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Ping G30 LS Tec Driver - Review Thread

SuperStroke
Ok, folks. I got home unusually early from work today to find the LS TEC waiting for me. Just got home from the first range session...here are my first impressions.

SPECS
10.5 degrees
Stiff Shaft

LOOKS
A gorgeous club. The black matte finish on the head looks great, and inspires confidence. The design on the crown worked very well for me relative to alignment...subtle, but effective. Note the comparison photos below to my AMP Cell Pro Driver. I am used to playing a Midsize Grip, so after the review period is over I will definitely put one on. If not for the smaller grip size, I would have no problem playing the stock grip.
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WEIGHT
Definitely lighter than my AMP Cell Pro, allowing me to really get this club through the ball. I did not have anything to measure swing speed or driving stats...just going on feel here. I have played some drivers in the past that were too light...this is not the case with the LS TEC.

FEEL AT IMPACT
I started off by warming up with my wedges, and then hitting some balls with my AMP Cell Pro. Once I was in a groove with the driver, I picked up the LS TEC. First impression? I experienced a considerable improvement in distance and roll with the Ping Driver. I've never seen my drives roll out this much before. Ball flight was similar to the AMP Cell Pro, but the distance cannot be compared (again, no specific measurement...just an observation). Marks on the face indicated a pretty consistent center hit, with my misses going out towards the toe. Toe shots tended to lead to a hook for me, but nothing terrible...I probably would have been just left of the fairway on my home course. When I caught the middle of the face, the ball launched off of the face of the club. A very rewarding feeling that I did not find with my AMP Cell Pro. In fact, I was happy to ignore the AMP Cell Pro for the remainder of the range session.

SOUND AT IMPACT
This. Driver. Is. Loud. An unbelievable contrast from the Cobra. I have recently played rounds with golfers who are using the latest drivers from Callaway, and honestly...I much prefer that sound. My Cobra was similar, and the Ping is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Under a covered stall at the driving range, the sound was certainly exacerbated. Still, the performance outweighed this "flaw." I have no problem dealing with the sound given the great feel at impact and the potential for big results. As a matter of fact, it was kind of cool to be making so much noise at the range given the results.

OTHER
I did adjust the loft up by one degree just to see what would happen...not something I will do again. Ball flight started to balloon on me. On the next range session, I will try the 0.6 degree changes in both directions. Will report back with results.

This club has left me excited for the next range session and for 18 holes on Saturday. Looking forward to your questions, and for future feedback.
 
Take 2 on the photos...

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Driver is in and while I didn't get a chance to go to the range tonight I have a few thoughts already

Appearance: I like the way this looks. With all the talks about the turbulators, the matte finish really does a good job of hiding them IMO. I also like the head shape as it still looks forgiving and big unlike the other low spin heads I have played (SLDR 430 and Callaway Alpha DBD)

Shaft: I really felt that the shaft would be a bit "Whippy" based on what I had read. I only made a few swings in the backyard but it feels very stable all around. I do like the high end weight technology. The shaft feels like but it doesn't swing light if that makes any sense.

I have a TopGolf lunch meeting tomorrow and while that won't give great feedback I will still be swinging this and reporting on ball flight, spin and some other things I feel are important with a setup like this


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My driver came in today, but I didn't have any time to take it out let alone make any swings. I love the look of the driver, though. The headcover is sharp looking. Importantly to me, I like that the grip has alignment tick marks all around the perimeter to align with each loft setting. I count on these marks on my grios, and it is nice to know I'll be able to do the same regardless of loft setting.

Tomorrow I should be able to get some indoor swings in to get some more initial thoughts.
 
Specs:
Loft - 10.5*
Shaft - TFC 419 X flex
Length - Standard 45 3/4"

Initial impressions:
I got to take it out of the box last night and make a few practice swings in the yard. The driver feels extremely balanced for being as long as it is. The high balance point shaft helps to counteract the heavier headweight as well. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the shaft, but after taking a few swings I feel it will hold up very well. Love the appearance of both the head and shaft. Blue/Black are my favorite color combo and with the added brushed metal sole plate, this driver is absolutely my favorite looking. With my schedule this week I won't be able to get it out to the course until Saturday. Going to do some range testing and then play an afternoon round comparing it to both my RFE and XTD Ti drivers. My first few trips will consist of using only the stock shaft, but I also have a Speeder 757 X, Tour AD MD 8tx, and prototype Matrix White Tie 8x3 Stiff that I will be installing G30 tips on and doing some testing with. Those won't get used really until I can get some time on a launch monitor and give specific data.
 
I got to put some swings on the G30 LS in the simulator at lunch today. I'll share more thoughts after work, but I wanted to share some photos and impressions.

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I love the look of the headcover.

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Side by side with the Alpha 815. The head appears to be a little deeper from the face back, but the matte look makes it appear smaller than it is.

