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PING G25 Adjustable Driver - THP Preview

SuperStroke
Thanks to coming in third in a recent tournament (off a mountain) I had some pro shop money burning a hole in my pocket and I wanted to fix my driver issue. Specifically it is that my Superfast 2.0 9.5 with a low launching shaft was too low and my Cleveland XL270 9 degree was too high. I demoed driver after driver and came to realize that I had something up with my swing because I hit EVERYTHING high and frequently with a fade. I quickly got a lesson and sorted out that I was too close and steep on my backswing and downswing.

Surprisingly, I narrowed it down to a Ping G25 or Anser. I thought I'd like the 913d2 or d3 but never really clicked the way I did with the Pings. Today, post-lesson, I settled on an 8.5 G25 in stock stiff vs. the Anser 9.5 in Diamana white stiff. The latter was too torquey or boardy and pushed right but both gave me a mid-high flight. I just liked the feel with the G25 and hit it noticeably straighter. So I placed my order with my pro shop and about 5 minutes later the guy comes out with an 8.5 that he was surprised to find he had in stock (we're a small course.) I said as long as you put a midsize grip on it I'm good. We walked in and he did that.

However, only after walking back to the range to get my bag and then hit a few balls did I notice something different. The 8.5 had tour stiff for the shaft. Uh oh, I thought, but since we had already put a new grip I figured I might as well hit some out. I noticed a lower ball flight but still hit it quite well. I might finally have a flight that is considered mid-height! I will hit it again tomorrow but let the pro shop guy know about the mistake. If I think I'm losing too much distance I'll go back to the stock stiff flex.

Anyway, so what I like about this driver are the looks and feel of the club face when I hit. The sounds seems perfect to me and weight is just great with the stock shafts. I appreciate all of the input I saw in this thread and am stoked to game this for the first time in a day. Baby fade time!
 
I hit a G25 9.5 over the weekend and I must admit I like it. Waiting for the demo to get back to the store so I can take it to the course. Hoping it is long with lots of roll.
 
Im fixing to put one in the bag. Time to retire the g20
 
I was on vacation last week, played a round with a demo and bought one. Went from hitting 30% fairways to hitting 83%. Wow what a change!
 
I was messing around at Golfsmith the other day and the fitter there was tired of chasing around the college kids in the store so he was putting together some drivers for me and checking out my numbers on the simulator there. I was shocked to find that the Ping G25 with the stock stiff shaft in the 12° head was giving me the best launch angle and spin numbers! (I can't remember specifics now, but they were noticeable better). I hit it compared to the SLDR, the RBZ2 HL, the Razr Fit Extreme, and even the AMP Cell in stock stiff. I'm going to try and get back there this week with my current gamer and compare the two... color me intrigued!
 
Hit this and the anser at a ping fitting today. While this was a great club with the right shaft the anser was a beast
 
Hit this at Golfsmith the other day it is probably the most forgiving driver. First drive I BOMBED it! The shaft is also perfect!
 
Taylormadefan77 said:
Hit this at Golfsmith the other day it is probably the most forgiving driver. First drive I BOMBED it! The shaft is also perfect!
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You should game it for a couple months. It's easy to shape even though it's so forgivable.
 
Taylormadefan77 said:
Hit this at Golfsmith the other day it is probably the most forgiving driver. First drive I BOMBED it! The shaft is also perfect!
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I have one of these as well, and got to hit it for the first time last weekend. It's a bomber, for sure, and perhaps the longest driver I have hit this year.

I didnt expect to see what I saw out of this one.
 
This is an exciting time for THP with the addition of new staffer Canadan added to the mix. I'm looking forward to great things from THP's chosen one and can't wait to read his first official review. From what I've read from him so far it's going to be incredible!

To select the staff writer THP accepted reviews of 600 words on the current driver you were playing and did a blind read and selection to chose the new staffer. Wanted to share my entry on the G25 driver. This driver should be on everyone's short list who is looking for a forgiving gamer. I've made a couple edits to the review I probably should have included in the submissions.


