PING G440 Drivers, Fairways and Hybrids
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,918
- Reaction score
- 13,636
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.3
I would actually like to do a shaft fitting this winter because I'm positive there is a better fit for me out there. I tried a Ventus TR Red part of the season and it was terrible for me. I went back to the Rogue White that I played in my G425LST and did much better, but I still think I can find a better match for my swing.
That Rogue White and 425LST was a beast of a combo for me. I probably should never have got rid of it.
Sample of the 2 best drives I hit yesterday. Peak height and descent angle are too high but obviously it’s very hard to complain about either of these shots. Have a different shaft I’m gonna test in it next (Ventus Blue+ 5X).
Played 9 today with the G440 LST and Ventus Blue+ 5X combo. Put it in big minus setting (7.5 loft) and the rear weight in the fade position. Anti-left as I could get it as I have been fighting the lefts hard lately. Thrilled with the results.
There was a fair bit wind which contributed to the wider distance discrepancy in the raw yardages. Looking at the adjusted numbers it’s really impressive how consistent it was though, outside of the final ball on 9 which was a pretty big mishit.
Next I am gonna be testing changing the rear weight. Currently with the stock 29g weight this thing feels a bit like a sledgehammer and the swingweight is around D6. Ordered a 23g weight to try out which should bring the swingweight down to a more comfortable D2.5 or so.
There was a fair bit wind which contributed to the wider distance discrepancy in the raw yardages. Looking at the adjusted numbers it’s really impressive how consistent it was though, outside of the final ball on 9 which was a pretty big mishit.
Next I am gonna be testing changing the rear weight. Currently with the stock 29g weight this thing feels a bit like a sledgehammer and the swingweight is around D6. Ordered a 23g weight to try out which should bring the swingweight down to a more comfortable D2.5 or so.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2015
- Messages
- 24,918
- Reaction score
- 13,636
- Location
- Southeast, South Dakota
- Handicap
- 7.3
That looks like a pretty good driving day!
I need to order a weight for mine. I bought this head from someone and he only had heavy weights with it. It showed up with a 35g in it! He sent a 32g with it so that's what I've used. I'm glad you made this post, I was going to order one and forgot.
It's been a wait for sure. I have the Blue 40MX and feel like I've been waiting patiently on the prototype....
Back with an update on my adventures testing a G440 LST! I mentioned previously that I was gonna explore testing a lighter head weight in the rear as the current head felt very heavy to me. Wound up ordering both a 19g weight and a 23g weight to test in place of the stock 29g weight. Yesterday I gave the 19g weight a chance. I had 3 big takeaways:
1. I definitely prefer the feel of a lighter head
2. My swing speed went up 2-3 mph
3. The head was notably less stable/forgiving
Wound up tying my personal best ball speed (166) and setting a new personal best club speed (114, twice!). Hit 4 drives that cracked the 300 yard mark (and 2 more that settled at 299). Obviously thrilled with all of that.
I do think there is something to be said about the loss in MOI though. When I initially tested this head with the stock weight I was shocked at how forgiving it was for a "low spin" head. With the lighter weight I felt like the punishment on mishits was more severe. Additionally as I tend to fight a left miss I setup the weight in the fade position. The lighter weight also saw my dispersion move left which I don't love.
All of this signals to me that the 23g weight might be the goldilocks solution I'm looking for when it comes to blending feel/speed/forgiveness. With Thanksgiving on deck I'm going out of town and won't be able to test this until next week though.
1. I definitely prefer the feel of a lighter head
2. My swing speed went up 2-3 mph
3. The head was notably less stable/forgiving
Wound up tying my personal best ball speed (166) and setting a new personal best club speed (114, twice!). Hit 4 drives that cracked the 300 yard mark (and 2 more that settled at 299). Obviously thrilled with all of that.
I do think there is something to be said about the loss in MOI though. When I initially tested this head with the stock weight I was shocked at how forgiving it was for a "low spin" head. With the lighter weight I felt like the punishment on mishits was more severe. Additionally as I tend to fight a left miss I setup the weight in the fade position. The lighter weight also saw my dispersion move left which I don't love.
All of this signals to me that the 23g weight might be the goldilocks solution I'm looking for when it comes to blending feel/speed/forgiveness. With Thanksgiving on deck I'm going out of town and won't be able to test this until next week though.
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2015
- Messages
- 9,229
- Reaction score
- 5,772
Thanks a bunch for the update. Was there any noticeable difference in spin with the lighter weight?
Yes actually! The spin was lower as well. I assume that’s related to the MOI going down. I hit a couple toe balls that knuckled down to like 1300 rpm.
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2015
- Messages
- 5,950
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- 6,427
- Location
- Grande Prairie, Alberta
- Handicap
- 6.5
Do you know what the club is swing weighting at with each of the weights? Dropping 10g from the head would be a huge difference
I love PING drivers but the one knock is how heavy they feel. Didn't realize it until the guy who fitted me for it wanted me to try a different shaft last month. He didn't have a PING tip for it so he had me swing hit the GT2. It felt SO much lighter than the PING. Immediate increase in clubhead and ballspeed.
