PING Golf’s line of irons has something for everyone

I recently took a trip to PING Golf Exam Scores in Phoenix, Arizona to do some testing with their full roundup of 2026 offerings. After our Completely suitable visit in December, I was looking to spend a little more time with some of their offerings that I haven’t taken more than a handful of swings at. The PING line of irons is quite strong and is definitely one of the most ‘complete’ lineups on the market. Let’s break down the lineup and sort out which irons suit which style of player and who can benefit the most from each design.

PING i240 – A cavity behind the ‘plus’

The PING i240 is a unique iron, in a category where PING has definitively differentiated itself. It’s not a true hollow iron, that would be the PING Blueprint S, but it’s also not a player’s distance iron; like PING i540. It sits somewhere in the middle. It’s a great option for players who want the shape and size of a more traditional hollow back, with a loft structure that’s a little more traditional, but still need a little help. The i240 aims to provide accuracy for players who want a little more control over their flight, but with an MOI package that reflects a much more useful category of irons.

With its more traditional hollow back shape, PING took the i240’s performance a step further compared to previous generations, giving it a significant MOI boost. On the back of the iron you will see the new ABS badge, which helps them save over eight grams of weight, spread across the circumference of the iron for an increase in MOI without an increase in the size or shape of the platform. They’ve also added an elastomer insert in the cavity, which helps create a smoother feel and sound from the cast 413 stainless steel body. For the ultimate ball striker who needs a little more help than a traditional back like the Blueprint S, the i240 is the perfect option within the PING lineup. If it’s good enough for a guy like Viktor Hovlandit’s good enough for your bag too.

PING i240 custom cuff

The Tour-inspired i240 advances our popular Player technology, offering increased forgiveness along with the control, look and feel that will appeal to a wide range of skill levels. It’s PING’s top golfer model, giving players more control and the ability to consistently hit their distance numbers and stop the ball close to the hole. A new ABS badge in the true hollow back design is 8.5g lighter and combined with an elastomer insert allows for more girth weight to increase MOI in the mid and long irons. This helps achieve an 11% reduction in distribution. The badge and insert contribute to a more desirable sound and smoother, more responsive feel from the cast 431 stainless steel head.

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PING i540 – Some speed boost for the top player

The I540 is a special iron. It competes in a truly unique market for the top player who wants good looks but may be missing speed. These are the senior club champions at your local course, or in my case, the guys who take my money every weekend despite being twice my age. They’re also a really good option for players who need the pitch efficiency of something like the i240, but they don’t have the ball hitting to back it up. The i540 sits here in a really good bucket. It provided almost a club more speed for me compared to the i240, while adding launch and maintaining a similar spin window.

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During line testing, the i540 stood out the most. I made the comment while working with PING WRX Master Fitter James Lee that it almost felt too easy. I would need to calibrate my distances a bit on the course, and maybe do some space work on the bottom of the bag, but playing the i540 felt… okay. It seemed like something I might end up doing, just because the data showed us that iron was really working for me. The only one in my testing is that they are actually a little too fast. 130 mph for a 7-iron is a lot of speed, and this calibration in speed and distance can make some creative shots a little more difficult. But this iron was not built for me. It was designed for a crowd that sits in a nice single-digit handicap arena, but it just doesn’t swing as fast as it used to.

When we visited for Fully Fit, both Johnny Wunder and Wadeh Maroun agreed. Wadeh was very close to putting them in the bag, but since our first day of the trip was at PING, he actually based the rest of his gear off the gains he saw in the i540, and the rest of the week was testing hollow-body irons over cavity backs or forged options. Johnny jumped on board too. Both guys are low single digit golfers with very consistent swings and they know what they need from their equipment. But, in their own admission, they are losing a bit of speed compared to where they might have been in years past. A hollow-body, high-tech offering like the i540 that maintains a nice look behind the ball and allows the best player to worry more about making a good swing than whether their clubs can keep up with their current game.

PING G440 – Online Game Improvement

Inline irons can be tricky. Each company makes a game-improving-style iron that shares the name of their current metal woods, but it’s a tough category to find balance. Making sure the iron works well for the majority of golf while looking, feeling and sounding good always seems to involve trade-offs. If there’s one thing the G440 won’t make up for, it’s performance. In the video testing with Lee you can see how much fun we had hitting the G440 irons. For lack of a better word, they are fake. The biggest compliment I can give anything in this area is that it’s easy. As long as you make half-decent contact, the club will work for you.

PING G440 Custom Cuff

The G440 iron is a distance driven design best suited to players in need of game-enhancing technology who prefer the impact of a golfer style shape. Increased ball speed comes from the thinner face and lower/back CG location – resulting in higher launch and longer shots with stopping power. FAST AND FORGIVEN Thinner face flexes for more ball speed, saves weight to increase MOI. LOW CG SYSTEM Shorter face lowers CG for more ball speed, higher release. INSPIRED PLAYERS Shallow face height and shorter blade height. PREMIUM PERFORMANCE Four-part chrome-plated cavity badge increases flex and dampens vibration.

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I always like to say that the G440 is meant for the rare gamer. Someone who definitely knows what they are doing and has a repeatable swing, but doesn’t practice much and wants a set of irons that will last a long time and always produce for them. My dad, who is on the latest generation of G430 irons, is a perfect example. He doesn’t play much, usually only on the weekends I can visit, but he knows what he’s doing with his swing and just wants to be out there and have fun without any equipment issues getting in the way. Everything I put in his bag is about ease of use and irons are no different. You can get away with a very off-center shot, they still feel good for the category they’re in and it helps the round go by without any added stress. Plus, PING continues to make sure they look good in the bag, behind the ball and in your hands as you spin a nice approach.

PING G740 – All the help you want

If the G440 is for the repeat player looking for stress-free, easy rounds, the G740 is for EVERY player who wants every bit of help PING can offer. The G740 is a big, loaded iron meant for one thing: forgiveness. This is actually a major change in lineup. The G740 is NO an iron developed with increased speed in mind. For me it was almost as fast as the i540 or G440, all of which clocked ball speeds around 130 mph from the 7-iron. What the G740 offers is forgiveness.

It really feels like you can hit the ball anywhere on this iron and get away with it. It makes the G440 look unforgiving, which is saying a lot. With the 740, the goal is high-tech performance and good looks. This is the true “play the game because you love it” kind of iron. Senior players who just want to keep moving, youngsters looking to get into the sport, or beginners who would like a non-offensive entry point to the sport will all appreciate the forgiving benefits of the PING G740 irons.

Most importantly, get fit.

One of my favorite lines I’ve ever been told was the first time PING Marty Jertson told me “PING is an engineering company that happens to make golf clubs.” Part of this philosophy is that each golfer should adjust to their new golf clubs one at a time authorized fitterlike True Spec. PING chooses not to sell their equipment directly to the customer to truly achieve this trust. As an engineering company, there is an understanding that making tools work for the right player at the right time takes fine tuning. There is no “one size fits all” offering at PING, only the ultimate combination of parts that fits you.

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