Ping G430 Max Driver vs Ping G425 Max and Ping G400 Max Driver

[bombs]

46 minutes ago, sociojeje said:

Well, for some reason, 410 plus still works for me... 

 

All drivers "work" - great contribution. 

Edited April 5, 2023 by bombs

[tipperi]

What is the "draw bias" like on these?  Any one in particular less than the others?  I've always been a great candidate for the Ping heads but usually struggle with a left miss.

[jeffrey r]

1 hour ago, tipperi said:

What is the "draw bias" like on these?  Any one in particular less than the others?  I've always been a great candidate for the Ping heads but usually struggle with a left miss.

 

I’ve never found any Ping driver particularly draw-biased outside of some of the SFT models.  But especially with the G425 and G430, one could easily adjust out any potential draw bias.  

 

I keep the weight neutral, and have no real left or right issues.  You could move the weight more to the fade position.  You could adjust to the “flat” position.  You could dial down a head to open the face a bit.

 

Really should not be a big concern IMHO.  YMMV.

[cardoustie]

Uncle Cardy won’t tolerate two things … talking down s55’s and any negativity towards the 400 max

[jeffrey r]

1 hour ago, cardoustie said:

Uncle Cardy won’t tolerate two things … talking down s55’s and any negativity towards the 400 max

 

Ha, no slander.  But kudos to Ping for finally putting forth a worthy successor to the GOAT.  

 

I played both the 410 Plus and 425 Max, and they did some things well but not all.  The G430 Max seems to be the total package for me so far, and for those looking for lower spin, the LST is getting raves as well.

[msg]

I have a G400 MAX 10.5 head with a stiff Alta CB bronze (borrowed from my friend). I have a G425 MAX Alta CB Slate, also stiff at 10.5 degrees. Then I demoed a G430 MAX Alta CB Black stiff. I also owned the 410 plus briefly. I am a Ping driver fan I guess. From the G25, G30, G. 

 

The sound and feel of the 430 MAX is just way better. 430 then 400 then 425.  I also love the shape of the 430. 

 

I don't have the exact numbers but for some reason the 430 wins for me by a small margin. 430 - 400 then 425. 

 

I loved my old 400 Max before with the tour shaft. Then sold it because I was stupid. lol I also owned like 5 G400 Max's lol

 

I never got along with the 425 although it was a fairway finder, I never really felt comfortable with it. I was never bothered by the sound but something was just off. 

 

The 430 though, just a few swings and loved it right away. I was never fitted with any of these and I am thinking now of getting fit because of how I really liked the 430. 

Edited April 5, 2023 by msg

[cardoustie]

The 410 and 425 were awful for me

[msg]

 

 

 

Top to Bottom:

 

G400 MAX 10.5 Deg Alta CB Bronze

G425 MAX 10.5 Deg Alta CB Slate 

G430 MAX 9 Deg Alta CB Black 

ROGUE ST MAX 9 Deg Tensei AV White

 

All stiff shafts. 

 

Did a quick test. 10 Shots each alternating the clubs. I tried to keep it around 95 mph as much as I can. 

 

430 felt the best, sounded the best. I am not sure how Ping did it but they have made this model so forgiving. All my mishits were playable and barely lost any distance. More forgiving that 400 and 425. It also has the smallest dispersion circle among the four clubs. For feel and sound, Rogue wins second. Then 400 then 425. 

 

I really liked the Alta Black. For some reason I could not get comfortable with the Alta slate and the 425 head even if I played all summer with it last season. The 430 just felt right, just after my first few shots with it. And after testing these drivers, it reminded me how bad the sound and feel of my 425.  

 

I also played an Augusta replica course in the sim and used the 430 on all holes. I cannot believe I hit all the fw's. lol It just goes straight. 

Edited April 6, 2023 by msg

[rlb4]

18 hours ago, tipperi said:

What is the "draw bias" like on these?  Any one in particular less than the others?  I've always been a great candidate for the Ping heads but usually struggle with a left miss.

Ping's standard starting lie position is in the most upright lie angle. It can only go flatter/lower lie angle. So usually, the Max, tends to be a bit draw biased.

