Ping have today introduced the Blueprint S and Blueprint T, two new forged iron models engineered and custom built for golfers seeking to improve their games through tour-proven technology.
Both irons carry the blueprint name but have slightly different playing characters.
Let’s focus on the Blueprint S, an iron for accomplished ball strikers who want a better-player’s distance iron with extra forgiveness in the long irons.
The better-player distance category has probably been the hottest part of the golf industry for the last few years, with more and more brands offering distancing-enhancing clubs that look like muscle back blades. In 2021, Ping released the i59, a club with a clean look, a thin topline and a touch of offset but that hides an internal aluminium piece (AlumiCore) that created more perimeter weighting and stability.
For 2024 the i59 is being replaced by the new Blueprint S iron, a club that resembles the forged muscle back blades that most tour players love. And once again, Ping is hiding some features that make the Blueprint S more playable.
“The Blueprint S is going to be a pleasant surprise for a lot of golfers who might not think they are good enough to play them,” said John K. Solheim, PING CEO & President.. “Its design speaks to the lower handicap, but its technology broadens its appeal to the player who is looking for a forged, blade-style iron that’s a little easier to hit but still delivers the look and feel expected in a blade.”
Developed following extensive testing with top Ping professionals, the Blueprint S delivers score-lowering performance in a forged cavity-back design. Much of the design influence can be attributed to PING’s long line of tour-proven “S” series irons.
The compact shape fits the discerning eye with a thin top line and minimal offset. The forged 8620 carbon steel head boasts a clean cavity design, distinguished by an eye-catching textured pattern and hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish. An elastomer insert is concealed in the pocket of the irons ensuring the solid feel and sound expected in a forged players iron. A high-density toe screw and shaft tip weight allow for swing weight fine-tuning.
A patented construction technology called “Precision Pocket Forging” in the Blueprint S allows for a pocket to be forged into the cavity of the 3, 4 and 5 irons. The pocket saves 10 grams of weight, which is re-allocated to increase the MOI and optimise the centre of gravity position for more distance and trajectory control.
The perfect Combo set
The two new Blueprint irons represent a new strategy for Ping in the forged-iron category. With the forged and forgiving cavity-back design of the “S” and the traditional muscle-back shape of the “T”, Ping are targeting a wider range of golfers who prefer tour-style forged irons. The Blueprint name is a signal to skilled golfers looking for control, precision and feel from their irons and the both models sit so well as a combo set.
“We’ve already seen multiple tour wins with the Blueprint S, including by PING Pro Sahith Theegala, who earned his first PGA Tour title last fall in his first tournament with the new irons,” added Solheim. “Louis Oosthuizen won back-to-back weeks with a combo set of the Blueprint S and T irons, an approach we planned for by matching the standard lofts of each set, allowing golfers to blend their preferred models within our precision-iron line. The tour adoption is growing almost daily as we begin the new tour season.”
Blueprint S Specifications
Available: 3-9, PW
Loft options: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec
Blueprint S stock shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (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), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 105 (R, S, X), Elevate MPH 95 (R, S), UST Recoil Dart 65 (A), 75 (R, S)*
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”)
RRP: €245 per club with stock steel shaft; €255 per club with stock graphite shaft
Leave a comment