PING G425 DRIVER: Part of the new PING family for 2022
Updated: Jan 22, 2022
This month PING introduced the G425 family of golf clubs to North America, Europe and South America.
In this article we take a look at the G425 MAX Driver which elevates the moment of inertia (also known as MOI) to PING’s highest level in history.
Forgiveness comes mainly from a 26-gram tungsten movable weight, made possible by weight savings from advancements in the driver’s dragonfly crown technology. The CG-shifting weight can be set in neutral, draw or fade. A T9S+ forged face increases flexing for adding distance. Available in 9°, 10.5° and 12°.
Each club in the series comes standard with an Arccos Caddie Smart Grip.
John K. Solheim, PING President, said: “We’re very excited to bring PING’s next generation of score-lowering, custom-fit, custom-built equipment to golfers.
“Our engineering teams have made significant performance improvements in the G425 family, which we are confident will appeal to long-time, loyal PING players while attracting other golfers looking to play better and enjoy the game more, including those brand-new to the game. As is our engineering philosophy, we don’t introduce a new product unless it’s measurably better than its predecessor.
“The G425 family exceeds that standard in both performance and appearance.”
Solheim added: “The Tour response to the G425 driver has been exceptional.
“It started with a win its first week on the European Tour in the hands of Tyrrell Hatton at the BMW PGA Championship and has continued with wins around the world ever since. Viktor Hovland claimed the Mayakoba Golf Classic in early December with the G425 LST and one week later the U.S. Women’s Open champion also relied on the new driver. In all, the G425 driver already has six wins to its name, helping earn titles on all the major tours around the world. The players are instantly attracted to the clean, premium look of the clubs and even more impressed with the performance.”
Let’s get technical…
In the G425 driver series, the primary model is named MAX as it elevates the moment of inertia (MOI) to PING’s highest level in history and provides golfers the most forgiving driver in golf, say PING.
Joining the G425 MAX are the LST (Low Spin Technology) and SFT (Straight Flight Technology) to best match a golfer’s swing and launch conditions.
To achieve the new performance levels in the G425 MAX (9°, 10.5°, 12° lofts), PING engineers combined key technologies from the G400 Max and G410 Plus. The resulting increase in MOI in the 460cc head comes mainly from a 26-gram tungsten movable weight, which is made possible by weight savings attributed to advancements in the driver’s Dragonfly crown technology. The weight can be positioned at distinctive settings over a smaller area than G410 Plus/LST to help shift the center of gravity lower and farther back without sacrificing performance elsewhere in the design. The CG-shifting weight can be secured in one of three settings -- neutral, draw or fade -- to influence forgiveness and shot shape for maximum performance.
The LST model (9°, 10.5° lofts) is designed with a pear-shaped head and measures 445cc to reduce spin approximately 200 rpm compared to the G410 LST and 500-700 rpm versus the G425 MAX. The smaller head size of the LST employs a 17-gram CG shifter with three settings (draw, neutral, fade) to fit the launch conditions best suited to the golfer’s swing and desired ball flight.
For golfers who commonly miss their tee shots to the right, the 460cc SFT version (10.5° loft) is engineered with a draw bias to help bring shots back on-line and into the fairway. It features a fixed 23-gram tungsten back weight that shifts the CG closer to the heel to promote a right-to-left shot bend of approximately 25 yards compared to the G425 MAX model. A lighter swingweight (D1) also helps influence the ball-flight correction.
To help contribute to increases in swing speed and ball speed, all three models share proven PING driver innovations, including Turbulator Technology for reduced aerodynamic drag and the proprietary T9S+ forged face to accelerate face flexing for more distance.
An internal rib structure in the Ti-8-1-1 body improves acoustics for a solid and pleasing sound. Each model also features the lightweight, 8-position hosel for loft (+-1.5°) and lie (up to 3° flatter) adjustments to further dial in ball flight.
Head weights: 208 (LST), 206g (MAX), 202g (SFT)
Swingweight: D3 (MAX), D4 (LST), D1 (SFT)
Std. length: 45 3/4" (Alta CB Slate 55); 45 1/4" (PING Tour and optional stock)
Stock shaft: PING Alta CB (counter-balanced) Slate (SR, R, S, X)
Optional stock shafts: PING Tour 65, 75 (R, S, X), Alta Distanza Red (SR), Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 55 (R, S) and 65 (R, S, X), Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 70 (R, S, X)
