One major promise of Ping Golf is to never bring out a product that is not demonstrably better than what they have currently available. Yesterday, the team at Ping officially revealed a G400 Series of products that includes irons, hybrids, fairway woods, three drivers and a crossover. The details may seem a little subtle but the changes look purposeful and here is a first look at the full family:
G400 Driver
PING is making claims of ball speed gains of nearly 2 mph in the driver, giving credit to the use of a new forging and heat-treatment process in the face that allows for more flex and feel enhancement. The thinner and lighter face also allows for redistribution of weight to push up the M.O.I.. That allows for the smaller head size while still having plenty of forgiveness. In fact, PING claims they have achieved over 9,000 gram cm2 for the first time.
Three head options are available to match a G400 driver to a golfer’s desired ball flight. The standard version is engineered to fit most golfers. The SFT (Straight Flight) is designed to correct a left-to-right ball flight (for right-handed golfers) and features heel-side tungsten weighting and a lighter swing weight to help square the face. The LST (Low Spin) version positions the tungsten weight closer to the face to reduce spin approximately 300 rpm for a stronger ball flight.
“The G400 driver is a prime example of how our engineering team looks at every single detail of a club to ensure we are optimizing each design variable so golfers can improve performance,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “In this case, we’ve gone slightly smaller in volume (445cc) to improve aerodynamics for faster clubhead speeds while actually raising the MOI higher than any previous PING driver. We also employed a thinner, forged face to deliver increased ball speeds. This commitment to performance enabled impressive distance gains and tighter dispersion, the ultimate driving combination. We’ve also engineered an incredibly pleasing sound in the driver through computer simulation that will turn heads on the tee box when golfers get it in their hands. It even has a shaft that changes colour at address to improve the player’s focus.”
G400 Drivers
Loft options: 9⁰ & 10.5⁰ (std.), 8.5⁰ & 10⁰ (LST), 10⁰ & 12⁰ (SFT)
RRP €469
G400 Irons
More face flex is a trait in these new irons, thanks to a heat-treatment process that created what the company calls “Hyper 17-4 stainless steel”. They claim the material is 40% stronger than traditional 17-4 stainless steel and allows for a thinner face and 18% more face flexing.
As seen in previous Ping irons, a composite back-cavity badge made of aluminium and elastomer improves feel at impact and also makes the sound more dense. They are finished in “Hydropearl Chrome” for an attractive look and to help disperse water from the face for improved friction.
“The G400 iron delivers phenomenal performance,” said John K. Solheim. “We like to call it our ‘game enjoyment’ iron because it’s so much fun to play. It provides tour-level performance while being very easy to hit and extremely forgiving with an amazing feel.”
G400 Irons
Available 4-9, PW, UW, SW, LW in 10 colour codes (lie angle). Black is standard.
RRP €136 per iron w/steel shaft; €148 per iron w/graphite shaft
G400 Fairways & Hybrids
C300 maraging steel is the key to the new faces in the G400 Fairways and Hybrids. The extra strong steel delivers a crisp feel and high ball speeds.
The G400 fairway introduces new fitting options for the company with the addition of a 9-wood and three fairway options in the SFT (Straight Flight) line – a 3,5, and a 7 wood. The Stretch 3-wood carries over for golfers seeking a lower lofted three wood.
A notable addition to the G400 Hybrids is a centre of gravity pushed toward the toe in the 2 and 3 hybrids – helping eliminate gear effect draw bias. The higher lofted models have the CG pushed back more for help launching the ball higher.
“Our main goal in the G400 fairway woods and hybrids was to introduce significant distance gains while maintaining other performance benefits such as forgiveness and the ability to launch the ball easily,” said John A. Solheim. “With maraging steel, we have a material that allows us to go extremely thin with the face to give us the faster ball-speed gains we’re seeking for more distance and higher launch. The results have been amazing as we’re seeing face flexing equal to the thickness of the face.”
G400 Fairway Woods
Lofts (adjustable up to +-1⁰): 3W (14.5⁰), 5W (17.5⁰), 7W (20.5⁰), 9W (23.5⁰), 3 SFT (16⁰), 5 SFT (19⁰), 7 SFT (22⁰), Stretch 3W (13⁰)
RRP €289
G400 Hybrids
Lofts: 2H (17⁰), 3H (19⁰), 4H (22⁰), 5H (26⁰), 6H (30⁰)
RRP €240
G400 Crossover
The second generation of the crossover, which combines the precision and control of an iron with the ball speed and forgiveness of a hybrid, has been improved to make it a versatile option for golfers of all skill levels. It also relies on a maraging steel face, which improves the sound and delivers higher launch, producing 30% more stopping power. The addition of a 20-gram tungsten toe weight increases forgiveness, resulting in 17% tighter dispersion. The turf interaction is greatly improved with a thinner sole and Hydropearl Chrome finish, which reduces friction 40%.
G400 Crossovers
Lofts: 3 (19⁰), 4 (22⁰), 5 (25⁰) in White, Green, Blue, Black & Red colour codes. RRP €240
The entire G400 family will be available at retail next week.
Leave a comment