series and the I series irons. Very pretty to look at.

I was told that Ping has no plans to release them in NA. They strongly believe that their cast clubs are better and that the only reason they brought them out in Japan is that the Japanese market will not buy cast.

Austin

14 years ago

I got an email from a PING customer service rep yesterday (4/21/2010). He indicates that they are going to be distributed in the US but would not commit to any idea of timing. If they indicated that they weren’t going to introduce in the US they might have changed their tune.

marty

14 years ago

Can anyone tell me when the next tour blade is coming out by Ping?

Ian

14 years ago

MGS…the ping G15’s are the perfect clubs for a mid-high hc golfer. Just received mine after much testing over several years and waiting for a holy grail. Very happy that I took the leap of faith…and now these forged beauties! Looks like I’ll be a Ping guy for a long time!
Keep those pics coming!

mygolfspy

14 years ago

Will do Ian!

Mybluc4

14 years ago

These look like an updated version of the old ISI’s which were (and IMO still are) fantastic sticks. Really want to try these out.

Larimer Golf

14 years ago

Just got off the phone with our Ping rep. She stated that they will make about 1,000 sets with the majority of the clubs going to Japan. She also said even if I wanted to give up my first born, that still wouldn’t get me a set and they will be VERY expensive. Hope she’s wrong on all accounts.

Peter

Alf

14 years ago

When do the clubs start to be sold in UK / Europe?

Eric

14 years ago

How do I feel about it?! I feel like crap! All geared up to add the MP58s to my bag, after really considering the Ping i15s, with a large part of that decision revolving around the look and feel of Mizunos forging, and now Ping comes along and forces me to rethink it all.

Maybe I need two sets if irons. . .

Hussein Roshdy

14 years ago

Nice looking irons. It’s good to see PING doing some forgings finally. I also like the use of a ferrule. Ferrules make irons look much better in my opinion.

paul

14 years ago

its about time ping got into the forged market i will have these in my bag soon as i can get the from a pga golf professional

James Freels

14 years ago

I was failing to understand exactly why Ping would be coming out with a forged iron, given their success with the i15’s, but when you stated that 1) their cheaper to make, and 2) they are for the Japanese market, well now I understand.
It is an unfortunate thing that many “average” golfers feel they need to listen to their egos rather than their abilities. I have been basically forced to sell several sets of forged irons to mid handicapers who had no business using them. Let’face it, if your not into a single digit handicap, stick with the cavity back irons. Hitting a great shot will always impress your friends more than a set of fancy clubs in your bag.
Maybe these clubs will be great, and I sure that coming from Ping, they will be. I will after my rep to bring in a set as soon as they are available. But I will wait for the US set. After all, I’ve got to sell them, hopefully to a guy who can actually handle them.

Austin

14 years ago

Forged clubs do not translate to less forgiveness. This is WRONG!!!! Forged clubs have more feel based on the production process. A cavity back forged club can be as forgiving as a cavity back cast club. With that said, I love the forged feel and am playing Mizuno’s but definitely want to get my hands on these and am waiting to buy a new set until I have tried these out. The I15’s are nice with a KBS TOUR shaft. I am hoping the ANSER is the answer to my desire for feel, workability and forgiveness. PLEASE PRODUCE THESE BABIES IN THE USA!!!!! I AM BEGGING YOU!!!

eloh

14 years ago

So I guess you want those mid handicappers to just stay in there place…they have no business trying to really learn the game and become good ball strickers. Keep using the baby clubs and stay out of the real golfer category…is this right? Or do you just want me to keep buying new clubs and out growing them: G15, i15, Anser, S57…you just made a ton of money off me bro! nice!!
I fail to understand this entire handicap relationship to the club one uses. If you just want to play for fun and you are not looking to really take up the sport seriously and compete then yes get the easy clubs because you are not at the range 3-4 time a week practicing. And if that is the case who cares if you suck as long as you’re happy. But for the guy that want’s to eventually compete, why shouldn’t the high handicapper go for the i15 instead of the G15, or even the S57. I just started playing last year and I am playing with TA 845’s. These are actually harder to hit than my buddies’ burners and slingshots…but I started with them so I have trained to them, and after demoing S57s, they feel closer to my 845s than SGI or GI clubs. (Yes, 845s were GI clubs about 15 years ago) So next year I get those maybe, or somthing else, but it will have nothing to do with my handicap. That’s just a way to keep weak golfers weak. Just my 2 cents.

