Equipment

GolfWRX launch report: 2023 Ping G430 drivers

Published

1 year ago

Jan 10, 2023

What you need to know: With a shallower and thinner VFT forged face design, Ping engineers sought to add speed and distance without undermining an element Ping drivers have been known for: forgiveness.

For slower-swing-speed golfers, all the clubs except the LST driver can be custom built with lighter head weights.

Exclusive to the G430 LST, lightweight composite crown-covering Carbonfly Wrap technology is the major innovation in the series.

Like the G425 lineup, the new G430 family consists of three driver models (Max, LST, SFT).

Additional model details

Ping G430 Max

Suitable for the widest segment of the fitting bell curve.
25-gram, high-density tungsten moveable back weight (±8 yards of shot shaping)

Regarding the Ping G430 Max, Ping’s John Solheim says: “The Max is the workhorse. It fits every skill level, from tour players to higher handicaps. The increases in ball speed are remarkable and the sound is creating a very favorable conversation. When you combine those advancements with its industry-leading forgiveness, the Max will win a lot of battles in comparison testing in the fitting environment.”

Ping G430 LST

Features Carbonfly Wrap Technology: Eight-layer, one-piece composite covering the crown to save weight (four grams) and lower CG, creating a lower-spin, higher-MOI driver.
A moveable 22-gram, high-density tungsten backweight (±7 yards of shot shaping)

Regarding the Ping G430 LST, Solheim says: “With recent manufacturing advancements and the smaller head size of the G430 LST, the time is right to bring this technology to golfers,” said Solheim. “It’s quickly becoming the favorite of our tour players, who are enjoying the ball-speed gains while raving about the look, feel and sound.”

Ping G430 SFT

New two-setting, 22-gram moveable tungsten backweight (±13 yards of shot shaping)
Draw+ weight setting allows for 20 yards of total shot shaping.

Regarding the Ping G430 SFT, Solheim says: “Our SFT technology reinforces our commitment to custom fitting,” Solheim said. “It’s a tremendous option for golfers who consistently slice the ball. The reality is more golfers could benefit from this type of technology, so we’ve added the two-setting backweight to allow for further adjustments in shot bend as necessary.”

What Ping says

“The combined distance gains throughout the entire G430 family are like nothing we’ve seen from one generation of clubs to the next,” said John K. Solheim, Ping CEO & President. “Our approach with G430 has been to find more speed and deliver it in a way that contributes to lower scores and more enjoyment on the course. That includes providing a level of forgiveness that remains unequalled. The powerful combination of distance and forgiveness wins out when golfers are properly fitted. We see that every day in our research and we’re excited to get the G430 into the hands of golfers so they can see the same benefits.”

“The tour adoption was exceptional last fall, with almost 30 drivers in play on the PGA Tour the first week out, and multiple wins around the world since its introduction. Our staff appreciates the added ball speed of the driver and fairway woods and loves the sound. They are seeing from 2 to 4 mph gains in ball speed from the driver, which even the best players in the world are happy to find from their equipment alone.”

More photos

Ping G430 Max

Ping G430 LST

Ping G430 SFT

G430 Pricing, Specs

Head weights: 208 (LST), 206g (Max), 200g (SFT)
Swingweights: D3 (Max), D4 (LST), C9 (SFT)
Standard length: 45 3/4″ (Alta CB Black 55); 45 1/4″ (PING Tour 2.0 Chrome/Black and optional stock)
Stock shafts: Ping Alta CB (counter-balanced) Black 55 (SR, R, S), Ping Alta Quick 35/45 (HL build only)
Optional stock shafts: Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome 65 (R, S, X), Ping Tour 2.0 Black 65 (S, X), Mitsubishi Kai’Li White 60 (S, X), PRJX HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX 50 (5.5, 6.0), PRJX HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX 60 (5.5, 6.0, 6.5)
Stock grip: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16”, Red -1/32”, Aqua -1/64”, White-Std, Gold +1/32”, Orange +1/16”)

Available lofts

G430 Max: 9, 10.5, 12 degrees
G430 LST: 9, 10.5 degrees
G430 SFT: 10.5 degrees

Price: G430 Max/SFT: $600 each; G430 LST: $630 each

At retail: January 26. Pre-sell, fittings: January 10

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Equipment

Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

Published

2 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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Equipment

Spotted: TaylorMade P-UDI driving iron

Published

3 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

Brian Knudson

It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.

We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.

From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.

“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.

TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°

TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°

Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

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Whats in the Bag

Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)

Published

4 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos Collin Morikawa’s clubs here.

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)