It goes without saying that golfers enjoy the game more when they’re playing their best. When they’re not playing their best… well, they’re probably not having as much fun.

Ping’s new Karsten hybrid-iron set is designed to help golfers who struggle with distance and accuracy play their best more often. The irons have the longest heel-to-toe length that the company has ever produced, with extremely wide soles that help golfers launch the ball higher and farther than the company’s smaller-sized irons. The set also comes stock with hybrids that replace a golfer’s 3 and 4 irons, as well as an optional “5 hybrid” that can take the place of a Karsten 5 iron.

“The [Karsten] hybrids have a very high MOI,” said Marty Jertson, Ping’s director of product development. “They also have bigger heads than our G25 irons, which helps drive the MOI higher and the center of gravity farther back. That larger size also adds ball speed and inspires confidence at address.”

The drawback of larger-sized hybrids and irons is that they’re not as workable as smaller clubs, but that’s of little consequence for golfers who are a fit for the Karsten set. They’ll be less interested in intentionally curving the ball than they will be hitting higher, farther and straighter shots, which is exactly what the Karsten clubs can deliver.

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Like Ping’s G25 irons, the Karsten irons have Ping’s updated Custom Tuning Port (CTP), which is positioned low in the cavity of the irons directly in line with the impact area. The CTP provides support for the Karsten irons ultra-thin faces — they’re as thin as 0.07 of an inch, making them the thinnest faces Ping has ever used in an iron — and also contributes to a more solid sound and feel.

The Karsten irons sell for about $899 a set with two hybrids and six irons. They come stock with either Ping’s KS 401 graphite shafts in soft regular, regular and stiff flexes or Ping CFS Distance shafts in soft regular, regular, stiff and extra stiff flexes.

Additional Specs from Ping

 Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Karsten irons in our forum.

 Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the Karsten irons in our forum.