Ping Rolls Out the G Forces with New Golf Clubs

G DRIVER

Dragonflies? Semi trucks? What do they have do with golf club design? Leave it to the iconoclastic team at PING to answer the question. Take the new G Driver: A close-up photograph of a dragonfly taken by John Solheim, PING chairman and CEO, was the inspiration for the primary innovation in this sleek stick. Solheim was intrigued by the wing structure and shared the photo with a group of engineers. Inspired by biomimicry, an approach to innovation that emulates nature’s time-tested patterns, they created Dragonfly Technology. The complex exoskeleton design yields PING’s thinnest (0.43 mm) and lightest crown to date, saving eight grams while creating an intricate and stable structure.

The weight savings helped drive the center of gravity lower and deeper than any PING driver, increasing dynamic loft and elevating MOI significantly for maximizing distance and forgiveness. Researchers also studied the base flaps that minimize “large-scale vortex shedding” behind 18-wheelers and integrated their learnings into the G drivers to improve aerodynamics and increase speed. Vortec Technology on the back of the club and “turbulators” on the crown contribute to reducing drag 37 percent in the impact zone, yielding greater clubhead speed and ball velocity for measurable distance gains from all swing speeds. The variable-thickness T9S face has a high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing for a thin face to increase ball speed. Loft is adjustable up to one degree up or down with five settings utilizing a lightweight, aerodynamically efficient and high-strength 7075 aluminum hosel sleeve. The G SF Tec driver (10 and 12-degree standard lofts) is custom-engineered with weight closer to the heel to produce a right-to-left shot bend (for right-handed golfers) and steer the ball back into the fairway. The G LS Tec driver (9 and 10.5 degrees) features a CG that is extremely low. $435

FAIRWAY METALS

Nearly all golfers struggle getting the ball in the air easily with fairway woods. To solve that, the G fairway woods have a lower lead edge that yields 12 percent higher face impact, relative to the G30 series. It’s got the variable-thickness face like other G series clubs, as well as the cascading sole design and “crown turbulators.” Ping’s thinnest crown ever in a fairway wood means discretionary weight has been used to move the CG lower and farther back, making it easier to get the ball airborne. A unique process adds friction to the face for reduced spin. As with the driver, golfers can optimize launch conditions prior to a round by adjusting loft up to +/- 1 degree with five settings utilizing a 7075 aluminum hosel sleeve. The G SF Tec fairway woods have weight closer to the heel, a lighter swing weight, and higher lofts to produce right-to-left shot bend for players whose typical miss is to the right. The G Stretch 3 is custom-engineered to stretch a player’s distance off the tee and on shots into the green with its larger head, slightly forward CG, 13 degree loft, and reduced spin. Lofts across both models range from from 13 to 20.5 degrees. $287.50 per club

G HYBRIDS

PING G HYBRID

Variation on the new G-theme: These handsome hybrids’ innovative tiered internal sole helps activate face flexing to power the ball off the face faster for greater distance. The ultra-thin crown allows for a low-back center of gravity to ensure high launch, reduced spin and a higher MOI for, you guess it, maximizing forgiveness. The high-strength Carpenter 455 steel face is precision-machined to variable thickness, which saves weight and maximizes flexing to generate faster ball speeds across the face for consistently longer results. Like the G fairways, a unique process adds friction to the face to reduce spin. Crown turbulators and contrasting grooves on the face help provide a captured look and assist in aim and alignment, creating a consistently centered impact position. Available 17°, 19, 22, 26, 30 degrees. $247.50 per club

G IRONS

The G iron utilizes revolutionary COR-Eye Technology (introduced in the GMax irons), which activates the sole, face and top rail in flexing for consistently faster ball speeds across the hotter face. The entire G set is heat treated using a specialized process that creates Hyper 17-4 alloy, which is 40 percent stronger than traditional 17-4 stainless steel. Metallurgical advancements combined with COR-Eye Technology provide four times the face flexing with improved stability. “The results are big distance gains and a higher peak trajectory for better stopping power so you can hit and hold the green,” Solheim said. “One benefit of that is a player might be able to club up and hit a 7-iron, for example, instead of a 6-iron.” Weight saved from the face was allocated to the low toe and perimeter, creating a high MOI for extreme forgiveness. Connecting the Custom Tuning Port to the sole creates a deeper CG that helps elevate the launch angle while increasing MOI. At address, the iron’s refined look is created by a thin top rail, satin-blast finish and appropriate offset. An enlarged multi-material damping badge joined to the cavity works with COR-Eye Technology to provide exceptional sound and feel.. Contributing to the improved performance of the G iron are PING’s proprietary Ascending Weight Technology shafts, an optimal combination of physics and feel. The shafts get lighter as they progress from the short irons and pitching wedge to the long irons. Lighter long-iron shafts help square the clubface to increase clubhead speed and optimize flight for distance and accuracy. Heavier short iron shafts improve trajectory control and feel. They’re also available with Dynamic Gold, Project X and other shafts. Available in 4 through 9, plus pitching, utility, sand and lob wedge. $110 per club steel; $125 per club graphite

G CROSSOVER

Just when you thought the modern equipment array was pretty much, well, set, PING created a new category – the Crossover – to combine the precision, workability and control of an iron with the ball speed and forgiveness of a hybrid. “People love the look and feel of the Crossover because they haven’t seen anything like it,” John Solheim says. “It shouldn’t be confused with a driving iron; it’s higher-launching and much more forgiving, and offers a lot of versatility. Our extensive player testing has revealed this to be a very attractive option.” The high-strength Carpenter 455 steel face is precision machined to an optimal thickness for greater face flexing, faster ball speeds and longer results. The flat face, narrow top rail and appropriate offset deliver iron-like accuracy and workability. An innovative cascading internal sole engages the entire face, sole and top rail in flexing to maximize distance. Extreme heel-toe weighting helps locate the center of gravity low-back and expands the perimeter weighting to create a high MOI for maximizing forgiveness. Available as 3 (18 degrees), 4 (21 degrees) and 5 (24 degrees) with a stock Aldila graphite shaft; the PING Alta 70. AWT 2.0 steel or Tour 90 shafts. $247.50