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GGN home page featureSometimes, one club leads to another. My excellent experience with the Ping i15 fairway wood led me to really want to see what the driver was all about. If my results were anywhere near as positive as the fairway wood, I knew it would be a winner. Surprisingly, the stock shaft of the fairway wood netted excellent flight height and spin. With that in mind, the obvious choice was to go with the same setup in the i15 driver. Armed with the TFC 700D shaft, and a 9.5 degree loft, it was off to the course I went.
I think the i15 is a tale of two drivers for me. My buddies got to witness my first round with it, and it wasn’t a pretty one; my worst round of the year, in fact. However, it wasn’t the club’s fault; it was the user, and my inexperience with the club. I am a notorious hooker of the ball when I miss. I fear the left. With this in mind, I usually aim right of my intended target, and let my draw move it in to my target. Try as I might, I was not hitting the ball toward my target, and was missing right of all things! I knew the i15 was billed as an “anti-left” driver for those that wish to work the ball. But never before do I think I’ve experienced a club this anti-left. I finally figured out how to aim it after my next round with it, and things improved drastically. That is not to say that everything is shooting out to the right now for me, but rather, the i15 is overall a very straight-hitting head that doesn’t want to go left very easily.
The alignment mark on the crown of the i15 driver really is useful this time. Basically, I point it at my target, swing, and it goes there. (I’m not dense, honestly! I really fear the left!) Previous versions of the Ping drivers, the alignment mark was getting fainter and fainter by design to be less noticeable, but even with my 20/20 vision, I couldn’t see it very well. The i15 also has a distinct scoreline pattern on the face that also aids in aiming, and really stands out against the black coloration of the face. My co-reviewer Ryan asked me, “Have you hit that thing left yet?” Sure enough, I had not. It was an issue of trust, and now that I trust the i15, it has proven to be accurate and workable.
The TFC 700 D shaft, again a proprietary design manufactured by UST Mamiya, is a shaft that has served me well, just like the fairway version has. It feels very stable, but has enough kick to it to feel lively and powerful. In the X flex, it has proven to play pretty stiff to flex, actually. I ordered the i15 at my customary 45 inches, and a D4 swingweight. Both of these specs were right on. The backweighted nature of this shaft may have made for the only downfall for me with the i15.
At D4, where I usually play my drivers, it feels quite heavy. I think they had to weight the head a fair amount to get it to the D4 swingweight due to said backweighting. I might suggest going a point lighter than your typical swingweight for this reason. I like a heavy club for feedback on where it is during the swing, and there’s no mistaking where the i15 is located at all times. With a more gradual tempo from the top, I found the most success with gradually building power down to the impact area. (Yeah, I know, that’s how you’re supposed to swing!) The slightly shorter than stock length (45 inches versus 45.75 inches) may have also made the TFC 700D play a little stiffer.
All in all, it has been a pretty agreeable shaft, and the paint scheme makes it look shorter than it is, which also adds to the confidence. I tried to get it out of my contact at Ping if they had incorporated the “Axivcore” material into the butt end of this shaft, but unfortunately he was mum on the subject saying it was “proprietary.” It behaves a lot like the UST Mamiya Attas that I’ve been trying lately in that the butt end feels really stable. For a stock shaft, it’s been performing well and seems of very good quality. Ping has long had some of the better stock shafts out there in my opinion.
Out on the course, the i15 driver has been long. I’ve not cracked any personal bests with it, but I have had a few in the 340 yard range. The flight has been quite penetrating and does not balloon. In the 9.5 degree loft, I’m able to launch the ball high enough without undo effort, while still keeping the downrange flight strong. Almost all of my drives have rolled out nicely, even in wet conditions and slightly shaggy fairways due to the rain we’ve had. 9.5 is my “typical” loft for a driver, and I was glad I went with the same in the i15. Given the roll out I’ve seen on the course, it appears to be a low-spin combination.
I had one small quibble with the i15 in that the stock grip is ribbed. That’s fine, but it always depends on how they are installed. Mine ended up with the head in a very closed position when gripped, and I knew it wouldn’t work. That was too bad, as it is a very nice grip that matches those of my i15 irons. The i15 series is billed more as the “players” line of clubs in the Ping lineup, and a round grip might suite that character a little better.
The included headcover protects the head very well with a long shaft sock. I’ve noticed on both the driver and fairway little fibers like whiskers fraying slightly on the edges. It also really retains water if you get rained on, so try to keep it dry if you can. But the black and red color combination looks pretty stealthy overall.
The Ping i15 driver elicits a meaty “crack” at impact. It’s a very reserved sound, but feels and sounds hotter than a composite head. You can feel the face “flex” slightly at impact it seems, and it never feels harsh like some faces can at impact. I imagine there is a fair amount of rat glue in mine for swingweighting purposes, and this likely leads to the muted sound. One of my playing partners that first round out with it also had his own i15 in the bag for our round, and his exhibited this same sound at impact as well. Overall, this head is not going to frighten small children or cause a ruckus out on a quiet Sunday morning on the course due to its sound.
After I ripped a drive on the 18th hole, I thought, “Aye, carumba!” The forgiveness of this “players” model is pretty impressive, and that moniker should not frighten people away. If you fear the left side, but want forgiveness at the same time, the i15 just might be a good option to look at. A quality stock shaft (and other stock and custom options,) should make for a good fit for whatever launch conditions you’re after. Ping’s custom capabilities were able to set me up to my desired specs, and I’ve learned to put my trust in the i15 off the tee box. Give it a try, and after a prodigious drive, you too might exclaim, “i-carumba!”
Michael White is an independent equipment reviewer for GolfDiscussions.com
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