PHOENIX: Designed for golfers in need of more speed from a players-style design that also ensures a pleasing impact experience, PING introduced the i540 today, a premium iron model custom engineered for score-lowering performance.
The i540 irons are available for custom fittings and pre-order at authorized PING golf shops around the world beginning today.
“The popularity of the Players Distance iron category continues to grow as more and more golfers are in search of faster speeds from an iron with a blade-style look,” said John K. Solheim, PING CEO & President. “There’s a lot of technology in the i540 iron. Inside the head, tungsten sole weighting lowers the center of gravity and combines with the forged maraging-steel face to produce faster ball speeds. We’ve also applied inR-Air technology to improve the feel and sound. It’s an air pocket behind the face that attenuates frequencies and leads to a better impact experience. On the outside, the covered cavity design creates a clean, high-tech appearance.
“It’s a great fit for the golfer whose top priority is more distance. The i540 iron also has a level of forgiveness not typically found in distance irons. It looks great, feels great and more importantly, will lead to lower scores and more enjoyment on the course.”
Players Distance With Stopping Power
Distance gains come from multiple sources in the i540 iron, including tungsten sole weighting in the 4-7 irons that lowers the center of gravity for more ball speed. The forged, highly flexible maraging-steel C300 face is precisely welded to a 17-4 stainless-steel body, creating metal-wood-like bending to ensure faster ball speeds with higher max height for more stopping power.
The CG-optimized lofts in the i540 iron help ensure more distance and higher peak height for green-holding results. Three loft configurations (Standard, Power and Retro) are available to optimize a golfer’s launch conditions during the custom-fitting process.
“The i540 brings more control to a distance iron,” said Solheim. “It appeals to the golfer whose primary goal is more distance who still prefers the size and look of a players iron. In some cases, this player is looking to regain ball speed that they may have lost over time. Blade enthusiasts will appreciate the thin topline, narrow sole and shallow face height that define the iron’s clean, premium look. The i540 iron combines speed and precision into a very attractive design.”
What’s Inside: inR-Air Technology
To help improve the feel and sound, the i540 irons are engineered with inR-Air technology, an advancement refined by PING’s innovation team that was first introduced in the iDi driving iron last year. The patent-pending technology relies on an air pocket strategically placed inside the club behind the face to attenuate any undesirable frequencies that occur at impact. The integrated i-Beam structure inside the 17-4 stainless-steel body of the i540 iron also adds support and contributes to the improved sound and feel.
“This type of iron construction always presents sound and feel challenges,” said Solheim. “The pocket of air inside the i540 iron is a great solution for softening the frequencies and improving the impact experience. It’s proven to be very successful in the iDi driving iron, and we’re excited to bring this technology to golfers in a full set of irons.”
i540 Iron Specifications
Available: 4-9, PW, UW
Loft options: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec
Stock shafts: Dynamic Gold Mid 100 (R300, S300), PING ALTA CB Blue graphite (SR, R, S)
Optional stock shafts: PING AWT 3.0 (R, S, X), Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 105 (R, S, X), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 115 (R, S, X) , Elevate MPH 95 (R, S), UST Recoil Dart 65 (A), 75 (R, S), PING ALTA Quick 35/45
Stock grip: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16″, Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″, White-Std, Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″)
U.S. MSRP: $235 per club with stock steel shaft; $250 per club with stock graphite shaft
For more information, contact Pete Samuels, (602) 687-5487.
PING, i540, AWT 3.0, ALTA CB and inR-Air are trademarks of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.
