Ping i210 Irons

Editor rating: 9.6 / 10

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By Verica Dimova

Ever since introducing the Eye irons about forty years ago, Ping has been considered a serious competitor among golf club manufacturers. The company has been considered one of the top tiers in the golf industry, and their contribution is absolutely huge. With the rise of the technologies, it has become a common feature for golf companies to have at least one release on the market on an annual basis. And this is what Ping has been doing, following the common trend. This is the reason why they released the Ping i210 irons last year.

Ping i210 irons, as you might guess is a direct successor of the previous i200 model, which has been one of the most popular irons when it was launched on the market. However, the Ping i210 is not a revolutionary model on its own, as the name itself implies, but rather it is a continuation and improvement of its predecessor. Shortly said, they feature everything that was considered good in i200 but in a much better and more advanced form.

Since the i200 featured a cavity back design, the Ping i210 copies its older brother in this matter but with some modifications in the sole design. It has more refinement in the overall design, the clubhead is bigger and there’s more elastomer. This makes the i210 more suitable model for mid handicappers as it delivers more forgiveness and playability compared to the i200 which was intended for better players.

And, even though many experts recommend them to mid handicappers, Lee Westwood and Tyrrel Hatton appreciate their good looks and have them in their bags. So, if you are mid to low handicapper who is thinking of buying new irons of utmost quality and superior performance and contemplating over i200 or i210, this review will help you understand all the features that the Ping i210 has, and closely look at the differences between the two model, which despite being similar, they do feature some very distinguishing differences.

Editor's Pros & Cons

Pros

Made from 431 stainless steel which is extra soft and lightweight

Distance-enhancing design for more feel and control

Appropriate for mid to low handicappers

30% more custom tuning port for exceptional feel and sound

Buttery soft feel and muted sound for extra feedback

CNC Milling with denser and sharper grooves

Exceptional spin and grip found in short irons

Progressive face thickness which is the thinnest in long irons

Multiple steel and graphite shaft varieties with a wide range of flexes

Cons

Some golfers think that the sound is too muted for proper feedback

Design

Knowing that some very prominent names play with Ping i210 irons, one would expect muscle back blades, but no, the i210 irons follow the lead of the i200 and feature cavity back design. It is due to their very sophisticated design that integrates an exceptional level of playability combined with good looks that give the impression of solid and reliable iron. Their design can be shortly summarized as a blend of the forgiveness that the i200 delivers and the looks that the iBlade boasts.

The Ping i210 is made from 431 stainless steel, just like its predecessor, with added elastomer for more feel and better sound. The profile of the i210 has been tweaked and nudged for sharper edges radius, making it look much cleaner with straighter lines and very crisp looks. The shape of the long irons is much more forgiving, while the shorter ones resemble muscle back design. The head progression design and the variable face thickness make the blade length very compact with the thin top line and modest progressive offset that delivers a high-end look of the whole set. The leading edge is designed to improve the turf interaction while the HydroPearl Chrome 2.0 finish delivers premium looks but it also very useful in repelling water and fliers to deliver more consistency in wet conditions.

Cavity Back Design

The cavity back design that the Ping i210 irons feature has even a larger section in the sole which provides 30% larger pocket for the Elastomer insert that is 50% greater in volume. The elastomer proved very functional in the i200 and it was clear that it was working, which is the reason why it comes in a larger amount. The buttery, soft feel it delivers is very pure at impact and increases the contact with the face for 25% which means enhanced energy transfer to the ball. Unlike the previous model, the i210 features cavity CNC milling, which influences the thickness of the face for more control and consistency when delivering the shots.

Face Design

The progressive face thickness is still here with the long irons being thinner and as you progress through the set, the shortest irons and wedges feature thicker face design. The thinner face design in the longer irons enables them to produce a more spring-like effect that delivers a higher and longer ball trajectory for more distance. Plus, thanks to the greater volume of the custom tuning port, there’s 25% more face contact for better finetuning and forgiveness.

What distinguishes the face of Ping i210 irons is the absence of the iron number on it, which was a feature of the i200 irons and which was, according to many golfers, a negative feature as it directly informed the opponent which iron number you were using. The CNC milling on the face in the i210 makes the grooves tighter and with a sharper radius for increased friction between the clubface and the ball. This totals in 15-30% more grooves on the ball, depending on the iron number, with an increase in the higher-lofted irons for delivering more spin and greater ball control. Actually, the geometry of the grooves of the pitching wedge and the gap wedge is different for enhanced spin and utmost playability.

