Ping have introduced their latest product—the fanfare behind the G400 driver and irons certainly seems to be warranted.
The G400 series now tops Ping’s range of game-changing clubs and sits in the top echelon of products launched this year, with the driver branded as being “straight, faster, longer” and the irons marketed as being “solid, precise, long”.
As Ping look to keep pace with rival brands Callaway, Mizuno, TaylorMade and Titleist—among others—how do the G400 driver and irons perform? Are they worth the considerable outlay?
Ping G400 Driver
The Ping G400 driver has some subtle changes from the G range of big sticks with the slightly altered head shape—it is more rounded at the back—creating more streamlined aerodynamics to reduce drag by around 15 percent and produce more speed through impact. The Turbulators on top of the crown help create a greater aerodynamic efficiency that ultimately translates to distance, something every single golfer looks for from the tee.
The G400 is also Ping’s most forgiving driver ever with the CG now in the “deepest location in golf” according to the manufacturers. The back weight in the G400 allows you to customise the driver to suit your swing, altering the launch angle by up to a degree up or down. The loft can also be changed through the adjustable hosel to create an impressive flexible driver. It also helps make the G400 driver forgiving regardless of swing speed or path, suiting golfers of all abilities.
Ping G400 Irons
Like the G400 driver, the Ping G400 irons take things up a notch as they move to a multi-material product that is thinner and flexes significantly more than their predecessors—the G Max and G irons.
The use of Hyper stainless steel to create the irons is the factor behind the game-changing improvements afforded by the G400 which, according to Ping, flex “like a catapult” and combine with the COR-Eye Technology used in previous versions to help create and even higher ball launch and increased distances as a result.
If things turn out to be how Ping predict from their “powerful combination”, every golfer can expect to hit one less club than they previously did. But—and here is the best part—the height of shots should actually mimic using two fewer clubs thanks to the G400 irons producing a higher launch and distance gains.
The irons come with an undercut cavity back from which the COR-Eye Technology creates a flex through impact. A concealed weight allows golfers to customise the clubs to suit their swing weight. You will certainly find they’ve got a better sound and feel that previous Ping irons.
The irons should also perform 40 percent better—in spin rate terms—in wet conditions and from the rough, making them a potential game-changer from all parts of the course and not just for those finding fairway after fairway. The generous sole also helps get through the ball from any lie, a follow on from previous versions of the G range.