PING S55

Brand: PING
Player iron: S55
RRP: £799
Loft: 30-degree Lie: 60.75-degree Length: 37.25”
Shaft: CFS Grip: 360 ID8

Summary: The S55 is the iron favoured by two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson. The 17-4 stainless steel head features tungsten toe weighting for increasing the MOI, and a vertical stabilizing bar for distance control. The custom tuning port is larger and sits lower in the back cavity, which positions the CG lower and deeper to promote higher launch with improved energy transfer.

Looks: Even sexier than the i25 and arguably the best looking iron PING has ever designed. The head appears a little smaller than the previous PING S56 but not so small that it scares you. It has a sleek, minimalistic cavity back design, toe weighting, stability bar through the middle and neat S55 logo to the top corner. We're big fans of the brushed, satin-chrome finish. PING hasn't gone crazy or anything by splashing colours all over the place, it's just adopted a very simple, stylistic design. Thin topline will likely appeal more to the lower handicap players than the i25. 4.5 (out of 5)

Feel: The biggest difference to the S56, however, is the new Custom Turning Port - or CTP as PING calls it - that has been positioned right behind the impact area of the clubhead. It's larger and made of a new thermoplastic elastomer material that better absorbs vibration at impact. We found the improved CTP was helping to soften the feel. Doesn't sound as crisp as some others in this test. Face didn't feel as stable as some. 8 (out of 10)

Performance: An element of forgiveness but not a touch on the forgiveness you get with the i25s. Lots of workability and so we feel these are for the highly skilled players or those with multiple major titles like Bubba. You will more than likely be reloading if you don't catch it out the middle. Good distance control, as you'd expect from a PING iron. Slightly longer than i25s but nothing too noticeable. Dispersion proved less strong than the i25s. A club for the artists. 8.5 (out of 10)

Full review: PING S55 iron

Verdict: Plays like a full blade. When catching shots out middle, it's heaven. Lovely, high launch, great workability on offer and decent distance with a little more gas than the i25s. Expensive when you consider they're not forged but they're more than soft enough and we certainly couldn't put you off. 21 (out of 25)

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