Equipment

2021 Ping G425 Launch Day Report: Everything you need to know about the new equipment from Ping

Published

4 days ago

Jan 11, 2021

Today was the official launch day of the all-new 2021 Ping G425 line of clubs which includes drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, and irons. To quickly summarize the new releases, Ping is upping its game when it comes to offering the most stable drivers in golf, and for their fairway woods, hybrids, crossovers, and irons its about improved consistency in spin rates and ball speeds to help golfers play better.

If are looking for in-depth information, on the ins and outs of the new designs and the technology that makes them possible be sure to check out our full launch pieces below.

2021 Ping G425 drivers offer greater stability, performance across Max, LST, SFT models

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 fairway woods, hybrid, and Crossover: Introducing Spinsistency

Ping G425 Fairway, hybrid, crossover

Unlike the previous G410 fairways and hybrids, which had a maraging steel face insert, the G425’s cup face is one piece, which saves weight from welding allowing designers to reposition more mass.

According to Ping’s testing, the new G425 fairway woods offer a 1.5 mph ball speed increase compared to the previous model, which equates to roughly five extra yards on average. So how do golfers control and dial in this extra speed without increasing dispersion? Spinsistency!

Spinsistency is Ping’s new complex face curvature design that changes the bulge (side to side curvature) and more importantly the roll (top to bottom curvature) of the clubface to normalize or tighten the standard deviation of spin resulting in more consistent results, most noticeably with 2.5-degree decrease in loft towards the bottom of the face. The performance benefits are especially noticeable on shots hit lower on the face, which is where misses commonly occur with both fairway woods and hybrids.

Ping G425 irons: Smaller and faster for 2021

The new 2021 G425 iron builds off the success of the G410 by packing more forgiveness into a smaller package designed to not just shout from the rooftops about distance but give golfers the ability to reduce dispersions and land the ball softer into greens. An iron that goes longer isn’t very helpful if the golfer using them cant hold a green with anything over an 8-iron, and the engineers at Ping have added some very interesting technology to the G425 irons to accomplish just that.

Perspectives from the GolfWRX forums

caller: “G425 MAX might cover a lot of golfers. Great looking stick.”
awtryau: “Really excited to start seeing more people get this driver in their hands and some comparisons. I played another round yesterday albeit, in the mid 40s, wet and windy conditions and I had 4 layers on and could barely swing. This driver is definitely lower launching for me. Thinking many may loft up. I hit some terrible drives, and I mean inch off-center that went much farther than expected and stayed in the fairway. The ones I did catch well did put me in places I see in the summer, which tells me it’s going further.”
dhen9: “Had a chance to put a couple of swings on the 7 irons today. Decently clean at address and what you’d expect from Ping. Seems similar offset and blade length as 410. I have never really gamed a Ping iron since g700 first came out but have demoed and even owned a couple of sets that never got gamed. All that being said, the two biggest takeaways were the sound is very similar to G710, which was a surprise. Second, mishits just don’t lose distance, and there were a few strikes that were nearly a ball’s width to the toe side of the sweet spot.”
Warrick: “Love that shallow, minimalist 3 wood.”
endy: On the 3 wood: “They look great! 3 Dot alignment is growing on me, even though I actually liked the turbs. For some reason, I cannot get on with the hybrids though. Something about the scoring lines/setup makes it look closed at setup to my eye, even if it’s not.”

Ping G425 Max driver

GolfWRX’s resident equipment tester, Brian Knudson of the Club Junkie podcast, had this to say

G425 Max driver: Very stable and forgiving with a high launch as you would expect from the Max. Shots hit off-center still produce good ball speed and stay online, keeping you in play when you don’t put a perfect swing on it. Better players will love that you can use all the adjustments to take the draw out of it and play it neutral.

G425 LST driver: Produced a flat, penetrating trajectory that wasn’t affected by a headwind. Ball flight was straight and skilled players will be able to work with ball on command. The LST offered great feel—you could really feel the ball compress on the face. The smaller profile and square, slightly open, face angle will attract even the pickiest players.

