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
In a golf world where players are looking to eke out every yard possible, usually by lengthening their drivers to add clubhead speed, there’s one player at the PGA Championship who’s going in the opposite direction. In fact, for Rickie Fowler, his goal off the tee is not about gaining extra distance or yards north to south, but rather about shrinking the misses from east to west.
Ahead of the PGA Championship and the week prior at the Truist Championship. Fowler mentioned to Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin that the driver didn’t quite swing feel the same as everything in the bag. As a result, and with Schomin’s suggestion to try and sync everything up with the big stick, Fowler decided to test out a shorter length shaft.
“He’s been at 45 (inches), and he’d been at 45 for a few weeks, 44 1/8 (inches) is really is where he is been living really for the most part, for the last couple of years, and is where he is been comfortable,” Schomin told GolfWRX. “It just felt like it was a little long and loose on him.”
Interestingly, Fowler ranks 40th in Driving Accuracy this year on the PGA Tour. It’s his most accurate season with the driver since the start of the decade. But sometimes for players, feel is more important than statistics.
“It was really more of a trying to get the swing to feel the fluidness from club to club to club to try to get it to feel the same,” Schomin added. “And so we took it down to 43 and a quarter, and it was a touch of a ball speed loss, just based on that overall club head speed. But honestly, he squared it up probably a little better. The right miss wasn’t nearly as far. So really, overall down-range dispersion tightened up a fair amount, and he felt confident in swinging it.”
The change in length had Fowler’s caddie, Ricky Romano, beaming at how well he had driven during Tuesday’s practice round at Aronimink. So much so, he was asking Schomin not to suggest changes anymore.
Fowler’s shaft-shortening is one of a few driver adjustments he’s made this season, and to Schomin’s credit, it’s thanks to the fact that he and the rest of the Cobra team had Fowler fit very well into three of the four heads in the Cobra OPTM lineup.
“He had three distinct drivers and the biggest decision was trying to decide which worked best at that time,” Schomin told GolfWRX previously. “He’s played the majority of the season with OPTM X, but has also played a couple of tournaments with OPTM LS. His overall driving stats have been good.”
At the RBC Heritage earlier this spring, Fowler switched drivers, changing from his Cobra OPTM X and into the Tour, low-loft Max K model that Gary Woodland used to win just a few weeks prior.
Now for the PGA Championship, Fowler’s back in the X head, but still using the UST Mamiya LIN-Q PowerCore White 6TX shaft, just a little bit shorter.
“Will he stay there? I’m not sure,” Schomin added. “Could we end up say at like 43 and 7.5 (of an inch). If it’s giving him the same feel of consistency through the bag, then I think we might end up just a touch longer. But if he likes where he is at, he’s confident where he is at, that’s really all that matters.”
If there’s more testing, though, just don’t tell his caddie.
What you need to know: As is customary for the Fairhaven-based company, Titleist officially announced today that its GTS drivers are headed to retail, following a successful tour release. The GTS2, GTS3, and GTS4 drivers will be available in golf shops June 11.
Since debuting at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, the new GTS lineup has quickly gained traction on the PGA Tour, with more than 50 players already making the switch to a GTS2, GTS3, or GTS4 driver. Among them are Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
Justin Thomas’ Titleist GTS2 driver (Greg Moore, GolfWRX)
According to Titleist, the GTS series builds upon the performance foundation established by the GT Series, while introducing several major technological advancements, including a new Split Mass Frame construction, refined aerodynamics, and an updated Speed Sync face design.
2026 Titleist GTS drivers: What’s new, key technology
Split Mass Frame and thermoform body
At the center of the new GTS lineup is a redesigned internal structure: the Split Mass Frame. This technology works with a full-thermoform body made from Titleist’s Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP), a lightweight composite that enables engineers to reposition mass more efficiently throughout the head. Compared to the previous GT generation, GTS drivers feature nearly double the PMP material, increasing from 13 grams to 26 grams, while maintaining the sound and feel preferred by better players.
The weight savings from the thermoform construction allowed Titleist engineers to strategically separate mass placement inside the head. Specifically, more weight is pushed rearward to improve stability and forgiveness, while additional mass is positioned low and forward to optimize speed, launch, and spin.
In short, golfers are able to maintain ball speed and consistency across both centered and off-center strikes.
Faster aerodynamics
Titleist also refined the aerodynamic shaping of the GTS heads to help players generate more clubhead speed.
The tails of the new GTS2 and GTS3 heads have been raised compared to previous models, helping airflow stay attached to the crown and sole longer during the swing. According to Titleist, the improved airflow reduces drag and increases speed without affecting launch conditions or center of gravity placement.
Typically, aerodynamic gains can compromise forgiveness or launch characteristics, but the weight savings from the Split Mass Frame allowed engineers to preserve preferred CG locations.
New Speed Sync face
The new Speed Sync Face design is engineered to improve ball speed retention across a larger portion of the face. A reinforced perimeter structure helps maximize face deflection and COR on centered strikes, while the upper portion of the support ring is opened up to increase speed on high-face impacts, a common strike location for many golfers. The face also features a variable thickness design to preserve speed and performance across a wider impact area.
Expanded adjustability
Each GTS model includes a dual-weighting system to fine-tune launch, spin, and shot shape more precisely than previous generations. GTS2 uses interchangeable forward and aft weights, while GTS3 and GTS4 combine a rear weight with an adjustable forward track weight system.
