THE FINAL VERDICT
So, which clubs were most in tune for me?
The Callaway, while pleasing in sound and feel, seemed a little less forgiving on off-center strikes and produced the highest ball flight of the bunch, more than 45 degrees.
The Mizuno was pure butter in feel and feedback on sweet spot hits, and produced the best descent angle at 41.83 degrees.
But for me, a tight four-horse race came down to a photo finish between the TaylorMade and Ping irons, thanks to a combination of hard numbers (primarily less backspin and a 20-degree launch angle), and that hard-to-describe quality of “touch.”
Here are the complete numbers between the two 7-irons:
- TaylorMade P790/Dynamic Gold 105 S300: Launch angle 22.25 degrees; backspin 5766 rpm, angle of descent 45.25 degrees
- Ping i500/Dynamic Gold 105 S300: Launch angle 20 degrees, backspin 5029 rpm, angle of descent 43 degrees.
Pretty close across the board, right? So who pulled it out at the wire?
Ping.
Why?
Two words: “More distance.” As in 175 yards. With a 7-iron. Some 15 yards more than my existing clubs, mostly because of the shaft.
Uh, hello!
