This proves a point I've been making on every club comparison video I watch. There's almost no difference in performance, as long as the loft and shaft length are the same. Too many times I watch a video comparing old clubs to new ones, or even two new clubs, with completely different lofts. But because they both have "5" stamped on them, they make it seem like a fair comparison.
there is a big difference if you don´t hit the center every time......thats what makes modern clubs better for the average hack.....if you stripe every shot, equipment from 2005 is fine
Similar trick is played with driver but instead of big loft changes, they just make the shaft longer and longer. 45 and 46 inch is way too long for most golfers - including touring pros! Yeah, when Iron Byron swings that long club, it'll go farther than last years shorter club, but few people will handle it. I play a Titleist 910 D3 driver with project-x shaft (circa 2012) which I bought used for $175 in 2014. I cut it down from 45.5 to 44 (so had to add a good bit of weight in the head to get the swing weight back up to D2). No need to go with a "new" driver, it's just marketing nonsense.
I still have a set of those beryllium ISI's. Bought them new in 98 after being fitted at Ping in Gainsbourgh. 2 iron to 60 degree wedge. Used them right up until about 6 years ago. I see them in the cupboard sometimes and they bring back memories of some great rounds, with some great friends.
Back in the day, you didn't really see any other irons like the Pings either! I remember being a teen in the mid 1970s at our local course, and anyone that had Pings in their bag were obviously both very rich and also very cool. The Pings Zings & Eye/Eye2 were simply waaaaay ahead of their time. Karsten Solheim was a bloody genius.
I still have and use a set of Ping ISI-K's, and see no reason to change them, a feeling reinforced by your video. The shaft on the 4-iron broke recently so my club pro sent it off to Ping for a new shaft. Of course they will not have an original shaft so will have to fit a modern equivalent, and I'm looking forward to seeing whether there is any noticeable difference. I still use the 4-iron but have replaced the 2 and 3 with hybrids. Thanks for a very interesting video, and for choosing for comparison some older clubs very similar to the ones in my bag!
I still have a set of ping Karstens that I play with. I still pure them. Probably going to buy a set of the Kirkland irons when they are released since they are identical to TM P790s. Nothing wrong with older clubs for 90% of golfers. Very few people will see big improvements from a new $1100 set of irons.
Good morning from Michigan. Great video. Definitely would like to see more videos comparing old and new clubs. I’m still using Taylormade LCG Irons from 1998. I haven’t golfed more than a couple times a year so they are like new. Hoping to golf more this year! Thank you
Great to see this comparison! I use the ISI Nickel irons and keep thinking about new irons, but then I get a few perfect shots in and realize it's not the irons holding me back.
Great video and interesting how the Ping has held up to current day standards. First set of new clubs I ever bought was a set of Eye 2 plus from 1990, still have them, my 17 yrs ok’d son plays them. Love all your work, James!
Ping eye2 Copper beryllium were my first set of clubs 2-PW from a pawnshop 20+ years ago. Have first version of P-790 now with UDI, 4-GW. There is some technology gains for sure with my clubs/swing.
I still play a set of 15 year old Titleist AP1s, I also have a set of Ping S58 blades and Ping i3+ blades they all play very well and distance is no issue. I am sure there is better tech in the new ones as it relates to mishits and forgiveness, just not quite the hype they all make about them. These new power bats are certainly longer but comparable loft and launch its just a longer club with a smaller number on it by comparison. My thoughts
Love seeing the comparison, given I just got rid of a free set of clubs that are 20+ years old I got just to get me on the course after moving to Australia (left old set back in UK) for a brand new set (2019 tech) clubs, and I’ve seen a big increase In my yardage and consistency, and back to playing at a similar/better level than before I moved. I’d love to see a same brand comparison though rather than across brands.
Very informative video. I just bought a set of Adams Tight Lies 5-PW, S for a whole $39 at a local shop. I buffed them up and regripped and hit them against my current set of two year old irons. Great feel and distance. They go in the bag and on the course today. My score will tell the story. You can't buy a good game.
I still have my Wilson staff x31 irons from 1966 when I was a junior golfer. This video has made me want to take them out for a try. Might make me quite golf.
Someone once said that with the Ping Karsten irons the glass was then 95% full. Every effort since then to improve cosmetics and technology are focused only on that last 5%
@James Robinson Golf James you should consider doing some merchandise that says "Let's do it and Let's do it now". It would be your best sellers! You probably have a bigger following than you realize. I'm in Texas and me and my brother-inlaw haven't seen eachhother or played together in a good while. Last Sunday, about 2 or 3 holess in, In my best British accent I said "Let's do it...and he quickly finished and said "and Let's do it now". We both laughed and said oh your a James Robinson fan too! Love your channel, keep up the good work.
Great Video! Shows it’s the player not the club. I would love to see a comparison of the ping g versus the new ping g430 irons. I was looking for new irons and demoed the g430’s w/ stiff shaft vs my current g’s with a stiff shaft. When I swung both the g430’s had a nice feel but compared to my g’s the distance was similar and the dispersion was almost identical! The pro asked me why I wanted to spend the $$$ on new irons. So I kept my g’s just regripped them. Keep bringing the great info.
Love these videos! I always play the James Robinson Video Bingo! The head cover rip off, “I’m taking that ALL DAY” “Yes please” “Check out that ball flight” “Dynamic Flight” and my favourite “Turf interaction” 😂😂
I could not hit long irons for a good while. I got me a 7 hybrid. Got used to it moved up to a 5 hybrid and was hitting it well. Recently got a 3 wood and I’m doing well with it. And now I can hit long irons think i worked up to it slowly. I think the hybrids helped me slow my swing down and just make contact and gave me confidence in my long irons.
Have iron shafts really come along that far? Yes, there are some new brands/models out there. But the most popular shaft out there today (TT Dynamic Gold) is the same shaft you could have purchased roughly 40 years ago.
Irons in general are pretty much what they were 25 years ago. I grew up playing 1996 Callaway GBB and Lynx black cat irons. Those are still super modern even by todays standards, without the jacked lofts everything has today.
