50 Words or Less
The PING G730 irons offer tremendous forgiveness. Strong, yet playable, lofts. Larger profile than previous model. Pleasing sound and feel.
Introduction
The last PING irons I tested were the G425, so I pulled up that review for a refresher. I had forgotten how appealing the look was but recalled fondly how great their all-around performance was. Then I saw this headline from Matt’s review of the more recent G430s [read more HERE]: “For golfers seeking forgiveness, there may not be a better set than the PING G430 irons”. Could the new PING G730 irons live up to that type of praise or even raise the bar? I had to find out.
Looks
From my first glance, the PING G730 irons size made their placement in the game improvement category clear. While previous iterations of the G had steadily become more compact, PING went in the opposite direction with the G730s. What I appreciate is that PING didn’t try to hide the size increase with marketing spin. In fact they come right out and state “bigger head, more offset, and wider sole.” There’s purpose to that, which I’ll dive into in the Performance section below.
In the bag, the PING G730 irons have an appealing simplicity. The cavity is framed by a few angular elements, while the dark grey of the badge perimeter keeps the size from looking cavernous. The “G730” is relatively small, but hardly so compared to the tiny “PURFLEX” in the corner. And I like the satin strip on the frame and how it coordinates with the face. And I’m still a big fan of having the iron number stamped on the face. It’s a simple thing, but a nice detail that lets you avoid the sole flip maneuver when you’ve grabbed a couple of clubs and want to verify which club you’re pulling the trigger with.
Sound & Feel
Throughout the set, the PING G730 irons produced a distinctive “snap” sound. Medium on the volume scale, I found the timbre a bit woodsier as the head sizes increased in the longer irons. One sound feature I really enjoyed was an added brightness on centered strikes.
Impact felt firm and also made me feel like I put some zip on the ball. Precise location of the strike wasn’t easily discerned by my hands unless I really moved towards the perimeters. That said, any reasonable hit with the G730 irons felt good – and positive reinforcement is a brilliant thing for the golf psyche.
Performance
The first performance attribute that jumped out at me during testing was the consistency of the PING G730 irons. The forgiveness was simply outstanding. When I caught one a little low on the face or out towards the toe, ball flight was still good and carry was only marginally impacted.
We often see claims of more distance from OEMs, and like most of them, PING doesn’t provide any details of “against X.” But after hitting the G730 irons, I’m certain that PING was confident it didn’t matter. PING states “approximately five more yards of distance” which was on the low end when compared to my gamers [you can see those and what the entire PIG crew plays on our About page HERE]. To be fair, the G730 iron lofts are several degrees stronger than my gamers across the set. Let’s discuss that more.
PING designers may have added distance via lower lofts and moderate spin, but they also lowered the CoG for higher launch. The result is playability: a nice balance of spin and trajectory while maintaining a ton of the aforementioned forgiveness.
To achieve the desired performance, PING utilized advanced heat treatment techniques on the hyper 17-4 stainless steel to thin the face of the G730 irons for increased flexing and boosted ball speeds. Behind the face, the multiple flex zone PurFlex cavity badge helps control face bending, preserving ball speed across the hitting surface.
If you visit the PING website, it’s important to note that there are two loft options in addition to what I display below: Power Spec (stronger), and Retro Spec (weaker). Both give fitters options to best suit your game. With any of the three G730 iron set options, fitters can fine-tune swing weight via the tungsten toe screw and shaft tip weights.
Conclusion
John K. Solheim, PING CEO & President says the new PING G730 irons are the “longest and most forgiving iron in our current lineup,” and I totally believe him. I’ll even add that the G730 irons are the most forgiving irons I’ve tested this year to date. The larger head size compared to the G430s may be a turn off to some golfers, but the G730 irons are certain to make a lot of mid and high handicappers better players. As Mr. Solheim says, the PING G730 irons are “engineered to make the game easier and more enjoyable.”
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PING G730 Irons Price & Specs
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10 Comments
Is G730 good for high handicaps. Interested in purchasing.
There can be many reasons for a high handicap Bob, but regardless, the G730 are definitely a great option for improving your game.
– Meeks
I have been gaming the 730s for the last 5 weeks and the forgiveness is understated if anything. I have made many horrible swings that found the green. My last set were i200s, but my eyesight is failing and I had to go more forgiving.
I game a set of Ping G425s and can’t help but notice the lofts on the 9, PW, GW and SW in this set are a full 1 club stronger . Is it any wonder that these clubs will be longer? I don’t understand why OEMs continue to do this. There has to be a point of diminishing returns on that strategy eventually if we aren’t there already.
Nice but overpriced compared to competition $185 for steel is ridiculous.
I believe the G430s are Game Improvement while the G730s are Super Game Improvement irons. The latter tested should be longer due to the stronger lofts and the ability of the tester. Ping has done a pretty good job of making their irons more visually appealing throughout their whole lineup so it’s not surprising that this latest offering has improved over the last generation. Now if they’d lower their high prices.
The number on the club is merely a reference for the golfer who is about to hit a shot with it. If you do not game them, why should you even care? Just curious.
I purchased a set of 730’s about a month ago and at first thought I had made a bad mistake. But after 5 or 6 rounds I started hitting some of the best shots I had ever hit. They took a while to learn how to hit but now I wouldn’t trade them for anything. It’s amazing how high I can hit these into greens with the lofts they have on them but it’s drop and stop. I recommend these to any senior golfer out there looking for the old days. Im 69 now and these have been a god send.
I just ordered my set of 730’s. I spent 3 hours in a fitting. I deliberately refused to look at the brand and price to get the set of clubs I’ve always wanted. Did I overspend……….I don’t care. lol These things feel great and increased my distance over my old burners but more importantly my grouping is 3 times better. I’m excited like a kid at christmas to get these delivered.
Added note: In my fitting I learned I hit 6 different sets plus my current set of TM Burners.