The Ping Anser Forged Irons has a forged, multi-metal

The new Anser, a forged multi-material iron, is designed to raise Ping's profile among avid single-digit handicappers in Japan, Korea and other Asian markets. Of course, Ping expects its share of converts in the States, too. The U.S. version, for the record, has an identical head design as the Asian model, the same shaft length, a 1-degree weaker loft per club, and the Project X shaft. As expected, the clubhead materials and overall design package contribute to a softer, quieter impact sensation. The forged '8620 carbon steel' clubface is thick behind the hitting area, similar to a muscleback blade, while a 'support bar' connects the face to the back flange. A heavy tungsten-nickel sole serves many functions, too: It dampens vibration more so than less-dense metals, shifts the club's center of gravity more rearward, and boosts overall forgiveness. The forgiveness bit ties into a hollow cavity that redistributes 30 grams away from the face. The cheap golf clubs has forgiveness qualities that are similar to the i15's, but the Anser looks cleaner, feels noticeably smoother, produces more spin on short irons and flies slightly lower in the long irons. 'We've been talking about making a forged iron for while,' Rollins said. 'But for our guys, it's kind of funny. Once we put chrome on a cast club, people thought it was forged. 'They are only available in Japan right now,' Rollins said. 'They might release it in the United States later, but I don't know.' He explained that in the Japanese market, irons need to be forged in order to be perceived as high quality. Irons that are not forged simply don't sell well. While not a super game-improvement iron, the Anser irons feature plenty of perimeter weighting and tungsten in the sole to help players get the ball into the air more easily. The PING badge on the back of the club is a weight that can be changed as part of the fitting process.