Mention Ping to most golfers and they will usually go all dewy-eyed as they remember those trailblazing cavity-back irons that still set the standards for most of today’s clubs or of the classic Ansa putters used by so many of the game’s greatest players. But Ping can make drivers too.
At this point, I should declare an interest – the best driver I have ever possessed was a custom-built Ping G10. I loved that club and it broke my heart when the time came to get rid of it. But the good news is that Ping has lost none of their flair, and the latest model, the G25, is a peach. In an age when you need an engineering degree to be able to fathom out how to set up multi-adjustable drivers, this one is as simple as it gets.
Look:
It comes with three ball-flight options – low, normal and high. That means that if you turn up for a game and the wind is blowing at 40mph, you can adjust the club to give the ball a low, boring trajectory. And if you are lucky enough to be playing a course with sun-baked fairways, then you will want to use the high ball-flight option. Some people say this is little more than a gimmick. It is quite clear that those are golfers who have never tried this club. Essentially, you are buying three drivers in one.
With most manufacturers seemingly obsessed with colour – be it white, bright orange, blue or whatever else might take your fancy – Ping have gone back to basics and given the G25 driver a matt black finish. It looks exactly what it is -a formidable beast that will send the ball way out there.
http://youtu.be/0Nw8VkS2F44
The Ping G25 has a larger titanium face than the G20, a lower, deeper center of gravity, and a very noticeable elongated head from face to rear with the same eye pleasing matte black look as the Anser and the ability to adjust /closed +0.5/-0.5.
Performance:
The Ping G25 Driver definitely hits the ball further than my G10 ever did. Because of the three ball flight options, you have multiple options out there on the course. This is a great feature to have and once you get comfortable with the club it will help your performance on the course for sure. Ping was able to create a club with a higher MOI, higher launch without the higher spin and increase forgiveness. It is not as low spin as the Anser, but it is a very noticeable improvement from any previous G model .
The stock TFC 189 D is a very good option and comes in at 45.5 inches so it’s long, but should remain controllable for almost all golfers. I thought the ball came off the face really hot and although mishits were not punished too much it still gave feedback. It is definitely up there in distance with any of the new drivers this year.
By Guest Writer Derek Clements (derekclements@ntlworld.com)