I like videos like this as it shows most average golfers that there is really not much difference is clubs. Drivers, fairways, and putters have advanced to a point but irons, there really isn’t much difference, players or game improvement. I have newer woods, but my irons are ping eye 2 irons that I played in college 30 years ago. I like the fact that I don’t have a bag full of wedges and I have confidence in the whole set. I will say that the newer golf balls, prov1, play wonderful off 30 year old irons. Beauty is, ping made these so well, they don’t wear out. Cheers.
Side note - wish they’d make more irons in a copper finish, or black. Especially in a left handed option. The new forged tec black edition look gorgeous
I loved the ISI irons when they came out. Got the titanium driver, wish I'd got the irons as I'd probably still be using them 😕. You should put a KBS shaft into the Ping iron and see what happens. Great video! 👍
One thing you have to remember is that 20+ years ago, manufacturers didn't have access to "multi-material" technology to build clubs. To get the weight positioned on the club head, Ping created their easily recognizable shape. It took a major advancement of manufacturing technology for other club companies to catch up.
Great video James. Thank you very much! A nice thought would be to take a model as an example and original big Bertha iron and compare it to today’s big Bertha iron or something similar by other manufacturers. That would be a fun video. Thank you for your time enjoy your videos always
Hej James! This pings are a beauty! I still stick sometimes my ping eye2 cooper berrylium 1 iron.... What you must see is, that the "modern" clubs are different in their launch. Here you compare with the ping the most forgiving and game improving iron of his era with a "normal" one of this times. But the "most forgiving" irons today are launching the ball higher, with a huge sweetspot too (for example Mizuno fli hi, taylormade sim /790 or Titleist u500/u505/u510...). This modern clubs help a lot to bring the ball up in the air! But the also we have today a lot of different shafts in launch, and/or trajectory of the ball flight. Here you can do a lot of variations so that every player can get hus personal fitted set of clubs. 30 years ago there were dynamic golds in different quality and not much more.... That was a good video!
I bought in 2003 Maxfli A10 blades.The 8-3 have cavity backs. R300 shafts. I just bought a set of Wilson D9 clubs with steel shafts. The D9 clubs are way more forgiving. In between I had a set of Caallaway Diablo forged irons purchased in 2013-14 with steel shafts.
It's all about launch angle, not loft. The new technology in the heads and shafts helps get the ball in the air. Comparing loft between clubs I feel is pointless. Love the content, James!
Yes, i did . Those two clubs are comparable. What I'm saying is if you took a modern-day game inproving club with less loft, the launch angle would also be comparable.
There is an old video of a Major championship commentated on by the late Peter Alliss and Wayne Riley where a player hits a 5 iron 200yards - Wayne says -"200 yards with a 5 iron, they didn't make 5 irons like that in our day Peter!" Alliss replied - "well they did actually, only they put a 3 on the bottom" I have stopped playing golf due to a car accident induced back injury - but in the late 90's I always carried a 1 iron, my measured driver distance then was over 300 yards with a simple 11 degree Slazenger titanium club and Graphlex shaft. I hated using Pings because I found the offset difficult to line up.
JAMES ROBINSON can't do mathematics = 25+ years. However, Friggin EXCELLENT VIDEO !!! Finally someone that teaches the mathematics that LOFT is the LOFT, and forget what is written on the bottom: 20 degrees = 20 degrees !!! Everyone stopped calling Drivers #1 Woods; to use the LOFT angle in the name, and Wedges are sold with the LOFT degrees stamped on them. Thank You JAMES ROBINSON!!! I once saw a golf bag with 3 clubs inside, a Wood, a Hybrid and a 4 iron that ALL HAD THE SAME LOFT, and cut very similar in lengths. WHY? Because NO ONE ever checked the LOFTS!!! ...I also fixed a putter, the LOFT was Negative 1.4 degrees. Get to know LOFT. 1 or 2 companies have started putting the LOFT degrees on all the irons and wedges: DUNLOPs Golf in Canada and _____________ forget the other, someone please leave a reply with the name. Thanks to you Mr Robinson
Great video James. It's interesting to see how the older technology performs against its modern counterpart. My Dad bought a set of those Pings years ago and swears by them. It does make me wonder whether it's worth playing with a mixed set?
I'm still playing the set of Titleist AP1s that I bought new in 2013. This offseason I have been testing new clubs pretty extensively but I have yet to find a set that performs ~$1500 "better" when discounting the effects of loft-jacking. When I do finally replace them, it will be because I'm ready to move to a player's iron or I get too old to swing a stiff flex.
5 seasons ago I had some Ping Zing 2's built with KBS Tour S and some new Golf Pride grips. Comparing these against my "gamers" at the time (Wishon 560MC), the Ping Zings 2 yielded my better rounds and a medal win!!! With a newer shaft and the thick top line it was pretty easy and fun to hit. Why did I get rid?! I am Scottish. Playing in winter with ancient Ping shovels destroyed my paws!!!! The shaft likely helped.
I still have my set of Ping ISI beryllium copper irons in the loft. Kind of given up playing golf but kept them just in case I return. Do love them and always have.
I golf ping zing becu irons with factory x stiff shafts, Wouldn't trade them for anything else. You're right about the feel and distance is the same as anything else. Interesting...I should be using r flex shafts but the ping x stiff I hit just as far but straighter?? I never could figure that out.
25 years with the same shafts and still performed at a premium level. I would wager if you dropped back another decade to the eye 2 in Becu with the correct color code and shafts for your swing they would be right there also....Ping irons wow!
Your findings are what I always suspected to be the case. I would say to my kids, no need for me to get new irons. My 1997 Hogan Channel Backs are just fine. A comparison I would like to see is with the first full titanium drivers compared to the same/similar today. I recall that the PGA was concerned about spring effect on some club faces, but the real gains were made with the variety of shafts flexes / kick points you can get today versus in 2000-2003. I bet the old full titanium driver woods (Titleist 975D, BB Hawkeye VFT...) will compare well with the new tech available today.