Tour-inspired face graphics
The new lineup features redesigned high-contrast face graphics to improve alignment and framing at address, according to Titleist. Sharp visual lines are designed to make it easier to center the golf ball and to perceive loft more easily at setup.
Additional model details
GTS2
- The GTS2 is the most forgiving model, designed for golfers seeking maximum stability and consistent speed across the face.
- It produces high launch with mid spin and features a larger, confidence-inspiring profile behind the ball.
- Standard weighting includes an 11-gram forward weight and a 5-gram rear weight, with additional fitting configurations available.
GTS3
- The GTS3 is aimed at players who want more control over launch, spin, and shot shaping.
- Compared to GTS2, the GTS3 offers lower launch and spin while featuring a more compact profile and deeper face design preferred by many stronger players.
- The head features an adjustable forward-track weight system to further fine-tune center of gravity placement.
GTS4
- The lowest-spinning option in the lineup, GTS4 is built for golfers looking to reduce excessive spin and maximize total distance.
- Unlike previous “4” models from Titleist, the new GTS4 features a full 460cc profile that improves forgiveness and stability while retaining its low-spin DNA.
- Like GTS3, it includes a forward track weighting system for precise fitting adjustments.
What Titleist says
“When we talk about driver design, it’s never about the one feature or benefit — it’s about all of them,” said Stephanie Luttrell, Titleist’s Senior Director of Metalwood R&D. “Ball speed, forgiveness, spin stability, adjustability, exceptional sound and feel… these are all attributes that golfers care about. It’s our job to design a lineup that elevates performance across the board without sacrificing in key areas, and we feel we’ve done that with GTS.”
“We know that forward CGs drive speed with great launch and spin characteristics, but you need to be able to do that with an inertial stability that still preserves ball speed, launch and spin consistency on off-center hits,” Luttrell said. “We’ve never before been able to hit these CG positions and inertia properties at the same time, and we’re achieving that because of GTS’ construction.”
Club Junkie’s take
I feel like every time there is a new Titleist wood release, I figure they can’t outdo their previous driver. And every year, I am wrong and impressed with the performance. The GTS fits right into that narrative again, as I didn’t know where Titleist could go from GT, but they pushed the limits again, and my fitting proved the smart people there found ways to improve.
My past four Titleist drivers have been a 2 series as my swing typically requires a little height, spin, and forgiveness so I figured I would just get a new GTS2 and be on my way. During the fitting, I was impressed by the new GTS construction, its added PMP material, and the advanced adjustability on each model. My fitter, Joey, got to work putting together a GTS2 and we started there. The launch and spin were great, and the consistency on misses was very tight. My average ball speed with the GTS went up a little bit as the new Speed Sync face creates more speed away from the center.
Joey then built up a GTS3 in 11 degrees, but I figured this wouldn’t have the stability I needed for tight dispersion on my miss hits. That thought was quickly erased after a few shots, and I really liked the more center start line and reduced draw on the misses I was seeing. We tried a few different settings and shafts to dial in the details in order to get the best fit. Having a forward and rear weight in the head allowed Joey to set up the GTS3 with a heavier rear weight to keep the launch and spin up, while the Sure Fit hosel set flat created a more center start line for me. My misses were not nearly as far left, and I was really impressed with the consistency on the spin and launch when I didn’t hit it in the center.
Titleist again created a wood line in GTS that delivers improvements over previous drivers while keeping the traditional look and feel you expect. More adjustability, better off-center speed, and 3 drivers that are playable over a wider range of players should make these extremely successful in fittings.
Pricing, specs, availability
GTS2 lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11 degrees (RH/LH)
GTS3 lofts: 8, 9, 10, 11 degrees (RH/LH)
GTS4 lofts: 8, 9, 10 (RH/LH)
Featured shafts
- Project X Titan Black
- Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White
- Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Blue
- Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Red
Premium shafts
- Graphite Design Tour AD DI
- Graphite Design Tour AD VF
- Graphite Design Tour AD FI
Available for fittings and pre-sale now.
In golf shops worldwide beginning June 11.
Price: $699 (standard), $899 (premium)
Titleist has today introduced its new GTS2 and GTS3 fairways.
Lower and deeper center of gravity (CG) positions, new adjustable heel-toe weights and advanced clubface innovations drive total performance in the two tour-proven models.
- Tour-inspired polished clubfaces: To help players see more of the clubface at address.
GTS2 Fairway
The new GTS2 fairway is designed with a shallower face and a larger profile than GTS3, ideal for players with more sweeping deliveries with their fairway metals.
GTS2’s new face height, inspired by tour feedback, was designed shallower than the prior generation GT2 model and more in line with the GT1 fairway. Each loft in GTS2 leverages a shallower profile except for the 13.5-degree, which maintains a slightly taller face.
With its new dual-weighting system, the ‘2’ model now has heel-toe CG adjustability.
Lofts: 13.5, 15.0, 16.5, 18.0, 21.0
Dual-weight system: 11-gram weight in heel, 5-gram weight in toe (standard)
GTS3 Fairway
The new GTS3 fairway is designed with a deeper face and a more compact profile, ideal for players who hit down on the golf ball more with their fairway metals.
New to the GTS3 family is a 21-degree offering, giving players two distinct profiles in Titleist’s 7-wood loft.
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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….