Gone are the days of all the new golf equipment being debuted, usually at the PGA Orlando Show, in January or February. Every manufacturer seems to have their own product release cycle to successfully position their brand in the market. Ping is no different. In recent years they have adopted a late Summer/early Fall product release schedule. This year we have been presented with the K15 series of drivers, woods, irons and hybrids.The K15 line has replaced the multi-material Rapture line of clubs, but at a very different price point. The first thing you’ll notice is that all the clubs look very similar, if not identical to the G15 line, they even kept the same colour scheme of dark red and silver. But Ping is touting the K15 line as “game-improvement” and the G15 models are still considered “performance”.
Driver
The new K15 driver looks like a slightly flattened G15. The driver features patent pending Straight Flight Technology that uses an extreme external weight pad to move 10% of the clubhead mass towards the heel. By repositioning the centre of gravity this provides a natural rotation through impact. The design of the K15 driver means that the external sole weight pad is largely concealed and is not visible at address. Not only has this driver replaced the Rapture V2, but the G15 Draw line as also been discontinued as the K15 will be targeted to the player that previously fit into the Draw head. The K15 was built to do one thing well, hit it straight.
The K15 has a larger 460cc head design that moves weight away from the clubface to push the centre of gravity backwards and provide a higher trajectory. By increasing the length from heel to toe Ping have also been able to create a larger surface to provide high levels of forgiveness and higher ball velocity.
The Ping K15 driver features the TFC 149D graphite shaft that uses high balance point technology that allows the head mass to increase without affecting swing weight or the overall club weight to allow clubhead speed to remain consistent. This allows the K15 driver to generate higher ball speeds for longer and straighter drives.
The K15 may replace the Rapture, but it won’t replace the premium price that the Rapture driver commanded. The K15 will be priced the same as the G15, which currently stands at $349 CDN.
Irons & Hybrids
The K15 irons look almost identical to the G15, but once again these are designed purely to help the golfer hit it straight and as far as possible. But the K15 doesn’t have as many options as it’s G15 counter part. First off, you can’t get the K15 in a 3 or 4 iron. Secondly, the hybrids, available in a 3, 4, 5, and 6, cannot be purchased separately and are only available as a combo set with the irons. With that being said, you can get the K15 hybrids, but only as an addition to your already purchased K15 irons. Just produced the serial number off the irons and hybrids can be ordered.
The K15 iron features a titanium face, like it’s departed Rapture cousin, to produce long, straight ball flights and maximum forgiveness on mishits. The K15 hybrid that complements the set is a slightly tweaked version of the G15, with more internal heel weighting to get the ball airborn and straight. A K15 combo set will cost $1,199 CDN.
The K15 line will be available starting September 1st and The Harvest Golf Club is taking pre-orders immediately. A Ping demo day will be scheduled in the early part of September at The Harvest to give everyone the chance to try for themselves.
Overall the K15 line should complement the G and i series nicely, but is more of a game-improvement club and will be targeted towards higher handicap players.
Golf Shop will be open one hour prior to the first tee time and will close at dusk. Range balls will be available to purchase until 5:00pm each day with the exception of clean pick nights. The Harvest Grille will also be open one hour before the first tee time for breakfast, lunch & dinner.