I play a ping 1 iron from 1989 that’s an absolute rocket. 250 in the air easy plus it runs like OJ on I-90. It’s won me many of tournaments and I haven’t found a modern driving iron that out preforms it. I often outdrive peoples $500 drivers with it, it’s just shy of 3 wood distance for me. The golf ball is the biggest difference from growing up playing in the 90’s to now, not the clubs. Half these modern irons are just jacked up lofts and shaft lengths, even a half inch longer shaft makes a big difference. You basically need 2 pitching wedges now because they’re calling 46*/45* degree irons “pitching wedges” when 49*\48* used to be pw and 44*\45* used to be a 9 iron. The number on the bottom of your club means nothing.
You need to take those Ping irons to someone for a fitting. Change the shafts and adjust loft and lie if needed. Keep the original shafts and grips so you could return them to stock if wanted.
I remember eyeballing these, all four sets..Nikel, copper, stainless, and the ISI K, The price kept me away but I did use a copper ISI 52 degree wedge, the best wedge I owned for approach shots, chipping, back then. I personally like the early version Titleist DCI blacks, Taylor made burner tour irons, they still hold up well today. For comparison the 8 iron in those two sets would be 40 degrees. I think the Ping Zing 1 iron had like 15 degrees of loft, lol! Enjoyed the flasback!
Wish I'd seen this before buying some Mizuno 243s. Thought I was upgrading my 20 year old Callaway x16s but they are basically the same for me in carry distance. I'm probably losing some speed as the 243s are 98g steel shaft and my x16s are 75g graphite but I was pretty shocked. I might try get some graphite shafts fitted see if that helps.
I have a mint set of Ping ISI nickels with the original ZZ65 shafts. Played some of my best golf ever with these irons(3 capper). Compared to my current gamer's ,Wilson D9 Forged they are still very good. Typically when I use the Pings I just take 1 more club due to the loft differences. Plus ,the ISI wedges are so easy out of the sand! Nice video James.
I play with a set of Ping Eye2 + BeCu copper irons, with True Temper titanium shafts, and I love them! I also have an earlier set from 1986, but there's no bounce on their wedges, which isn't great!
I still have a set of 2013 graphite shafted Taylormade Rocketbladez HL irons ( high launch ), today they are still the best feeling iron I've ever played with, the HL club only means they were/are weaker loft than the then going loft and a hell of a lot weaker than the lofts of today. I don't play them much anymore as father time has me playing another set of irons with senior shafts now. Hmmm maybe have them reshafted with the same weight shaft of senior flex.
Lol I watched this as I have been invited to play Golf next week with people from work and I haven't hit a ball in15-20 years.( But I said I'd go) I still had my clubs so I dug them out at the weekend And the only casualty was the moth eaten bag. (Thank goodness for ebay) I put them in the car as I had nowhere else to store them and took them to work. My boss wanted to look at them and described them as "Old Skool" I was worried that my Wilson Jumbo Driver might be too big. He laughed and said no it's really small compared to modern clubs and that his driver is at least twice the size. He also added If I can hit the ball straight with it he'll eat his hat! I will be taking tomatoe kechtup to make that task easier. What supprized me was how similar my clubs are shaped to these ping clubs. Mine are just some budget golf centre clubs I bought as my previous set were worn out. BTW my irons are 1, 3-9 PW SI and 1 ,3, 5woods When I last played there was no such thing as a hybrid. As for my Acushnet Brass Putter it looks like I stole it from a seaside crazy golf course. I'm not expecting much I'll be pleased if I can hit my driver straight ( very pleased in fact)
I am a former low handicapper and my Mizuno MP-14s disappeared a long time ago. I am starting to play again and have no interest in spending $800 or more on "modern" set of irons. I picked up a set of really nice black offset Titleist DCI irons 5-gap wedge. Had a full set of some Rifle 6.0 shafts lying around. Played great. My friend who is about a 2 handicap and loves his new T-100's played them and actually wanted to keep them. I spent $100 for the full set of heads.
They have to do something to control distance. Courses like Augusta are at their limit and if it keeps up pro’s will turn it into a pitch and putt and the course will become obsolete.
It looks like the only reason for the slight difference in distance was the spin rate, and for that reason I would prefer the Ping Club to help stop the ball on the green (that is, if I actually put a 3 iron in the bag which is most unlikely!). Also, I my irons are a forged component clubset with a simple cavity back design and "old school" lofts. With a modern shaft they are terrific.
I might be wrong but the funky shape was do too a couple things. 1) the clubs were cast 2) They are all one material. The new clubs add weighted metal versus the odd shapes the pings had to get the same performance on off center hits.
I have 3 set of Ping clubs, Eye 2 Be Cu , ping shafts , I3 Nippon 95 shafts andG700 true temper 120 gold shafts,Ive settled on the i3's,which give me better feed back than the eye 2,I put this down to the shafts,otherwise very close,the g700's I struggle with consistent feel,have never mastered the distant thing with them, they are hotter of the face and launch higher than the other two.
Many, many years ago, a friend had a set of Ping Eyes that he loved. So, when I got back into golf last summer, I was thrilled to find a great set of G2's for almost no money. Add a couple of matching wedges and I had a very nice, very cheap set of irons. Even in the hands of a hacker like myself, they are extremely consistent and forgiving.
great vid... so there's not much difference... especially when you have a well suited and modern shaft... will be keeping my Titleist 762's and upgrading the shafts instead of replacing the irons. Thank you for your vid!!
I upgraded my 2006 Ping Raptures woods and g5 irons to the latest Ping G models. I honesty don't think there is much difference in performance , I even asked my club pro about it . If it is a rort for us golf Mugs ?? A Suggestion Maybe put a Ping rapture driver against a g430 , I think it would hold up pretty well in distance
1. It’s mostly the ball, not the clubs (especially not the iron head tech-shafts are a difference). 2. Better comparison would be a 7-9 iron, because that’s where the loft difference is greater. A 3 iron can’t be strengthened like a more lofted club can, because you’d take it out of the market entirely (only pros can hit a 2 iron).
Similar != Same. If you aren’t testing them at the same loft, then you aren’t comparing apples to vintage apples. I own a few sets of Ping classic irons using contemporary shafts & grips. The lofts are still weaker compared to modern clubs. But at 6’3” I don’t give up a lot of distance to the rest of my squad.
