Tour Ping G430 LST and Max drivers, G430 Max fairway wood & G430 hybrid – 2022 Shriners Children's Open

[DE-ILLINI]

Looks great.  I am really looking forward to testing the fairway woods.  I have a soft spot for Ping clubs.

[AzSuperHack76]

15 minutes ago, DE-ILLINI said:

Looks great.  I am really looking forward to testing the fairway woods.  I have a soft spot for Ping clubs.

It’s a winner for sure. I’m a big Ping guy, they are local to me in Arizona, I love to support the home town guys. But…. I’ve never got along with the drivers, for one reason or another they just don’t do it for me. One of the biggest issues is that they have always sounded like crap to me. I know it’s only one round but the G430 LST has changed that for me. 

[Morry]

Here's my question and I would love some feedback / insight

 

8 handicap, but a low spin hooker basically.....try to balance / play over-draw a bit ...gets painful

 

so I try to find new way to make irons / ball combo higher spin and flat / neutral

 

410 I enjoyed more than 425 ...it wanted to draw more with same hot melt/ weight, etc

advantage with regular model is they offer 12* and I can turn down and open face / go flat and win on launch and spin 

 

should I do that version of 430 or go 10.5 lst flat and go for it?

 

 

[kekoa]

Played my first round with the ping g430 max today after being out of commission for two weeks with a hurt back.   I can't yet speak on distance since I was a bit rusty, but two things I did notice:

 

1. Sound is significantly improved.

2. The head feels a lot lighter than the G425.

 

I hope to get actual #'s sometime next week between the two heads before I sell the 425.

 

 

[Chopper Dave]

Checking in after a month of having the 430 lst driver in the bag. Sad to say I'm pretty disappointed. Things have gone cold.

 

I do not like the feel. The sweet spot feels small. It's relatively forgiving on left and right dispersion but misshits are distance killers.

Merging the previous two comments - misshits aren't too far from middle either. I am getting nowhere near the results I got with the fitting. I've tried 3 different shafts and the most stable/consistent combo sacrifices distance to the point that I might as well use my 3 wood. 

 

In a nutshell, the 425 lst performs much better for me, it feels better, the distance and dispersion are far more consistent...its been a struggle and I feel dudded 🙁

 

[eric61]

6 hours ago, DE-ILLINI said:

Looks great.  I am really looking forward to testing the fairway woods.  I have a soft spot for Ping clubs.

 

Same here, I'm most excited for the fairway woods. I'm really hoping somebody gets a chance to share some observations/comparisons/more photos soon!

[KimmerBH]

I keep hoping that PING will get rid of those turbulators on top of the drivers. Just can't get over how ugly they look. Will never buy one of their drivers until those are gone which makes me sad.

[AzSuperHack76]

12 hours ago, Morry said:

Here's my question and I would love some feedback / insight

 

8 handicap, but a low spin hooker basically.....try to balance / play over-draw a bit ...gets painful

 

so I try to find new way to make irons / ball combo higher spin and flat / neutral

 

410 I enjoyed more than 425 ...it wanted to draw more with same hot melt/ weight, etc

advantage with regular model is they offer 12* and I can turn down and open face / go flat and win on launch and spin 

 

should I do that version of 430 or go 10.5 lst flat and go for it?

 

 

Wish I could answer that for you but can’t. Once they hit retailers near you go give them a test and see what set up works best for you. 

[FSUGolfdog]

First round yesterday with my 430 9* Max, I was a little concerned because the first few drives on the range were cutting a lot but is was only 35* and I hadn't swung a club for 7 days.  Out on the course it was good, performed very similar to my 425, was it longer?  I'm not sure, it never got above 38*.  Up until this week it was 55-60*.  I will say that I was hitting it to my normal spots at my home course.  The sound is way better, I didn't mind the 425 sound but the 430 is more of a thud.  It's not other brand thud just better.  It looks good at address and seemed as forgiving as the 425.  The sound alone makes it an upgrade, I'm not sure performance wise yet.  

