Ping i20 Irons Review – What Handicap Are They For? Are They Forgiving? 

“The Ping i20 irons came out in 2012 and they were an immediate upgrade from the previous Ping i15 irons in terms of playability.”

Ping i20 Irons Overview

“In 2012, the Ping i20 irons actually won the Golf Digest Editor’s Choice Award.”

And it doesn’t take much time with these irons to see why. It’s clear that the Ping i20 irons were designed with almost every kind of player in mind. For high handicap players, the mass in the toe and the deep cavity back provided more forgiveness. For better players, the short irons have been shrunk down even from the size of the Ping i15’s.

The Ping i20 irons have thicker faces than previous models which is meant to provide clearer feedback; but at the expense of ball speed. However, the set has progressive offset and head size which, in this case at least, means that the longer irons have larger heads and more offset and the shorter irons have more of a player’s profile and minimal offset.

You can tell that the CG placement is different in the long and short irons as well. The Ping i20 irons also feature both the custom tuning port and rear stabilizing bars to impart, well, stability to your shots. Overall the Ping i20 irons probably do a bit more for mid handicappers and low handicappers.

But that’s not to say that they are unusable for high handicappers. Just compare them to the size of more modern Ping irons like the G425’s and you will see that the Ping i20’s are still a viable play for less experienced players.

Are the Ping i20 Irons Forgiving?

“The long and mid irons in this set are very manageable thanks to a pronounced offset that reduces as you work down the set.”

Our high handicap testers had no problem squaring up with the long irons in this set. This led to straighter flight – and everyone knows that straighter flight will yield more distance. Shot dispersion was nice and tight as well. Our testers also noted that the Ping i20 irons help to cover up inward misses. Shots made towards the hosel were flying straighter than normal.

The notes changed quite a bit as our testers started swinging the scoring irons. As if on cue, they had trouble starting with the 7 iron which has significantly less offset than the 6 iron. They also noted that the toe area of the shorter irons was significantly narrower which left them in the lurch in terms of drawing the ball.

However, the Ping i20 irons launch high naturally. Distance is mediocre as our mid handicap testers were only able to squeeze a max distance of 152 yards out of the 7-iron in this set.

Are the Ping i20 Irons Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

“Good; but not the best.”

Beginners and high handicappers may want to consider replacing their current long irons with Ping i20 long irons, sure. But there isn’t much to help beginners as you get down to the short irons in this set. While the Ping i20 scoring irons are nice and workable, this performance aspect is sure to be lost on high handicappers.

That all being said, the long irons in this set are very comfortable and the feedback is great. They would be great for beginners and high handicappers if only for the fact that they clearly let you feel when you have mis-hit the ball. Likewise, they will reward you with a satisfying sound when you pure the ball.

Should you Buy the Ping i20’s or the Ping i15’s?

“The Ping i15 irons have a similar build to the Ping i20’s.”

However, the toe area got noticeably narrower in the design of the Ping i20 irons. The Custom Tuning Port is also present in the i15 irons; but it is a bit bulkier and doesn’t sink as deep into the sole as it does in the Ping i20 irons.

We would actually say that the Ping i15 irons are better for high handicappers than the Ping i20 irons because of the slightly larger overall profile. The Ping i15 irons are also more forgiving on toe area misses than the Ping i20’s.

If you are a mid handicapper, stick with the Ping i20’s. If you need all the forgiveness you can get, the Ping i15 irons will be more beneficial to you.