Played a round of golf while home a while ago and used the loan clubs from the course I was playing. I kid you not these were at the very least from the 80's and they flew just as far as my modern clubs at home. Maybe not as forgiving but I definitely didnt lose any distance using the old clubs vs my normal bats :)
James, big fan, but you’re missing an important point. In its day the Ping was the forgiving, distance iron. These are not a relative comparison just because they have the same loft and shaft length. Probably a better comparison would be a modern distance 4i to the Ping 3i.
I’ve got an old set of ISK-K nickel irons in the stable, along with a full set of old Ping Eye 2’s. I only pull them out on the course every now and then and I can still find my way around the course with no problems!
To this day I still play with my Ping Karsten ISI irons. Only thing I ever update is my driver and occasionally my woods/ hybrid. Irons are just fine for me.
Pro Golfers in the 1960's also shot rounds in the 60's, just like they do today. The clubs and balls have changed, surely, but the game is still, basically, the same. I still have my old Eye2+ set in cast steel I bought long ago. I wish I had a set of blades, but hey, you can't have everything in life!
I wonder if we came that far in technology or was Ping way ahead of its time? I also wonder what kind of results you'd get comparing old Taylor Made against new Taylor Made. And same with Ping vs Ping. Now most importantly, did you get up and down from those positions James? And I think we haven't come too far with technology in the past 25 years. I think manufacturers have just done a better job selling their products.
Maybe retry the test using same shaft in both clubs? As a player currently using EYE2 & ISI sets, I can tell you that installing fresh TT S300 is fundamental.
I have 4 sets of these in the nickel finish and they are polished up and metallic blue paint in the letters and numbers. Beautiful irons and no need for i new set.
I play my grandas Berrylium Cooper ping Eye 2s they feel softer than anything else I've swung. They should put the lofts on the bottom if clubs not a number. Then everyone would realise they're not hitting it miles further than the last generation. Its just their clubs have stronger lofts, longer shafts and new ball.
Clubs are clubs. Its all about the loft and quality of them. New irons make us swing different due to the aggressive lofts. We dont need 210yd 7 irons on a monitor. The ole 150 36 degree is good.
Morning from Carolina. I think all this talk of dialing back equipment is ludicrous. The gains the pros are seeing is because they dedicate an equal amount of time in the gym as they do on the practice green. Couple that with personal coaches, dieticians, and an entire team of professional fitters, and you are bound to see further golf shots.
So you suggest they keep lengthening the courses? Or do you want to watch putting contests on tv? Because that’s where were headed if players keep hitting it longer
@@maxibonkiswa Not necessarily. There are ways for the courses to protect themselves from bomb drives. Put a bunker or a copse of trees at 300 yards. Make the fairway skinnier so players have to shape a shot.
How about growing the grass in the fairways on the professional courses the same length it was in the 1980s and 1990s? They cut the grass even shorter now and the ball rolls on it like it’s on a billiard table. Grow the grass on the professional tours to a more sustainable length like it is for the rest of the year and the pros will lose probably 15 yards of roll.
Why are people so bothered by the pro game? It's boring to watch on TV and 99% of golfers are never going to need to play the proposed elite ball. From what I've read it's going to roll it back by 15 yards for the longest hitters, so it's going to go 335 instead of 350 😂
Last year I replaced my old Taylor Made 300 irons from 25-ish years ago with Cleveland UHX. I haven’t noticed a damn bit of difference in my game, ie I’m still crap. The lofts are definitely different though. TM 7i is 35° whereas Cleveland is 30°. UHX 8i is 34° for comparison.
I’ll put my Pinseeker melonite irons, with the factory stiff graphite shafts up against anything made today. I bought a brand new set of blades years back, changed shafts and lofts three times and they still couldn’t give the same performance of my 40 year old pinseeker set.
It's funny I happened on this video today. I just got my Ping Eye 2 copper beryllium black dot irons re-gripped and took them to the range today. They are 30 years old and I hit them better than I did in the nineties. I don't know what that means but the feel off the club face is better than any iron I have had since then.
I sometimes game my Ping Zing 2 and my Ping Eye 2 irons, and they still hold up. Sometimes I even hit them a little better. Just club up because they are more lofted than newer irons.
This proves a point I've been making on every club comparison video I watch. There's almost no difference in performance, as long as the loft and shaft length are the same. Too many times I watch a video comparing old clubs to new ones, or even two new clubs, with completely different lofts. But because they both have "5" stamped on them, they make it seem like a fair comparison.
That's all it is. Jacked up lofts and pretend it is the club
there is a big difference if you don´t hit the center every time......thats what makes modern clubs better for the average hack.....if you stripe every shot, equipment from 2005 is fine
Similar trick is played with driver but instead of big loft changes, they just make the shaft longer and longer. 45 and 46 inch is way too long for most golfers - including touring pros! Yeah, when Iron Byron swings that long club, it'll go farther than last years shorter club, but few people will handle it. I play a Titleist 910 D3 driver with project-x shaft (circa 2012) which I bought used for $175 in 2014. I cut it down from 45.5 to 44 (so had to add a good bit of weight in the head to get the swing weight back up to D2). No need to go with a "new" driver, it's just marketing nonsense.
@@mitchd949 still playing the 913D, solid club. And made to last, these Taylormades and Pings wear very fast.
Just built myself a set of ping ISI BeCu irons with modern graphite shafts. Loving the feel, distance, forgiveness and looks so far
I still have a set of those beryllium ISI's. Bought them new in 98 after being fitted at Ping in Gainsbourgh. 2 iron to 60 degree wedge. Used them right up until about 6 years ago. I see them in the cupboard sometimes and they bring back memories of some great rounds, with some great friends.
I not only still have my original set of ISTs, but still play them! Still fun to play. Too old/frugal to change, I imagine.
I’ve never tried the ISI’s. They seem similar to the Ping Zing’s.
It would be interesting to see the same test with a new shaft and grip in the Ping.
