Are Ping i15 Irons Still Good in 2023? Are They Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Are Ping i15 Irons Still Good in 2023? Are They Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“It’s hard to imagine that an iron set that came out in 2009 is still an effective option for golfers in 2023. But if we have learned anything about Ping, it’s that their clubs endure because of solid design.”

The Ping i15 irons are a great example of that timeless Ping design. They certainly have the looks of a classic Ping iron: not the prettiest clubs on the market but they still have that nice, matte finish and a moderate head profile.

When the Ping i15 irons came out, they were actually marketed more towards better players who demand more workability around the pin. However, they have a progressive head size design which is really interesting if you’re a high handicapper.

But is that enough to make them a viable play in 2023? We wanted to see if these irons still deserve a place in the bags of today’s high handicappers so we tested them on their own and against more modern Ping irons. Take a look at what we discovered in the following Ping i15 irons review.

Are Ping i15 Irons Still Good?

“Getting right down to the question, yes, the Ping i15 irons are still good.”

They don’t look as old and outdated as some of the other irons in the “i” series from the pre 2012 era. So even in the bag, they have a more modern look. Not essential but still a factor for a lot of golfers.

One of the things we really loved about the Ping i15 irons is that they have all the classic consistency that you would expect from a Ping iron. With a Ping iron, you know you’re going to get tight shot dispersion and consistent ball flight – the Ping i15’s are no exception.

The Ping i15’s are definitely still good – especially if you need a little help in the accuracy department. They fly straight and are surprisingly forgiving. The short irons lose a bit of forgiveness because they are essentially the same size as the compact Ping i10 irons. But they deliver overall performance as you get more control out of the short irons.

Are the Ping i15’s Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“The Ping i15’s are cavity back irons that have moderate sole and top line widths.”

Behind the ball, the Ping i15 long irons look really reassuring. The sole is moderately chunky and the toe area has been expanded thanks to a tungsten insert. This increases the forgiveness out near the toe so your mis-hits are covered up to a certain degree. The Ping i15 irons also fly very straight. It feels very easy to square the face up and that tungsten insert helps lower the CG.

These are very forgiving irons – especially if you tend to mis-hit out near the toe. As you move down the set to the short irons, you do lose some inherent forgiveness because the heads just get smaller. Offset is also reduced and the sole widths are shrunk. Still, our mid and high handicap testers were averaging 151.2 yards with the 7-iron in this set so if distance is what you’re after, the Ping i15 irons will help.

Ping i15 Vs Ping G425 Irons

“The Ping G425 irons come with more modern technology like variable face thickness and hyper 17-4 stainless steel.”

The G425 irons also have full perimeter weighting but the heads are pretty compact overall. Even the heads of the longer irons are smaller than those of the Ping i15 set. The G425’s have a more modern cavity back design; but in terms of distance, there was no significant difference.

Our testers noted that the G425 irons felt nicer; but they were still clocking around 150 yards with the G425 7-iron. The Ping G425 irons were also a bit more erratic than the Ping i15’s in terms of ball flight. Mis-hits with the G425’s produced much more noticeable results than with the Ping i15’s.

Ping i15 First Impressions

“You can see the expanded toe area and the tungsten weighting in the toe of the Ping i15 irons.”

That was certainly the first thing that we noticed and to be quite honest, it inspired confidence in our testers right out of the gate. The Ping i15’s provide excellent shot protection on mis-hits and they don’t look overly chunky behind the ball.

They have moderately wide top lines and soles so they straddle the line between game improvement and players irons – at least, in terms of appearance. They sport a classically Ping matte, sort of gunmetal finish which still looks nice in 2023. We were also impressed with the near effortless distance. Even if you have a slow swing speed, you should still be able to improve your distance by a few yards with these irons.

Ping i15 Selling Points

• Tungsten inserts at the toe
• Full cavity badge
• Progressive head sizing
• Great on approaches
• Mid-low launch

Ping i15 Key Technology

If you’re looking for space-age materials and fancy features, the Ping i15 won’t deliver. The technology that went into making these irons is pretty basic but that doesn’t mean that they don’t perform well.

Tungsten Tow Weight: The tungsten insert in the toe helps preserve ball speed on mis-hits. It also imparts a low CG to the longer irons.

Full Cavity Badge: The entire expanse of the cavity is covered with a badge that helps stabilize the face and reduce vibration.

Progressive Design: The long irons have larger heads to enhance forgiveness while the short irons have smaller heads to improve scoring ability.

Ping i15 Club Specs

Club	Loft	Lie
3 iron	21	59.25
4 iron	24	60
5 iron	27	60.75
6 iron	30	61.5
7 iron	33	62.25
8 iron	37	63
9 iron	41	63.75

Who Should Buy the Ping i15 Irons?

“Features like progressive head sizing and an expanded toe area make these irons a good option for a wide variety of players.”

We love the fact that the long irons in this set are inherently forgiving. This feature alone makes it a good play for beginners and high handicappers who are struggling with their long irons and don’t necessarily want to lose workability by switching to hybrid clubs.

The short irons are surprisingly workable which is great for better players who are trying to fine-tune their short games. We suppose that there isn’t much here for low handicappers; but the Ping i15 should be on your radar if you are in the handicap range of 10-25.

And of course, as a set that is about 14 years old, you can get the Ping i15’s for a really good price. So they would also be a good choice for anyone looking to land a quality set of irons without breaking the bank.

A lot of players have told us that the Ping i15 irons represent the best of both worlds: true game improvement forgiveness and scoring ability. After testing the Ping i15’s we are inclined to agree with them.

Distance: 93/100

Forgiveness: 95/100

Workability: 94/100

Overall Performance: 96/100

Value: 95/100

Overall Score: 96/100