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stock grip. You can see the alignment markings that work no matter what loft you use.

Thoughts on performance later!
 
I was able to sneak to the range yesterday after work to get some more swings in with the G30 LS, and I was really surprised.

What I saw outside validated what I saw on the simulator at lunch. At the 10.5 degree setting, I was seeing a nice mid-high ball flight. On good swings, the ball rocketed off the face. When I overswung, I was treated with terrible results, as I should. When I really focused on alignment and making a smooth swing, I saw very straight shots with a little draw or fade.

On the simulator, I was getting club head speed up to 112 mph, which is faster than what I was getting out of the Alpha 815. I didn't do a head-to-head yesterday, so it could have just been a good day swinging the driver. Even with this high of swing speed, I didn't feel that the stock stiff shaft was too flexible. I definitely wouldn't even think to describe it as "whippy."

Spin on the simulator was in the low 3000s on average, with the low being around 2500 and the high around 3700. Ball speed averaged at 159, with a 165 in there for good measure! Carry on the simulator averaged 259, and launch averaged 12 degrees. It is difficult to tell out on the range, but I felt like I was getting higher launch than that outdoors.

Outside, the thing that stuck out to me was the sound. I am coming from the relatively muted Alpha 815, so the loud ping of this driver threw me off guard. After a few swings, I noticed the sound less. I did find that I got a more solid sound when I struck the ball well. Good feedback for where the ball is contacted on the face.

I liked what I saw on the range last night, and as a testament, I will be gaming the PING G30 LS in my 9 hole league tonight. I'll be able to get some total distance numbers under real conditions. Might even get some good carry numbers as it is pretty wet around here.

I will have this club in Lexington for the Invitational this weekend if anyone wants to take a few swipes on the range.
 
captaincaution said:
I was able to sneak to the range yesterday after work to get some more swings in with the G30 LS, and I was really surprised.

What I saw outside validated what I saw on the simulator at lunch. At the 10.5 degree setting, I was seeing a nice mid-high ball flight. On good swings, the ball rocketed off the face. When I overswung, I was treated with terrible results, as I should. When I really focused on alignment and making a smooth swing, I saw very straight shots with a little draw or fade.

On the simulator, I was getting club head speed up to 112 mph, which is faster than what I was getting out of the Alpha 815. I didn't do a head-to-head yesterday, so it could have just been a good day swinging the driver. Even with this high of swing speed, I didn't feel that the stock stiff shaft was too flexible. I definitely wouldn't even think to describe it as "whippy."

Spin on the simulator was in the low 3000s on average, with the low being around 2500 and the high around 3700. Ball speed averaged at 159, with a 165 in there for good measure! Carry on the simulator averaged 259, and launch averaged 12 degrees. It is difficult to tell out on the range, but I felt like I was getting higher launch than that outdoors.

Outside, the thing that stuck out to me was the sound. I am coming from the relatively muted Alpha 815, so the loud ping of this driver threw me off guard. After a few swings, I noticed the sound less. I did find that I got a more solid sound when I struck the ball well. Good feedback for where the ball is contacted on the face.

I liked what I saw on the range last night, and as a testament, I will be gaming the PING G30 LS in my 9 hole league tonight. I'll be able to get some total distance numbers under real conditions. Might even get some good carry numbers as it is pretty wet around here.

I will have this club in Lexington for the Invitational this weekend if anyone wants to take a few swipes on the range.
Click to expand...

Look forward to your on course results. I can't wait to get out on Saturday with mine. Going to bring a notepad with me to write down thoughts and stats.
 
Mango Smash said:
Look forward to your on course results. I can't wait to get out on Saturday with mine. Going to bring a notepad with me to write down thoughts and stats.
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Ditto. I will be keeping stats as well.
 
Has anyone experimented with putting hot melt or cotton in the head to dampen the sound?
 
Travis014 said:
Has anyone experimented with putting hot melt or cotton in the head to dampen the sound?
Click to expand...

I have not, but someone earlier in the thread mentioned their friend asking PING to install some hot melt to try to deaden the sound.
 
I had a pretty good night with the G30 LS. While I didn't hit many fairways, I was always in play with the driver.

I hit driver on 5 holes.

The 10th was a par 5 dead into a headwind. I hit a high draw, center cut, 261 yards total.
On the 11th, uphill tee shot, I pushed one out to the right, wind was right to left. 257 total, with not too much rollout in the rough.
The 15th was a long par 4, dead down wind. I hit a very high shot that faded only slightly. Started out too far right and caught the trunk of a tree just off of the fairway. The ball kicked hard left and backward. Despite hitting the trees, I was 270 off of the tee. I'd say the trees were about 35 to 40 yards further down the fairway. Huge drive with the wind helping!
The 16th is a short, straight par 4. Wind left to right. I hit a high ball that started down the middle and faded just off the fairway. Might have been more wind than fade. 257 yard carry with almost no rollout in the wet rough.
The 18th is a straight par 4, dead into the wind. Hit a high draw that started down the middle and ended up a couple yards in the left rough. 243 carry, 250 total.