 

FYI I'm a 7 handicap that plays around 100 rounds a year.  Driving is the second best part of my game, short game is first cus my irons are crap and I miss too many greens.

[WristySwing]

Saw the whole new lineup today.  Everything is fairly clean in person.  I hit the driver like poop, but my swing was bad today, so no comment there.  I was more shocked at the price tag of the LST fairway.  It is going to retail for the same price as the Max driver...a bit steep if you ask me.  Our rep was upfront and said they acknowledge they are pricing a lot of players out of that club but the idea was to be hyper focused on the tour players so they can get the fairway woods in the bags of their tour staff and keep them in there.  They don't expect to sell a lot of these.

 

3 new shafts for PING this year.  Tour 2.0 Chrome is an updated Tour from what I can tell.  Tour 2.0 Black is a the Tour but on steroids, super stiff, low torque, apparently it puts the Kai'li White to shame in terms of flight window and spin.  It'll be interesting to see for sure.  I am not sure if it has been discussed but there are two new lightweight shafts coming for a special lighter build in the drivers, the Alta Quick which is 35g and 46" stock and then a modified Distanza (didn't catch the name of it) that is going to be 40-45g.  Both very counterbalanced to combat the longer stock lengths.

 

Interesting lineup, and the G430 iron spins, which is awesome.  A spinney GI iron is needed for this market and I am happy that Mizuno and PING have acknowledged that gap and are trying to fill it.

[eric61]

45 minutes ago, WristySwing said:

Saw the whole new lineup today.  Everything is fairly clean in person.  I hit the driver like poop, but my swing was bad today, so no comment there.  I was more shocked at the price tag of the LST fairway.  It is going to retail for the same price as the Max driver...a bit steep if you ask me.  Our rep was upfront and said they acknowledge they are pricing a lot of players out of that club but the idea was to be hyper focused on the tour players so they can get the fairway woods in the bags of their tour staff and keep them in there.  They don't expect to sell a lot of these.

 

3 new shafts for PING this year.  Tour 2.0 Chrome is an updated Tour from what I can tell.  Tour 2.0 Black is a the Tour but on steroids, super stiff, low torque, apparently it puts the Kai'li White to shame in terms of flight window and spin.  It'll be interesting to see for sure.  I am not sure if it has been discussed but there are two new lightweight shafts coming for a special lighter build in the drivers, the Alta Quick which is 35g and 46" stock and then a modified Distanza (didn't catch the name of it) that is going to be 40-45g.  Both very counterbalanced to combat the longer stock lengths.

 

Interesting lineup, and the G430 iron spins, which is awesome.  A spinney GI iron is needed for this market and I am happy that Mizuno and PING have acknowledged that gap and are trying to fill it.

What does the LST fairway wood look like in terms of shape? I've seen the bottom with the tungsten plate, but that's it. With the 425, the LST model was very similar to the Max model -- just a little smaller and shorter front to back, but basically the same shape. Is that the case with the 430, or does the LST have a taller face or anything substantially different? 

[Pastit]

2 minutes ago, eric61 said:

What does the LST fairway wood look like in terms of shape? I've seen the bottom with the tungsten plate, but that's it. With the 425, the LST model was very similar to the Max model -- just a little smaller and shorter front to back, but basically the same shape. Is that the case with the 430, or does the LST have a taller face or anything substantially different? 

If it has a tungsten plate on the sole it’s going to have a heck of a weight down there - should really lift the ball. 

[WristySwing]

26 minutes ago, eric61 said:

What does the LST fairway wood look like in terms of shape? I've seen the bottom with the tungsten plate, but that's it. With the 425, the LST model was very similar to the Max model -- just a little smaller and shorter front to back, but basically the same shape. Is that the case with the 430, or does the LST have a taller face or anything substantially different? 

 

Unfortunately, my rep did not have one with him.  According to him, at least as of today, he was suggesting the release is going to be delayed relative to the rest of the 430 woods.  Now, this may be just for Canada, I am not sure, but that was his belief.  That may change in the coming month, of course.

