These Ought To Be Called The V2 Rocket Irons
Written: Oct 06 '08 (Updated Feb 05 '10)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Quite possibly the very best of all the "Super Game Improvement Irons"
Cons: Priced like the very best of the "Super Game Improvement Irons"
The Bottom Line: If you've got the dough, and are in the market for either "Game Improvement" or "Super Game Improvement" irons----you need to try these!
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| berniez40's Full Review: Ping Rapture V2 Irons |
Coming soon to a pro shop near you.....(Drum Roll Please)........"The Ping Rapture V2."
Ping is coming out of the gate with quite possibly, the best "Super Game Improvement" irons on the market. I liked the old Rapture Irons quite a bit, but these, these are on the verge of being illegal. Once again, it's a shame that a bum like me gets to try out a fab set of irons that he can't afford. If, however, you are in the market for a new set of irons, and you can't quite decide between "Game Improvement", or "Super Game Improvement", then I'd encourage you to at least try these. This is possibly Ping's finest set of game improvement clubs since the legendary Beryllium Copper Eye 2's. Despite the extremely strong lofts, (there are stronger lofts out there, but these push the envelope) , these things are velvety smooth. If you really need the distance--go with the graphite shafts, otherwise, the steel shafts on these are quite good, and help you realize these clubs have a workability that belies there wide soles and slightly chunky top line. Ping has put a lot into these, and they're not simply a re-hash of the old Rapture Irons by any stretch.
BALANCE and FEEL
I tend to be very picky about irons sporting titanium faces. Many companies have tried, but few have succeeded in getting the hot face, club weight, and overall balance to work well together. I've seen everything from the super oversized titanium shovels Tommy Armour used to put out (T 100's), to some slightly undersized cavity backs put out by Yonex. TaylorMade has made a few, but only the original Burner Irons and the no-longer in production R7 XD's truly meaured up on an overall ratio of dollars spent vs. corporate hype vs. actual performance basis. These Raptures are there. They will probably see a lot of hype, and like most Pings they ain't cheap. As I said earlier, the wide soles and slightly chunky top line belie this clubs overall balance. Believe it or not, they are workable. Just realize that you're hitting an oversized cavity back, and not a diminutive blade. Long and straight is definitely their strong suit, but high cuts, and baby draws are easily factored into the shot equation here too.
This club sports a slightly meagre D1 swing weight, but don't let that fool you. Club head awareness throughout the swing remains a priority with Ping. I knew at all times where that puppy was, whether I was using the lightweight steel shafts or the ulra-lightweight graphite shafts. The feel at impact isn't dead at all. Like most titanium faced irons there's a bit of an insta-pop off of the clubface. Because I tend to play a slightly clingy golf ball I could tell not only the sweet spot shots, but by exactly how much I missed the miss hits as well, and where. They may look a tad chunky, but they sure ain't clunky. 3 1/2-4 stars on over all feel, w/5 stars vs. all other "Super Game Improvement" clubs. These are an amazing set of irons, but as with the new Rapture Driver--at these prices-$1400.00-they sure ought to be.
DISTANCE
These are very hot-faced irons, and if you're currently playing a set of irons any older than 5/7 years, these will gain you an easy club length through both the hotter face and stronger lofts. I found them to be the equal of my TaylorMade R7 XD's, but my TaylorMades have custom shafts vs. the off the rack variety here. These are definitely a long, and quite possibly the longest set of irons around. I give them an easy 5 stars in this department. My only word of warning is to those of you who have never hit a titanium wedge before. Recalibrating the longer distance took me a bit of getting used to, but as with any short game club, once you've got it pegged you're A-O-K.
