Equipment
Spotted: In-hand photos of the new Ping i500 irons
First, we spotted Tony Finau testing out an unidentified Ping utility iron that was rumored to be the new i500 by GolfWRX Forum members. Then, we learned that Ping’s Director of Product Design Marty Jertson used “Ping i500” long irons to qualify for the 2018 PGA Championship.
Now, we have in-hand photos of the Ping i500 irons in our forums. It’s now clear that this will be a full set of clubs, not just utility irons. It also appears, judging by the screw in the toe of all the irons pictured, that the irons will have a hollow-bodied construction throughout the set.
Check out photos of the 7 iron below, and check out photos of all the irons we photographed in the forum thread.
Ping i500 7-iron
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
rex235
Aug 9, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Let us know if and when a LH i500 model shows up…
Mike
Jul 28, 2018 at 9:18 am
Don’t understand the Ping strategy. G400, G700, I500, I210, I700, etc. And the prices are sky-high, ESPECIALLY re the G700. As a mid-handicapper, am I really going to spend $1,200 for a set of irons? What will these do that the previous G-Max irons can’t do (& they can now be had for half the cost).
Mat
Aug 9, 2018 at 5:42 pm
You think $1200 is a lot for irons? And why not wait so you can have these for ‘half the cost’?
If you hit the G700 and the i500, you’ll know immediately that they are very, very different clubs.
mizuno29
Jul 14, 2018 at 11:18 am
Remember the Anser irons? They were 8620, the body of this iron is 17-4, the face is 8620. I’ve hit this club, got a set on order, they are $162.50 per with the graphite Recoil shaft, they have all the same playing characteristics that the G 700’s have without all that offset, but you can control the trajectories with these and the 700’s you couldn’t. Hollow club design is the future of irons, makes the face hotter, launches higher, and produce very little spin. Great job Ping!
Mmmmooooo
Jul 13, 2018 at 1:50 am
Hit it. Feels and sounds terrible. Very hollow and cracked sounding. Need foam in it lmao
David
Aug 7, 2018 at 5:50 pm
Came to the exact opposite conclusion. Love the feel and sound.
jc
Jul 2, 2018 at 4:28 pm
one thing for sure…they will be longer, higher, straighter and more accurate..might as well throw your old stuff out or donate to kids.
Mike
Jul 13, 2018 at 8:17 am
And they’ll probably be on about $160+ a club. (refer to G700)
Austin
Jul 1, 2018 at 12:57 am
It is a hollow body full set. Also coming out with new i210s that look and feel good
george
Jul 1, 2018 at 10:46 pm
…. look and feel good when you grab the club in your hand and rub it down….
Captain Obvious
Jun 30, 2018 at 12:13 pm
Clearly says forged for people who comment without actually looking at the pictures…. ????
Caroline
Jun 29, 2018 at 11:21 pm
Any one else find the lie angle on Pings getting changed after a few rounds on these hard summer fairways? I guess the notch in the hosel makes them easier to bend?…I had my short iron lies corrected a month ago and today I had them checked and two of them were off enough to be reset again???
dilly dilly
Jun 30, 2018 at 1:15 am
Most Pings are cast and don’t bend at all.
Tom
Jul 1, 2018 at 12:27 pm
cast stainless is difficult to adjust. Ping knew this and addressed this with the hosel notch.
Steve Buchanan
Jul 9, 2018 at 11:54 am
Of course they bend. Even the old Ping Eye 2 Irons were bendable. They did it at the factory as one of the last steps. That is how they adjusted to the correct lie. They didn’t have different castings for the different lies. The irons were pounded by a mallet into the correct lie and then the dot was painted to show which lie it was as the last step.
Swing Dr
Jul 1, 2018 at 7:11 am
Impossible. The guy checking them probably doesn’t have his machine calibrated correctly. Send them back to Ping for loft/ lie and put your mind at ease.
calc
Jun 29, 2018 at 7:21 pm
Drink GOLFERAID …. there’s a swing in every can …. 😮
ogo
Jun 30, 2018 at 3:08 pm
LOL 😀
Tom
Jun 29, 2018 at 6:58 pm
That iron has 7 less screws in the head than PXG…..lol!
Tom
Jun 29, 2018 at 5:46 pm
PING clubs are the most copied of all time and have brought the most innovations to the industryratepayers by far. They are engineers, it’s the others who copy.
i500 is a beauty to behold.
