Loading...
The i500 is Ping's answer to a specific problem: how do you give a good player more ball speed and height without handing them a shovel? Ping released it in 2018 next to the blade-like i210, and this is the distance half of that pair. It looks like a players iron at address. It plays like something with a bigger engine under the hood.
The trick is the hollow body. Ping forged a thin maraging steel face and built it into a hollow head, so the face flexes at impact the way a fairway wood does. That's where the extra ball speed comes from. The 7-iron loft is a strong 30 degrees, and the hollow construction is what lets the ball still climb into the air instead of knuckling out low and running forever.
If you've wondered whether a distance iron can hide inside a compact shape, the i500 is the club that made a lot of people believers. It is not a forgiving cavity back and it doesn't pretend to be. But for the player who wants a handful more yards per club and a head they're happy to look down at, it works.
In short
The Ping i500 (2018) is a players-distance iron that blends ball speed with a clean shape. The set runs 4-iron to PW with a 30° 7-iron. It carries a $999 MSRP.
Refresh due soon
Brands in this category update about every 2 years, and the i500 is 8 years old with no successor yet, so a new model could land any time. Grab it at clearance pricing now, or wait a few weeks to see what replaces it.
Based on release timing and this line's typical refresh cycle, not a live price quote.
Modeled from the $999 original MSRP and a 8-year-old release (about 16% of MSRP retained used).
Used market value
$135 - $180
Private sale, fair to like-new
Trade-in value
$80 - $125
What a shop typically pays
Get an exact quote
Estimate only, from a depreciation model, not a live quote. Search “Ping i500” on the sites above for the real number, which varies with condition, shaft, and demand.
| 4i | 5i | 6i | 7i | 8i | 9i | PW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20.0° | 23.0° | 26.5° | 30.0° | 34.0° | 39.0° | 44.0° |
Stock steel shaft. Lofts are approximate and subject to manufacturing tolerances.
Typical carry by swing speed, adjusted for this set's actual lofts. Your numbers will vary with strike, shaft, and conditions.
| Club | Loft | Moderate swing~140y 7-iron | Average swing~155y 7-iron | Faster swing~169y 7-iron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-iron | 20° | 165 y | 183 y | 200 y |
| 5-iron | 23° | 158 y | 175 y | 191 y |
| 6-iron | 26.5° | 149 y | 165 y | 180 y |
| 7-iron | 30° | 140 y | 155 y | 169 y |
| 8-iron | 34° | 130 y | 144 y | 157 y |
| 9-iron | 39° | 119 y | 132 y | 144 y |
| PW | 44° | 110 y | 122 y | 133 y |
Carry distances are modeled from TrackMan-based norms scaled to each club's loft, not measured for this exact model.
The face is forged maraging steel, thin and hot, welded into a hollow steel body. Ping filled the interior to keep the sound and feel from going hollow and clicky, which is the usual penalty for this kind of construction. The topline stays thin, the offset is moderate, and the sole is narrow enough to cut through turf like a real players iron. Behind the ball you get a clean chrome look with no bulky cavity in sight. Lofts run strong through the set, with the 7-iron at 30 degrees and the pitching wedge at 44. That's close to a club and a half stronger than a traditional set, which is where the distance comes from. The hollow forged face keeps launch high enough that those strong lofts don't cost you stopping power the way jacked lofts do in a solid-body iron.
The Ping i500's 7-iron is lofted at 30° - near-traditional - close to the classic 32-34° benchmark. For a golfer with an 85-95 mph swing speed, this projects to a 7-iron carry of approximately 150-160 yards. The 5-iron (23°) to 7-iron gap of 7° is well-gapped, which may create overlapping distance windows with similarly lofted fairway woods or hybrids. The pitching wedge at 44° provides a conventional loft window that pairs cleanly with a 50-52° gap wedge.
They're more forgiving than they look, but they aren't a game-improvement iron. The hollow body adds ball speed and height, so mishits hold their distance better than they would in a thin blade. Still, the compact head and narrow sole reward solid contact. A high handicapper who wants maximum help is better off in Ping's G-series.
The 7-iron sits at 30 degrees, roughly a club and a half stronger than a classic set. Strong lofts are how you get the distance. The hollow forged face is what keeps the ball launching high enough that those strong lofts still hold greens instead of flying low and running out the back.
Ping released them together in 2018 as two halves of the same range. The i210 is a compact forged cavity back built for feel and control, with traditional lofts. The i500 is the hollow-body distance iron with stronger lofts and more ball speed. A lot of players mix the two.
Yes, and it's one of the most popular ways to play it. Put the i500 in the long irons, roughly 4 through 6, for speed and easy launch, then switch to the i210 in the scoring irons for control and tighter gapping. Since both are Ping i-series, the change in look and feel from one to the next is smooth.
Ping filled the head specifically to fight that. Next to a forged blade you'll notice a firmer, faster sensation off the face, but it isn't the tin-can sound early hollow irons had. Most players call it solid and hot rather than muted or hollow.
No ratings yet. Sign in to rate this club.
Other players distance iron models from different brands, closest to its model year.
Use as your baseline in the recommendation tool, or compare side-by-side with another set.