Ping has brought new features and innovation to the new i525 irons that are worth looking into more. In this Ping i525 review, I go over everything about the new irons to help you decide whether or not they are for you.
Specifically, I’ll go over:
- How to buy the new Ping i525 irons
- Similarities and differences in the Ping i525 vs Ping i500 (last model)
- Key features I like in these new irons
After you read this Ping i525 driver review, let me know if you think the hype is worth the price down at the bottom of this guide.
How to Buy the Ping i525 Irons
What are the Ping i525 Irons?
The Ping i525 irons are the newest player-distance irons released by Ping. They replace the i500s which released way back in 2018, so it was time for some new technology to take over. Although, it is impressive that the i500s were able to stay on the major iron market for so long.
The Ping i525 irons were just released on February 8th, 2022 and you can find them at all major golf retailers.
Ping is marketing quite a few new things with the i525s, including:
- a new forged face and new ballistic face design
- improved sound off the face of the club
- extreme tungsten weights in the toe and shaft
The powerful new design in the irons provide improved feel and ball speed. Below we will go into a little more detail on all of the key features of the Ping i525 irons that we tried out on the golf course.
Ping i525 Key Features
If you are looking to buy the Ping i525 irons, here are some of the top features you’ll be excited to see and use in the irons.
Forged Steel Face
The new Ping i525 irons have a cast 17-4 stainless steel body with a forged maraging steel face. The strength of this maraging steel allows for a thinner club face structure.
There is also an internal undercut in the sole of the club to increase flexing on the club. What this does is increase ball speed while also giving the ball a higher launch and longer distance control. On first review, this dynamic face structure is a real winner.
After you hit each iron, you will definitely notice that the launch of the ball is quite high but comes down nicely on the greens. When looking down at the club, it feels very compact, but it is in fact nothing like a straight blade iron.
The i525 is more of a muscle-back design and you can feel the forgiveness on each shot. The face also has a chrome finish which helps to protect the club against moisture.
Improved Sound
With the i525 irons, Ping wanted to improve the sound of the ball off the face. With the i500 iron, many players were off-put with the “hollow” sound of the club.
Ping has improved the sound and feel by injecting a small amount of polymer behind the club face. It is a very small amount and injected in the same location on each clubhead.
After my review, the impact sound is definitely improved. You now get a crisp sound and feel on every shot.
Tungsten Extreme Weighting
When you look at the front of the Ping i525 iron, you will notice a small screw inserted into the toe of the club. There is also a small tungsten weighted shaft tip embedded within the i525.
What this shaft tip weight does is increase MOI and forgiveness off the club face. As these weights are very discrete, it does not take away from the cosmetic look of the iron, but you will definitely be able to tell they are they after you strike the ball.
Tungsten weighting is not new in golf clubs, as a lot of the major companies are using this when designing their drivers and irons.
MicroMax Milled Grooves
New to the i525 irons is what Ping is calling a MicroMax groove pattern. What this means is that Ping decided to reduce the spacing between each groove on the iron face.
For reference, on their previous irons the distance between each groove was .140 inches and with the new i525 irons, the distance between each groove is .104. With tighter spacing between, this allowed Ping to add in 4 extra grooves on each iron face.
With more grooves and a shorter space between, this will help golfers with more spin near the green using short irons, and will also help with distance control on the long irons. This greater control should allow even average golfers to improve.
Ping i525 Loft Options
Ping doesn’t just make their iron sets with one standard loft option. With the i525s you can decide to go with standard lofts, Power Spec or Retro Spec lofts.
Standard Loft
This is the standard loft for every other standard iron set on the market. The standard lofts for each club are:
- 3 iron = 18 degrees
- 4 iron = 21 degrees
- 5 iron = 24 degrees
- 6 iron = 27 degrees
- 7 iron = 30.5 degrees
- 8 iron = 35 degrees
- 9 iron = 40 degrees
- pitching wedge = 45 degrees
- utility wedge = 50 degrees
Power Spec Loft
With Power Spec loft, this is a fitting option for golfers who are looking to boost iron distance and also decrease spin. It is a custom-figured loft combination that will deliver a power boost to your iron shots.
With Power Spec the lofts for each club are:
- 3 iron = 17 degrees
- 4 iron = 19.5 degrees
- 5 iron = 22.5 degrees
- 6 iron = 25.5 degrees
- 7 iron = 29 degrees
- 8 iron = 33.5 degrees
- 9 iron = 38.5 degrees
- pitching wedge = 44 degrees
- utility wedge = 49 degrees
Retro Spec Loft
With the Retro Spec loft option, this is a fitting option for golfers who are less concerned with overall distance iron shots and more concerned with precision and a higher trajectory ball flight. This configuration yields distance gaps for golfers who play a 3 wedge setup.
The retro spec lofts for each club are:
- 3 iron = 20 degrees
- 4 iron = 23 degrees
- 5 iron = 26 degrees
- 6 iron = 29 degrees
- 7 iron = 32.5 degrees
- 8 iron = 37 degrees
- 9 iron = 42 degrees
- pitching wedge = 47 degrees
- utility wedge = 52 degrees
Overall, the standard loft will be fine for most customers. The retro and power spec clubs are a good option for those that care.
