Ping i59 Vs. Taylormade P770 Irons Comparison Overview
It seems that mid handicappers get overlooked quite a bit by golf club manufacturers. There aren’t a whole lot of irons that cater to the very unique needs of mid handicappers who need a little bit (not a lot though) of everything.
Today though, we will be telling you about our testing of two iron sets that we think would be perfect for mid handicappers who are on the cusp of breaking through to single digits.
Let’s take a look at the Taylormade P770 irons and the Ping i59’s.
Taylormade P770 Irons Overview
The Taylormade P770 irons have many of the features that make Taylormade famous but with a touch of premium flare.
The P770 irons are more compact than their P790 brothers so they are more suitable for golfers looking for a player’s performance iron.
The offset is limited and the blade length has been truncated so just keep that in mind.
However, what self-respecting set of Taylormade clubs wouldn’t have the famous Speed Pocket to help with ball speed and distance.
While you have to be pretty accurate with these irons, you still get help with distance thanks to the face which flexes to a high degree.
That coupled with the forged 4140 steel wraparound face makes these irons perfect for mid handicappers on the verge of greatness.
Ping i59 Irons Overview
The face of these irons isn’t forged; but the body is.
As you might imagine, the dichotomy of a forged carbon steel body with a laser cut stainless steel face creates a metal-wood hinging effect.
And as you can probably further surmise, this helps with ball speed and distance.
Just like the Tayloramde P770 irons, the Ping i59 blades are compact and the topline is nice and narrow – giving them a player’s look at point of address.
Both of these irons feature a muscle back design but overall, if you are looking for the more forgiving set of irons, we would go with the Ping i59’s.
They have more perimeter weighting in the face, toe and shaft than the P770’s so they can really help with accuracy off the deck.
The Ping i59’s also do a bit more than the P770’s around the green with the super-tight, machined face grooves.
You might get more distance help from the P770’s but we liked the Ping i59 irons more for overall performance.
Ping i59 Irons
Category: Player’s Performance
Taylormade P770 Irons
Category – Player’s Irons/Distance Irons
Ping i59 Irons First Impressions
The Ping i59 irons felt good off the deck thanks to a strong aluminum insert that enhances feel while pushing the ball for better speeds.
What we were most surprised at though was the forgiveness of these player’s performance irons. Even though the i59’s are smaller, they are comparably forgiving on off-center shots.
A lot of weight is saved at the center of the heads of these clubs thanks to the super thin aluminum. That weight is displaced around the perimeter so you get more distance on strikes away from the sweet spot.
While you still need to be able to make consistent contact with the ball, you get a lot of help at that point even if you aren’t square up to it.
The Ping i59 irons are a good mixture of forgiveness, distance and short-game control. They don’t feel too bad either.
Taylormade P770 First Impressions
The first thing you will notice is the clear line of site you have to the ball thanks to the limited offset of these irons.
When you first take a look at the Taylormade P770 irons, you don’t automatically think distance.
That’s because they lack most of the visual features of your typical distance irons.
You will probably think that they are great for accurate approaches, shaping shots and higher spin rates; but not so much for distance.
After you take your first swing with 7 iron though (featuring 33 degrees of loft) you will be able to feel the speedy engine behind these irons which have a softer feel.
The Taylormade P770 irons feature a forged hollow body design that allow for maximum face flex.
The face is forged from 4140 carbon steel and is wrapped seamless style around the body which is also made from carbon steel.
You also get a whopping 46 grams of tungsten to fortify the sweet spot and launch the ball high and with workability.
Just because these are mid to low handicap player irons doesn’t mean that Taylormade has left out additional forgiveness features.
For instance, the ICT technology is progressive throughout the set which means that you get an optimized sweet spot location as you work down the set.
The Taylormade P770 have to be swung to believe. They look like players irons but they also have a lot of forgiveness features.
Not quite as long as some other irons but plenty else on offer with the P770’s.
Ping i59 Irons Selling Points
- These irons have a superior feel with a forged carbon steel body
- They feel soft on full swings
- Incredibly tight spacing
- The machined grooves provide for excellent control
- Insane MOI for a player’s iron
- Clean muscle back design
Taylormade P770 Irons Selling Points
- Wrap-around face makes for an expansive sweet spot
- Hollow body design
- Clean muscle-back design
- Great feel from the forged construction and speedfoam
- Good launch angles
- Soft, clean feel and excellent workability
Who are the Ping i59 Irons for?
The Ping i59 irons would be a good fit for anyone looking for a solid combination of forgiveness and greenside control.
This is a very unique set – and for this reason, we feel like the market for them might be rather small. You have to be able to strike the ball consistently with a smaller head but the MOI is ridiculous in these irons.
So they will be great for a smaller niche of players who are probably hovering around the 7, 8 9 handicap range.
The i Family
Of course, the counterpart to the Ping i59 irons are the Ping i210 irons. The bottom line is that the i59 irons have the superior feel and more compact heads.
Ping i59 Irons Final Assessment
Distance: 93/100
Accuracy: 95/100
Forgiveness: 92/100
Feel & Control: 94/100
Overall Score: 94/100
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Who Are The Taylormade P770 Irons For?
The Taylormade P770 are for mid to low handicappers who are looking for a good combination of feel, distance and workability.
If you want to take a step up in terms of performance from your Big Bertha’s, P790ti’s and other distance irons, the Taylormade P770 irons would be a good next logical step.
They are a great combination of workability and shaping shots without compromising much in either department.
They produce mid-level range spin which can be a problem in the long irons but is a benefit in the shorter ones.
So they’re certainly not perfect but they strike a good balance between distance and accuracy.
If that sounds like the kind of iron set you need then you should definitely check out the Taylormade P770’s.
The P Series From Taylormade
The P series of Taylormade irons run the gamut from pure distance to pure feel to pure accuracy and everything in between.
While only the P790 irons can be considered more distance irons, the P series is mostly focused on the performance that mid to low handicappers need on the course.
In fact, every other line of irons in this series rocks a mid-level range spin so you can control roll around the green and on approaches.
The P7MB and P7MC iron sets offer the highest degree of accuracy and workability if that it your aim.
Distance: 90/100
Accuracy: 95/100
Forgiveness: 91/100
Feel and Control: 96/100
Value: 90/100
Overall Rating: 94/100
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