Equipment
Ping GMax irons: What you need to know
Ping’s GMax irons ($121.25 per club with steel, $136.25 per club with graphite) have a dark satin finish, and are available in 4-9, PW, UW, SW. Default color code is yellow. Stock swing weight is C6-D2.
- Ping’s Stock Shafts: CFS Distance Steel (Soft R, R, S, X), CFS Graphite (65 Soft R, 70 Regular, 80 Stiff)
- No Upcharge Custom Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), True Temper Project X (5.0, 6.0), True Temper XP 95 (R, S), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 105 (S, X)
What you need to know
- Ping’s GMax irons are larger than the company’s previous G-Series irons, the G30, and are the longest and most-forgiving game-improvement irons currently offered by the company. The G30’s made our Gear Trials: Best Game-Improvement Irons list in 2014 and 2015.
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- Sole Width: Ping’s GMax (right) is significantly wider than the company’s i irons.
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- The GMax irons (left) have larger blade lengths, thicker toplines and wider soles than the company’s i irons.
- GMax are the first Ping irons to be designed with “fast faces.” The 4-8 irons use COR-Eye technology that allows their club faces to flex at impact for more distance. The construction, which uses 17-4 stainless steel bodies and heat-treated Hyper 17-4 alloy faces, creates approximately 1-3 mph more ball speed across the face, according to Ping.
COR-Eye technology allows the sole and top rail of the GMax irons (4-8) to flex more at impact for increased ball speed, creating more distance.
- Like Ping’s new i irons, the GMax irons have a revamped Custom Tuning Port (CTP). It connects low and deep on the sole, improving forgiving and raising launch. According to Ping, the GMax irons are more forgiving and fly slightly farther than the company’s Karsten irons. Their blade lengths are also approximately 1 percent longer than the Karsten irons and 2 percent longer than the G30 irons.
The GMax’s CTP sits low and deep in the club head to improve moment of inertia (MOI), a measure of a club’s forgiveness. An elastomer weight inside the CTP improves feel.
- Like Ping’s Karsten irons, the GMax irons have progressive lengths and lofts that are designed to create high trajectories and consistent yardage gaps throughout the set.
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- Sole Width: Ping’s GMax (right) is significantly wider than the company’s i irons.
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- The GMax irons (right) have larger blade lengths, thicker toplines and wider soles than the company’s i irons.
- The GMax irons have swing weights that get progressively lighter as the clubs get longer to help golfers swing the clubs faster and square the face more easily at impact. See the specs below.
GMax Iron Specs
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- Sole Width: Ping’s GMax (left) is significantly wider than the company’s i irons.
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- The GMax irons (left) have larger blade lengths, thicker toplines and wider soles than the company’s i irons.
[wrx_retail_links productid=”32″]
Related
Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.
The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.
At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.
The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.
“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley
In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.
To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.
“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod
An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.
Pricing & Availability
The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.
In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:
“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.
My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
- MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
- dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”
Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.
From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Ted
Feb 2, 2016 at 2:06 pm
Ping does not make junk…never have and never will. They have research backed reasoning for everything they produce. If you haven’t played them, any criticisms ring hollow to this 6hdcper who absolutely loves them. Cheers!
Rick
Dec 8, 2015 at 5:10 pm
I’ll add one thing…….We had 4 guys hitting these irons on a range with several other brands.
We never compared notes….just waited to hear everyone’s choices in order of preference.
From me (61 and a 9 hdcp) to a strong 30 yr old guy who plays to about a 12 and hits it a mile, as well as a 50 yr old golf nut who plays to around a 12….and finally a 30 yr old relative beginner, who’s improving daily but still a high handicapper. We ALL loved this club.
EVERY one of us simply chose these irons over every other stick we tried that day including Titleist (which I thought I’d love), Calloway, and TaylorMade.
Rick
Dec 4, 2015 at 12:28 pm
I hit these the other day and they are terrific. I am 61 but play to a 9 hdcp and DISTANCE has never been an issue for me…even at my age.. Still hit an 8 iron 160. I currently play G15’s
But these stix were as forgiving as I could ever hope for. They provided great feedback, and mis-hits were still salvageable. Are they going to please the college tourney player, or 3-4 handicapper ??….probably not. Will they make the game more FUN for us recreational golfers ?….WOW, yes. They’ll be in my bag soon.
KK
Jul 18, 2015 at 8:21 am
The swing weight is progressive, more like MOI-matched clubs. I like it. It seems to be better for the vast majority of golfers compared with constant swing weighting.
MARK D.
Jul 17, 2015 at 10:27 pm
Maybe these are not supposed to be G30 replacement irons but K15 – Karsten replacement irons and as such are not GI but SGI.
Patrick
Jul 17, 2015 at 10:30 am
People. Please please. I beg you. Stop speaking on engineering if you have no idea about engineering. In sum, there is a difference between dynamic loft and static loft. Club length doesn’t just affect club speed. It also changes things like dynamic loft, max height, and ball speed. You can’t just look at lofts and know exactly what the gapping will look like on the course for your average golfer. Also, variable swing weights can change squaring power by making the MOI of each golf club more consistent. PING tests things years longer than any other manufacturer and all of this is solid science.
