Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by – today we’ll share with you a quick review of the Ping G20 driver. Enjoy!
The Club:
I tested the Ping G20 Driver 9.5 degree with a Ping TFC 169D stiff shaft. The Ping G20 was touted as the latest game improvement driver by Ping. Funny enough this new driver features a titanium alloy head, which is lighter than most drivers, yet is still heavier than the G15. The head design is unique however, which features an extremely low and back center of gravity to create a higher launch, lower spin and improved accuracy on off-center hits.
Looks:
The Ping G20 didn’t blow me away by any means – the driver and shaft graphics don’t shock and amaze in ways like the Adams 9088 UL could, but still the club looks solid. It sets up exceptionally well, slightly closed (likely to help those slicers), but really frames the ball well at address. Despite the clubhead having an unusual sole shape, the top crown is traditional – and pleases my eye just fine. The face bulge and roll is not all that noticeable on this driver – which adds credence to how good this clubs looks at address in my books. The head is a whopping maxed out 460 CC’s and the clubhead shows its heftiness – something that doesn’t suit my eye.
Performance:
I hit between 20-30 balls with this driver, and Ping has a new fan. Yes, this is a driver positioned as a “game-improvement” club, but Ping has created a golf club that performs extremely consistently – something all players can benefit from. There was something about this driver that just felt right – the swing weight (D3) / head weight / shaft combination felt perfect at address, and setting up, I felt like I could just pound it off the tee and know it was going straight. This driver was no slack in the distance department at all – with my swing speed averaging around 105MPH, and distance between 280-290 yards off the tee. Interestingly, this driver produced a significantly higher, boring ball trajectory than I’m used to (a sight for sore eyes to say the least). My ball trajectory for this 9.5 degree driver was between 11-12 degrees for most shots – and spin in the range of 3300 RPM. Workability was exceptional; again likely due to how the club feels at address, high draws and fades happened with little effort. In terms of overall feel, again the Ping G20 does not disappoint one bit. Off-center hits still felt solid, and center strikes produced great feel, and a solid sound (not tinny, not dull – just right). Accuracy was a final item to note – dispersion was quite tight with this driver, even off-center hits remained closer to our target line. When stepped on (I pushed this driver to 110 MPH) the shaft kept up, spin rates and trajectory increased slightly, but we managed to get some extra yards without sacrificing accuracy or feel.
Final Thoughts
Ping has a large variety of shaft options to choose from – but the TFC 169 model is already a pretty good fit. Take the time to test out some options at your next Ping demo day to give this stick a shot. The price point of only $350 is a nice touch by Ping – and makes this driver one to test for high to low handicappers alike.