While I missed a few fairways with the driver, all of my tee shots were in play with clear shots to the green. I loved the distance I was seeing, especially into the wind. The ball seemed to launch high enough at 10.5 degrees of loft. I felt the clubhead is very easy to square up, and the turbulators really frame the ball up well at address.

Tonight I didn't notice the sound as much as last night. It was loud, but not as annoying. Hitting long drives makes the noise easy to forget. The guy I was playing against had a PING i25, and the sound of that was much more muted compared to the G30 LS.

So far, so good with the PING G30 LS. Now I just have to fix my aim!
 
Travis014 said:
Has anyone experimented with putting hot melt or cotton in the head to dampen the sound?
Click to expand...

I've never heard of that! I would be keen on trying that in the 915 I have....while I don't mind the sound at all, the 913 had a more muted tone that I preferred.
 
I expect the reaction to the sound to improve every time you guys go out. As long as I'm not at the range banging balls, I don't even think about the sound I'm making with the LS Tec, but instead focus on the flight and then move on.

I'm still punishing this thing. Wind helper 280+ carry is beast for me, and I saw it a couple times yesterday. The average is more in the 270 range which is still very solid for what I am trying to get out of the combo.

My misses are low on the face, straight, and shorter in total distance... also out towards the toe for a more exaggerated draw with nearly comparable distance to good strikes.

Right now, off the tee, I'm playing target golf.
 
Canadan said:
I expect the reaction to the sound to improve every time you guys go out. As long as I'm not at the range banging balls, I don't even think about the sound I'm making with the LS Tec, but instead focus on the flight and then move on.
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I am playing a different model, but this is my experience too. Range balls or hitting the ball demonstrably away from the middle brings sound to the forefront. But hit it close to the middle with your gamers and sound isn't an issue at all (though I'm admittedly coming from a loud prior gamer).
 
Had a great time with this club today both on the range and on the course. I'm starting to get dialed in with this club...here are my observations from today:


  • The LS TEC is a joy to swing. The weight makes it easy for me to take an aggressive swing, and I definitely feel more confident with this driver than with any other that I have owned. My miss is a slight fade, but I have yet to find my usual trouble on the right side of the course with this club.
  • I played around with the loft settings at the range. For me...
    • 10.5 degrees is perfect. A very pleasing ball flight that is not too high or too low. I will be going to Golf Galaxy this week to play on the launch monitor so that I can dial in the best loft for me.
    • Anything over 10.5 balloons for me.
    • 9.5 was too low...distance seemed to suffer.
    • 10 degrees was ok...I may go to this setting on a windy day if I need to keep the ball lower.
  • One other observation - I am teeing the ball a little lower on this club compared to the AMP Cell Pro. The face is a little shorter in height compared to the Cobra. This change has taken some getting used to, but overall not a big deal.
  • Love the shaft in the club...works perfectly with the weight of the club.
  • Average drive today on the course was around 240 yards. Not bad...

I will hit the launch monitor on Monday, and plan on playing 9 holes on Wednesday.
 
Finally was able to get out to the range for a couple of hours yesterday and give this thing a test drive. Currently I am playing the Callaway Alpha 815 DBD so I am really excited to give the Ping Low Spin version of the G30 a spin. I will admit that I have not been the biggest fan of Ping clubs in the past. I believe the last Ping I even gamed for a round would have been around 2005-2007 when the Ist technology was coming along.


Specs: 10.5 Stiff Flex. (Dialed to - which would be 9.9 actual loft)

Swing Speed: 105 Average

Appearance: When I first teed this one up, the 2 things I liked the most were the Matte finish and the club shape. I typically don't
like the 460 sized heads. I usually find myself in the 430-440 cc range as my last 3 drivers were the r11s V2, SLDR 430 and the current DBD. This head doesn't look as big at address as it appears when you first take the head cover off. The thing I like about the size the most is the head is a bit shallower and you can tee it a little lower and play it out towards the toe a little which is something I really like with the driver.

Feel: I am one of those that doesnt put alot of stock in feel off the longer clubs. This one does feel very solid when hit well. You can feel the ball jump off the face which is a pretty good feeling. The range balls probably had something to do with this but overall I would say this feels quite hard off the face.

Sound: This seems to be the elephant in the room with this club. I cannot think of a club in the last few years that was as loud as this one. It doesnt take away from the experience in my opinion and after a bucket of balls you do get used to it. It is just a bit of a surprise at first when you have played drivers recently with a real muted sound.