[PrettyGood]

Has anyone hit the Tour 2.0 Black?

 

If so, how was it?

[halfsumo]

I hit the Tour Black in 6s, 6x and 7x in the drivers. I thought it was very stable, but not hard to swing. The 7x was a little beefy for me but I could hit it ok if I went super aggressive. I thought it might be a slightly softer handle, stiff mid, stiff tip shaft, but I could be wrong. It didn't feel like a super stiff handle design to me as I have that in Hzrdus RDX Blue and previously in the Hulk shaft that I own, but again, I could be wrong as I am not a feel expert. When I hit it I did have the thought of "hey, if I wasn't such a shaft nerd, I could definitely play one of these and not wast a bunch of money playing aftermarket shaft roulette". 

[sdemo]

16 hours ago, PrettyGood said:

Has anyone hit the Tour 2.0 Black?

 

If so, how was it?

I’ve hit 2.0 Black in 65X and 2.0 Chrome in 65X. Prior gamer was 1.0 Chrome in 65X in Driver and 75X in 3wood. Driver swing speed is 110-115, and I play to a +3. 
 

The Black and Chrome lines are intended to be slightly more stout and less stout, respectively, than the 1.0 Tour… but kept with the same overall profile. If you felt that the 1.0 Tour was spinny, or you want to further lower launch angle - go with Black. Or, if you felt that you really had to get aggressive with the 1.0 and are looking for a smoother pass, go with the Chrome.
 

For me, the Black was too much shaft in my driver, so I put a 65X 2.0 Chrome in my G425 LST and it’s staying in play. Kept the old 75X 1.0 in my G425 Max 3wood and will probably order the G430 with a 75X 2.0 Black to help knock down height, as I don’t have any issues getting the Max head up in the air. 
 

Your mileage may vary, but these are awesome stock offerings. 

Edited December 20, 2022 by sdemo

[PrettyGood]

@halfsumo & @sdemo — thanks, guys 👍

[bobbyclampett!!]

12 hours ago, sdemo said:

I’ve hit 2.0 Black in 65X and 2.0 Chrome in 65X. Prior gamer was 1.0 Chrome in 65X in Driver and 75X in 3wood. Driver swing speed is 110-115, and I play to a +3. 
 

The Black and Chrome lines are intended to be slightly more stout and less stout, respectively, than the 1.0 Tour… but kept with the same overall profile. If you felt that the 1.0 Tour was spinny, or you want to further lower launch angle - go with Black. Or, if you felt that you really had to get aggressive with the 1.0 and are looking for a smoother pass, go with the Chrome.
 

For me, the Black was too much shaft in my driver, so I put a 65X 2.0 Chrome in my G425 LST and it’s staying in play. Kept the old 75X 1.0 in my G425 Max 3wood and will probably order the G430 with a 75X 2.0 Black to help knock down height, as I don’t have any issues getting the Max head up in the air. 
 

Your mileage may vary, but these are awesome stock offerings. 

Great description. Might have to hit up a fitting cart with all the shaft offerings before ordering. I was just going to order the Black 2.0, but it sounds like a real beast.

 

I decided a while back that these stock Ping shafts are awesome, specifically designed for the club head and length, and me messing around with custom aftermarket shafts is just a recipe for disaster. I trust you, Ping!

[hoselshot82]

I’m super interested in these. Now just have to find a 9° lst somewhere!

[beluga99]

I caved a bought a G430 LST today with the Kai'li shaft.  I also bought a G425 5 hybrid.  I only went in to the golf store buy a hat.

 

Time will tell, but the LST put up some nice numbers, and went very straight on not so pleasant swings.  BS was around 158mph with 2200 spin on well struck shots which is excellent for me.  I love the look of it too.  Below was a great reference when I was getting fit, although I don't crunch too many numbers.  If it goes straight, carries around 275 yards + and feels and sounds great, I am sold.

