Ping I15 Driver Review

The Ping i15 Driver is the first time Ping have introduced an i-range of drivers to appeal to the better players who may want something more than a driver from the G- range. The i15 driver has been developed with input from Ping's stable of professional golfers and their input has had a noticeable impact in a number of areas. The i15 driver has a more traditional rounded shape than the G15 and a much longer hosel. Compared to other drivers, the Ping i15's hosel is further away from the clubface and that this works with the internal weighting to provide a penetrating trajectory with less spin and a fade bias that better players require. The 460cc titanium head comes in a Tour inspired, eye-catching black finish and the Titanium-CarbonPVD coating and the understated graphics have been specifically designed to ensure that the head does not appear too large at address. The more rounded head of the Ping i15 driver has a tighter bulge and roll design in the crown that enables weight to be moved from the perimeter of the face to provide the optimum centre of gravity for perfect launch conditions. The Ping i15 is available with TFC 700D and UST AXIVcore Tour Red 69 Shaft.

i15 Driver
The fade-biased design of i15 Driver meets the needs of golfers who place a high priority on working their tee shots. The traditional pear-shaped 460cc titanium head is engineered with a bulge crown design and deeper face to optimize energy transfer for greater ball speed and the solid feel preferred by better golfers. Internal weighting reduces spin and the hosel is positioned slightly back from the face to help promote tour-preferred trajectories and control. Its titanium carbon finish provides a sleek and optically pleasing appearance.

Features:

Traditional pear-shape driver engineered for workability and distance 460cc driver w/Titanium Carbon Finish Bulge crown design interacts with face to increase ball speed and produce a solid feel and sound Internal weighting and hosel position produce a fade-biased design that promotes less spin and a more penetrating trajectory A tighter bulge and roll saves weight which is re-positioned to optimize the center of gravity and increase ball speed

Specifications:

Loft Length Offset Lie Head Weight Swing Weight 9.5° 45.75" 0.0" 58.0° 199g D3 11.0° 45.75" 0.0" 58.0° 199g D3

Shaft Specifications:

Look and Feel
The i15 driver has a very traditional pear shaped 460cc body made of Titanium that features a fade-biased design, that has internal weighting and hosel position farther away from the face of the club for workability, better flight trajectory, and less spin. The crown of the i15 features a prominent alignment stripe and what Ping calls a Bulge Crown Design, meaning that the crown is very high and round like a dome. The bulge crown design is meant to help with better crown and face interaction that lead to higher ball speeds. The titanium carbon finish and burgundy accents on the sole of the i15 make the club look very stealthy and svelte. The 199g head weight and 45.75″ 60g Ping TFC 700D Graphite shaft make the i15 driver very lightweight and easy to swing. The i15 has a really nice traditional setup that any golfer would appreciate and feel very confident on the tee with this driver.

Performance
The Ping i15 driver is designed for the golfer who wants to shape their shots off the tee and want a medium-high trajectory ball flight. Shaping your shots can be a little tricky with the i15, since the face has a fade-biased designed. Hitting a fade or straight shot couldn't be easier with the i15, thanks in part to the hosel positioned farther from the face of the club. To hit a draw with the i15, I found it took a little more practice with closing the face of the driver more at impact than I'm used too. Once you figure this out, the i15 driver is very easy shape your shots.

The i15 doesn't use any perimeter weighting for reducing spin or high MOI, instead Ping uses internal weighting to reduce the amount of spin on your shots. What I noticed from playing the i15 is that my shots were very easy to control and produced the tour-preferred medium-high trajectory.

One thing I did notice the minute I started hitting the Ping i15 was how hot the ball was off the face of the club. The ball explodes off the deep face of the i15 driver which has been engineered to have a thin face for increased responsiveness and linger drives. By removing weight on the face of the i15 driver, Ping was able to create a driver that produces a lot of ball speed that will deliver longer drives of 4-5 yards or better on average in my tests with additional carry.

At the same time by removing the weight from the face of the driver, Ping was also able reposition the weight for an optimized center of gravity to produce that tour-preferred trajectory. The bulge crown design also helps with achieving faster balls speeds, by allowing for better crown and face interaction, and delivering that trademarked "ping" sound associated with Ping golf clubs.

The TFC 700D shaft by Ping is very lightweight weighing at 60g and provides the proper amount of torque and flex to produce the optimal ball flight and help you get that increased club head speed for maximum distance and control off the tee.

In terms of forgiveness, I found the i15 driver to do a good job on my off center hits. Is it the most forgiving driver on the market, no. But the caliber of golfer the i15 is designed for will be just fine. If you need a more forgiving driver, Ping has other models like the G15 or Rapture V2 that can help.

Overall, I was really impressed with the Ping i15 driver and how easy it is to produce medium-high trajectory drives that went long and straight. The i15 driver is a great club for a player who wants workability and distance off the tee.

Ping i15 Driver  $178.99