Jeffrey Anderson
Jun 29, 2018 at 10:54 pm
Stan Thompson had ‘‘tthis design in the 60’s -70’s
Less the hotel ….
Great looking iron
Milo
Jun 29, 2018 at 3:11 pm
Doesn’t look to bad honestly.
Marklar
Jul 12, 2018 at 2:50 am
*too
HDTVMAN
Jun 29, 2018 at 3:07 pm
These are hollow and not “gel” filled. I have the G700’s and the ball “flies long and high” off the face. The i500 is designed for the low-digit handicap player. The new designs are great looking and perform beautifully, construction is based on Ping driver, fairway, and hybrid construction.
calc
Jun 29, 2018 at 7:12 pm
So the toe port is for variable weighting and the rest of the head is solid? Okay, I suppose that’s better than lead tape but why only the toe?
Swing Dr
Jun 29, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Good question. There is a matching screw hidden in the hosel for heel-toe balance.
Travis
Jun 30, 2018 at 10:18 am
If they can drill out a section and put heavier weight in the toe it will move COG more towards the middle of the face instead of being heel biased.
Noa Idea
Jul 4, 2018 at 9:34 pm
the g700’s have a lot of good points, but they are way too loud at impact. Hope the i500’s have sorted that issue.
MuskieCy
Jun 29, 2018 at 2:15 pm
They are all copying the Adams XTD forged irons from 2014.
Forged face, hollow urethane-filled bodies.
Wiger Toods
Jun 30, 2018 at 3:34 am
Not even close. Cavity is much bigger in the 500.
calc
Jun 29, 2018 at 1:51 pm
Looking at the i500 toe, is that a weight port or is it a jello-elastomer port… like TM and PXG ??!!!
DougWilsonsSlapper
Jun 29, 2018 at 11:45 am
Countdown to “their copying TM who’s copying PXG” and “these aren’t forged” and “Ping are ugly” and “thick topline” in 3…2…1…
JJD
Jun 29, 2018 at 1:13 pm
Yeah but, I don’t think these are forged. And, everyone knows they are just copies of TM and as you know, they copy PXG. But we all know PXG copies Tommy Armour.
Marooned
Jun 29, 2018 at 2:35 pm
No. PXG copied TaylorMade. In the year 1993 TM put foam in the Burner midsize irons. In 1993 PXG did not even exist.
That’s why PXG lawsuit never go anywhere, seemed just like a poor PR stunt from PXG to be honest since it’s pretty easy to look it up beforehand…
Tim Armington
Jun 29, 2018 at 11:30 am
Really like it!!! What is the difference between the i500 and the i210?
calc
Jun 29, 2018 at 1:45 pm
That’s easy….. i500 minus i210 = i290 …. 😮
Chuck Barkley
Jun 29, 2018 at 3:07 pm
One’s a race track in Indy, and the other is a freeway in Los Angeles!!! Hahahaha!!! Yuk yuk!! I should’a been a comedy guy.
Anthony Williams
Jul 3, 2018 at 12:40 am
lol
2putttom
Jun 29, 2018 at 10:57 am
I’ll give em’ try
calc
Jun 29, 2018 at 1:53 pm
… sure you will Karsten Jr. ….!!!!
2putttom
Jun 29, 2018 at 4:19 pm
calc ! ya bald headed wombat where ya been … are we still on for Monday?
The dude
Jun 29, 2018 at 10:50 am
They look great……but printing Forged on the back of the cast club is a bit misleading (I know….marketing has their hook for gullible wannabe players)
Brooky03
Jun 29, 2018 at 11:34 am
How do you know it’s not forged? You can forge multiple pieces of the club and weld them together. That’s still a forged club. It’s possible just the face is forged and the body of the clubs are cast, but you can’t know that from the pics.
calc
Jun 29, 2018 at 1:47 pm
Ping and other golf club companies who claim their clubs are “forged” are scamming gullible golfers… they’re more like “forgeries”… 😉
calc
Jun 29, 2018 at 1:50 pm
… not “forged”…. “forgeries” ….. 😮
Travis
Jun 30, 2018 at 10:20 am
Titleist AP2’s are only a forged face, they call them “forged”, nobody seems to complain about that….