Ping’s two new forged-iron models – the Blueprint S and Blueprint T – are engineered and custom built for golfers seeking to improve their games through tour-proven technology.
The Blueprint S has a forged cavity-back design for greater forgiveness while the Blueprint T has a traditional muscle-back shape. Both models retail for $230 per club with stock steel shaft and $245 per club with graphite shaft.
“Our two Blueprint irons represent a new strategy for us in the forged-iron category,” said John K. Solheim, Ping’s CEO and president. “We’re targeting a wider range of golfers who prefer tour-style forged irons. The Blueprint name is a signal to skilled golfers looking for control, precision and feel from their irons.”
Ping touts the Blueprint’s early success with pros, as Sahith Theegala won his first PGA Tour title in September in his first tournament with the new irons and LIV Golf’s Louis Oosthuizen won back-to-back weeks in South Africa with a combo set of the Blueprint S and T irons.
The S model is influenced by Ping’s S series irons, with a compact shape, thin top line and minimal offset. The forged 8620 carbon steel head boasts a clean cavity design with a textured pattern and hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish. The grooves are precision milled for optimal launch and spin, while a high-density toe screw and shaft tip weight allow for swingweight fine-tuning.
An innovative pocket is forged into the cavity of the 3-, 4- and 5-irons, saving 10 grams of weight that’s reallocated to increase the MOI and optimize the center-of-gravity position for more distance and trajectory control. An elastomer insert is concealed in the pocket of the 3-5-irons, enhancing the forged feel and sound.
“The Blueprint S is going to be a pleasant surprise for a lot of golfers who might not think they are good enough to play them,” Solheim said. “Its design speaks to the lower handicap, but its technology broadens its appeal to the player who is looking for a forged, blade-style iron that’s a little easier to hit but still delivers the look and feel expected in a blade. … Until now, this level of long-iron forgiveness and the forging process have been mutually exclusive.”
For the more skilled golfer who relies on workability and prefers the size and look of a muscle back, the Blueprint T is engineered as a single-piece, 8620 carbon steel forging that puts a premium on trajectory control and feel.
The Blueprint T lofts match the Blueprint S and i230 irons to allow golfers to create blended sets within Ping’s precision iron offerings. The standard length of the Blueprint T 3-9 irons is a quarter-inch shorter than S to promote a lower ball flight.
PHOTOS COURTESY PING