subject: Ping K15 Series Review [print this page] Paul Simpson handicap 14 Paul Simpson handicap 14
It's always something of a thrill to get your hands on a new set of clubs and particularly so when they come from Ping.
Having used my current set of irons for some time now foolishly purchased for their sleek aesthetics rather than ease of use, a fatal mistake for any mid-high handicapper it was a genuine pleasure to use the new K15 irons.
The wide sole enables the clubs to sit comfortably behind the ball, almost positioning and aligning themselves, and it wasn't long before I was struck with the realisation of how easy they are to use.
At no point did I feel the need to force shots, such was the ease in getting the ball airborne without any loss of distance, and as a result I was swinging easier and more consistently.
Their chunky design and dark grey finish won't be to everyone's taste, but if they consistently send the ball where you want it to go I don't think anyone would complain.
I also got a chance to try out a No.4 hybrid which on first impressions makes you think that the unusual shape and design shouldn't be used for hitting a golf ball.
In practice though, given the option of using a traditional long iron or this club I'm all for change.
Easy to set up, solid off the face and out of the rough far easier to use, another eye opener for preconceptions.
The clubs are classed as game improver' and I would defy anybody not to improve their game using them. They simply make a difficult and frustrating sport easier and as a result more enjoyable to play.
Dave Tindall handicap 22
Our test clubs were the 5, 7 and 9 irons and I struck the ball nicely with all three clubs.
Having mapped out my club distances using G15 series, I was pretty confident that the K15s would produce similar yardages and so it proved.
As well as hitting full shots I was also very impressed at how much control I got with the 9 iron around the greens.
Several times I got up and down with a chip from off the green (where we high handicappers often find ourselves) and, as we know, saving shots in such circumstances makes a big difference to the scorecard.
Looks-wise I'm fairy neutral about the clubs neither particularly liking or loathing but, as Paul says, performance is the key and I felt confident with the K15 irons from the start.
I got very good results with the hybrid too although I personally can't help thinking orthopaedic shoe when looking at clubs shaped in this style. Bottom line though is how you strike the ball and there were no complaints here.
Manufacturers are always keen to come out with a new technical term to go with their new products to convince the average punter that their latest scientific innovation will transform your game and that all you have to do is throw some money at them and it will happen.
The magic phrase you get with the new range of K15 clubs from Ping is Straight Flight Technology', and having experienced this concept become reality with the K15 Irons I have always felt that the true test of a manufacturer's claims come in the performance of their drivers.
As we all know, get it wrong with your driver and you could be shelling out for 250 worth of balls to go with your new big stick as they are sliced and hooked into adjoining fields where farmers make their fortunes selling balls that have only been hit once.
The new K15 Driver and 3-Wood are beautiful looking clubs and having played the G15s I was sceptical as to whether they could be improved upon but was delighted to discover that Straight Flight Technology' may actually have done so.
The clubs are much sleeker than the G15s and although the head of the K15 Driver is 460cc it doesn't feel large and unwieldy, in fact the word aerodynamic springs to mind.
I usually prefer 10.5?of loft, often finding 9.5?difficult to get airborne, but with this loft in place on the K15 driver I had absolutely no trouble in getting off the tee and although my first drives began with my traditional power fade and me grumbling at this so called Straight Flight Technology' it wasn't long before science proved to be the master over my scepticism and I was consistently achieving a penetrating, straighter ball flight.
The K15 3-Wood also proved to be something of a revelation, both from the tee and off the deck. In fact my playing partner was shocked to here me swear, in a positive fashion if that's possible, after my first shot with the club.
Don't swing too hard I told myself as I set up and the ease and power with which the ball left the club face left me exclaiming my foul utterance.
The face of the K15 3-Wood is quite shallow when compared to other 3-Woods I have used but the club sits so comfortably and flat on the floor that it enables you sweep back slow and low so that you are not going back steeply, a fatal move for a traditional fader like myself.
Dave Tindall
I have to go into a bit of background before I give my verdict on the K15 driver.
Basically, I never carried a driver in the bag until the G15 came along and totally transformed my performance from the tee.
If the G15 was a woman, we'd be in love. If it was male, I'd have a serious man crush.
So how on earth could anything compete with that?
Well, I had to admit that the K15 looked great (bigger and shinier than my well used G15) and despite the guilt of going behind my G15's back, I did enjoy giving it a bash on a local nine-holer and found five fairways out of five.
But when I pulled it out for the second time at Hollins Hall last week and hit an ugly opening tee-shot I immediately started pining for the G15.
In hindsight this was part physical, part psychological.
In the physical sense, because my swing is so unreliable, I'm bound to spray some wild shots (although my misses have never been bad with the G15) so I was testing it on a bad swing day. There's also the fact that my G15 is 10.5?while the K15 I was trialling was 9.5?
It meant that after a couple of duff shots, I approached the tee expecting to hit a bad shot and negative self-fulfilling prophecies are quick to show themselves on a golf course.
I guess so much of this game is about confidence. I have it with the G15 and, to be honest, I didn't want to let go.
Tricks of the mind were also in play when I tried the K15 3-Wood.
After struggling with the driver, to restore confidence I'd started hitting the K15 7-Wood off the tee and with excellent results high and straight.
Then at one hole after Paul had hit far from his best drive with his non-Ping driver, I creamed a 7-Wood almost alongside it.
We both looked at each other, wondering how I'd hit it that far, until I looked at the bottom of the club and found that I'd actually hit the 3-Wood!
True, I am a bit of a dope at times but the confusion also showed just how sleek and shallow the 3-Wood is. In other words, for a high handicapper like me, when it's sat behind the ball you get the confidence that comes with a higher club with the bonus of the added yards that come with it actually being a 3-Wood.
An excellent club.
Back to the 7-Wood and I gave my mate Lee a hit with it at nearby Fardew golf course in West Yorkshire.
Lee is in the category of golfer who tries to break 100 and to begin with we had the usual 7-Wood conversation about it being a "girl's club".
After pointing out to Lee that Vijay Singh often carries one his perception was changed a little so how did he get on?Fardew has two steep downward par threes the 192-yard second and the 168-yard fifth and, get this, Lee played them in one-under!
He plonked his first tee-shot with the 7-Wood to about six feet at the second and rolled that in and then just failed to add a second two after another sweet hit at the fifth.
Unsurprisingly, he called by to borrow the 7-Wood for his next round a few days later and let's just say that's his birthday present from the missus sorted out.
I too will be putting the K15 7-Wood in the bag. I've struck it really well from both fairway and tee over the last couple of rounds and it's another excellent addition to the PING range.
Summary
Paul Simpson
With the K15 Series, Ping have produced exactly what you'd expect from them, another range of quality clubs that will make the game easier for us mere mortals.
The question is where do they go from here? I for one can't wait for their next innovation.
Dave Tindall
It's a thumbs up from me too.
Loved the 3-Wood and the 7-Wood, felt confident with the irons but, driver-wise, I remain a G15 man!
Ping K15 Series Review
By: fei
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