Back in the day, you didn't really see any other irons like the Pings either! I remember being a teen in the mid 1970s at our local course, and anyone that had Pings in their bag were obviously both very rich and also very cool. The Pings Zings & Eye/Eye2 were simply waaaaay ahead of their time. Karsten Solheim was a bloody genius.
Pings in the 70's were just called cat eye as I remember.
my ping karsten putter is easily my favorite putter. the feel is so nice
I still have and use a set of Ping ISI-K's, and see no reason to change them, a feeling reinforced by your video. The shaft on the 4-iron broke recently so my club pro sent it off to Ping for a new shaft. Of course they will not have an original shaft so will have to fit a modern equivalent, and I'm looking forward to seeing whether there is any noticeable difference. I still use the 4-iron but have replaced the 2 and 3 with hybrids. Thanks for a very interesting video, and for choosing for comparison some older clubs very similar to the ones in my bag!
I still have a set of ping Karstens that I play with. I still pure them. Probably going to buy a set of the Kirkland irons when they are released since they are identical to TM P790s. Nothing wrong with older clubs for 90% of golfers. Very few people will see big improvements from a new $1100 set of irons.
Yh, I still think its the player, and depends on toughness of green
Good morning from Michigan. Great video. Definitely would like to see more videos comparing old and new clubs. I’m still using Taylormade LCG Irons from 1998. I haven’t golfed more than a couple times a year so they are like new. Hoping to golf more this year! Thank you
Great to see this comparison! I use the ISI Nickel irons and keep thinking about new irons, but then I get a few perfect shots in and realize it's not the irons holding me back.
Great video and interesting how the Ping has held up to current day standards. First set of new clubs I ever bought was a set of Eye 2 plus from 1990, still have them, my 17 yrs ok’d son plays them. Love all your work, James!
Ping eye2 Copper beryllium were my first set of clubs 2-PW from a pawnshop 20+ years ago. Have first version of P-790 now with UDI, 4-GW. There is some technology gains for sure with my clubs/swing.
Very interesting! I use a range of clubs circa 2010, 2013 and 2016. Please do more videos like this. I learned so much.
Same my irons are 2008 and my woods are 2013 my wedges are 2018-19 something like that haha
I still play a set of 15 year old Titleist AP1s, I also have a set of Ping S58 blades and Ping i3+ blades they all play very well and distance is no issue. I am sure there is better tech in the new ones as it relates to mishits and forgiveness, just not quite the hype they all make about them. These new power bats are certainly longer but comparable loft and launch its just a longer club with a smaller number on it by comparison. My thoughts
I used to play Ping ISI Nickel. Those are the only clubs I ever regretted getting rid of!
Love seeing the comparison, given I just got rid of a free set of clubs that are 20+ years old I got just to get me on the course after moving to Australia (left old set back in UK) for a brand new set (2019 tech) clubs, and I’ve seen a big increase In my yardage and consistency, and back to playing at a similar/better level than before I moved.
I’d love to see a same brand comparison though rather than across brands.
Yea but what are the loft difference? That’s the big difference is they’re making 8 irons with the loft of a 7 essentially, it’s not the tech.
Very informative video. I just bought a set of Adams Tight Lies 5-PW, S for a whole $39 at a local shop. I buffed them up and regripped and hit them against my current set of two year old irons. Great feel and distance. They go in the bag and on the course today. My score will tell the story. You can't buy a good game.
How did it go?
I still have my Wilson staff x31 irons from 1966 when I was a junior golfer. This video has made me want to take them out for a try. Might make me quite golf.
Someone once said that with the Ping Karsten irons the glass was then 95% full. Every effort since then to improve cosmetics and technology are focused only on that last 5%
@James Robinson Golf
James you should consider doing some merchandise that says "Let's do it and Let's do it now".
It would be your best sellers!
You probably have a bigger following than you realize. I'm in Texas and me and my brother-inlaw haven't seen eachhother or played together in a good while. Last Sunday, about 2 or 3 holess in, In my best British accent I said "Let's do it...and he quickly finished and said "and Let's do it now".
We both laughed and said oh your a James Robinson fan too!
Love your channel, keep up the good work.
Great Video! Shows it’s the player not the club. I would love to see a comparison of the ping g versus the new ping g430 irons. I was looking for new irons and demoed the g430’s w/ stiff shaft vs my current g’s with a stiff shaft. When I swung both the g430’s had a nice feel but compared to my g’s the distance was similar and the dispersion was almost identical! The pro asked me why I wanted to spend the $$$ on new irons. So I kept my g’s just regripped them. Keep bringing the great info.
Love these videos! I always play the James Robinson Video Bingo! The head cover rip off, “I’m taking that ALL DAY” “Yes please” “Check out that ball flight” “Dynamic Flight” and my favourite “Turf interaction” 😂😂
I could not hit long irons for a good while. I got me a 7 hybrid. Got used to it moved up to a 5 hybrid and was hitting it well. Recently got a 3 wood and I’m doing well with it. And now I can hit long irons think i worked up to it slowly. I think the hybrids helped me slow my swing down and just make contact and gave me confidence in my long irons.
Have iron shafts really come along that far? Yes, there are some new brands/models out there. But the most popular shaft out there today (TT Dynamic Gold) is the same shaft you could have purchased roughly 40 years ago.
Irons in general are pretty much what they were 25 years ago. I grew up playing 1996 Callaway GBB and Lynx black cat irons. Those are still super modern even by todays standards, without the jacked lofts everything has today.
i still play my ping ISI. wanted them since high school. not copper but i love them
I like videos like this as it shows most average golfers that there is really not much difference is clubs. Drivers, fairways, and putters have advanced to a point but irons, there really isn’t much difference, players or game improvement. I have newer woods, but my irons are ping eye 2 irons that I played in college 30 years ago. I like the fact that I don’t have a bag full of wedges and I have confidence in the whole set. I will say that the newer golf balls, prov1, play wonderful off 30 year old irons. Beauty is, ping made these so well, they don’t wear out. Cheers.
