Ping have never been shy about what the G-series irons are all about.
These aren’t clubs designed to win beauty contests or appeal to the purists among us. They’re built to do one thing above all else – make golf easier for the amateur, handicap golfer.
Replacing 2024’s G730 irons with the new Ping G740s, the brand has doubled down on that philosophy. Bigger, more forgiving, higher launching and longer than ever before, these new offerings sit firmly in the super game-improvement category.
Ping has told us that last year with the G730s, they may have leaned a little too much towards pretty aesthetics and a more compact head shape, over out and out game-improvement, therefore having a negative effect on the overall success of the iron.
This year Ping has made a clear effort to go all out with forgiveness. Back to basics style. Back to what they know.
And let’s be honest, if there’s anyone who knows about all out forgiveness – it’s Ping. They quite literally wrote the book.
Who Are They Aimed At?
The Ping G740 irons are unapologetically super game improvement.
They are built for high handicappers, slower swing speeds and anyone needing help with launch and consistency. They are on the market to make the game easier – but with limited workability, a bulky look and potential gapping issues, improving players may quickly outgrow them.
Within Ping’s 2026 iron line-up, they sit on the far right of the scale after the players distance i540s and game-improvement G440 irons.
The Tech
As you can imagine, the G740s are packed with technology to get the ball up in the air quicker, for longer.
A wide, dual-camber sole and low, deep CG promote higher flight and faster ball speeds, while a thinner 17-4 stainless steel face increases flex and distance.
The 22% larger sole and blade length, as well as the larger face, boosts forgiveness on mishits, supported by a perimeter-weighted head and plenty of offset.
A PurFlex cavity badge is said to enhance feel and sound, while the Hydropearl 2.0 finish improves consistency in all conditions.
Custom loft options are also new to this year’s model, with Ping choosing interestingly to not add a 4-iron to the set, replacing it with an extra wedge option.
This is said to help overall gapping based on the assumption that high-handicap golfers will be better off adding a hybrid to their bag rather than a long iron.
Ping G740 Irons Review
Looks
Let’s not beat around the bush – these are big irons with large head profiles whichever way you look at them.
That said, I actually think Ping have done a decent job of modernising the overall look from the previous G730 irons. They don’t look smaller or more better-player-like, just more premium.
The Hydropearl 2.0 finish all over is much better looking than previous generations, moving away from the shiny chrome and into something a bit more muted, which I like.
Although you wouldn’t be wrong if you were describing the head design as ‘busy’ in places, with the visual tech in the cavity badge, I think Ping have still done a nice job with the branding and shaping.
It may seem ironic given the more forgiving, larger approach, but things just feel a tad more considered this time around.
But ultimately, you can’t disguise what these clubs are and at address it’s there for all to see. The Ping G740s present a noticeably larger profile than something like the new i540 or even the G440. The topline is thick, the blade length is long, and there’s plenty of offset in there too. For better players, it will feel a bit like you’re looking down at a hybrid-iron crossover – not a great look for some golfers.
The 22% wider sole and longer blade length are immediately noticeable, particularly in the longer irons, where the head really starts to look substantial behind the ball and you can see the toe cavity.
Personally, I’m not a fan of this – I’m by no means a golfer who plays blades, but I like to see an iron that I feel will cut neatly through the top of the turf.
Now, as discussed these irons aren’t aimed at me so depending on who you are, that’s either a positive or a negative. If you’re a higher handicapper or someone who struggles with strike consistency, the size will no doubt inspire confidence. It looks like there’s a lot of club behind the ball – and crucially, a lot of forgiveness.
Feel
In terms of feel, this is where Ping has made some subtle improvements. The PurFlex cavity badge is nothing new, we’ve seen this before and it does a good job of softening the overall sensation at impact and reducing vibrations.
I was most impressed with the feel of the scoring clubs from 8 iron to PW. On-course I had several shots where I was hitting knock-down type approaches and although I didn’t execute the shots the way I wanted (surprise, surprise, long and left was a consistent theme) the feel and sound of the face was really quite impressive. Yes, they felt hot, but the faces didn’t feel too hard or clicky at impact. On shots with the shorter irons, I found them quite satisfying to strike.
Now with the longer irons, especially when hitting off a tee, I found the strike to not be as impressive and as compact. To be honest, what was I expecting? There must be some trade-off.
This is still a cast, hollow-style, super game improvement iron. It’s not going to feel like a Blueprint blade anytime soon. But compared to previous G-Series irons, it felt a little more refined to me and there’s easy feedback there to know where you’ve struck it – which isn’t always the case in this category.
Performance
Looking at the Foresight data, I found exactly what you’d expect from these irons – they were hot and launched very high!
I tested both the 6 iron and the pitching wedge to cover both ends of the bag. I averaged 140 yards carry with the wedge and that was spinning at 6700 rpm on average. I’d have to say this is pretty low spin – so something that low spin players will have to just keep an eye on.
With the 6 iron, these things were just like rockets when struck out of the middle. 196 yards with a total of 203 and ball speed at 130 is simply unheard of for me with a 6 iron, so Ping are certainly delivering in their promises in the distance department.
Again, spin was pretty low averaging at 4384 rpm but launch was consistently high at 108ft, so from that height, I wouldn’t be worried about holding greens despite the low spin.
Where I did struggle however was with accuracy using these irons – my dispersion was a little all over the place to be honest! I don’t put that down to poor forgiveness in the head, just that fact that these irons are not built for players like me and because the head and face were so big I struggled to find the middle of it consistently.
You can see that compared to my dispersion with the smaller i540s, yes they travel further but there’s a big difference in accuracy.
Ping G740 Irons Verdict
As expected, the Ping G740 irons do exactly what they say on the tin. They are big, forgiving, very easy to launch and built to help golfers hit the ball further and straighter with less effort.
In that sense, they’re no doubt a success.
They deliver excellent forgiveness, strong ball speeds and a level of consistency that will genuinely help a lot of golfers shoot lower scores and enjoy the game more.
I also think Ping have done a good job refining the overall package – the looks aren’t an immediate improvement, but they somehow just feel that little but more premium.
There’s also the question of value… At £185 per club, these sit at the premium end of the super game improvement category, which might give some golfers pause for thought.
For the right golfer, though – someone who genuinely needs help with launch, forgiveness and consistency and doesn’t mind investing directly in that – these could be a real game-changer.
Would I Use Them?
No – I haven’t played game improvement irons since I was about 15! But I have to say I enjoyed testing them on the course more than I thought I would…