G425 Max 3-wood: Very impressed with how easy it was to elevate off the turf. Seemed effortless to hit high, soft landing shots over and over again. While the sound was louder than I would have liked, the face is responsive and you can easily tell the difference between center and non-center strikes. Like the driver, the Max is very forgiving and takes some of the right side out of play.

G425 hybrid: With a high/mid launch and consistent carry distance, well struck shots are a pleasure to hit. Distance is long, not crazy, and you should be able to fit these into your gapping easily. Thin and toe shots flew lower than I expected, but still produced good total distance.

G425 Crossover: Really good feeling utility iron, softer than I expected it to be. Traditional shots were high and long, but you could flight it down with no problem to hit into the wind. Toe misses lost some distance, but held their line really well.

Here’s what the biggest YouTube testers and reviews have to say on the newest Ping G425 line

And on Instagram

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From the Twitterverse

"Every year, somehow they beat the previous records." The #G425 MAX pushes a record 10,000 MOI. Find out what that means for @bubbawatson and #TeamPING AND the gains you'll see. pic.twitter.com/wxX2jpbd7O

— PING GOLF (@PingTour) January 11, 2021

Thoughts on the new G425 driver from @PINGTourEurope ?? first impressions? pic.twitter.com/MWu1iXAwgA

— Peter Finch (@PeterFinchGolf) January 11, 2021

If you are looking for another way to digest the practical applications of the Ping G425 line, on the most recent episode of the “On Spec” podcast presented by GolfWRX, host Ryan Barath goes through all the new clubs in the Ping G425 line with the goal up helping you understand how they can potentially help your game.

Ping G425 Max driver face

Ping G425 Max driver crown

Have you had a chance to hit anything in the Ping G425 line yet? What are your initial impressions? Let us know in the comments!

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Equipment

Best utility iron of 2021 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

5 hours ago

Jan 15, 2021

Gianni Magliocco

In our forums, our members have been discussing 2021 utility irons. WRXer ‘Krod10359’ kicks off the thread, saying:

“Just want to know your opinion on what new utility iron you have hit this year. Looks like a lot of solid offerings out right now from Ping, Srixon and Callaway. Let me hear what you have to say about these clubs.”

And our members have been sharing their thoughts in our forum.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

hypergolf: “This…(photo above)”
TigerInTheWoods: “Sim Udi is a beauty. Launches a bit higher and is a bit more forgiving than the P790 UDI which was really the benchmark for this kind of club.”
craz-e: “Hard to go past the Srixon for performance and value. The current offerings from Titleist (u500 & u501) and Mizuno (HMB) are also great options and worth trying.”
Golfingfanatic: “The new Callaway one is pretty good.”

Entire Thread: “Best utility iron of 2021”

Not yet a GolfWRX member? Sign up for FREE here.

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Equipment

2021 Callaway Epic driver: Epic Speed, Epic Max & Epic LS drivers

Published

7 hours ago

Jan 15, 2021

John Wunder

Callaway Golf introduces new Epic driver lineup for 2021—Epic Speed, Epic Max, and Epic Max LS drivers—giving us the best of everything.

When it comes to a hot face, Callaway Golf has been at the top of the heap since its introduction of Jailbreak Technology back in 2017. In simplest terms, Jailbreak allowed Callaway to vertically stiffen the face, which allows the face to absorb a ton of energy and release it right back into the golf ball.

When Epic hit the market, it was instantly the driver of that year due to its ball speeds and forgiveness across the face, but most importantly for Callaway, it gave the company a strong foundation to build from for models to come.

In 2020, with the help of artificial intelligence, Callaway engineers were able push that idea a bit further with the successful Mavrik line. This time, artificial intelligence took Jailbreak and found ways to make it even more efficient with the addition of the Flash Face.