 

[GolfTurkey]

I had a fairway wood fitting today. I want it more as an approach club into par 5s rather than a second tee club.

 

Ended up in the G430 5 wood. It’s forgiving , sounds / feels a lot better than G425 and also feels lighter to swing. 

[eric61]

19 minutes ago, GolfTurkey said:

I had a fairway wood fitting today. I want it more as an approach club into par 5s rather than a second tee club.

 

Ended up in the G430 5 wood. It’s forgiving , sounds / feels a lot better than G425 and also feels lighter to swing. 

Shape-wise, any major differences from the G425?

[GolfTurkey]

1 hour ago, eric61 said:

Shape-wise, any major differences from the G425?

Not a major shape difference. I was hitting my G425 7 wood in between for gapping purposes and the G430 is instantly recognisable as a Ping. I would have to really compare carefully side by side but from memory the G430 had softer edges / more curves.

[Morry]

On 12/19/2022 at 11:27 AM, AzSuperHack76 said:

Wish I could answer that for you but can’t. Once they hit retailers near you go give them a test and see what set up works best for you. 

More than a few are testing and hitting these. Hoping for some insight from those that have or those that would have a view 

but Thanks..

[DE-ILLINI]

5 hours ago, GolfTurkey said:

I had a fairway wood fitting today. I want it more as an approach club into par 5s rather than a second tee club.

 

Ended up in the G430 5 wood. It’s forgiving , sounds / feels a lot better than G425 and also feels lighter to swing. 

I am interested to hear how it performs when you get it.  Can you see the carbon weave in the crown?  I really like when you can see the carbon features and they are not totally painted over.  I am in the market for a fairway wood in 2023 and Ping is on the top of my list.  I am currently gaming a Ping G30 5 wood.

[AzSuperHack76]

30 minutes ago, Morry said:

More than a few are testing and hitting these. Hoping for some insight from those that have or those that would have a view 

but Thanks..

I left a review, what works for me may not work for you. Ultimately the smart thing to do is give them a demo when they show up to see what works best for you. I’d hate to tell someone to “go for it” and then it be a a $600 flop. Just being honest, sorry you don’t like my answer. 

[Liam84]

I may have missed this but are the Tour shafts made by UST still? Are they CB? There was a mention somewhere that one of them was similar to the Elements Chrome

[sdemo]

31 minutes ago, Liam84 said:

I may have missed this but are the Tour shafts made by UST still? Are they CB? There was a mention somewhere that one of them was similar to the Elements Chrome

 

Yes, manufactured by UST, but to Ping specifications. The Ping profiles are not the same as any retail UST profile.

[GolfTurkey]

52 minutes ago, DE-ILLINI said:

I am interested to hear how it performs when you get it.  Can you see the carbon weave in the crown?  I really like when you can see the carbon features and they are not totally painted over.  I am in the market for a fairway wood in 2023 and Ping is on the top of my list.  I am currently gaming a Ping G30 5 wood.

I didn’t examine it carefully enough to notice the carbon crown. I find it’s a lot to take in when you have the manufacturer-agnostic fittings and heads and shafts are getting swapped in and out. I pay more attention to the ball flight and Trackman numbers than the looks, however it looks nice, refined and confidence-inspiring and sounds good.

 

What was cool is that when we settled on the final combo, I got to hit some shots off really tight grass lies (that are similar to my club’s fairways) in a different part of the facility. The Ping had no problem launching it high from those lies. 

[Morry]

57 minutes ago, AzSuperHack76 said:

I left a review, what works for me may not work for you. Ultimately the smart thing to do is give them a demo when they show up to see what works best for you. I’d hate to tell someone to “go for it” and then it be a a $600 flop. Just being honest, sorry you don’t like my answer. 

lol, I don't actually...since it isn't an answer 

 

an answer might be....I was worried the LST would be too low spin, not forgiving enough, not launch high enough, etc

that was my experience with all Ping drivers up till this one....something to that effect 

would give me some insight 

 

thanks