Are Ping G710 Irons Good for High Handicappers? – How Forgiving Are They For Beginners?

Are Ping G710 Irons Good for High Handicappers? – How Forgiving Are They For High Handicappers?

Ping is a golf club manufacturing company that makes models for tour professionals and casual golfers alike. The problem is that they make so many models for both categories that it can be tough to figure out which would best suit your needs.

If you are looking for a set of irons for high handicappers then chances are you are relatively new to the sport. As a neophyte, you probably don’t understand some of the technology and terms that describe a lot of irons – much less which are necessary for high handicappers.

So in today’s article, we will be going over the details of a popular set of Ping irons to help you determine if they will be good for your needs as a high handicapper. Let’s start with a general overview of the Ping G710 irons.

Ping G710 Irons Overview

The Ping G710 irons were designed with forgiveness in mind – a good start if you’re in the market for entry-level irons.

That doesn’t necessarily means Ping achieved their design intentions though. Before we get into our actual experience testing the Ping G710 irons, we need to mention the basics. Ping claims that the G710 irons have 5% higher MOI than the previous G700 model.

MOI stands for moment of inertia. Moment of inertia measures how much the club head will resist to twisting on impact. When a club has higher resistance to twisting, it is generally more forgiving because it will provide more accuracy and more importantly, more ball speed.

The Ping G710’s also have maraging steel faces which is an incredibly thin, aerospace-grade steel. Thin, strong metals are ideal for golf club faces because they will flex and recover which pushes the ball and also works to increase ball speed.

What Type Of Irons Are They?

In general, the Ping G710 irons are game-improvement irons. However, their design is unique in that they are muscle back blade irons meant for higher handicappers.

Blade irons with muscle backs are usually meant for lower handicappers as they impart more feel and are generally more workable (able to launch the ball laterally at will). However, the blade lengths of the Ping G710 irons are long – longer than typical blades.

While cavity back irons are thought to be more forgiving, the Ping G710 irons have a long blade length (distance from heel to toe) so they are still plenty forgiving. You get more of a sweet spot to work with.

How Forgiving Are The G710’s For High Handicappers

If you have been having trouble with your irons, the Ping G710’s will certainly help.

Most high handicappers have trouble hitting with the long irons. The extended blade length will give you more face space to work with so the margin of error on your full swings will be wider. The Ping G710’s are also perimeter weighted so you get more distance from off-center strikes.

While the short irons are a bit harder to master in this set, we like that the weighting and the loft in the 8-SW irons is nice and strong. You’ll have to bring your A-game in terms of swing accuracy, but if you do, these short irons will take care of launch.

Shaft Options

Choosing the right shaft is almost as important as choosing the right club head.

Fortunately, there are a ton of great shafts to choose from including True Temper Dynamic Gold, KBS Tour, Nippon Pro Modus, Project X LS, and UST Recoil ES Smacwrap shafts.

Workability Assessment

The longer blades naturally neutralize a lot of side-to-side workability.

However, this is really only a con if you are a low handicap player. The Ping G710 irons do allow for a good amount of vertical workability though. They produce a mid to high launch which makes for effective fairway shots whether you’re working from 200 yards out or 50 yards out.

Distance Assessment

Our testers found that the 5-iron in the Ping G710 set was viable from the tee!

Even our high handicap testers were getting consistent 200 yard drives from the 5-iron in this set so distance should be no problem. The combination of maraging steel and perimeter weighting help tremendously with ball speed and swing power preservation.

Accuracy & Consistency Assessment

The best thing about these irons in terms of accuracy is that they hold onto greens very well.

On short approaches when you need to punch your shot to bite the green, these irons react very well. Consistency in the long irons is also very good. Our testers had no trouble with club selection on long approaches after just a few hours with these clubs.

Are They Priced for Beginners?

While the Ping G710’s aren’t exactly cheap, they would still be a good investment if you are serious about improving your game. You can score a complete, new set for around $1,300.

Ping G710 Irons Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Attractive black finish
• The black finish makes the blades look smaller
• Very forgiving overall
• Viable off the tee
• High MOI
• Stable feel

Cons:

• Black finish wears off
• Short irons are a bit unforgiving
• Expensive
• Unsatisfying sound

Overall Score: 96/100

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Other Iron Sets for Beginners

Taylormade SIM Max Irons

The SIM Max irons emphasize distance and forgiveness.

The Speed Pocket really helps to increase forgiveness on low-face strikes while the Speed Bridge allows the face to flex to a high degree.

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Cleveland Launcher Halo XL Irons

These iron heads are huge and forgiving.

You won’t have any trouble finding the sweet spot with these oversized, hollow body irons that feature weighting in the butts of the shafts.

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Callaway Big Bertha Irons

These are cavity back irons that have a smooth feel.

The low, rear CG created by tungsten weighting adds launch and distance while the urethane microspheres dampen harsh vibrations.

Check Out More Reviews Here:

Final Assessment

Aside from the fact that the black finish will likely start to wear away after a couple of seasons, the Ping G710’s have a lot to offer high handicappers.

The long blade length makes them very forgiving and the perimeter weighting gives you more of a margin for error from side-to-side.

These are definitely good irons for high handicappers and if you can stomach the upfront investment, you will get a lot out of them.