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.
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 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!
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!
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.
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! 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.
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
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.
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.
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 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 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! 👍
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 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%
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.
Lofts on newer irons have become stronger. A old #3 iron is same loft of a new #5 or #4 iron. I wish loft was on iron rather than a number of iron to identify it correctly.
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
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?
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 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.
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.
@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.
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!
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.
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'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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Ping BC iSI were the first set of free clubs I got when I turned pro, still one of the best sets of clubs I ever owned.. being BC gave them a mega soft feel although did see lots of broken club heads even on sets taken to Gainsborough to adjust 🙈🙈
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.
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!
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 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
James I’d be interested in seeing the same clubs tested with reverse golf balls. 20 yr old ball with new 3 iron vs. 20 year old iron with new golf ball
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 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.
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.
Now I’m really confused. I am about to get fitted for new irons and “woods”. Is the new tech really that much better than my Ping i5 irons, my Taylor Made R1 driver, and Taylor 3 & 5 woods? 🤔
I still have a Ping Nickel 2 iron and its over 20 years old. Very much the same as the Ping 3 iron you are using in this video. I don't however use it any more, but after seeing this video I will try it this week just to see ifv I can still hit 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 :)
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.
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.
My coach still has his 10 year old Titleist blades that have the same lofts as his current TMs. There's at least 10-15m difference with the TMs being longer. Surprised me
I have Ping i3s i got them brand new in 2002. Back then nobody but Tiger or Ernie Els hit 4 iron 220 yards. Now that seems quite standard for a good player. I hit my 4 iron 190 to 195. Would brand new irons give me one club less ie my 7 iron is now an 8 iron. I would like to know as i am thinking of getting new irons
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 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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
The ping heyday 2’s were the best golf clubs I ever owned. They were early adopters for adjusting for height, and the lay of the club. I was in heaven.
Nice video - I never played those types of clubs in the day (I'm old enough). Both of these models represent "good player" clubs. It would be a different story with game improvement clubs I think.
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.
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.
It would be interesting to see the same test with a new shaft and grip in the Ping.
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.
Just built myself a set of ping ISI BeCu irons with modern graphite shafts. Loving the feel, distance, forgiveness and looks so far
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 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!
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!
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
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
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! 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.
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
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 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.
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 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” 😂😂
Great video James need more of these types of comparisons. This was a great idea Thanks
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! 👍
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 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%
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.
Lofts on newer irons have become stronger. A old #3 iron is same loft of a new #5 or #4 iron. I wish loft was on iron rather than a number of iron to identify it correctly.
Enjoyed this content. Thanks James.
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
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?
Thank you for this video, James. Please do more old vs new club comparisons.
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 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
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.
@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.
My uncle used to say it's not the tools, it's the carpenter.
i still play my ping ISI. wanted them since high school. not copper but i love them
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!
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.
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.
What shot tracer app do you use? Great video by the way.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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!
Great comparison and yes personally I’d like to see more tests like this
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.
Old vs new, great comparison. The color sceme on the pings could warrent a throwback release
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.
Ping BC iSI were the first set of free clubs I got when I turned pro, still one of the best sets of clubs I ever owned.. being BC gave them a mega soft feel although did see lots of broken club heads even on sets taken to Gainsborough to adjust 🙈🙈
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.
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!
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.
Still playing my ping karstens from around 10 years ago. Absolutely love them 👍
I played those Ping irons. This was a fascinating comparison - thanks for doing it!
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
Hi James if you could ever find a driver with the Sanvick titanium golf shaft I would like to see how that fares with the modern day clubs.
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
I bought my BeCu Ping ISI irons back in 1998 and played them until spring of 2021.
James I’d be interested in seeing the same clubs tested with reverse golf balls.
20 yr old ball with new 3 iron vs. 20 year old iron with new golf ball
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 have a P790 3 iron and absolutely love it!
Would love to see the Wilson 1200 GE's compared to something modern! Keep up the good content.
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.
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.
Really interesting video.
I would love to are taylormade rbz vs Stealth 2.
Now I’m really confused. I am about to get fitted for new irons and “woods”. Is the new tech really that much better than my Ping i5 irons, my Taylor Made R1 driver, and Taylor 3 & 5 woods? 🤔
Have A iSI wedge and absolutely love it.
I still have a Ping Nickel 2 iron and its over 20 years old. Very much the same as the Ping 3 iron you are using in this video. I don't however use it any more, but after seeing this video I will try it this week just to see ifv I can still hit it.
Glad to see it has improved your golf swing
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 :)
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.
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.
Interesting test. Would be nice if you can show us the club data also.
First time watcher. Excellent, James!!
I play mp32’s with newer amt shafts. Love them. I doubt anything new could beat them
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.
Had a set of ISI copper back in the day. Traded them in for Mizuno blades…still regret😮
Striking the ball well James
I use my old Wilson Deep Red II 4ironas my 5 iron, the rest of my set is TaylorMade m3s.
My coach still has his 10 year old Titleist blades that have the same lofts as his current TMs. There's at least 10-15m difference with the TMs being longer. Surprised me
I have Ping i3s i got them brand new in 2002. Back then nobody but Tiger or Ernie Els hit 4 iron 220 yards. Now that seems quite standard for a good player. I hit my 4 iron 190 to 195. Would brand new irons give me one club less ie my 7 iron is now an 8 iron. I would like to know as i am thinking of getting new irons
Jacking loft was a natural progression for modern equipment. Also makes some space for extra wedge sales
1991 Titleist DCI Gold checking in, this makes me feel a lot better
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 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.
Doesn't the ISI have the box groove which gives it a higher fligh more spin rate?
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!
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.
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.
PLEASE COMPARE TITLEIST 762 vs modern titleist or that Taylor-made MC
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
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.
My Callaway Mavrik 5i is 21°, so they are definitely on the jacked side.
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 still use the wedges from my ping set. They go with every new set I get lol
Well done James 👏
The ping heyday 2’s were the best golf clubs I ever owned. They were early adopters for adjusting for height, and the lay of the club. I was in heaven.
Would love to see a match play game with ping eye 2s against a modern club
Nice video - I never played those types of clubs in the day (I'm old enough). Both of these models represent "good player" clubs. It would be a different story with game improvement clubs I think.
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.