[MattMo]

On 4/3/2023 at 9:48 PM, southpaw72 said:

I think I just dialed my 400 max in with a new shaft. I’ve been considering grabbing another in case this one bites the dust. I love it that much. I’ve never been attached to a driver. If the 430 is on par or better maybe I need to take it for a spin or not worry about a backup g400 max.

 

Sometimes I wonder if my 400max thinks about me the way I think about it 🥹❤️

This is what I did as well.  When the girlfriend broke my shaft on the range, I grabbed another one and haven't skipped a beat.  Going on season 5 with the 400 Max with minimal desire to upgrade.  Instead, I'll take that money and chase the pipe dream of buying a new iron game.

[Ghostwedge]

4 minutes ago, MattMo said:

This is what I did as well.  When the girlfriend broke my shaft on the range, I grabbed another one and haven't skipped a beat.  Going on season 5 with the 400 Max with minimal desire to upgrade.  Instead, I'll take that money and chase the pipe dream of buying a new iron game.

 

I'd grab another girlfriend too.... 👍

[cardoustie]

Went very low today with my 400LST head turned up to 11* (and with a 16g backweight)

 

golf is funny sometimes 

[Birddog2]

Still have my 400 Max; found the 410 plus okay (solid, not the feel I was looking for) so returned it thinking I might try something different than the Tour 65 shaft. Instead got a great deal here on a 425 Max head, not a lot of difference with the Tour; the sound wasn’t as bad as what I’d read about it. Recently bought a used Tensei AV Orange and got the feel back and started booming it, really high, long and straight! Started thinking I should try that shaft in the 400 Max, at least try a driver fitting (Only fitted for irons/wedges). 
The gains in driving so far are significant; the 430 Max chatter has me thinking of giving it a try not getting any younger.  SS 95-97. 🏌🏻

[20footputt]

On 2/24/2023 at 10:21 AM, hammergolf said:

Most data I’ve seen show the performance between g425 and g430 to be pretty close. However, the largest improvement is the sound and feel of the g430 is definitely better.

I demod a g430 max on course today and it stood out to me as still being really loud, similar to what I remember my buddies g410.  It was really forgiving on off center hits, distance was average but I still can’t get over the looks and sound. 

[infinii]

Bought a 400Max last year and loved it but always felt a bit loose and I'd lose balls to the right. Swapped out the JCB Alta shaft with my old gamer Tensei White and immediately shot my lowest round in 2 years.

All the 430 reviews in here have me curious but I don't buy new clubs so I'll probably play the 400 for another 2yrs until I can pick up a deal on a used 430 (or something else).

[nsxguy]

On 4/5/2023 at 8:07 AM, cardoustie said:

Uncle Cardy won’t tolerate two things … talking down s55’s and any negativity towards the 400 max

 

Has Unc tried the G430 ?

 

Or is Unc afraid his G400 will notice and then misbehave ?

[EKB]

I have played the G425 for the past 3 seasons.  My playing partners all comment on the sound on virtually every tee, performance be damned (it has performed very well for me with the stock Alta stiff shaft) it's almost worth keeping just to tweak them.  

 

That said, I have the opportunity for a free driver and fitting.  I did some prelim work a few months ago with the Callaway Rogue, TM Stealth, and TSR vs the G425.  Of those, the TSR probably felt the best.  I will schedule that fitting in the next month and will try the G430 vs the Stealth 2, Paradigm, and TSR.  It'll be interesting to see/hear how the G430 differs from my incumbent  

[cardoustie]

17 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

Has Unc tried the G430 ?

 

Or is Unc afraid his G400 will notice and then misbehave ?

I have not tried the 430

[Smokey227]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:22 PM, msg said:

 

 

 

Top to Bottom:

 

G400 MAX 10.5 Deg Alta CB Bronze

G425 MAX 10.5 Deg Alta CB Slate 

G430 MAX 9 Deg Alta CB Black 

ROGUE ST MAX 9 Deg Tensei AV White

 

All stiff shafts. 

 

Did a quick test. 10 Shots each alternating the clubs. I tried to keep it around 95 mph as much as I can. 