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Looking for a forgiving driver wrapped in Batman’s armor? Look no further, PING G25 is here to save the day!

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The Lowdown:
Introduced for the 2013 season the G25 driver is PING’s current deep faced low CG (center of gravity) G series driver replacing the very successful and forgiving G20 driver. The 460cc G25 comes decked out in the well received flat black color scheme PING first introduced on the i20. New for PING in this G series model is the addition of their first adjustable hosel. In traditional PING fashion the new adapter is simple, functional, and understated. Sitting next to my old TaylorMade R540 the +/- ½ degree adjustable adapter is noticeably smaller.


g25andR5.jpg


The G25 comes stock with PING’s capable TFC 189D shaft. This shaft was created with a high balance point to allow for additional weight to be added to the G25’s head. Coming in at 205g the head is 1g heavier than the i20 but married with the TFC 189D still comes in at PING’s preferred D3 swing weight. For my testing the driver was equipped with one of the available up charge optional shafts, the Mitsubishi Diamana ‘ahina 70x.

The Test Drive:
I’ve been golfing off and on for the last 12 years slinging around my quick transition and late release swing. I’ve had a single digit handicap at times but spend most of my golfing days scoring in the mid 80’s on the course. I’m the type of golfer who enjoys playing a driver equipped with a ton of help so for even further assistance I’ve selected PING’s highest lofted offering at 12°!

Standing over the ball the G25 exudes confidence. The flat black finish continues from the crown down to the face and frames the ball perfectly. I’m not a fan of alignment aids on drivers but PING’s mini-mustache looking alignment isn’t overly distracting.


g25address.jpg


After putting the club into action and taking a few swings on the GC2 launch monitor I found myself growing more and more confident and really going after the ball. Here’s the thing, I’m not a high ball hitter and this club was absolutely getting the ball in the air fast and with a ball flight that was penetrating and not ballooning. Launch numbers for me were pretty on point; I was making consistent center contact on the face of the club and getting 12° launch, 163 ball speed, and averaging just under 2,700 RPM spin. These numbers produced a respectable carry distance of 276 and roll out of 305! On the course these numbers are pretty accurate. I’ve been playing a lot this winter and I’m averaging 272 off the tee with zippy roll and cold sup 50° weather.

Dispersion with the driver was well above average for me. The G25 driver is packed with forgiveness and you get welcome assistance from the gear effect on the toe and heel side of the head. I found when hitting the ball far out on the toe instead of spinning the ball into duck hook alley the ball would perform a nice right to left near manageable draw of 44 yards. I’ve hit more fairways this winter with the G25 than any other driver before it.

The Wrap Up!
This driver has to be one of the most forgiving drivers I’ve hit in the six generations of G series drivers. I was a huge fan of the G2 back in the day and PING managed to take all that was right in the G2 all the way through the G20 and added just enough additional launch and heel/toe forgiveness to make a driver anyone can hit. Look in the bag of most PING staffers and you’ll find the G25 sitting front and center in all its stealthy black glory. There is a good reason for this, the G25 flat out bombs the ball down the fairway with accuracy and forgiveness of a 3 wood on steroids.

g25bottom.jpg
 
Very nice review. Well done!
 
I've tested every driver for 2014. It came down to PING G25 12*, TM SLDR 12*, and Callaway BB Alpha 10.5* (set to 12.5*). I spent a couple hours bashing balls and hitting draws and fades and swinging poorly etc etc.

At the end of the day I realized the PING G25 is staying in the bag as the couple extra yards form the TM and Alpha didn't justify the accuracy I was getting with the PING. The club just fits my current swing.

I am however adding a PING G25 8.5* to the mix for windy days when I need to keep the ball down and just let it run. Will pair it with the Mitsubishi kai'li 70x.
 
