July 2014 / Issue 234
/ 39
G30
TURBULATOR TECHNOLOGY TAKES PING TO NEW HEIGHTS
Nick Bayly reports of the launch of PING’S new G30 range, which combines visible technology and new materials to bring about distance gains without sacrificing the key elements of control or forgiveness
PING G30 DRIVER: TALKING TURBULATORS Ping has been guilty of hiding its light under a bushel when it comes to visible technology over the years, preferring instead to have the bells and whistles tucked away discreetly on the inside. However, in the face of some extremely in-your-face competition from some of its brasher rivals, Ping has defied its own conservative conventions by offering up a new range of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids that feature some hard to ignore performance attributes. Step forward the G30, a comprehensive overhaul of the popular game improvement G Series that sees some, if not all, of its performance-enhancing technology on the outside. In the case of the woods and hybrids, this takes the form of Turbulator Technology, which offers a series of six aeronautically-inspired ridges bonded to the crown, which have been proved to significantly reduce drag and consequently increase clubhead speed and distance. Bubba Watson – no slouch when it comes to clubhead speed – was able to crank out an extra 2mph with the G30 over his current G25, which added 10 more yards to his already mind-blowing yardage, while golfers of all swing speeds have experienced improved numbers courtesy of the Turbulator design. While speed is clearly of the essence with the G30, Ping is at pains to highlight that this has not been achieved by sacrificing consistency or accuracy. In fact the G30 is the most controllable 460cc driver it has ever produced, thanks to the introduction of two head designs, Standard (9, 10.5) and draw (Straight Flight Technology 10, 12), and a wider choice of loft options in the adjustable hosel. While the G25 offered a more limited +/- 1 0.5-degree adjustment, the G30 can be adjusted by 6/10ths or one degree in either direction, resulting in five different loft settings for each head. The G30 SF Tec driver is designed for those whose shots typically end up right of the intended target. In player testing, the G30 SF Tec, which features weight closer to the heel and lighter swingweights, improved shot bend by 12 yards when compared to the G30 standard driver. The entire series also benefits from new face technologies and materials, including the introduction of T9S titanium in the drivers, which results in thinner faces and weight savings that help position the centre of gravity low and back to produce the high, yet low spinning launch conditions that we see on tour these days. The rear weighting also increases MOI, which means that off-centre hits won’t lose as much ball speed, and it also encourages the face to close more at impact, which helps golfers minimise their slice or fade. A high-balance-point 45.75-inch TFC 419D shaft (Soft R, R, S, X) has a centre of gravity closer to the grip end, promoting an increase in energy, momentum and inertia. A custom tuning port in the rear of the sole can accommodate a range of fitting weights and allows the desired swing weight to be achieved with a variety of aftermarket shafts. Price: £299 GOLF NEWS SAYS: The Turbulator ridges on the crown are a break from previous Ping designs, but are subtle enough to not be too distracting at address, while still offering genuine performance benefits. The adjustment element has been cranked up to plus or minus one-degree, up from the rather limited 0.5, which now gives five different loft options per head. The sound off the face at impact is in line with most modern drivers without being offensive, while the blue colour accents are understated and only visible when the club’s in the bag. Given the right shaft, flex and loft options during an extensive fitting session, I was able to crank an extra seven yards total distance over my G25 driver, and was impressed with the ability to increase loft yet still keep spin rates down, which lead to tighter shot dispersion. To summarise, Ping has built upon everything that was good about the G25 – forgiveness and playability – and added a bit of bite to its bark – distance and added shot-shaping control – to give us a driver that players all of abilities will be able to experience significant performance gains.
G30 FAIRWAY WOODS: HOTTER & ADJUSTABLE Like the G30 drivers, the G30 fairway woods have turbulators on their crown to help boost clubhead speeds through improved aerodynamics. That will lead to some distance gains, but won’t have nearly the impact on their performance as their new carpenter 475 steel faces, which are 44% stronger than the 17-4 steel faces used on the G25 fairway woods. The thinner, stronger faces give the G30 approximately 1.5-to-2 mph more ball speed than the G25, which along with other changes make the G30’s much more distance-orientated than their predecessors. The new faces and improved manufacturing techniques also free up more discretionary weight to move the centre of gravity of the 3-wood (167cc) lower and further back to raise its launch angle, lower its spin and increase forgiveness. The 5- and 7-wood
see the centre of gravity moved slightly forward to help lower spin, which creates a more penetrating trajectory that’s less likely to balloon. For the first time in a G-Series fairway, Ping has also made them adjustable, using the same adjustable hosel as the driver, giving them a 2-degree range of movement. The woods are available in 3 (14.5), 5 (18), and 7 (21), with Ping’s TFC 419F shaft in Soft R (63g), R (64g), S (68g) and X (69g) flexes. Price: £210
G30 HYBRID: PING’S HOTTEST EVER HYBRID Like the rest of the range, the theme running through the G30 Hybrid technology is hotter launch coupled with increased control. The hybrids do not feature the Turbulator fins found on the woods, as the heads are too small to suffer from speed loss through the air. With the G30 irons starting with a 4-iron, the G30 hybrids are ideal for filling in the gaps to help players attack the pins from longer distances, yet still be able to hold the greens. The hot face has been constructed from heat treated 17-4 stainless steel, which not only makes the faces strong, but more importantly, thin, which maximises face deflection to increase ball speed. To inspire confidence at address, the top rail is flatter and the heel section higher than
the G25, which gives a very square face at address to help with alignment. Inside the heads, weight pads have been placed in the heel and toe areas to increase MOI and offer more forgiveness on off-centre hits. Furthermore, additional weight in the sole creates a low-back centre of gravity that helps launch the ball high and in line with the target. The centre of gravity is placed even further back in the lower-lofted hybrids to give players even more height on longer shots. This progressive approach to centre of gravity location throughout the hybrid range ensures consistent gapping and trajectory to maximise distance. The G30 Hybrid is available in 17, 19, 22, 26 and 30-degree lofts and is offered with a high-balance point TFC 419H shaft in Soft R, R, S and X flexes Price: £175
G30 IRONS: A GAME IMPROVEMENT IRON FOR EVERYONE In both looks and performance, G30 irons share similarities to two of Ping’s current irons, the i25 and the Karsten. While the Karsten is towards the forgiveness end of the spectrum, and the i25 is more geared to better players, each has attributes that appear in the G30’s head. So what you end up with is a slightly oversized head that delivers on forgiveness, distance and height that is the Karsten trademark, combined with the sole contours and bounce profiles of the i25, which offers the ability to keep the clubhead moving forward as you strike the ball regardless of the angle of attack, reducing the digging that you might get with more of a players’ type club. Ball speeds are enhanced by the introduction of a thinner face on the longer irons (4-7), which also feature a slightly longer blade length to increase stability on off-centre hits, while Ping’s trademark custom-tuning port in the back cavity is positioned lower to help increase launch angle, as well as improve feel.
The 4-GW set, which is cast from stainless steel, is progressively offset from 0.29 inches in the 4-iron to 0.08 inches in the LW, and features loft gaps to offer ideal distance increments, with the 4-, 5- and 6-irons being two degrees stronger than the G25, the 7-iron 1.5 degrees stronger, the 8-iron a degree stronger, and 9 and PW matching the G25. Price: £86/£100 per club (steel/graphite)