Ping I10 v. Titleist AP2

[calbearfan]

I need some help. Several years ago I decided to start playing golf again and I purchased a set of Ping G2's to replace a set of Karsten IIIA's. When I purchased the G2's I was absolutely not fit properly; I pretty much went in to Copeland's and told the guy I liked Pings and wanted a new set. He was happy to oblige. I played sporadically over the next few years and, over the past 6 months, have finally settled down to playing 2-4 times a week.

I would like to get a new set of clubs that fit properly. Aside from the G2's I also have G5 3 and 5 woods. I do not have a driver but I am thinking of a G10 or 907D2. Prior to getting the G5's at the insistance of an instuctor, I played with a full set of irons, 1-PW. I am consistent with both my long and short irons (sliight fade on long irons and woods). I want to be fit properly and I am finding it hard to do so. I live in Las Vegas and I am left-handed so there are not too many places I can get to try out different clubs at one time. I was drawn to the titleist method of fitting as it seems fairly thorough; not real impressed with the Ping fitting method although I am sure it works.

I did hit the I10 7 iron and it was fine. Similar in profile to my G2's. I like the slim profile over the thicker G10's. But I don't want to just go out and purchase; I want to make sure I am fit correcftly. That said, I would appreciate any input regarding a choice between the I10's and AP2's. Also as between the G10 driver and 907D2.

I play to a 12 handicap (but the handicap is relatively new and based only upon 20+ rounds played).

Thanks.

[Not a hacker]

Good luck with the irons, I haven't hit either so won't give an opinion. As for the drivers, I think the G10 is a better driver for most players than the D2. The G10 is very forgiving and has good distance. Whichever driver you go for, I would recommend you try the Aldila VS Proto shaft. I think it comes as a standard option in the D2, but I think for the G10 you would have to have an upgrade. I have one in my current driver, and it's awesome. I got fitted on a launch monitor and hit my driver with the VS Proto and with the other stock shaft, and it was like night and day. The numbers with the VS Proto were off the chart compared to the stock shaft, and since getting it out on the course I can tell you it is easy to hit and gets effortless distance. I'm hitting almost consistently as far as any other driver but with a very smmoth controlled swing that feels about 80%.

Whicever way you go, definitely go to a launch monitor and get fitted. I can say from my experience that the numbers don't lie. My club peforms exactly how the fiter described it would from the numbers I got.

[calbearfan]

THanks for the advise. It is very frustrating finding a shop with the launch monitor AND having a varied assortment of clubs for me to test. As I said I am left-handed and not too many are kept in stock. I may have to go to Arizona or California to find a place that can help me.

[Home-slicer]

The i10 and the AP2 are both good irons for a mid handicapper. The AP2s are a forged iron and seem to be a little lower profile than the i10. I've hit all the clubs you mentioned and my 2 cents would be G10 driver (That thing is a beast, even the stock shaft is nice, but get fitted) and the AP2 irons.(They just felt better and looked better at address to me than the PINGs)
But, they're all good clubs and it's all personal preference provided you are properly fitted.

[calbearfan]

Home-Slicer:
What specifically did you like about the G10 over the D2? As I have a fade anyway, I suppose I could look at the G10 draw, but I am more inclined to work on the swing to straighten it out rather than buy a club with a built in bias.

[Not a hacker]

Home-Slicer:
What specifically did you like about the G10 over the D2? As I have a fade anyway, I suppose I could look at the G10 draw, but I am more inclined to work on the swing to straighten it out rather than buy a club with a built in bias.

Sometimes the fade can be a shaft issue. I had a shaft way too stiff for me in my previous driver (I tried to put a Graf Blue in it but when it got taken out of an old driver it had to be tipped two inches which made it feel like an XX) and I used to hit it right all day. The new driver I got was the 'players' version with a neutral face angle and I hit draws all day long with a smooth swing. As for the G10 v D2, the G10 is a more forgiving driver than the D2, which is designed for lower caps.