Travis

14 years ago

It’s about time!!

John

14 years ago

those look very interesting!

Matt

14 years ago

Nice, but if I want a better forged iron I will keep buying Mizunos. My MP-52s can’t be beaten for what I want.

Retep Narod

14 years ago

Way to go Ping and hello Anser Sweethearts. I will OWN you.

Tim

14 years ago

My only question right now is PING actually doing the forging themselves? Or are they like other OEM’s that have someone else doing their forgings…IE…ENDO,MIURA or another Japanese or Chinese forging house? Thanks, Tim

Garry

14 years ago

MSG.. my bending problems started with the prior series and is still a problem. I custom order all bends now with Mizuno. As long as they stay on the sole. No biggie.. if the face starts to scare up.. then I have to re-think. I have new brass jaws so they are as soft as they can be.

Garry

14 years ago

MSG… thanks. I was thinking it was a harder metal. If they are going to have the same feel as stainless it is a wasted effort I would think. Titlesit had a forged stainless that had zero feel to it. Maybe I will save my money and wait for you to pound some balls with them. I have a heck of a time bending Mizuno irons without leaving little dents in the sole when adjusting lies… and this is with pieces of rubber grips put on the brass rollers of the bending jaws. Have you recieved your MP-58’s yet. I am impressed with them at this time. Next week I will be in Mesquite for a week. I will really give them a test drive

mygolfspy

14 years ago

Well actually there are lots of ways to forge clubs to make them feel softer. And remember the design of the club has a BIG part to the feel as well. The Titleist model you are referring to most likley was not set-up correctly within its actual design which can absolutely lead to a harsher feel.

The Mizuno irons you have problems with I wonder if they are older models that were just 1025 and not 1025E. The 1025E resolved many of those type issues.

I am still playing the MP-58’s Garry…still love them.

Bill

14 years ago

Nice looking club, but want to see shots of the top line. Ping made the best cast clubs for years, even though I was never a fan of the thick top line.

I think most low and mid handicappers are best served by forged cavity backs. Better feel with forgiveness..

fsu#21

14 years ago

with the stable of staff players PING has worldwide i’ve always been curious as to why they have never had a forged offering. these babies look expensive, i hope they give their tour players a good discount[J/K]. way to go ping better late than never!

Michael

14 years ago

MGS – Do you know if the forgings will be done in the USA? Probably not, but I thought I would ask.

MyBluC4

14 years ago

Forged in China. Assembled in the U.S. Only sold in Japan. Go Figure. Ping says they will be available in November, but in very limited quantities (20 sets per rep). Price set at $190 per stick that puts it at $1,140.00 for a 5 thru PW.

Twinprint

14 years ago

I have always played ping irons, but kinda prefer a forged iron the look is great, but I would have to hit them to tell u what I really think

Simon Marshall

14 years ago

Any news on if they will be released in the UK?

mygolfspy

14 years ago

Simon – don’t know the release date in the UK. Will be April in Japan and most likely fall release in US.

Garry

14 years ago

any metalurgists in here? how soft/hard is the 8620 compared to the 1025E Mizuno is using in the MP-58’s?

mygolfspy

14 years ago

1025E has less phosphorous and sulphur and therefore can be made to feel softer. 8620 can be used as a cast or a forged model actually.

Gerald Lindell

14 years ago

any metalurgists in here? how soft/hard is the 8620 compared to the 1025E Mizuno is using in the MP-58’s?

Gary

1025E is a “plain carbon” (no alloy) steel. 8620 has some alloys so is technically stronger but the critical factor in strength is carbon. 8620 has .20% carbon and 1025E has .25% carbon. 8620 is better (more expensive) steel. Both would be considered “soft” in the forged condition and be very difficult for you or I (or even a tour pro) to feel any difference if used in the same club head.

