Ping i540 irons: What you need to know

What you need to know: Ping introduces the i540, a players-distance offering aimed at better players seeking to regain some lost distance.

Price/Availability: Available immediately for custom fittings and pre-order, the i540 is $235 per iron in steel and $250 in graphite.

3 Cool Things

1. Speed is a requisite

The players-distance i540 uses a blade-style, hollow structure and high-strength maraging steel face to allow for significant bending of the face at impact compared to a standard cast iron. That bending leads to distance increases, because not only does the ball launch faster off the face, but the face also bends in a way that launches shots higher.

“Maraging steel is used in landing gear systems on aircraft,” said Travis Milleman, design engineer for Ping. “Because that material is so strong, you can go really thin. The maraging-steel face is nine percent thinner than the i530. This creates metal wood-like flex for ball-speed gains and more height. Also, as you get thinner in the face, you’re taking more mass that you can redistribute, so you’re also getting a boost in moment of inertia [off-center hit stability].”

2. The secret sauce is … air?

A thin iron face can sound clunky. Ping addressed that by utilizing an air bag behind the face and inside the clubhead to enhance sound and feel without restricting face bend.

“This type of iron construction always presents sound and feel challenges,” said John K. Solheim, Ping CEO and president. “The pocket of air inside the i540 iron is a great solution for softening the frequencies and improving the impact experience. It’s proven to be very successful in the iDi driving iron, and we’re excited to bring this technology to golfers in a full set of irons.”

3. Bring it down low

Tungsten weighting (an average of 24 grams) is used in the 4- through 7-irons along the sole. This lowers the center of gravity, fostering a higher launch angle for a distance and stopping power boost.