Equipment
2021 Ping G425 drivers offer greater stability, performance across Max, LST, SFT models
In the world of new drivers, Ping and its G Series continually push the limits of technology, fitting, and forgiveness. With the new Ping G425 drivers for 2021, Ping is once again offering golfers uncompromising distance, more custom fitting options, and greater stability.
2021 Ping G425 driver: Making great even greater
Ping has always had a relentless focus on improvement, which is why, model over model, it has provided constant improvement in almost every measurable performance category, including, most notably, stability.
The best way to explain what the designers and engineers at Ping have done to make the new G425 drivers their best yet is to look at all of the technology that has been accumulated into the three new G425 driver models—the G425 Max, G425 SFT (Straight Flight Technology), and G425 LST (Low Spin Technology).
Ping G425 driver technology
Aerodynamics: The Ping G425 drivers all feature reconfigured turbulators to improve airflow and help increase aerodynamic efficiency towards impact. The smoother and less disrupted the airflow is around an object, the faster it can move. Although not as scientifically complicated, they also offer a visual aid from address to help with alignment.
From Ping’s engineering team
“[Turbulators] are proven to delay flow separation over the driver crown by influencing the behavior of the boundary layer. The quantitative drag measurements indicated about a 25-percent reduction in drag for orientations and speeds toward the end of a typical downswing with a 100 mph impact clubhead speed.”
Dragonfly crown: Although it’s not visible from the exterior of the head, Ping’s all-titanium crown saves mass by removing material from the lowest stress areas and creating a “framed” lattice structure to increase rigidity and lower the clubs center of gravity. The extra mass saved also allows the engineers to reposition it around the head as needed depending on the model to control ball flight and boost MOI properties.
Ping is staying the course with the all-titanium construction because engineers believe it offers the most advanced way to save weight compared to carbon composite, which needs excess ledges and bonding agents to get it to stay safely in place. It’s not that they never tried it either—if you take the wayback machine to 2007, Ping had a visible carbon crown on the original Rapture.
TS 9i + forged face insert: Much like the previous G410 drivers, the G425 models all feature a forged TS 9i+ face insert to increase ball speed. This is possible because the new + material is stronger and offers 20-percent more stretch and rebound which in turn allows engineers to make the face thinner, improve variable face thickness, and maximize the high COR area around the face.
Rough face texture: When most people think about face texture and performance they think wedges, but with drivers, having a more textured face offers similar performance advantages. By increasing friction on direct strikes (wedges are more of a glancing strike) the forgiveness properties of the driver (bulge and roll paired with MOI) have a greater effect, meaning misses go straighter.
Extreme weighting properties: This is where everything comes together to make the G425 the fastest and most forgiving drivers Ping have ever made. A gram saved here and a gram saved there all add up to allowing engineers to push more weight low and back into the head. Instead of pushing for low and forward to decrease spin while sacrificing forgiveness, Ping goes the other way by pushing lower to decrease spin and build the most stable drivers in golf—truly the benchmark for the rest of the industry.
This also means when it comes to the non-CG adjustable G425 SFT, Ping can increase bias in the head further to make it the most anti-fade biased driver the company has built.
Ping G425 models
Ping G425 Max
The best way to describe the G425 Max is by calling it the secret love child of the G400 Max and the G410 Plus, both from looks and design perspective. The G400 Max, by all accounts, was a higher MOI driver than the G410, but the G410 Plus allowed fitters to dial in the center of gravity location like never before. This CG tuning means each driver put into the hands of a golfer is more ideally suited to that player, which leads to tighter dispersion, better strokes gained, and helps lead to lower scores.
The G425 Max is a 460 cc head, which features a 26g moveable tungsten weight in the rear. To put that into perspective, the G400 Max rear non-adjustable weight was 20 grams and the G410 Plus moveable CG shifter was 16 grams. This increases the G425 Max’s MOI by a very impressive 14 percent while still allowing the same amount of CG relocation.
This extra mass is also how the weight track can offer less movement on the exterior of the head while still creating the same level of movement inside the head to create a draw and fade bias.
In true Ping fashion, the G425 Max will be available in both right and left-handed in 9, 10.5, and 12-degree lofts.