[Home-slicer]

Just what NaH said. The Titelist drivers just didn't do it for me.(I hit the new ones, the regular one and the one with the triangular head, I can't remember which is the D2) The shaft was too stiff in stiff and too soft in regular, and the head just didn't seem as forgiving. The stock stiff PING shaft had more flex than the Tiltleist and just worked for me. Shaft can be changed. (I am getting the G-10 driver, but I think I will probably change the shaft because even though the stock one has a good flex for me, it's too long. I think its 45 to 46". Most stock shaft are too long for just about everbody. Having said that, the G-10 looks a ton better at address to my eye. and once you get the shaft and loft correct, that's really all that matters. all of these drivers are 460cc's with the same .803 something or another COR (face spring effect) Our resident equipment expert Lyle is the one to ask about all that stuff. They are all titanum (or composite) so it's really all about the shaft and the way the head looks to your eye.

[bjdrivers]

Same for me. I used to ho Titleist as most of you know, I love their clubs, but I was never consistent with any of their drivers, or their shaft offerings for that matter. I'm sure the D2 head is just as solid as the G10. The stock PING shaft works for me, but may not for everyone. I have more confidence in my driver now than I ever have before. It really comes down to shafts for drivers nowadays. There's really not much difference in the heads. The G10 is giving me a repeatable, slight fade, and is about 5 yards longer than the G5 (due to the different shaft I'm sure.) You can't go wrong with any of today's drivers if you get the right shaft.

[calbearfan]

Thanks to all of you for the information. Since ALL of my clubs have stock shafts, I have no idea what to get. I will let a fitter determine that. Now if someone out there has any thoughts about the irons.................

[Home-slicer]

Thanks to all of you for the information. Since ALL of my clubs have stock shafts, I have no idea what to get. I will let a fitter determine that. Now if someone out there has any thoughts about the irons.................

Pretty much the same as the driver. As long as the shaft flex is correct, and the lie angles, any quality iron head will do provided they look good to you. I preferred the AP1 but the i10s are nice also. That new Mizuno MP-62 looks like a good club for a mid handicapper. I might go look at those (I'm in the market myself)

[calbearfan]

Thanks HS. I think I need to be patient with this process or else I am just going to be tossing my money away. I will definitely make sure I get fitted with the correct shafts. I am sure my G2's are stock in every respect.

[DENNIS7180GOLF]

if you like the i 10s make sure to try the s 58s they look better and i think feel better.
ive had them now for 2months and i love them.

[calbearfan]

Dennis:
arean't the s58's more of a tour club and for a scratch golfer? I thought they were more like forged blades, no?

[Home-slicer]

They are more of a players club, but don't sell yourself short. You are a 12 handicap which is excellent considering the amount of time you've been playing. I am a total hack and I hit the players clubs just as good/bad as I do the SGI clubs. I can't hit blade very well but I hear the S58s are more forgiving than most blades.
I'm in the same boat with you. I am totally confused about what kind of clubs to buy. According to all the golf mags, a high handi should be playing wide soled, severly off-set clubs. I have a strong grip and my typical bad shot is an over the top, straight pull to the left, (I have never fought a slice, contrary to my user name) so anti-slice clubs (which most SGI clubs are) are horrible for me.
I started demoing the midrange clubs (AP1, i10 etc) and found I hit those much better. But as a 12, you could probably hit the players clubs just fine.

[daveperk]

THanks for the advise. It is very frustrating finding a shop with the launch monitor AND having a varied assortment of clubs for me to test. As I said I am left-handed and not too many are kept in stock. I may have to go to Arizona or California to find a place that can help me.

You can take your clubs there, or pick up whatever driver they have around, and hit for NUMBERS.

Once you know your clubhead speed, that narrows down the different kind of choices you need to make. Just remember, a soft/active tip promotes more spin and higher ball flight, and a firm tip or 'high kickpoint' promotes lower ballflight and less spin.

I know that UST has on their website a chart that recommends shafts based on clubhead speed, and I bet other companies have this also. For them, though, an X flex is recommended for speeds as low as 105 mph. It's overlapping bands of recommendation, and the regular shaft comes in at 80, the stiff at 90, and the X at 105 (going from memory here, but that's the general of it)...

