Equipment

GolfWRX Spotted: Ping G425 fairway woods, hybrid, and Crossover

Published

4 years ago

Oct 13, 2020

This is a big week for Ping gear on the PGA Tour with initial seeding of the all-new Ping G425 metal woods taking place at the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. It was only last week on the European Tour that Tyrrell Hatton won the BMW PGA Championship with the new G425 LST driver along with new G425 LST and Max fairway woods in the bag.

We should expect to see a number of Ping players, along with some equipment free agents put these in play right away to get in “reps” since we are now less than 30 days away from The Masters in November.

Ping G425 LST fairway – Low Spin Technology

Just like the driver, the Ping G425 LST fairway wood is designed to lower spin while also maintaining the high MOI. From the information available the LST will only be available in a 3-wood and comes in at 165cc vs the MAX full 176cc.

This more compact head has a shorter front to back length to move the center of gravity closer to the face to create lower spin launch conditions which work well for players that are higher spin and want to further optimize fairway wood performance.

Ping G425 fairway MAX

“MAX” means MAXimum forgiveness and MOI, and it appears the new Ping G425 MAX fairways are doing just that, with a large tungsten weight along the trailing edge similar to the driver.

From available information, the G425 MAX comes in at 176cc’s which is at the higher end of size for fairway woods (3-wood) on the market but not the biggest, and has something called “face wrap” – or what is also know as a cup face design.

No further pictures of the Ping G425SFT fairway woods yet, but considering we are seeing these out on tour it is unlikely someone will have a G425SFT in play since it is designed to help fade reduction – not something many PGA Tour players struggle with, especially with fairway woods.

G425 Hybrids

When you have a winning formula, you try not to mess it up, and it looks like that is exactly what Ping is doing with the G425 hybrids. Compact shape, adjustable, and the same face wrap technology as the already discussed fairway woods.

They will also continue to offer an adjustable hosel to allow for fine-tuning of lie, loft, and ball flight, which is one of the key aspects of recent Ping hybrids that set them apart from others in the market.

G425 Crossover

For the golfers that need extra launch and ball speeds but prefer the shape of a larger “iron-like” club vs a true hybrid, the Ping Crossover is that club. The new version of this popular alternative has a thinner facer face per available information and also has a new streamlined look from address.

To see what GolfWRX members are saying and to see all the Ping G425 pictures from the CJ Cup, check out the Thread in the GolfWRX Forums: PING G425 Pictures from the CJ Cup

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

16 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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