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    YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

    Ping irons have a notch on the hosel for one specific reason

    February 03, 2025
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    Question: Why is Ping the only equipment brand with a section of metal removed from the hosel of each iron?

    Answer: This is the gear minutiae I live for! Indeed, Ping does things a bit differently when it comes to iron design. When your founder (Karsten Solheim) is the father of perimeter-weighted irons, you need to be sure that every facet of the profile serves a purpose.

    With Ping, only the irons feature a scooped-out section on the hosel (photo, top and below), which makes the design even more intriguing. While I’d love to tell you it makes the clubhead more aerodynamic or improves performance on off-center strikes, the truth is it’s simply meant to make things easier for clubfitters who routinely work with Ping irons.

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    Take a look at Ping’s iron lineage, and you’ll notice most models were cast from stainless steel that offered a combination of durability and feel. If there’s one drawback to casting with stainless steel, it’s that the material doesn’t take kindly to being bent more than a few degrees for lie angle. (If you need a lie angle refresher, it’s the angle formed by the shaft to the ground when the sole is touching the turf. The goal is to have the sole sitting flush at impact.)

    The hosel notch has been around since the i3, an iron that was introduced in 2000, and it reduces the possibility of snapping the hosel during an extreme lie angle adjustment. Removing even a small section from the hosel allows irons to be bent from 4 degrees flat to 5 degrees upright. It’s a massive benefit for golfers who fall on the extreme ends of the lie angle spectrum.

    Ping Blueprint S
    $230 per iron | Golf Galaxy
    4.5
    GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE
    Gold
    $230 per iron

    If you don’t know your ideal lie angle, work with a certified clubfitter in your area to ensure that your specific build is done right. Ping’s color-coded chart is another valuable tool if you want to see where you might land in advance of a fitting.

    More than any other club spec, lie angle will significantly impact consistent contact with the ball. Thankfully, Ping has a nifty tool in its tool belt that makes bending a cinch.