Now, in 2021, using every piece of tech at its disposal, Callaway officially launches the new 2021 Epic Speed, Epic Max, and Epic Max LS drivers.

The new AI-designed, carbon-loaded, MOI machines are the culmination of now four iterations of Jailbreak technology, and in my opinion, Callaway has its fastest but more importantly—most golf-course friendly—driver ever.

Let’s dive in…

The new 2021 Callaway Epic Speed driver

New 2021 Callaway Epic Speed driver

The Epic Speed is the fastest swinging driver Callaway has ever made. The elevated Cyclone Aero Design gives players a clubhead that gets through the air and down into impact faster creating even more ball speed opportunities.

More photos and discussion in the forums.

New 2021 Callaway Epic Speed Driver, Cyclone Aero Shaping

In addition, the AI-designed Flash Face SS21 and the new look Jailbreak Speed Frame create stiffness not only vertically across the face but east and west as well. The result? Speed, stability, and a ton of forgiveness.

The new 2021 Callaway driver, face on

“Spin robustness” is another key term in the 2021 Callaway campaign. What this means for us is giving players spin where we need it (i.e. off the heel spin stays down, off the toe spin stays up, out of the middle the ball goes forever).

Another key aspect to notice across the line is the enhanced composite crown. The new 2021 Callaway Epic Speed driver has a triaxial carbon crown that covers even more real estate allowing Callaway to redistribute 16 grams of discretionary weight. The larger carbon surface area also innately created a way for Callaway R&D to make the Epic Speed a bit more draw friendly without having to add external weight to the heel.

More photos and discussion in the forums.

Callaway Epic Speed driver, address

2021 Callaway Epic Max driver

Sole view of the new Callaway Epic Max driver

Yes, the new 2021 Callaway Epic Max driver is a heater, but more than anything, it’s forgiving. Using all the tech bells and whistles from Epic Speed (AI-designed Jailbreak and Flash Face), Callaway made the Epic Max crown with even more triaxial carbon, saving 19 grams of discretionary weight, which allows them to create an even deeper CG and higher MOI. A rear sliding 17-gram weight in the trunk to tune in launch and shape and the OptiFit hosel provides up to 20 yards of shot shape correction.

The New 2021 Callaway Epic Max Driver, Sliding weight

The New 2021 Callaway Epic Max Driver, Address

2021 Callaway Epic Max LS

Incorporating the AI-designed Flash Face SS21 and Jailbreak technology, Callaway has created a new more forgiving profile in a players driver.

Out with the Sub Zero and in with the most playable players driver Callaway has created. With a neutral shape and weight configuration that is the more fade bias of the Callaway family, the new LS has a very high MOI (8,400+) for a tour-inspired driver. The idea was to give high speed players something fast all while mitigating the big miss better players fear. Yes, we all fear a big miss, but at high speeds, the foul ball is, well, a bit more foul. The new triaxial carbon crown saves 13 grams of weight, which was redistributed to increase MOI and lower CG.

Like Epic Max, LS also has a sliding weight to tune in adjustability.

More photos and discussion in the forums.

Inspired by the Triple Diamond tour heads of the past, Callaway decided to go away from cranking spin down to oblivion and offer a driver that was actually closer to what the tour leans towards. Yes, they love a low spin head, but not too low spin. The Triple Diamond heads were basically a Sub Zero shape in a higher MOI profile. If you go through our tour photos, you will see more Triple Diamonds than anything. Obliterating launch and spin sounds good for Trackman, but it’s hard to play that way on the golf course all the time.

Initial Tour Reaction

I had a chance to chat with Callaway’s PGA Tour Manager Jacob Davidson on the early response and this is what he had to say.

JW: In early testing, what is the first thing players are seeing with Speed and LS?

JD: Early feedback from the tour guys has been a noticeable difference in an increase in ball speed across the face but more importantly the dispersion has tightened down range. Many guys have also quickly fallen in love with the sound of the new metal woods.

JW: What most excited you with the new line?