Side note - wish they’d make more irons in a copper finish, or black. Especially in a left handed option. The new forged tec black edition look gorgeous
I loved the ISI irons when they came out. Got the titanium driver, wish I'd got the irons as I'd probably still be using them 😕. You should put a KBS shaft into the Ping iron and see what happens. Great video! 👍
One thing you have to remember is that 20+ years ago, manufacturers didn't have access to "multi-material" technology to build clubs. To get the weight positioned on the club head, Ping created their easily recognizable shape. It took a major advancement of manufacturing technology for other club companies to catch up.
Great video James. Thank you very much! A nice thought would be to take a model as an example and original big Bertha iron and compare it to today’s big Bertha iron or something similar by other manufacturers. That would be a fun video. Thank you for your time enjoy your videos always
Hej James! This pings are a beauty! I still stick sometimes my ping eye2 cooper berrylium 1 iron....
What you must see is, that the "modern" clubs are different in their launch. Here you compare with the ping the most forgiving and game improving iron of his era with a "normal" one of this times. But the "most forgiving" irons today are launching the ball higher, with a huge sweetspot too (for example Mizuno fli hi, taylormade sim /790 or Titleist u500/u505/u510...). This modern clubs help a lot to bring the ball up in the air! But the also we have today a lot of different shafts in launch, and/or trajectory of the ball flight. Here you can do a lot of variations so that every player can get hus personal fitted set of clubs. 30 years ago there were dynamic golds in different quality and not much more....
That was a good video!
I bought in 2003 Maxfli A10 blades.The 8-3 have cavity backs. R300 shafts. I just bought a set of Wilson D9 clubs with steel shafts. The D9 clubs are way more forgiving. In between I had a set of Caallaway Diablo forged irons purchased in 2013-14 with steel shafts.
It's all about launch angle, not loft. The new technology in the heads and shafts helps get the ball in the air. Comparing loft between clubs I feel is pointless. Love the content, James!
You didn’t watch to the end then? Launching at 13.6 and 13.5
Yes, i did . Those two clubs are comparable. What I'm saying is if you took a modern-day game inproving club with less loft, the launch angle would also be comparable.
There is an old video of a Major championship commentated on by the late Peter Alliss and Wayne Riley where a player hits a 5 iron 200yards - Wayne says -"200 yards with a 5 iron, they didn't make 5 irons like that in our day Peter!" Alliss replied - "well they did actually, only they put a 3 on the bottom"
I have stopped playing golf due to a car accident induced back injury - but in the late 90's I always carried a 1 iron, my measured driver distance then was over 300 yards with a simple 11 degree Slazenger titanium club and Graphlex shaft. I hated using Pings because I found the offset difficult to line up.
Thank you for this video, James. Please do more old vs new club comparisons.
I bought my BeCu Ping ISI irons back in 1998 and played them until spring of 2021.
Have A iSI wedge and absolutely love it.
JAMES ROBINSON can't do mathematics = 25+ years. However, Friggin EXCELLENT VIDEO !!! Finally someone that teaches the mathematics that LOFT is the LOFT, and forget what is written on the bottom: 20 degrees = 20 degrees !!! Everyone stopped calling Drivers #1 Woods; to use the LOFT angle in the name, and Wedges are sold with the LOFT degrees stamped on them. Thank You JAMES ROBINSON!!! I once saw a golf bag with 3 clubs inside, a Wood, a Hybrid and a 4 iron that ALL HAD THE SAME LOFT, and cut very similar in lengths. WHY? Because NO ONE ever checked the LOFTS!!! ...I also fixed a putter, the LOFT was Negative 1.4 degrees. Get to know LOFT. 1 or 2 companies have started putting the LOFT degrees on all the irons and wedges: DUNLOPs Golf in Canada and _____________ forget the other, someone please leave a reply with the name. Thanks to you Mr Robinson
I still play ISI irons, great clubs!
Great video James. It's interesting to see how the older technology performs against its modern counterpart. My Dad bought a set of those Pings years ago and swears by them. It does make me wonder whether it's worth playing with a mixed set?
I'm still playing the set of Titleist AP1s that I bought new in 2013. This offseason I have been testing new clubs pretty extensively but I have yet to find a set that performs ~$1500 "better" when discounting the effects of loft-jacking. When I do finally replace them, it will be because I'm ready to move to a player's iron or I get too old to swing a stiff flex.
Enjoyed this content. Thanks James.
My uncle used to say it's not the tools, it's the carpenter.
5 seasons ago I had some Ping Zing 2's built with KBS Tour S and some new Golf Pride grips. Comparing these against my "gamers" at the time (Wishon 560MC), the Ping Zings 2 yielded my better rounds and a medal win!!!
With a newer shaft and the thick top line it was pretty easy and fun to hit. Why did I get rid?! I am Scottish. Playing in winter with ancient Ping shovels destroyed my paws!!!!
The shaft likely helped.
I still have my set of Ping ISI beryllium copper irons in the loft. Kind of given up playing golf but kept them just in case I return. Do love them and always have.
I have a set of tourney custome 1967 mcgregor irons used on the european Tour. Look like knives and the 5 iron has same loft as an 8 iron
Had a set of ISI copper back in the day. Traded them in for Mizuno blades…still regret😮
I have sets of Ping Eye 2 BeCu and Zing 2s with BeCU wedges W S3 and L. Both wonderful. I'm 62 and the 6 iron still goes 180 yards.
I golf ping zing becu irons with factory x stiff shafts, Wouldn't trade them for anything else. You're right about the feel and distance is the same as anything else. Interesting...I should be using r flex shafts but the ping x stiff I hit just as far but straighter?? I never could figure that out.
25 years with the same shafts and still performed at a premium level. I would wager if you dropped back another decade to the eye 2 in Becu with the correct color code and shafts for your swing they would be right there also....Ping irons wow!
Your findings are what I always suspected to be the case. I would say to my kids, no need for me to get new irons. My 1997 Hogan Channel Backs are just fine. A comparison I would like to see is with the first full titanium drivers compared to the same/similar today. I recall that the PGA was concerned about spring effect on some club faces, but the real gains were made with the variety of shafts flexes / kick points you can get today versus in 2000-2003. I bet the old full titanium driver woods (Titleist 975D, BB Hawkeye VFT...) will compare well with the new tech available today.