Ping i525 Shaft Options
Ping has variety of shaft offerings on the i525 irons which all comes down to the golfer’s needs and preferences when hitting the ball. Making sure you have the correct shaft and flex will definitely help you get the most out of the club.
If you have a fast swing, I would recommend a stiffer shaft to keep the ball flight low. Slower swing golfers will require a more flexible shaft. Below are the shaft options available on the new Ping i525 irons:
- Project X IO
- UST Recoil ES SmacWrap
- Ping AWT 2.0
- True Temper Dynamic Gold
- True Temper Dynamic Gold 105
- True Temper Dynamic Gold 120
- Ping Alta CB Slate Graphite Shaft
- KBS Tour
- Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 105
If you care about your shaft, I recommend that you do some research on what matches well with your swing speed. A swing analyzer like the FlightScope Mevo will help you learn what your swing speed is.
Ping i525 Grip Options
Ping has a variety of grips to choose from for the i525 irons, all depending on the golfer’s hand size and feel preference. Ping has 6 different diameter options available on their grips.
You do also have the option of installing whatever grip you want on the club, but we will go over the Ping specific ones for the i525 irons.
The grip available for the i525 is the Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet, which is probably the most popular grip choice on the PGA Tour. It is a rubber blend compound with a non-slip surface. The design itself pulls moisture away to make sure you are getting the best grip possible.
The grip sizes available are:
- +1/16”
- +1/32’
- Standard
- -1/64”
- -1/32”
- -1/16”
Each grip is a different size and it all comes down to hand measurements and preference. Most golfers don’t realize that the grip size has a lot to do with drawing or fading on the ball. We recommend going to a fitter to find out the best grip size for your clubs to maximize distance.
Ping i525 vs i500 Irons
So, how do the new Ping i525 irons review against the old Ping i500 irons?
The i525 and i500 irons are very similar looking, but there are definitely some differences that make the i525s a better choice in our opinion.
With the i500s, they lacked a solid feel off the face. The ball seemed to explode off the face with high ball speed, but it wasn’t a great feel and the sound was quite hollow. With the i525s, the extreme tungsten perimeter weighting makes a huge difference. It increases the moment of inertia, which makes them slightly more forgiving even on mis-hits.
The close together grooves and four added grooves on the i525s also seemed to make a difference. It was easier to control spin on shots near the green. Even on longer iron, shots the ball flight was great and seemed to land on the green with ease.
Both sets of irons are marketed as player-distance irons. They definitely aren’t a straight blade iron, more of a muscle-back, but they are slick to look at from above and the ball explodes off the face.
What I Like
After hitting a few hundred golf balls with these new irons, I have a good idea of the pros on these clubs. The tungsten weight really helps to make solid contact on the ball. These irons are more forgiving than the current set of irons I use. Plus, Ping’s work to provide a pleasing impact sound off these clubs make them overall more enjoyable to hit.
The internal sole undercut of the club helps to launch the ball in a more predictable way.
These golf irons have a bit of a higher price compared to the average on the market, but not by a lot. And I think that even casual golfers will easily pay for the quality you get in the i525s.
What I Don’t Like
The biggest drawback in the Ping i525 is that it takes some time to get used to the size of the club head if you have some 10 year old irons in your bag currently. The i525 face is quite a bit smaller than you expect, which is a testament to how far the technology has come.
Club faces this small used to only exist in blade style putters reserved for the pros. That makes these irons feel weird to suggest to the casual golfer. You have to learn to trust your swing a bit more than anticipated.
Conclusion
After reviewing, we are very impressed with the Ping i525 irons. There is definitely enough new technology that the upgrade from the previous Ping irons is worth it. This is arguably the most solid-feeling iron I’ve ever hit.
The tungsten perimeter weight makes a huge difference off the face of the club. The MicroMax grooves are noticeable on both long and short shots. Distance control was great and controlling spin was easy. The pleasing sound of the ball off the face was also crisp, and definitely improved over the hollow sound from the i500s.
Lastly, these irons can work for a range of golfers. They are not just marketed towards Tour players. The muscle-back design and high MOI allows them to be one of the most forgiving irons on the market, with a huge sweet spot.
Every golfer should give these a try if they are in the market for new irons.
Use the links below to buy these today.
Ping i525 Videos
Looking to see the i525s in more depth? Check out these videos showcasing the irons in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much are the new Ping i525 irons?
The Ping i525 irons purchased separately start around $210 USD per iron. The 4 iron through pitching wedge set starts around $1,300-$1,400 depending on which retailer you are buying from.
The graphite shaft set will also cost slightly more than the steel shaft set.
What is the release date of the Ping i525 irons?
The Ping i525 irons were released to the public on February 8th, 2022. You can find them at any major golf retailer.
Which professional golfers use the Ping i525 irons?
PGA Tour golfer Cameron Champ recently used the Ping i525 irons at Torrey Pines. Tony Finau also uses long irons from the i525 set.
Are Ping i525 blade irons?
No, the Ping i525s are not considered blade irons. They are compact and slick to look at, but are considered more of a muscle-back design. They are very forgiving and have a high MOI for maximum distance.