Garry

14 years ago

Bill.. I am curious as to why Mizuno should pay attention to Ping. Mizuno by far is a head of the game in the foging business of irons. The Ping design reminds me of a couple sets of TaylorMade Irons I have in the closet. About 4 model back cavityback TP’s . From my dealings with Mizuno.. they do not worry about others iin the market. Here is what Bruce will say. “We are just a small golf company filling a niche for the golfer that knows quality” and if you want a great forged iron.. Mizuno is damn hard to beat. I am breaking in a new set of MP-58’s with KBS Tour shafts. If these aren’t the best irons I have hit so far.. the list is very very short. I do want to hit the Ping forged irons. Mostly out of curiousity.

John Barry

14 years ago

I love the look, and I will for sure try them, although, as a mid handicapper, it’s hard to beat the G15s

mygolfspy

14 years ago

The G15 for a mid-high handicap is almost the perfect iron.

Garry

14 years ago

About time Ping.. I will also be on my inside Ping rep for a set to test drive. I have never been much of a Ping iron fan due to them not offering a forged carbon steel head. They look like a player type iron. The first set made out of billet were some wild and crazy clubs. They were rejected due to how theu were shafted. There was a set of the originals sold on ebay a year or so backj that went for some big bucks. Tablerock Golf used to have a set on their web site. Not sure if they stiff do.

WAY TO GO Ping

Bill

14 years ago

Great to see Ping’s new addition. Mizuno should keep an eye on this one.

Jeff

14 years ago

I’m thinking Mizuno is OK. I saw the suggested retail on the Ping’s..over $1500.00. I can’t imagine anything being that much better than say an MP-62 that you can get for 700.00 less. Not knocking Ping of course. I play the i15’s (and also own a set of MP-62’s). I’m quite happy with the i15’s being cast.

Austin

14 years ago

If they are $1,500 (steel or graphite shafts?) I can see why they would only produce 1,000 or less. Even my interest level would dwindle a bit at that price. As a current Mizuno player, I would only think about changing if the feel was as good or the forgiveness/distance is substantially better than my current MX-23 set (maybe one of the best sets ever produced by Mizuno). I can see $999 or maybe even a little more with custom steel shafts (KBS, Dynamic Gold S300, Project X), but at $1,500 these Pings would have to blow the other clubs (including their cast I15’s) out of the water. If not, the only reason to buy them would be . . . . okay, there would be no good reason to buy them.

paul

14 years ago

about time ping came into the future with a forged club to work the ball better and to not feel like a brick when hitting a ball from a cast head yes i am old school from growing up playing with blades from a very happy golf professional

Peter

14 years ago

Where does the Ping Anser irons fit in the current iron line-up from Ping? Is it closer to the I15, or maybe the Rapture V2 since it is “multi-material”? Who is this for? (Hopefully me, if I can wait until Fall)

laseranimal

14 years ago

Karstin is now rolling over in his grave

Ping was the company that pioneered the Casting process for golf clubs and now they’re producing a FORGED iron????

Yikes

mygolfspy

14 years ago

I would have to disagree. Karsten begun investment casting because it made the process easier and he was always about simplifying things. But manufacturing has changed tremendously since then and forging clubs is much easier now. Karsten was about making the best product possible but at the time that was hard to do when it came to forging. Now it is not and there are so many more options available when making a forged club that just were not possible back then.

Chris

14 years ago

I like these I can imagine they’re going to be a big hit. Part of me thinks they’re i15’s sprayed silver though. I hope if PING does release a blade it will have that PING style about them. Can we have some nice no-thrills putters now?

mygolfspy

14 years ago

From the looks of it they do look similar…but they are much different in design and set-up to be honest. We will post some more inside stuff about them soon to show the differences Chris.

Braden Powers

14 years ago

DAMN THEM! More money for me to spend!

Andy Greenwald

14 years ago

Nice looking irons. I would at least try these at the range.

mygolfspy

14 years ago

I am looking forward to testing these irons out for you guys. This should be a good one…since it is so different from their past offerings Andy.

marty

14 years ago

When is Ping bring out a new tour blade, any idea?

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