JD: We knew early on with this product launch that we had an exceptional driver. To start- the look of the heads and the shaping allows the clubs to sit beautifully at the address position. From there the overall feel and sound matches exactly what tour guys prefer. The guys we have worked with have converted into the new woods extremely quickly with very positive feedback. For us, we are excited to have some great starting lines, a competitive ball speed advantage, and an increase in forgiveness.

We are constantly studying what makes world class drivers of the golf ball world class. After much research, we determined the ideal spin/ degree of launch and worked closely with our R&D team to reach these numbers. We were absolutely amazed to see what they came back to us with. Using AI they were able to figure out how to increase the MOI in this line of drivers while also focusing on more ball speed. It truly is remarkable the new frontier of technology we are using in our drivers to help our players play their best golf.

More photos and discussion in the forums.

Overall Thoughts

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of Epic Flash (acoustics), and Mavrik was solid but didn’t blow me away. This new 2021 Callaway Epic line of drivers is exactly what players want: a golf club that is playable all while providing the distance and performance we have gotten used to over the past few years. It’s a new trend in the market that I’m loving. Drivers are becoming golf course friendly again. We tried to kill spin—when ultimately it was our best friend in the long run.

Specs

At Retail: 2/18

Lofts: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees (Epic Speed) 9, 10.5 degrees(Epic Max & Epic Max LS)

Price: $529.99

Stock Shaft Offerings

Epic Speed Driver: Project X Cypher 40g (WMS, L). Smoke IM 10 (50g – R,S. 60g – S)
Epic MAX Driver: Project X Cypher 40g (WMS, L). Smoke IM 10 (50g – R,S. 60g -S)
Epic MAX LS: Mitsubishi MMT (60g – S,X. 70g – S,X)

More photos and discussion in the forums.

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Equipment

Callaway unveils new 2021 Epic Speed and Epic Max fairway woods

Published

7 hours ago

Jan 15, 2021

Gianni Magliocco

Callaway Golf has introduced its all-new Epic Speed and Epic Max fairway woods that contain the brand’s Jailbreak A.I. Velocity Blades.

2021 Callaway Epic Speed Fairway Woods

The 2021 Epic Speed fairway woods feature the brand’s new Jailbreak A.I. Velocity Blades. Callaway engineers used A.I. to design a completely new Jailbreak system which spreads and angles the Jailbreak blades. The result? Along with stiffening the body, the new design allows the forged face cup to flex more in design to provide exceptional ball speeds all across the face.

The A.I. Designed Flash Face SS21 across the brand’s Epic Speed fairway woods are uniquely designed using advanced A.I and are designed to put an even greater emphasis on center and off-center ball speeds.

More photos in the forums.

The Epic Speed fairway woods contain a forward center of gravity (CG) combined with a new leading-edge. This pairing aims to provide a strong ball flight, spin robustness, and consistent shot shape dispersion.

In addition, the new fairway woods from Callaway feature a forged C300 maraging steel face cup. The C300 maraging steel is engineered to offer maximum strength and flexibility, while the steel face cup is designed to provide speed and spin consistency across the clubface.

Specs, Pricing & Availability

Lofts: 3+, 3, 4, 5, 7

Price: $299.99

Availability: February 18

2021 Callaway Epic Max Fairway Woods

Just like the brand’s new Epic Speed woods, the Epic Max line also features the company’s new Jailbreak A.I. Velocity Blades in design to provide increased ball speeds as well as a club that is easy to launch.

As well as containing an A.I. Designed flash face SS21, the Epic Max fairway woods are engineered with a forged face cup to give golfers increased speed and spin consistency across the face.

The oversized head on the new Epic Max woods combines with a shallow face to make the clubs extremely easy to launch from the fairway while also offering added forgiveness.

The Epic Max line also offers adjustable weighting allowing golfers to adjust launch and spin using two and 14-gram weights. The added weight in the rear provides more forgiveness while more weight in the front offers lower launch and spin.