Ping Golf has today introduced its new G730 and i530 irons.

G730 irons

Per Ping, maximizing ball speed was the primary objective in the design of the G730 iron, in design to allow shots that launch higher and fly farther for golfers who struggle with consistent face contact.

By unlocking the strength properties of hyper 17-4 stainless steel through an advanced heat treatment, Ping engineers thinned the larger face to increase flexing and help lower the center of gravity, in an effort to add significant ball-speed gains and generate several more yards of distance with every iron in the set.

The larger face expands the hitting surface, in design to preserve ball speed and ensure forgiveness on mishits. The PurFlex cavity badge, with multiple flex zones, aims to help control face bending while enhancing feel and producing a powerful sound.

The larger head and wider sole in the investment-cast design increases the MOI in both axes, and a lower center of gravity bids to elevate forgiveness for improved accuracy and consistency. Golfers will also notice more offset in the cavity-back design which is designed to aid getting the ball airborne easier and more consistently. The performance-enhancing hydropearl chrome 2.0 finish seeks to help ensure consistent launch results from varying conditions.

With an eye toward increasing distance but also optimizing gaps to best fit the golfer, the standard lofts are custom engineered to ensure set configurations that are designed to maximize performance throughout the bag. The four wedges in the set feature machined faces and grooves for added control, while the option of power (stronger) and retro (weaker) spec lofts allows fitters to further optimize performance.

What Ping Are Saying

“The G730 irons are engineered for golfers who can benefit from more distance and a higher level of forgiveness and consistency to shoot lower scores. The new G730 brings them all that in an easy-to-hit, confidence-inspiring design. It’s the longest and most forgiving iron in our current lineup and is a great solution to help maximize the performance of a lot of golfers. We’re excited to bring them an iron that’s engineered to make the game easier and more enjoyable.” – John K. Solheim, PING CEO & President

Specs, Pricing & Availability

• Available: 5-9, PW, UW, 50°, 56°
• Loft options: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec
• Stock shafts: Dynamic Gold Mid 100 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold Mid 115 (S300, X100), PING Alta CB Black graphite (SR, R, S)
• Optional stock shafts: PING AWT 2.0 (R, S, X), Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 105 (R, S, X), Elevate MPH 95 (R, S), UST Recoil Dart 65 (A), 75 (R, S), PING Alta Quick 35/45
• Stock grip: Lamkin Crossline in four sizes (Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″;, White-Std, Gold +1/32″)
• U.S. MSRP: $185 per club with stock steel shaft; $200 per club with stock graphite shaft

i530 irons

Ping’s new i530 irons feature an internal weight pad that provides a deeper and thinner face-to-sole transition, ensuring more face flexing and pushing mass down to lower the center of gravity in design for more ball speed.

The forged, highly flexible maraging steel C300 face is precisely welded to a 17-4 stainless steel hollow body. A polymer applied inside the head on the back of the face bids to improve feel and sound while maximizing face bending.

The body design contributes to distance by accentuating face bending. The lower CG is more aligned with where impact occurs, and distance-optimized lofts bids to help ensure more distance and higher max height for green-holding results. Three loft configurations (Standard, Power and
Retro) are available to optimize a golfer’s launch conditions during the custom fitting process.

The i530 irons feature a new machining technique that thins the back wall of the hollow-body design, saving weight in a bid to increase forgiveness and tighten dispersion for greater accuracy along with the added distance. In addition, precision-milled MicroMax grooves combine with the hydropearl chrome 2.0 finish in design to provide consistent launch and spin from all conditions.

What Ping Are Saying

“We’re seeing significant distance gains with the i530 iron mainly due to its higher face flexing and bending. It’s a great fit for the golfer whose top priority is more distance, including someone who may have lost yards with their current irons over time. It also has a level of forgiveness not typically found in distance irons. It’s packed with performance. It looks great, feels great and more importantly, will lead to lower scores and more enjoyment on the course.” – John K. Solheim, PING CEO & President

Specs, Pricing & Availability

• Available: 4-9, PW, UW
• Loft options: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec
• Stock shafts: Dynamic Gold Mid 100 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold Mid 115 (S300, X100), PING Alta CB Black graphite (SR, R, S)
• Optional stock shafts: PING AWT (R, S, X), Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 105 (R, S, X), Elevate MPH 95 (R, S), UST Recoil Dart 65 (A), 75 (R, S), PING Alta Quick 35/45
• Stock grip: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16″;, Red -1/32″;, Aqua -1/64″;, White-Std, Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″)
• U.S. MSRP: $205 per club with stock steel shaft; $220 per club with stock graphite shaft

Recently, in partnership with StrackaLine, we asked GolfWRXers for the most difficult green they’d ever had the (potential dis-) pleasure of putting on.

The answers were plentiful, and after much debate and discussion here at WRX HQ, we present to you some of the most difficult greens GolfWRXers have ever stroked a putt on, along with StrackaLine maps of the greens.

Check them out below.

We want to know (with @StrackaLine)

What is the HARDEST green you've ever putt on? Drop the course and hole below ?

— GolfWRX (@GolfWRX) February 9, 2024

No. 10 at Oakmont Country Club

Site of Phil Mickelson’s infamous 2007 U.S. Open four-putt, Oakmont’s 10th green slopes severely from front right to back left. It is, in a word, brutal, on a course full of some of the slipperiest putting surfaces in the game.

No. 10 at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club

Another 10th hole, another torturous green, this time at Shinnecock. The 415-yard par 4, named Eastward Ho, challenges golfers with an uphill approach to a devilish green that loves to reject shots, thanks to extreme slopes around the perimeter. The 10th played as the most difficult hole when Shinnecock hosted the 2004 U.S. Open, and its green is a big reason why.

No. 16 at Pasatiempo Golf Club

The green at Pasatiempo’s 387-yard 16th is a beastly back-to-front sloper with three separate tiers. Course designer Alister Mackenzie called the hole the best two-shotter he knew.

No. 8 at Sweetens Cove Golf Club

12,500 square feet. Double plateau. This thing looks like a stegosaurus’ back.

Practice green at Tobacco Road Golf Club

Mike Stranz’s 1988 gem is known for its wild greens — and that starts right out of the clubhouse with the practice green.

If you could use a little help navigating the golf course, check out StrackaLine’s range of products. GolfWRXers can use code GolfWRX for 15% off. 

PXG’s line of Battle Ready II and 0211 putters contain a lot of different head shapes and options to fit just about any golfer out there. From the high MOI mallets to the classic blade shapes, there is one thing that all PXG putters have in common, a milled pyramid face structure. The pyramid face looks like many small triangles on the face and is designed to optimize the sound and feel upon impact as well as create a smoother roll.

This week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, we spotted a couple of PXG prototype putters on the practice green with a more traditional milled face on them. The putters look to be very traditional Anser head shape with a more squared-off look and sharper corners. One of the putters was naked, with no site lines or dots milled into the topline or flange for a clean and classic look. I don’t see any tungsten weights integrated into the heel and toe bumpers like the retail putters, but the interchangeable sole weights look to be the same as we’d expect.

A more traditional, shallower face milling looks to have been used on the face with PXG’s Darkness skull logo milled into the heel. The sole also features a large PXG logo with many different-sized Darkness skulls around it. We have no word on if this will ever be available at retail or if it just a tour-only prototype. Very cool either way!

• Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational