Today marks the official arrival of PING’s newest metalwood lineup, G440. Although the G430 will be a tough act to follow, PING believes they have achieved it. The improvement of G440 is centered not only around the never ending chase of achieving more speed and distance, but also maintaining the level of forgiveness expected from the G-Series.
As always, the new lineup will feature drivers, fairway woods, as well as hybrids, and THP has your info on each.
The PING G440 Driver
This year it is all about optimization for PING when it comes to driver, both in lineup design and performance. Once again, there will initially be three models in the new PING G440 Driver line; MAX, LST, and SFT. One of the big quests this time around was to further optimize the CG compared to past versions, specifically getting it lower than any PING drivers before.
Lowering CG means lower overall spin, better launch, and more speed efficiency depending on the model in question. To achieve this, the ability to save weight and then replace it precisely in each driver head was critical. Not only is PING implementing their “Carbonfly Wrap” crown into all three models, but they have also created what they are calling “Free Hosel” technology which saves 4g internally. Finally, the other weight savings came from creating more shallow faces on all three drivers, which allowed them to create a thinner, lighter, and faster face as well.
One more change with G440 that is sure to draw a variety of reactions is what PING is doing with driver weights and lengths. After a ton of research done at the PING Proving Grounds, they found that lighter and longer stock setups had amateurs not only hitting it further, but also higher and more with more playable results. So, there has been 10g of weight removed from the head and shaft compared to G430, and G440 will also play ¼” longer. That means 46” with the Alta CB Blue or 45.5” with PING Tour 2.0 and the other stock aftermarket options.
PING G440 MAX
A 460cc driver head which will be the core option that fits most golfers according to the company. It is the most forgiving, and the most playable overall for the widest range of skill levels. The head has a single 29g weight in the rear perimeter which can be moved into draw, neutral, or fade locations for more flight control. The MAX will be available in 9, 10.5, and 12 degrees.
G440 LST
The low spin Tour head of the lineup. While the LST uses the same 29g moveable weight as the standard G440, this is a much more player friendly look within a smaller 450cc profile. The G440 LST is also a bit heavier and has a more forward CG location to get that spin down, and speed up. There will be two lofts offered with the LST, 9 and 10.5 degrees.
G440 SFT
In the past, the Straight Flight Technology driver has been a bit overlooked as it is the draw biased driver of the line. The thing is, a lot of golfers could benefit from the 23g weight which can be moved to Draw or Draw+, specifically a growing demographic according to PING’s research, the athletic newcomer. Those golfers have a lot of power, but benefit from the draw weighting and 460cc size, so not only is the G440 SFT offered in 10.5 and 12 once again, but now there is an all new 9 degree option which should appeal to that very group of golfers.
Each driver features PING’s Trajectory Tuning hosel with +/- 1.5 degrees of tuning. Standard shaft options will be the 46” PING Alta CB Blue 50 (SR, R, S) or PING Alta Quick 35/45 (HL). The PING Tour 2.0 Chrome 65 (R, S, X) as well as an assortment of other optional stock shafts will be offered in 45.5”.
PING G440 – Fairway Woods
There are indeed fairway woods within the new G440 release as well, and like the drivers, they too are benefitting from a lower CG design thanks in large part to the application of the Carbonfly Wrap crown. In a change of pace for PING, the overall face depth of the fairways is actually taller than in the past to increase confidence off the tee while also shifting the CG to help launch off the deck. The face itself has also been tweaked, called “Facewrap” it brings a different thickness pattern in the toe and feel to improve performance away from center. Bringing it all together is a more contoured sole and a more svelte back profile to let the club sit more flush to the ground.
The G440 MAX fairway is the core model here as well and aims to be the most all around playable option. It will be offered in five different lofts options of 3W (14), 5W (19), 7W (21), 9W (24), and the all new 4W (17).
Where the G440 LST fairways are concerned, these are aimed at the Tour staff as well as stronger/faster swingers with high launch and low spin. The LST uses a new HST 220 (High Strength Titanium) face and Ti-811 titanium body combined with the carbon crown and 85g tungsten sole plate to boast being the longest PING fairway wood ever. Loft options for the LST will be 3W (15) and 5W (19).
Then, there is the G440 SFT fairway wood design with its Straight Flight Technology. If you need slice correction in a fairway, then this is the one to look to as the SFT has a specialized CG location to create an internal draw bias on top of the heads hosel adjustability. The SFT will be available in 3W (16), 5W (19), and 7W (22).
Standard shaft options for the G440 fairway woods will be the PING Alta CB Blue 65 (SR, R, S) and PING Alta Quick 35/45 (HL). Of course, there will be several optional stock offerings available as well. All heads utilize the 8-Setting Trajectory Tuning hosel for +/- 1.5 degrees of adjustability.
PING G440 – Hybrids
Rounding out the metalwood lineup for the new release are the hybrids. This year the shaping has gotten a bit more shallow at the face, which like the drivers allowed PING to create thinner faces in each head. The hybrids don’t have multiple models, rather they have a progressive design to fit the needs of the skillset most likely to play each loft. For example the 2H is more fade biased for off the tee, while the 3H and 4H play neutral, but the draw bias increases as you work into the 7H.
Each of the heads has a lower CG thank to the stainless steel, maraging steel, and carbon construction, and they also use the same Free Hosel design as the drivers to save 4g. Like the fairways, the contour of the sole has also been re-worked so that the heads each sit better on the turf and are more playable from other lies.
The PING G440 hybrids will be offered in 2H (17), 3H (20), 4H (23), 5H (26), 6H (30), and 7H (34) loft options, with all heads also using the +/- 1.5 degree adapter. Standard shafts are the PING Alta CB Blue 70 (SR, R, S) and PING Alta Quick 35/45 (HL), as with the other clubs though, there are many no-upcharge options also available.
The Details
As you can see, with G440, PING is certainly continuing to make advancements, but they also aren’t straying too far from the successes they have garnered from this lineups predecessors. One more twist they are throwing in though is that all the G440 clubs will be offered in a High Launch (HL) which is aimed at slower swingers by removing more weight from the shafts, grips, and weights to create easier speed.
The entire lineup will be available beginning today with the PING G440 driver at $650, SFT and MAX fairways $385, LST fairway $600, and hybrids $325.
For more information visit their website at www.ping.com.