Sound and Feel

When you are a high handicapper, the concepts of sound and feel delivered from the golf clubs are just a vague phenomenon that better players talk about, but as you progress through the game, you realize what they’ve been talking about all the time. The sound that the club delivers at impact is the way it communicates with you, so once you get trained enough to understand the communication, you will be able to get reliable information about the way you performed with each shot.

Therefore, guided by the great success of the i200 and the exceptional response from the golfers that played with them and relied on the sound the irons delivered, the i210 comes with additional custom tuning port, aka the elastomer insert which is double the volume and which delivers the softest feel you can find in an iron. The solid sound clearly communicates the precision of your shots and it is music to ears when you are able to hit center shots.

Lofts

What you will find unchanged from the previous model are the loft settings as they turned out to be a real thing and highly workable for the i200 irons. The same loft tweakings are found in the 3 and 4 irons, i.e., they are purposely made weaker from 1 to 0.5 degrees to deliver more distance and playability. The only iron that comes as a standard is the 5-iron which features the standard, 26-degree loft, while 6-8 lofts come with 0.5 to 1 degree stronger lofts. The purpose of this adjustment is to keep the trajectory as high as you would expect it to be if you compare each iron number with the standard irons. The gap between the lofts in the long irons is 3.5 degrees while 7-PW irons come with 4 degrees loft gapping.

Distance

What all golfers ultimately seek from their clubs, no matter their skill level, is more distance. So, maybe the i200 wasn’t so praised for the distance, as the set was a full performance package, however, the i210 is distance-enhancer. The distance is achieved thanks to the thinner face design which makes the face flex more, ensuring that the ball will achieve greater trajectory. Plus, the larger clubhead and the larger sweet spot which is achieved through the higher custom tuning point, enable golfers to get more distance and higher launches to off-center shots.

The gapping itself also contributes towards achieving more distance, especially due to the fact that long irons have weaker lofts, as these are designed to get the ball as far as possible.

Shaft

When purchasing a new set of irons, shafts are usually the last thing golfers look at, however, many golf experts advice that they shouldn’t be overlooked by no means. The shafts are often considered to be the engine of the club, and they have the capacity to increase or decrease the performance of the club itself.

The Ping i210 comes in a wide range of shafts in steel and graphite, in a variety of shaft flexes. This versatility comes as an answer to many golfers’ needs, as those with faster swings, look for stiffer shafts so that they keep the ball lower and under control, while those with slower swing speed need more flexible shafts to achieve a higher ball trajectory. The i210 comes in multiple shaft offers and besides the standard Ping AWT 2.0, you can choose from True Temper Dynamic Gold, FST KBS Tour, Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 105, Project X LZ, Ping Alta CB and many other varieties of these brands. The aftersale upgrade is not additionally charged which is an excellent opportunity for the pickiest golfers.

Performance

If the i200 irons were considered an all-round iron set that blended together, distance, forgiveness, control, and feel, the Ping i210 seems to offer a bit more of each, with a special emphasis on the distance. The multiple tests show that they will provide you with some more yardages which is due to the larger amount of the elastomer insert and the greater sweet spot. Their design is more forgiving, which is particularly enhanced with the perimeter weighting and the lower center of gravity that promotes higher launches and less spin. The design of the short irons promotes more spin and more control over the ball. But, it is the muted sound and the buttery soft feel that deliver exceptional playability for mid to low handicappers who seek more feedback from their irons.

Key Features

The Ping i210 irons is an upgrade of the i200 irons, offering the best of the i200 with more advanced features and more playability. The fact that it integrates 30% more custom tuning port which increases the soft feel for about 50% and delivers more face contact for 25%, making them more forgiving, distance-enhancing and with an exceptionally soft feel and control. The progressive face thickness design that is thinner at long irons and thicker, blade-like design in the short irons, with moderate progressive offset, boasts advanced workability for mid to low handicappers. The high-end looks of the leading edge and the hydropearl 2.0 finish make them durable with a superior design. ‘

Key Feature

The clubhead is made from 431 stainless steel which is extra soft and lightweight

Distance-enhancing design with superior playability, feel and control

Suitable to meet the needs of mid to low handicappers

30% more custom tuning port for exceptional feel and sound

Buttery soft feel and muted sound for extra feedback

CNC Milling and denser and sharper grooves from 15 to 30% going from long to shorter irons

Exceptional spin and grip found in short irons

Progressive face thickness which is the thinnest in long irons

Multiple steel and graphite shaft varieties with a wide range of flexes

Bottom Line

The Ping i200 has been on the market for about two years now, so golfers have had the chance to test its performance and have their say in its performance features. Many golf experts and sites have rated them very high, even though they are not the longest irons that you’ll find on the market. However, the blend of playability, distance, control, and feedback is so balanced that the whole set is a full playable package that won’t fail your expectations.