Ha! I still play my '95 channel backs , such a great iron and pretty forgiving for a blade...original #4 shafts as well!
I play a ping 1 iron from 1989 that’s an absolute rocket. 250 in the air easy plus it runs like OJ on I-90. It’s won me many of tournaments and I haven’t found a modern driving iron that out preforms it. I often outdrive peoples $500 drivers with it, it’s just shy of 3 wood distance for me. The golf ball is the biggest difference from growing up playing in the 90’s to now, not the clubs. Half these modern irons are just jacked up lofts and shaft lengths, even a half inch longer shaft makes a big difference. You basically need 2 pitching wedges now because they’re calling 46*/45* degree irons “pitching wedges” when 49*\48* used to be pw and 44*\45* used to be a 9 iron. The number on the bottom of your club means nothing.
You need to take those Ping irons to someone for a fitting. Change the shafts and adjust loft and lie if needed. Keep the original shafts and grips so you could return them to stock if wanted.
I remember eyeballing these, all four sets..Nikel, copper, stainless, and the ISI K,
The price kept me away but I did use a copper ISI 52 degree wedge, the best wedge I owned for approach shots, chipping, back then.
I personally like the early version Titleist DCI blacks, Taylor made burner tour irons, they still hold up well today. For comparison the 8 iron in those two sets would be 40 degrees. I think the Ping Zing 1 iron had like 15 degrees of loft, lol!
Enjoyed the flasback!
My new Takomo 210- 4i =. 22* …. Absolute BUTTER! KBS Tour Lite S … Adams Idea Pro a12 Proto (best hybrids) 19*- Ozick (LA Golf) Kujo S
Wish I'd seen this before buying some Mizuno 243s. Thought I was upgrading my 20 year old Callaway x16s but they are basically the same for me in carry distance. I'm probably losing some speed as the 243s are 98g steel shaft and my x16s are 75g graphite but I was pretty shocked. I might try get some graphite shafts fitted see if that helps.
I have a mint set of Ping ISI nickels with the original ZZ65 shafts. Played some of my best golf ever with these irons(3 capper). Compared to my current gamer's ,Wilson D9 Forged they are still very good. Typically when I use the Pings I just take 1 more club due to the loft differences. Plus ,the ISI wedges are so easy out of the sand! Nice video James.
Great video James need more of these types of comparisons. This was a great idea Thanks
I play with a set of Ping Eye2 + BeCu copper irons, with True Temper titanium shafts, and I love them! I also have an earlier set from 1986, but there's no bounce on their wedges, which isn't great!
I still have a set of 2013 graphite shafted Taylormade Rocketbladez HL irons ( high launch ), today they are still the best feeling iron I've ever played with, the HL club only means they were/are weaker loft than the then going loft and a hell of a lot weaker than the lofts of today. I don't play them much anymore as father time has me playing another set of irons with senior shafts now. Hmmm maybe have them reshafted with the same weight shaft of senior flex.
Lol I watched this as I have been invited to play Golf next week with people from work and I haven't hit a ball in15-20 years.( But I said I'd go) I still had my clubs so I dug them out at the weekend And the only casualty was the moth eaten bag. (Thank goodness for ebay) I put them in the car as I had nowhere else to store them and took them to work.
My boss wanted to look at them and described them as "Old Skool"
I was worried that my Wilson Jumbo Driver might be too big.
He laughed and said no it's really small compared to modern clubs and that his driver is at least twice the size.
He also added If I can hit the ball straight with it he'll eat his hat!
I will be taking tomatoe kechtup to make that task easier.
What supprized me was how similar my clubs are shaped to these ping clubs.
Mine are just some budget golf centre clubs I bought as my previous set were worn out.
BTW my irons are 1, 3-9 PW SI and 1 ,3, 5woods When I last played there was no such thing as a hybrid. As for my Acushnet Brass Putter it looks like I stole it from a seaside crazy golf course.
I'm not expecting much I'll be pleased if I can hit my driver straight ( very pleased in fact)
I play mp32’s with newer amt shafts. Love them. I doubt anything new could beat them
Still playing my ping karstens from around 10 years ago. Absolutely love them 👍
I play 1984 Wilson Fluid Feel irons. They blow away a modern 2000 dollar set.
I am a former low handicapper and my Mizuno MP-14s disappeared a long time ago. I am starting to play again and have no interest in spending $800 or more on "modern" set of irons. I picked up a set of really nice black offset Titleist DCI irons 5-gap wedge. Had a full set of some Rifle 6.0 shafts lying around. Played great. My friend who is about a 2 handicap and loves his new T-100's played them and actually wanted to keep them. I spent $100 for the full set of heads.
They have to do something to control distance. Courses like Augusta are at their limit and if it keeps up pro’s will turn it into a pitch and putt and the course will become obsolete.
It looks like the only reason for the slight difference in distance was the spin rate, and for that reason I would prefer the Ping Club to help stop the ball on the green (that is, if I actually put a 3 iron in the bag which is most unlikely!). Also, I my irons are a forged component clubset with a simple cavity back design and "old school" lofts. With a modern shaft they are terrific.
I might be wrong but the funky shape was do too a couple things.
1) the clubs were cast
2) They are all one material.
The new clubs add weighted metal versus the odd shapes the pings had to get the same performance on off center hits.
Old vs new, great comparison. The color sceme on the pings could warrent a throwback release
I have 3 set of Ping clubs, Eye 2 Be Cu , ping shafts , I3 Nippon 95 shafts andG700 true temper 120 gold shafts,Ive settled on the i3's,which give me better feed back than the eye 2,I put this down to the shafts,otherwise very close,the g700's I struggle with consistent feel,have never mastered the distant thing with them, they are hotter of the face and launch higher than the other two.
Jacking loft was a natural progression for modern equipment. Also makes some space for extra wedge sales
Many, many years ago, a friend had a set of Ping Eyes that he loved. So, when I got back into golf last summer, I was thrilled to find a great set of G2's for almost no money. Add a couple of matching wedges and I had a very nice, very cheap set of irons. Even in the hands of a hacker like myself, they are extremely consistent and forgiving.
great vid... so there's not much difference... especially when you have a well suited and modern shaft... will be keeping my Titleist 762's and upgrading the shafts instead of replacing the irons. Thank you for your vid!!
