Whether you’re an aspiring competitive player or a weekend hacker, hitting the ball higher is usually something that will help you get your next shot closer to the hole. Ping’s latest irons accomplish that very task — but in two different ways.
The company has announced the addition of the i540 (player’s distance) and G740 (super game-improvement) irons to their lineup, two irons that help golfers in different ways: more speed for players’ distance golfers and ultra-forgiveness and launch for super-game-improvement players.
Ping i540
The i540 is the iron that has the look of that i240, that Blueprint-inspired shaping at address, but Ping has packed it with all the distance that game-improvement construction can give them. The design of the i540 relies on both the lightest material and the heaviest material you can put in a golf club…. air and tungsten. 
The iron retains the hollow-body design that players have come to know for the players’ distance category, but to help sound and feel, Ping utilised its InR-Air insert. The inflated air pocket insert was first used in the iDi driving iron last summer, and Ping prefers it over a foam or ceramic insert because of its weightlessness.
Air lets Ping engineers dampen vibrations without restricting the face bending designed into the club. It’s not there to help make the face thinner and it’s not there to change the bending. It’s there to dampen feel and sound.
The inR-Air insert frees up mass that is then reallocated low in the sole of the club, specifically in the 4-7 irons, which is done with tungsten weighting. Ping wanted the i540 to be a distance first iron, but with that came the need for height, because distance isn’t very useful if your ball is bounding through the green. By lowering the CG with tungsten, one of the densest materials used in a club, Ping can achieve higher peak apexes for increased stopping power.
The way you get more height in an iron, if you don’t want to change the loft, is to lower the CG, The lower you can go on the CG, the more efficient the impact is going to be. You get more ball speed and a higher launch angle, which drives peak height.
“The popularity of the Players Distance iron category continues to grow as more and more golfers are in search of faster speeds from an iron with a blade-style look,” said John K. Solheim, PING CEO & President. “There’s a lot of technology in
the i540 iron. “It’s a great fit for the golfer whose top priority is more distance. The i540 iron also has a level of forgiveness not typically found in distance irons. It looks great, feels great and more importantly, will lead to lower scores and more enjoyment on the course.”
The i540 is a player’s-distance iron with similar shaping and sizing to the i240, but with a hollow-bodied design, stronger lofts and ultra-low CG for increased launch and distance. It should suit players who want to prioritise speed and distance above all else with their irons, or golfers who would like to regain lost distance.
Ping G740
A lower CG was also a focus of the G740 to help players launch the ball in the air. Players using G740 usually need all the help they can get, so the iron is the lowest CG in the Ping lineup.
Instead of using tungsten, Ping engineers accomplished this through the iron’s shape by shortening the face height and dramatically widening the sole. While game-improvement irons typically have wider soles for extra forgiveness through the turf, Ping made the G740’s sole even wider to push more mass low.
Had Ping designed a traditional sole, it likely would have been too bulky for many players and gotten stuck in the turf. To combat this, Ping created a dual-camber where a large portion of the trail edge is angled away, reducing the effective sole width of the club. The Ping G740 is a super game-improvement iron with the longest blade length, the thickest topline, and the widest sole of any Ping iron for maximum forgiveness. It should suit players who need help launching the ball in the air or who miss all over the face.
“The fast ball speed really differentiates the G740 iron in the category and is one of the keys to its success,” Solheim said. “It launches high and gives golfers the distance and confidence they need to hit shorter irons into the green with a higher max height, so their shots stop closer to the hole. The G740 iron also provides a pleasing feel and sound.”
Both irons fill distinct roles in Ping’s iron lineup, which is now complete from the Blueprint T to the G740. No matter what type of player you are, Ping has a set of irons that will help your game. The i540 is for the more accomplished ball striker who wants to hit it farther; the G740 is for the beginner who needs to hit it farther.
Price, specs and availability
Ping’s new i540 and G740 irons are available for pre-order starting March 10 and will arrive at McGuirks Golf and Ping stockists nationwide on March 26.
Both irons are available in all three of Ping’s loft specs: Power, Standard and Retro.
i540
Power: (4i) 18, 21, 24, (7i) 27.5, 31.5, 36, (PW) 41, (UW) 46
Standard: (4i) 19, 22, 25.5, (7i) 29, 33, 37, (PW) 42, (UW) 47
Retro: (4i) 20, 24, 27.5, (7i) 31, 34.5, 38, (PW) 42.5, (UW) 47.5
G740
Power: (5i) 19.5, 23, (7i) 26.5, 30.5, 35, (PW) 40, (UW) 45, 50, 56
Standard: (5i) 21, 24.5, (7i) 28, 32, 36, (PW) 40, (UW) 45, 50, 56
Retro: (5i) 23, 26.5, (7i) 30, 33.5, 37, (PW) 40.5, (UW) 47.5, 50, 56
The i540 will come at an RRP of cost €240 per club with stock steel shaft; €250 per club with stock graphite shaft, while the G740 will have an RRP of €225 per club with stock steel shaft; €235 per club with stock graphite shaft
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