Ping G425 LST
The G425 LST (Low Spin Technology) model seems pretty self-explanatory, but it’s important to help identify its differences and how it can help the golfer looking for additional spin reduction.
Coming in at 445 cc, 15 cc smaller than its big brother the G425 Max, the LST offers a more pear-shaped profile to appeal to players looking for a more traditional look. Those 15 cc’s were mostly removed from the rear of the head to shorten the driver’s front-to-back length and move the center of gravity closer to the face to lower spin—without sacrificing overall MOI as much as possible.
It has a 17-gram tungsten CG shifter to help produce a draw, neutral, and fade bias, and from a fitting perspective, the LST spins 500-700 RPM less than the G425, according to Ping’s internal player testing and 200 RPM less than the previous G410 LST. The 500-700 RPM represents a much greater separation between models versus the G410 Plus driver line, which means it is easier for golfers to find their ideal fit.
The G425 LST will be available in both right and left-handed with 9 and 10.5-degree lofts.
Ping G425 SFT
The G425 SFT is officially Ping’s greatest slice killer to date. Thanks to the fixed heel-biased 23-gram tungsten weight and adjusted head shaping, it offers 10 yards more left bias than the previous G410 SFT and a whopping 25-plus yards more fade correction than the G425 Max.
Much like the Max model, the G425 SFT comes in at an MOI maximizing 460 cc and comes in one standard loft of 10.5 degrees in both right and left-handed.
Price, availability, and additional specs
The Ping G425 drivers will be available for pre-sale starting today and will be available at retail starting February 4. All three of the G425 models are priced at $540.
The stock shafts are Ping’s proprietory Alta CB Slate 55 in soft-regular, regular, stiff and x-stiff for players with a generally smoother tempo, and Ping’s 65 g, and 75g options, in regular, stiff, and x-stiff for players with faster tempos and higher swing speeds to increase stability and lower spin.
Two new aftermarket options are Aldila’s Rogue White 130 MSI 70 in regular, stiff, and X, along with Mitsubishi’s Tensei AV Raw Orange in regular, stiff, and x-stiff which fit in well to offer a broad-ranging selection to fit almost any golfer’s needs.
The final part of the puzzle is the grip, and the Ping G425 drivers will all come stock with Ping X Arccos GP lite Caddie Smart Grip, which features an embedded sensor to record and analyze every shot taken during a round when paired with the Arccos Caddie app. With the purchase of a G425 driver, golfers will get a 90-day free trial of the app, and then the options of a $99.99 annual subscription.
Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet/Arccos Caddie Smart Grip is available in Aqua (-1/64″) undersized, White -standard, and Gold (+1/32″) oversized.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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jgpl001
Jan 12, 2021 at 3:26 am
I am not a Ping guy but they always make great drivers and fairway woods
Really good aftermarket shaft offerings in Rogue 130 and AV Raw Orange and this has perked my interest
2021 could be my year to move to in the Ping direction…
Alex
Jan 11, 2021 at 8:05 pm
$540 makes Ping a hard pill to swallow. Ping is pretty good at keeping prices at MSRP too. Other brands, you can many times negotiate a little discount. PXG 0211 just came out at $295. I guess I’m going to try the PXG then.
Alfredo
Jan 11, 2021 at 3:48 pm
I currently play the G410 plus driver and is the best driver I have gamed. If the launch monitor numbers are even a little better which I suspect they will be, I will definitely pull the trigger and upgrade… As far as the looks with the turbulators, I would not give a rats rear end if there were Cadillac wings on the club, if it works it works 🙂
JP
Jan 11, 2021 at 3:11 pm
I will buy the next Ping driver WITHOUT turbulators!!!
dat
Jan 11, 2021 at 12:39 pm
LOL Pricing is out of control.
Alex
Jan 11, 2021 at 12:32 pm
$540
Jim Thomson
Jan 11, 2021 at 10:30 am
“ In true Ping fashion, the G425 Max will be available in both right and left-handed in 9, 10.5, and 12-degree lofts.” Kudos to Ping for continuing support to us southpaws!
Andrew
Jan 11, 2021 at 8:11 pm
Couldn’t agree more Jim ….. every club made always available for us lefties. Always loved that about Ping as well as the fact that they just make great products. Can’t wait to try the 425 range….