I recently picked up a set of ISI-S in Red Dot with JZ-regular cushin shafts, and sent my Callaway GBB Tung Ti irons home with my father in law to sell. Have never played a round with ISI's but I have played a SW for a while now and have always liked the way Pings hit. 9 years ago, I sold off my DCI Gold for something with more distance and found that in the Great Big Bertha Tungsten Ti's.
Below is a list of new and used ping isi irons for sale.
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Ping ISI BeCu Irons 3-9, W,S - RED Dot |  |
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US $450.00 | 7h 16m |
Distance was good, but they lacked the feel and after a couple years away from the game, I came back ready to ditch the spongy trampolining Callaways and get back to something that I probably should have bought to begin with. While it may seem odd to trade off one set of 10 year old clubs for another set of 10 year old clubs, I've never been one to be lured in by the seasonal new equipment bug. New irons show up every year along with new high prices, and for me, that just means you can get older irons that are probably just as good at a bargain. I can understand the advantages of some new technology, but in the end Tiger set his Masters records with MP14's and MP29's and an old Cobra bore thru prototype. Newer technology hasn't yet caused those records to fall.
So I've got one round in since getting these clubs in. Definitely an improvement over the Callaways. At address, there is no more of that thick topline of the GBB's. The Cushin inserts provide for a great feel through the shaft. I prefer Cushin or Sensicore steel over graphite all day after having hit both enough. Ball flight is right at what I wanted with a lower trajectory than the Callaways, but still not too low. They are easy to hit straight, and feel solid when hit on the money. The distance control was consistent as well, which was one of my problems with the GBB's. Distance itself was probably a bit shorter than the Callaways, but at least it was close to the same on each shot. GBB's tended to fall 10-15yds further/shorter on successive shots.
For $170, I got a set that was in great condition other than shaft bands peeling, and thats not exactly a travesty. Excellent bargain in my mind, thank god for Ebay. Just regripped these with a set of I3 Lamkin full cords that I found for less than $3 each, and I imagine I'll be playing these for quite a few years to come.