i20

I’ve made no secret that golf clubs don’t really turn me on the way they do many of my peers.

But I’m like it with everything. Cars? Just give me something that gets from A to B without needing to remortgage my home with each journey. Golf clubs? Something that gets me in the general area of the green, please.

My first lusting for a golf club was with yesteryear’s Cobra S3 irons - easily the best-looking clubs on the market.

But now a new range is here to take that crown. When the pictures of the PING i20 family first pinged (oh yes) into my inbox, I was impressed by the sleek golf club filling my screen.

But getting the real thing in my hands brought a whole new level of lust. Wonderfully crafted and stylish; a beautiful feat of engineering.

When I tweeted to say I was off out to hit the i20s, Joe Whitley from the excellent National Club Golfer magazine replied. “Rich struggled with them. Good luck!”

For those who don’t know Rich, he is NCG’s commercial manager and a one-handicapper widely respected in the industry for his impossibly consistent iron game.

Gulp.

And as I stood on the range, the words “Good luck! Good luck! Good luck!” echoed through my mind like a troubled protagonist from a cheesy psychological thriller.

I don’t know why I was worrying. I’d hit the i20 several (hundred) times at my fitting at PING HQ. And I felt much more at ease once I was standing over the ball.

PING has kept it very classic with the i20. The clubface profile is exactly what you’d expect, with the sleek design of the S56 coupled with the forgiving look of the K family. And these aspects mean that the i20 iron suits my eyeline perfectly.

Performance-wise, the i20s don’t disappoint. The soft-yet-solid feel is consistent and rewarding.

Would I have stood over this club as confidently when I was a higher handicap golfer? Probably not. While certainly more forgiving than clubs aimed at very low handicappers, they’re not so forgiving that you feel like you’re addressing the ball with a shovel.

As always, you’re guaranteed wonderful customer service with PING. My fitter, Paul Rymer, was attentive to my needs and spoke in-depth and passionately about which clubs would best suit my game.

And it doesn’t end there. Fast forward a few days and the clubs were on my doorstep, delicately packaged and accompanied with a hand-written tag to ensure each club had been hand-fitted and specifications for my needs.

Nice, simple touches like this go a long, long way.

Verdict

I’m usually quite picky with irons and, like many golfers, get frustrated with new clubs that I’m not used to.

But this was not the case when I took the i20s out for a spin. Instantly likeable and a joy to play with. I felt like I’d been playing with them for years.

(It’s also worth noting I’ve since played five more rounds with them and still feel the same.)

This iron will compete with the best cavity backs on the market. Go on, give them a swing. I challenge you not to like them.

No wonder Lee Westwood has finally switched to the i20s.