New Ping Iron Spotted At The Open Championship
A new Ping Blueprint Forged S model was spotted on the range at Royal Liverpool, with it also seen in play at the Scottish Open last week
When it comes to the best golf irons, Ping produces some of the leading contenders with the brand offering an array of different irons to suit various abilities of player. It appears a new iron will be dropping soon after a Ping Blueprint Forged S iron was seen making an appearance at The Open Championship.
Reportedly, the Ping Blueprint Forged S was actually put in play at some point by Ping staffers, Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland, at last week's Genesis Scottish Open, with both men firing Top-25 finishes in the process. SMS on Tour posted a video of the new model on its Instagram channel, which you can see below.
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A photo posted by on
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Currently in the Ping iron range, the Blueprint iron has been with us since 2019, with the very short blade length, thin topline and narrow sole meaning it is designed for the most precise ball strikers.
Compared to the original Blueprint, the Blueprint Forged S is noticeably different aesthetically and appears to slot somewhere inbetween the muscleback Blueprint and the cavity back Ping i230 iron, which Tyrrell Hatton has also had in the bag recently.
Noticeable differences based on the video between the Blueprint Forged S and the original Blueprint are the thicker topline on the Forged S, as well as there being slightly more cavity on the back of the iron. One similarity that has carried over is the weight screw in the toe of the iron, which is present throughout the set and also features on the i525 and i59 irons. On the Blueprint Forged S, this may well be a tungsten screw to help maximise ball speed and forgiveness. More details will come and be sure to look out for our review as soon as we can get our hands on it.
Currently, there hasn't been any further information released about the Blueprint Forged S, or what iron it might replace in the range but, given that they are being put in play on Tour, we could expect them to arrive to market sooner rather than later.
Also, it's worth noting that at The 150th Open Championship we saw the i230s introduced to the bag of Ping's Tour players. That event was in July and, three months later in October, they were launched to the public.
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Heard rumblings @PingTour had a new prototype in play this week. Now we get our first glimpse. Tyrrell Hatton (notice the 6 and 8 irons) is playing a half set and Viktor Hovland is using a few of them as well. pic.twitter.com/whlC5fRswMJuly 14, 2023
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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