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Cutting
Edge - Ping Launches Two
New Lines of Iron for 2000
(continued)
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to Page 1
GT:
So you are not claiming that catchphrase "the ultimate in perimeter
weighting" in respect of the Blade?
JS:
No, as you wouldn't with a traditional blade, But there is still
excellent weighting and a low Moment Of Inertia that is of benefit
to even the better player.
GT:
Can you summarise the concept of club offset, as many average
golfers to whom it mainly applies are often unaware of the benefits?
JS:
Offset helps to square the face at impact. The centre of gravity
in the head wants to line up with the force line of the shaft at
impact. So the further back the centre of gravity is in the head,
the further the head must travel to line up with that shaft line,
so the face will have closed more. That's why most golfers find
it easier to hit a 4-wood than a 3-iron.
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GT:
How does the offset compare between the i3 blade and the
O-size?
JS:
The O-Size gives the impression of having very little
offset but in fact it's almost identical to the Ping Eye2
and the Ping ISI. It's at a level we feel is optimum for the
vaerage golfer. In the blade it's lower though it increases
in the low irons almost to the same level of the O-size.
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 The
Blade and O-Size have different amounts of offset visible
at address.
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GT:
Why is that?
JS:
A lot of good players and pros down the years who have played
traditional blade irons have still chosen to have a Ping 1 or 2-iron
in the bag. We've always had offset in those long irons. Long irons
without offset have always been impossible to hit.
GT:
Elsewhere on the design, the toe is more rounded and gives the
club a noticeably 'softer' look than on previous models - certainly
in comparison to, say, the original Zing.
JS:
We wanted to tone it down, especially for alignment reasons.
We want the player's eye to be drawn to the leading edge. While
some players use the top edge to help them align, we found that
most players prefer to not have that distraction of a second straight
edge. A slight radius effect helps to take their mind off it.
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GT:
There's a deep notch in the club at the point where the
hosel joins the head, although it's hidden from view at address.
What is it's purpose?
JS:
The notch allows us to adjust the lie of the club very
easily. When you adjust a standard blade club it often ends
up bending at the top of the hosel because of the solid mass
immediately below. You can
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The hosel
notch allows the cast heads to be easily custom-fitted to
the correct lie angle.
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lose the alignment benefits because the hosel joins at an odd
angle. This doesn't happen here. |
GT:
Is the flat-top hosel for cosmetics?
JS:
It's a strengthening device as it provides a wider surface area
to spread the stress. It lengthens the circumference of the point
of connection between shaft and hosel. It's a similar principle
to bicycle frames. Before the days of purely welded tubes, bicycles
had lugs in this shape which helped spread the stress and made the
frame stronger. It also helps the feel aspect of the club by reducing
the unwanted frequencies which happen here.
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