I upgraded my 2006 Ping Raptures woods and g5 irons to the latest Ping G models. I honesty don't think there is much difference in performance , I even asked my club pro about it . If it is a rort for us golf Mugs ?? A Suggestion Maybe put a Ping rapture driver against a g430 , I think it would hold up pretty well in distance
1. It’s mostly the ball, not the clubs (especially not the iron head tech-shafts are a difference).
2. Better comparison would be a 7-9 iron, because that’s where the loft difference is greater. A 3 iron can’t be strengthened like a more lofted club can, because you’d take it out of the market entirely (only pros can hit a 2 iron).
Similar != Same. If you aren’t testing them at the same loft, then you aren’t comparing apples to vintage apples. I own a few sets of Ping classic irons using contemporary shafts & grips. The lofts are still weaker compared to modern clubs. But at 6’3” I don’t give up a lot of distance to the rest of my squad.
I have a P790 3 iron and absolutely love it!
Played a round of golf while home a while ago and used the loan clubs from the course I was playing. I kid you not these were at the very least from the 80's and they flew just as far as my modern clubs at home. Maybe not as forgiving but I definitely didnt lose any distance using the old clubs vs my normal bats :)
Striking the ball well James
Be more interesting to do a comparison of 7 irons, where the loft difference could be as much a 9-10 degrees!
That is not technology tho. That is modifiing loft...
James, big fan, but you’re missing an important point. In its day the Ping was the forgiving, distance iron. These are not a relative comparison just because they have the same loft and shaft length. Probably a better comparison would be a modern distance 4i to the Ping 3i.
I’ve got an old set of ISK-K nickel irons in the stable, along with a full set of old Ping Eye 2’s. I only pull them out on the course every now and then and I can still find my way around the course with no problems!
To this day I still play with my Ping Karsten ISI irons. Only thing I ever update is my driver and occasionally my woods/ hybrid. Irons are just fine for me.
Pro Golfers in the 1960's also shot rounds in the 60's, just like they do today. The clubs and balls have changed, surely, but the game is still, basically, the same. I still have my old Eye2+ set in cast steel I bought long ago. I wish I had a set of blades, but hey, you can't have everything in life!
I wonder if we came that far in technology or was Ping way ahead of its time? I also wonder what kind of results you'd get comparing old Taylor Made against new Taylor Made. And same with Ping vs Ping. Now most importantly, did you get up and down from those positions James? And I think we haven't come too far with technology in the past 25 years. I think manufacturers have just done a better job selling their products.
Maybe retry the test using same shaft in both clubs? As a player currently using EYE2 & ISI sets, I can tell you that installing fresh TT S300 is fundamental.
I have 4 sets of these in the nickel finish and they are polished up and metallic blue paint in the letters and numbers.
Beautiful irons and no need for i new set.
I play my grandas Berrylium Cooper ping Eye 2s they feel softer than anything else I've swung.
They should put the lofts on the bottom if clubs not a number. Then everyone would realise they're not hitting it miles further than the last generation. Its just their clubs have stronger lofts, longer shafts and new ball.
First time watcher. Excellent, James!!
Clubs are clubs. Its all about the loft and quality of them. New irons make us swing different due to the aggressive lofts. We dont need 210yd 7 irons on a monitor. The ole 150 36 degree is good.
Morning from Carolina. I think all this talk of dialing back equipment is ludicrous. The gains the pros are seeing is because they dedicate an equal amount of time in the gym as they do on the practice green. Couple that with personal coaches, dieticians, and an entire team of professional fitters, and you are bound to see further golf shots.
So you suggest they keep lengthening the courses? Or do you want to watch putting contests on tv? Because that’s where were headed if players keep hitting it longer
@@maxibonkiswa
Not necessarily. There are ways for the courses to protect themselves from bomb drives. Put a bunker or a copse of trees at 300 yards. Make the fairway skinnier so players have to shape a shot.
How about growing the grass in the fairways on the professional courses the same length it was in the 1980s and 1990s? They cut the grass even shorter now and the ball rolls on it like it’s on a billiard table. Grow the grass on the professional tours to a more sustainable length like it is for the rest of the year and the pros will lose probably 15 yards of roll.
Why are people so bothered by the pro game? It's boring to watch on TV and 99% of golfers are never going to need to play the proposed elite ball.
From what I've read it's going to roll it back by 15 yards for the longest hitters, so it's going to go 335 instead of 350 😂
@@scottdean27pros would rather hit a wedge out of deeper rough than hit a longer club from the fairway.
Last year I replaced my old Taylor Made 300 irons from 25-ish years ago with Cleveland UHX. I haven’t noticed a damn bit of difference in my game, ie I’m still crap. The lofts are definitely different though. TM 7i is 35° whereas Cleveland is 30°. UHX 8i is 34° for comparison.
I use my old Wilson Deep Red II 4ironas my 5 iron, the rest of my set is TaylorMade m3s.
I’ll put my Pinseeker melonite irons, with the factory stiff graphite shafts up against anything made today. I bought a brand new set of blades years back, changed shafts and lofts three times and they still couldn’t give the same performance of my 40 year old pinseeker set.
I still have a set of Titleist black spot irons that are nearly 20 years old and i still think their one of the best iron sets i’ve ever had.
The difference is, that old clubs you get punished massively fir kidding the centre of the club, so in that regard there’s a huge difference
1991 Titleist DCI Gold checking in, this makes me feel a lot better
Would love to see the Wilson 1200 GE's compared to something modern! Keep up the good content.
It's funny I happened on this video today. I just got my Ping Eye 2 copper beryllium black dot irons re-gripped and took them to the range today. They are 30 years old and I hit them better than I did in the nineties. I don't know what that means but the feel off the club face is better than any iron I have had since then.
10:54 the ball clearly goes off low to the right. but the red line goes high to the left 🧐
I sometimes game my Ping Zing 2 and my Ping Eye 2 irons, and they still hold up. Sometimes I even hit them a little better. Just club up because they are more lofted than newer irons.