Is the Ping i25 Driver Still Good? – Is it Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Ping i25 Driver

“Next year (2014) the Ping i25 driver will turn ten years old. Before that happens, we wanted to revisit it to see if it still had anything to offer high handicappers.”

We recently re-tested the Ping i20 driver and concluded that it was best for mid handicappers. It just wasn’t super-forgiving even though it did a lot of other things well.

Ping seemed to have corrected some perceived mistakes when it came time to design the successor of the i20: the Ping i25 driver.

The first thing we must say about the Ping i25 driver is that it does a much better job of bridging the gap between the I series and the G series of Ping drivers.

The latter being the more forgiving series that is heavily marketed towards higher handicap players. So does all that add up to a forgiving and more importantly, worthwhile driver in 2023? Let’s find out.

Is the Ping i25 Driver Still Good?

“Does the Ping i25 hold up against modern drivers? Absolutely.”

Even more impressive is that the Ping i25 holds up against modern game improvement drivers.

The body is made of 8-1-1 titanium which we still see being utilized in modern GI drivers. This gives the Ping i25 a solid feel without adding excessive weight.

More importantly, we discovered in our testing that the Ping i25 stands up to twisting very well. We’ll get more into that a bit later.

For now, we would say that the Ping i25 is still a good driver because it gives you all the consistency and satisfying feel/sound that you would expect from any modern Ping driver.

Plus, you can get the Ping i25 driver for a steal in 2023 (typically under $150).

The Ping i25 still offers great performance from the tee and the price makes it a great value for more than one type of golfer.

Is the Ping i25 Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Ping i25 Driver1

“Amazingly, yes it is.”

We touched on it a little in the intro but allow us to reiterate. When the Ping i25 first came out, it was considered a performance driver.

The I series of clubs from Ping have traditionally been spec’d for lower handicap players.

So we weren’t expecting amazing forgiveness from the Ping i25 when it came time to test it again.

Our expectations were shattered. Even though there is no offset and a neutral flight bias, the Ping i25 will not punish you if you use the entire face.

Mis-hits near the heel/toe flew nearly as straight as dead-center strikes.

The Ping i25 features a 460cc volume head but is fairly compact in terms of length from back to front.

So not only do you get good forgiveness; you also get a little more control and workability than expected.

The shot dispersion was very tight. Only the most outrageous mis-hits veered out of play – and some of them actually stayed on the fringe of the fairway.

To give you a better idea of the dispersion, the highest divergence we saw during our testing was 11.4 yards.

Like the Ping i20 driver, the Ping i25 has a deep face profile. However, the face isn’t as squared as the i20 so you get more lateral forgiveness.

Ping i25 Vs Ping G25

“All you need to do to see the difference between these drivers is look at them side-by-side.”

The Ping G25 driver has a noticeably larger footprint than the Ping i25. It was made to be extremely forgiving and long. It is in fact very forgiving and will probably play longer for 22+ handicappers.

Still, it doesn’t offer the same, near-perfect blend of forgiveness and accuracy that the Ping i25 does. If you’re a beginner, you may benefit more from the G25. But the Ping i25 is a much better all-around driver.

Ping i25 First Impressions

Ping i25 Driver2

“One can’t help but notice the racing stripes on the crown of this driver.”

This was an innovative feature at the time, but hasn’t aged very well. The width of the stripes combined are the same width as a golf ball.

The stripes reach from the back of the head all the way to the face. The idea was to make ball alignment easier. In the end though, it just makes the Ping i25 look like a putter at address.

We can see how it might help some players align the ball and improve strike accuracy; but for us, the racing stripe just muddled what would otherwise be a nice-looking crown.

Ping i25 Selling Points

  • PWR stock shafts
  • Titanium body
  • Racing stripe alignment
  • Matte crown
  • Tungsten weighting

Ping i25 Key Features

“At the time, some of the Ping i25 features were pretty innovative.”

8-1-1 Body: Highly resilient titanium was used for the body to increase MOI and help with accuracy.

PWR Shaft: Shafts of all weights and flexes that maintain a consistent swing weight. May be a bit difficult to get your hands on PWR shafts in 2023 though.

Tungsten Weighting: The tungsten weights help to keep the CG low. They also help to mute spin.

The deep undercut cavity definitely helped our higher handicap testers get the launch they needed from pretty much any lie.

What Handicap is it for?

“The workability makes it suitable for mid handicappers. The forgiveness makes the Ping i25 good for high handicappers.”

In the end, this is a very versatile driver. It can work for a wide array of players.

We would say that if you’re in the 14-22 handicap range, you can get good performance out of this driver.

Ping i25 Options

  • Ping PWR60 shaft
  • Regular, stiff, tour stiff, tour extra stiff flex
  • 5°, 9.5°, 10.5°

Who Should Buy the Ping i25?

Ping i25 Driver3

“Anyone who wants a blend of forgiveness, accuracy and workability.”

Even in 2023, the Ping i25 is still impressive. It sounds great at impact, stays on the fairway, spins low and yields good distance.

Our only gripe with it are the racing stripes but if you can look past them, the Ping i25 will serve you well.

Distance: 96/100

Forgiveness: 98/100

Workability: 97/100

Value: 98/100

Ping i25 Driver

Overall Score: 98/100

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