So you go to the analyzer and take a stiff and a regular and then just get numbers. Whichever shaft is closer to getting your highest clubhead speed AND the optimum launch angle and spin, that's your starting point for the search.

Check with LyleG on this forum for optimum numbers of spin and launch angle. :-)

YOu don't really need to try seventeen drivers in the monitor... you just need your numbers, that'll narrow down which ones you should try, and you can learn the rest at the range just hitting demos.

[BDJ96]

I too am a lefty, and I feel your pain. I was recently looking for a new set of irons, and actually had a post on here about the Ping i10's and Callaway FT's (http://forums.golfreview.com/showthread.php?t=10550 ).

I tried many irons at the stores, and at the range (fortunately, they had some lefty 6 irons on hand). The i10 7 iron that they had was a black dot with a regular shaft. I was pulling my shots high and right (as a lefty). That was my main concern about those clubs. Many people recommended the S58's, but I didn't get a chance to try them out. I didn't try the Titleist AP2's, but I do have an opinion on the Ping i10's.

After considering performance and price, I ended up choosing the i10's (which I am really enjoying). They went through the entire fitting process at the golf shop, and I ended up getting the Green Dot. This completely erased the problem I was having with the demo club. The store said they could have got in a left handed demo set for me to try, so that may be something you might want to look into. Where I live, they said it would take about a week because they were left handed. I'm not sure if you've spoken to your local golf shop about that option, but it's worth a try.
I have been extremely happy with the i10's (played about 6 rounds with them, and have shooting around a 76). I find they feel just as good as the forged clubs I've tried when you hit them sweet. I have also found they are pretty forgiving on mis-hits, but they also let you work the ball quite well. I find distance control very satisfying and consistent with these clubs as well.
I guess like anything, it is really a matter of personal opinion. Some people like their clubs to say "forged", and show that they have "Players Clubs", whereas some people just care about how the club hits (especially for their skill level). If you have the money, and are looking at the Ping i10's, it probably wouldn't hurt to try the S58's as other people recommend as well. I would just go out, and hit as many clubs as you can (maybe you will find something completely different than you were originally looking for?). You will probably start weeding the one's you don't care for out, and narrow it down to your short list.
Best of luck! I know it's a bit intimidating and it's a little scary to go away from the irons that you are used to. I took the leap of faith, and am VERY happy with my decision.

[daveperk]

All you lefties made a big mistake all those years ago.

When I was 15 and took up golf, I never even THOUGHT of lefty clubs.

Probably because back in those ancient times there were none. :-)

But actually I just picked up my dad's rightie clubs while I was bored and accidentally hit a few good ones at the range. From then on, I was playing rightie. Never did manage to make contact swinging from the left.

I throw left, kick left, bat left and shoot the basketball left. And the pistol. But I golf righthanded.

I learned to break 80 within two years.

Hogan was a lefty.

:-)

[calbearfan]

BD:
You have given me hope! I am in Chapel Hill this week getting my daughter settled in for her junior year at UNC. While out shopping today I saw a "Golf Galaxy" shop. Stopped in and wanted to see if tehy had the AP2's or i10's. Negative on both. In fact, they told me they don't even have a skew code for AP2's for lefty's. I am going to contact Titleist when I get home. However, I take some solace that my issue is similar to yours: I tried the standard black dot 7 iron and liked it. However, that was all they had. But like you, with my irons, I am more likely to hit the ball high and a bit right. Anyway, I don't find that to be a particularly big deal, especially since I don't think my present clubs are the proper fit. I will keep looking; one of these days I will get to try the clubs I want. It was kind of funny (or pathetic); when the guy in Golf Galaxy found out I was interested in the two brands of clubs they didn't have, his response was "come look at some other lefty clubs we carry." I declined.

[DENNIS7180GOLF]

Dennis:
arean't the s58's more of a tour club and for a scratch golfer? I thought they were more like forged blades, no?

yes but they are not too hard to hit,and they will last forever as they are not forged.
also you can grow into them.they are a great stick and i wish i had bought mine 2 yrs ago.
ive hit the i10 and think the 58s are far superior.imo.