Mark
Jul 17, 2015 at 3:57 pm
Patrick, so if I read in to your post correctly, if the Ping nFlight says that I need a certain length and flex to my irons, it means that I really should follow it as all of their science is reflected in their results. I’m not try to be a smart alec here, just want to make sure I understand you correctly.
MHendon
Jul 17, 2015 at 12:14 am
A lot of complaining about the gaping on these clubs but lets keep in mind who they’re designed for gentlemen. High handicappers, generally speaking they don’t swing as fast so a 5 degree gap my actually give them better gaping between their clubs.
Joke
Jul 16, 2015 at 1:51 am
The gaps go from 3 to wait for it…. 4.5 degrees all of a sudden from 7 to 8. Whaaaaat? Who came up with that bright idea? Only because they had to?? And what’s with the swing weight? Oh my deary me. Don’t swing the club, folks, is what Ping is telling you – just flick at it with your amateur, stiff bodies and keep the arms in front. But hey it’s G MAX! Like CGB MAX by Taylormade! Just copy and paste it all into the computer and don’t do any designing at all. Bleh.
joke is on you
Aug 28, 2015 at 2:05 am
It’s always amusing to see ppl on the internet knock something they never tried AND because they didn’t even read, or do some basic math in this case. There’s actually a loft gap of 3.5 between the 3 and 4.5 gaps. Considering it goes from a de facto 3-iron to the wedges while eliminating 1 club (that 90% of golfers and 100% of the Gmax’s target audience wouldn’t notice or miss), the lofts are very well thought-out. As for swingweight, they’re more like MOI-matched. There’s no right answer on that.
Rick
Dec 27, 2015 at 1:35 am
I’d check the lofts agin my friend. You are way off.
Here are GMax lofts:
4- 21deg
5-24
6-27
7-30.5
8-35
9-40
PW-45
U-50.5
Golfraven
Jul 15, 2015 at 5:04 pm
This concept reminds me of the Adams XTD Irons that were released not long time ago. Obvious market are high handicapers – folks that play the G-series at the moment. Now borh the i and Gmax modes don’t jump on me. looking at the new Mizuno irons and those are just in another league.
Plinko
Jul 15, 2015 at 4:58 pm
Lets just steal it from Taylormade this year. Why not! Inverted cone! What a laugh Pling is
Nick
Jul 15, 2015 at 12:44 pm
I’m a big PING fan. I love the clubs they make, but this club will obviously not appeal to many players out there and certainly won’t be for me….I wonder if the PING engineers enjoying designing a club like this when they’re obviously just trying to win business from Callaway and TaylorMade. There’s no way they’re thinking “Yes, this is a great club that’s really going to help people play their best golf possible”. A lot of negative comments will be made on the low lofts and long shafts, but if that’s what a large number of people are buying then PING would be silly not to at least have one offering in that category.
Ping Lover
Jul 15, 2015 at 11:47 am
I love Ping, but seriously? A 30 degree 7 iron? And 5 degree gaps all through the top end of the set where what you really want is smaller distance gaps between clubs? This is as bad as Taylor Made…
I will stick with my 9yr old set of i5’s – proper lofts, great forgiveness, still in amazing condition – and put the money in my pension pot where it belongs, not in some corporation’s pocket.
Matt
Jul 15, 2015 at 2:38 pm
I still play Ping i5’s too, they are probably some of the finest clubs Ping has ever produced (they are also the last irons Ping actually manufactured in the USA). Clean appearance and superior performance, with great workability and forgiveness.
I really like Ping’s products and the company in general, but I totally agree. Take a lesson and turn that weak fade into a draw. Then you won’t need to buy clubs that are ridiculously overpriced (considering what the used market currently bears) and with outrageously strengthened lofts.
I carry my i5 8-iron 150-155. I have no interest in hitting it any further than than that. As it is I carry 3 wedges in addition to my PW. Really against the arms race that is continuing to occur in this industry. I don’t want to carry any more wedges.
Cliff
Jul 17, 2015 at 10:03 am
So when you carry your 8i 130 and your 9i 125 what are you going to do? These clubs are designed to give slow swing speed players the proper gaps between clubs. What’s so hard to understand about it.
Philip
Jul 18, 2015 at 8:42 pm
Think about it – if the larger gaps are truly to help slower swing speeds and not because of the foolish my #7 club is longer than your #7 (only because I increased my lofts and club lengths) then why hasn’t this been a standard for GI and SGI clubs for decades? Why is it only recently that they are even keeping a straight face when calling a 39 inch long 21 degree club a 4 iron that the gaps are increasing for the higher lofted clubs. I don’t deny that in certain cases the extra gaps can help, but if that was truly their logic than they would have also removed a couple of clubs from the set and have 6-7 degrees gaps at the lower end too. Fact is, they need the larger gaps to prevent eventually having 5-6 wedges in a set and having a 39 inch 21 degree 6 iron within the next few years. The entire industry has gotten themselves into pickle – will be interesting.
JH
Jul 15, 2015 at 10:21 pm
5 degree gaps all through the top end of the set? What are you smoking brah?
Rick
Dec 27, 2015 at 1:32 am
The G15’s have 32 degrees. I’ll bet you cannot tell the difference in 2 degrees (unless you are a scratch or better player). If you ARE that scratch player, why are you even concerned about these stix ?? They are not for you.