Ping is one of the biggest and most wide-known golf equipment manufacturers out there.
The Blueprint and i500 are two masterpieces from Ping. These irons are designed for players looking for not just forgiveness but incredible speed, distance, and workability.
We are talking about two irons players like Louis Oosthuizen, Tony Finau, etc, have played and have no words other than praise for them.
With a similar profile, many are wondering if there are any differences between the two irons. In this article, we’re pairing the two and looking at the technology, design, price point, similarities, and differences. Let’s begin:
Ping Blueprint vs i500: Are They Similar?
The Blueprint is a classic iron in both shape and pure forged face. The i500, on the other hand, has a traditional look at address and is certainly built for more forgiveness and speed. The i500 has a forged face too and a hollow design.
Design
Both the Blueprint and i500 have a clean, portable design with less offset and a shorter blade length for an increase in workability.
The i500 has a forged C300 maraging-steel face with a metalwood-like construction as opposed to the tour-inspired 8620 carbon steel, blade-style design of the Ping Blueprint.
The Blueprint is therefore design for high workability and better trajectory control while the i500 is steered towards incredible distance, high speed, and impressive stopping power.
So, if you’re after power, distance, and more speed, you should check out the i500. However, if your game needs lots of forgiveness or needs something to bring out the confidence in you, then go for the Blueprint.
Finish
If you’re a fan of beautifully designed irons, you’ll be concerned with the finishing on both irons. The manufacturer certainly has you covered. Both balls have the hydropearl chrome 2.0 finish.
That means there is no difference here at all. But what’s the benefit of this premium finish? Well, it’s great for repelling moisture and ensuring solid impact when you need to play during the wet seasons. Or when the green is rough. Whichever, your game shouldn’t be disturbed.
Face
Well, both are equally similar as they both come with precision-milled grooves and face to ensure ball speeds are consistent when you heat. However, a tiny difference is found towards the neck of the clubs.
The i500 club has a tiny curvature at the neck while the Blueprint is parallel from the neck down to the face.
Also, the face of the i500 is marked off by a black that divides the chrome finish. That makes it more beautiful (perhaps than the all-chrome finish of the Blueprint).
Sole
Just like the face, both clubs have almost unidentifiable semblance here too. However, the sole is narrower in the Blueprint than the i500.
A narrower sole means you can get cleaner turf interaction, which translates to more consistent strikes from different lies and turf conditions. Therefore, if you’re trying to keep versatility intact on all your shots, the Blueprint may give you a slight advantage over the i500.
Other Specs
1. Length
Looking at the 7-iron clubs, the Blueprint has a length of 36 3/4″ against the 37″ length of the i500. It’s a fact that a longer club can provide more distance, but this seems like a slight difference so you need to make up your mind on that.
2. Loft
The loft on the Ping i500 is 30.5 degrees while that of the Blueprint is 34.0 degrees. Again, this doesn’t translate to a lot of differences.
But if you’re a slow-swinging player, you may want to go for the Blueprint since it has a higher degree of loft. And that means launching the ball high and long is easier with the club with more loft.
Note that there are usually some variations in specification so the one noted here may be different from what you eventually get your hands on. Keep that in mind.
Final Thoughts on the Blueprint & i500
As you can see, both are solid golf clubs. In terms of price, the Blueprint is slightly more expensive. Unfortunately, the i500 has been discontinued so your only option is the Ping Blueprint.
So whether you like it or not, you have only one to choose and that’s the Blueprint. Fortunately, it’s a nice club so go buy it and enjoy.