Shaft: The shaft that is pared with this club was a plesant surprise. When I was looking at the specs, I was expecting something a little lighter than I like and a little whippy-ier. With the High Balanced Technology this feels solid throughout the whoel swing. I made swings that were both fluid and a little more aggresive and the shaft reacted the same way. I dont know if it something I would want to game consistantly but it is a solid offereing for a stock choice.

Ball Flight: While I am usually not a tinkerer, I did have the wrench out yesterday and played with the different loft settings. I will say this one seemed to have the biggest variance from the 9.5 to 11.5 lofts you could adjust to or any driver I have tried recently. I was a big believer in the loft up and have gone from playing in the 8.5 range to 11 degrees of late. This one at 11 just seemed to be too high and was losing some distance. This one performed best for me at the 9.9 loft position.

Forgiveness: This to me is the selling point of this club for people that really like the low spin heads. I hit this one all over the club head yesterday and it was really consistant with its ball flight. This one was anti-left for me as I only hit 2 out of about 80 swings left of the target. The one thing I didnt like about it was the ball flight if struck on the heel. It really seemed to exagerate the left to right spin I was hitting some borderline slices with this. I felt for me to get this one to go straight or have a little draw I needed to make a little more aggresive swing from the inside. This club simply rewards good swings IMO.

Technology: This club does exactly what it says it is designed to do. I have been a big advocate of these type of clubs for the last 3-4 years and this one is one of the best from what I have seen so far. Some other brand offerings have gone alittle overboard on this technology and made a club that works when struck well but is unforgiving when not struck ideally...... That is not this club. The club definately has a lower spin profile with it's launch conditions, but it still as enough spin to not penalize you on bad swings. I would like to see a little better dispersion overall as it felt swings that were really bad ramped up the spin to the point where it almost hurt you. The heel shot on my current gamer would produce a little cut while this one would almost banana ball on me.

Overall Impressions: Overall, I was very pleased with the club. I started out hitting alot of balls way right of target of the heel of this club. I realized that this one is 45 3/4 inches and an inch longer than my current gamer. I feel this had alot to do with my horrible shot starting out. I backed away from the ball a little and made some swings choked down on the shaft the results were much better. I wasnt on a launch monitor and can only go off what I saw visually but I do know I was hitting some that had me in complete awe. The range I was on is only about 240 yards long from were I was hitting from but has a large net. My typically gamer usually hits about half way up the net which equates to something in the 275 range on the course. I was hitting towards the top of the net with this one consistantly and hit about 10-15 balls over the net which would net a pretty good increase overall. I will say this rewards good swings but has enough technology to save those that arent great. I look forward to continuing to game this one and get it out on the course this week.

One question to those that know anything about this club and shaft... If I were to cut it down to the length of my current gamer, would that change the technology of the shaft.. I know it will make it stiffer and change the weighting slightly but would it change it to the point where I would be doing more harm than good on this club?
 
Finally going to get out to the course today. Both kids have been sick since Thursday and the wife got food poisoning and was out of commission yesterday so I had to cancel my round. bag is all ready to go. I have a second shaft I am going to try on the range, but the course will be stock set-up against my RFE with 44 magnum TX shaft. View attachment 19532View attachment 19532
 
Lots of really good info there Flog!
 
Great write ups, guys. Very interesting that you both talk about teeing it lower. I am going to try with the SF TEC.


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tequila4kapp said:
Great write ups, guys. Very interesting that you both talk about teeing it lower. I am going to try with the SF TEC.


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It made a big difference for me. Pop-ups a plenty with my normal tee height, even when trying to swing up on the ball. Lower tee height and more centered in the stance worked well.
 
Full review still to come. Just wanted to say wow. I was in places I never normally get to with this driver. I did have some trouble early in my round, but mostly because I typically play a fade and this was dead straight. I even drove the green on a dog leg left par 4. This launched high and dead straight. More to come in the morning. Just wanted to say how excited I am to play this driver. Thank you so much to THP and Ping!
 
flog2424 said:
One question to those that know anything about this club and shaft... If I were to cut it down to the length of my current gamer, would that change the technology of the shaft.. I know it will make it stiffer and change the weighting slightly but would it change it to the point where I would be doing more harm than good on this club?
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Great overall thoughts buddy!!!

How much are you thinking about cutting off? Most shafts have a couple couple inches at the top of the butt that don't play a big role. Much more issues are run into if you're chopping from the tip rather than the butt section.
 
Canadan said:
Great overall thoughts buddy!!!

How much are you thinking about cutting off? Most shafts have a couple couple inches at the top of the butt that don't play a big role. Much more issues are run into if you're chopping from the tip rather than the butt section.
Click to expand...

Maybe about an inch. I know this shaft talks about the balance in the butt end.... Just didn't know if that would cause some issues with the overall technology behind it


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