TECHNOLOGY and CONSTRUCTION
O.K. so the technology on these isn't exactly earth shattering anymore. You have a stainless steel body/cradle that sports extreme perimeter weighting. Along the bottom is a wide sole to prevent turf drag, and tungsten weighting to lower the center of gravity. Attached to the cradle is a hot titanium face. So far this is the same line of hype we've had tossed at us from most of the multi-material makers. The hot titanium face is centered along the cradle and there is a " 'custom tuning port' to stabilize the titanim face." All this sounds far too familiar to anyone whose been reading ads for irons over the past five-seven years. The difference here is that Ping's execution and assemblage of said technology is impeccable.
I cannot tell you the amount of titanium faced irons I've hit where distance was a guessing game. Oft times the distance between clubs was just strikingly inconsistent. Ever hit a 7 iron almost as long as the 5 when both were in the same set, and featured the same shaft and flex? (I will not reveal the makers name here as their quality control has improved w/the acquisition of "The Ben Hogan Division of The Top Flite Company." ) These irons are consistently ten yards longer between clubs. 5 stars for quality control if nothing else. So enough about these club heads, what about those shafts and lofts?
SHAFTS
Ping's shafts are a pretty good bet on these irons whichever way you go. If you definitely need more distance-- go with the graphites. If you've got most of your distance, but need more shot making consistency, go with the steel. Here's the shakedown.
PING TFC 939 i (Graphite)
Ladies= 4.2* Torque @45 Grams
Soft Reg= 3.2* Torque @57 Grams
Reg= 2.5* Torque @71 Grams
Stiff= 2.2* Torque @79 Grams
AWT (Steel)
Soft Reg= 2.1* Torque @ 96 Grams
Reg= 2.0* Torque 99 Grams
Stiff= 1.6* Torque @108 Grams
X Stiff= 1.5* @117 Grams
Z 65 (Steel)
Stiff= 1.6* Torque @109 Grams
It's pretty obvious that a lot of thought went into the new graphite shafts. They are less torquey than their predecessors yet remain easy to swing and accurate. The steel shafts are nice and light w/out losing their consistency of feel for shot making. Way to go Ping. Definitely 5 stars here for both quality and options.
LOFTS
The lofts on these irons are pretty darned strong. They're not quite as over the top as some of the ones I've seen lately sporting 42* pitching wedges, or the all hybrid sets, but they are stronger than average. I'll include the rumoured loft of the 2 iron as well, as, believe it or not, it's rumoured they will issue one. Wow!--A 2 iron? I didn't get to hit the 2, but the 3 in this set, even w/the strong loft was about the easiest hitting 3 iron I've ever had the pleasure of swinging.
2I = 18.5* @ 39 1/4"
3I = 21* @ 38 3/4"
4I = 24* @ 38 1/4"
5I = 27* @ 37 3/4 "
6I = 30.5* @ 37 1/4 "
7I = 34* @ 36 3/4 "
8I = 38* @ 36 1/4 "
9I = 42* @ 35 3/4"
PW = 46* @ 35 1/2"
UW = 50* @ 35 1/2"
SW = 54* @ 35 1/4"
LW = 58* @ 35"
These lofts are strong , but by no means ridiculous. Ping is counting on the quality of build and the hotness of the face to gain you those extra yards. This makes these clubs a tad easier to hit than other "Super Game Improvement" clubs whose lofts are even stronger. 5 Stars.
OVERALL
These clubs are simply great. They're certainly not cheap at these prices, but they lack for nothing in performance. Sure there are clubs that are more workable, but that is not what you buy "Super Game Improvement" clubs for in the first place. I sincerely doubt that there are clubs that are longer. These are really about as hot an iron as I've ever hit. The feel is as close to butter as you will get from a multi-material game improvement club. Don't expect it to feel like a forged club--because it's not. Compared to other game improvement clubs the feel is quite good, and compared to "Super Game Improvement" clubs, the feel is exceptional. I also like the new NTS Spiral Grips Ping has put on these. They feel very nice. Lots of great work by Ping, and my CL Abraham who got me this product link which made this review possible.
Recommended:
Yes
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