By: John Steinbreder – Global Golf Post

Two years after introducing its S55 irons, Ping has produced a successor to those very popular player clubs, the iBlade. And company officials say that new offering already has become its most-played iron on tour.

The body of the iBlade is precision-cast from soft, high strength-to-weight ratio 431 stainless steel. The club boasts a compact head, a thinner top rail, minimal offset, a straight leading edge and a sharp, high toe, all of which are made to appeal to the eyes of better golfers. In addition, the iBlade has refined bounce angles and ample heel relief as well as a new sole design to improve workability and shotmaking from any number of lies. The face is half the thickness of the S55 in an attempt to increase ball speeds – and by extension distance.

According to John A. Solheim, the chairman and chief executive officer at Ping, feel is an important performance attribute of the iBlade, and that is achieved largely through a combination of its soft stainless steel clubheads and also an elastomer insert that is activated at impact – and is made to dampen vibration as it also improves sound. A “hydropearl chrome” finish repels water for more control and to minimize fliers from wet conditions and lies in the rough, he adds, while the “nearly pure” tungsten weights that are pressed into the toe of every head increase the moment of inertia for better forgiveness.

“The iBlade project was a fun challenge for our engineers,” says Solheim. “They approached the design with the mindset of what the best players in the world demand and need in their irons. They incorporated tour player feedback and created a beautiful club that delivers amazing performance.”