I finally broke down and bought a G25 12' with the regular flex shaft Friday night. Set it up to 12.5. Immediately put in play Saturday morning. My neck & shoulder have been killing me, and I wasn't sure how it would go. Ended up hitting half the fairways, and only had 1 really bad miss. A couple observations:

While the club hits the ball pretty high, it wasn't as high as I expected. When hit well, it had a more piercing flight that still carried well, but the descent angle seemed to lead to substantial roll out. Could be the course was fairly dry though and there was more roll that we have been getting all year. Struggled a bit hitting the club square - the length may be a bit of an issue for me here. The TFC shaft on the demo when I hit it in the simulator Friday night felt stable for a regular flex, but the one I actually played seemed true to flex, maybe a little soft. Again though, it may have felt like that because I always hit less in the demo bays for whatever reason, or I physically just felt better Saturday morning! But the club was very forgiving so I was able to get away with it. When the round was over, I went to the range where the guy I get a lesson from every so often and hit a big bucket of balls - just about all with the driver. It seems, after a bit of trial and error, this club works best for me tee'd further forward, and higher as well. All in all, it is only negligibly longer than my R11 at most, ( of course, that is based on 1 round! ) but it is definitely more forgiving.
 
I've been intrigued by this driver for a good while now and have hit it a few times at the range/on a LM with some pretty good success/results, I've just never been able to justify spending on it because I don't have any complaints with my rbz stage 2. After reading through some of these posts, I wonder if i'm leaving some forgiveness on the table, though.
 
I actually played 18 holes last night - in a steady drizzle - to get some time on the course with this club. Hit it well again. a few more observations...

I don't know if it is the shaft, but this club wants to go straight, or a bit left. I originally had it a half degree closed thinking it would reduce my fade, but I changed that quickly as I was hitting too much left! I am a natural fader, but I have to set up for a fade to make that happen. I have to pay attention to where I set up on the tee box, because a couple times I set up where I always have because of playing a fade, but the fade didn't happen. When I have a bad miss with this club ( which isn't often! ) it is a quick hook. Most of that though is on me - I tend to get quick, and that is what happens when I do! Without question though, this is the most forgiving driver I have ever hit, and it produces one of, if not the best, flight for a driver I have probably ever had. It is plenty long as well!
 
BIGBALL said:
I actually played 18 holes last night - in a steady drizzle - to get some time on the course with this club. Hit it well again. a few more observations...

I don't know if it is the shaft, but this club wants to go straight, or a bit left. I originally had it a half degree closed thinking it would reduce my fade, but I changed that quickly as I was hitting too much left! I am a natural fader, but I have to set up for a fade to make that happen. I have to pay attention to where I set up on the tee box, because a couple times I set up where I always have because of playing a fade, but the fade didn't happen. When I have a bad miss with this club ( which isn't often! ) it is a quick hook. Most of that though is on me - I tend to get quick, and that is what happens when I do! Without question though, this is the most forgiving driver I have ever hit, and it produces one of, if not the best, flight for a driver I have probably ever had. It is plenty long as well!
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Thanks. This is very useful info. I have a sililar natural shot shape with my G20 r flex. Any thoughts on r vs sflex stock G25? My driver ss 95mph and slowly getting faster.
 
Karl said:
Thanks. This is very useful info. I have a sililar natural shot shape with my G20 r flex. Any thoughts on r vs sflex stock G25? My driver ss 95mph and slowly getting faster.
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If my swing speed was 95, I would lean to the S flex.
 
Holy cow, this driver has been in my bag for over a year now, that really says something. There is some good competition in the market vying for it's spot though!
 
ChristopherKee said:
Holy cow, this driver has been in my bag for over a year now, that really says something. There is some good competition in the market vying for it's spot though!
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That's good to hear. I've been pondering this one and the Adams XTD for awhile now.
 
Best fricking driver I have ever bagged. If I can hit a driver, it must be something special. :thumb:
 
Ole Gray said:
Best fricking driver I have ever bagged. If I can hit a driver, it must be something special. :thumb:
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I'm going to need to start shopping for one of these :)
 
moosejaa said:
I'm going to need to start shopping for one of these :)
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They seem to hold their value pretty good but maybe you can catch a good deal on the bay.
 
moosejaa said:
I'm going to need to start shopping for one of these :)
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I've been trying to get one for awhile but just can't find one for a decent price. I figure if I'm going to spend that much might as well but a new one.
 
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