 

430 felt the best, sounded the best. I am not sure how Ping did it but they have made this model so forgiving. All my mishits were playable and barely lost any distance. More forgiving that 400 and 425. It also has the smallest dispersion circle among the four clubs. For feel and sound, Rogue wins second. Then 400 then 425. 

 

I really liked the Alta Black. For some reason I could not get comfortable with the Alta slate and the 425 head even if I played all summer with it last season. The 430 just felt right, just after my first few shots with it. And after testing these drivers, it reminded me how bad the sound and feel of my 425.  

 

I also played an Augusta replica course in the sim and used the 430 on all holes. I cannot believe I hit all the fw's. lol It just goes straight. 

Seems like the spin is quite a bit higher than the Rogue ST Max for you. This has me curious. Unlike most on here I could use more spin. 

[JungleJimbo]

23 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

Has Unc tried the G430 ?

 

Or is Unc afraid his G400 will notice and then misbehave ?

This notion of your old G400 mis-behaving, if it sees you demo'ing a new club

= Very true!  

 

[F1Aussie]

For guys with the 430 have any of you tried the Tour chrome 2.0 shaft and Tour black 2.0?

If so what differences did you notice? 

[OhYeahPlayer]

I've only demoed, but the Black 2.0 felt super stable, even a bit boardy (but was better for me). Tour Chrome 2.0 felt more similar to the older tour shaft to me. I don't think I saw much difference in launch and spin in my few swings with each, but I found I felt more comfortable with the Black profile. 

[msg]

13 hours ago, Smokey227 said:

Seems like the spin is quite a bit higher than the Rogue ST Max for you. This has me curious. Unlike most on here I could use more spin. 

The shaft on the Rogue is the Tensei white Av. That could be one of the reasons. I was as low spinning and stout shaft compared to the Alta Cb's. 

[nsxguy]

1 hour ago, OhYeahPlayer said:

I've only demoed, but the Black 2.0 felt super stable, even a bit boardy (but was better for me). Tour Chrome 2.0 felt more similar to the older tour shaft to me. I don't think I saw much difference in launch and spin in my few swings with each, but I found I felt more comfortable with the Black profile. 

 

👍 Pretty much my feelings as well in the short demo I had of the club.

 

Very solid feeling head although that might be at least somewhat attributed to the much reduced sound - no more high pitched "ting".

 

Also, I never could get along with that Tour Chrome (1.0) shaft on older Ping heads. Tried that shaft many times - no bueno.

 

But the Tour Black 2.0 was much better for me. Had some trouble turning it over but hit it dead straight, foudn the center quite often, and it felt very good.

 

Haven't (yet ?) tried the Chrome 2.0 so I don't know if it's any/much different than the original.

[OhYeahPlayer]

I didn't mind the original Tour Chrome, but felt a bit whippier and launched/spun more than I wanted relative to my current shaft (Ventus Blue) so I moved on.

 

I have a 2nd Swing fitting next Tuesday, with my eyes on the G430 line and have used G425 Max/Ventus Blue for the last year, so hopefully I'll have some more insight to provide soon. 

[Redpro]

On 4/10/2023 at 5:17 PM, cardoustie said:

I have not tried the 430

I went back to the G400 and then the G400 Max after dabbling with the Tour Edge and the Mizuno drivers, and the G425 Max

 

Then, I heard about the sound of the G430 was muted and everything else was better; distance, accuracy and the adapter sleeve had more settings, and the moveable weight.

 

Store credit allowed me to snag the G430 Max yesterday. It only took 10 hits at the range this morning and I was laughing after each shot. I put the Oban Revenge 03 55g shaft in it (was using it in the G425). I'm an 8 hcp and 73 years old. 

 

it's way better than the G400/Max for me.

 

Give it a try. 🙂

Edited April 16, 2023 by Redpro

[OhYeahPlayer]

On 4/11/2023 at 11:23 AM, OhYeahPlayer said:

I didn't mind the original Tour Chrome, but felt a bit whippier and launched/spun more than I wanted relative to my current shaft (Ventus Blue) so I moved on.

 

I have a 2nd Swing fitting next Tuesday, with my eyes on the G430 line and have used G425 Max/Ventus Blue for the last year, so hopefully I'll have some more insight to provide soon. 

I ended up getting fit into the G430 LST instead of the Max. I couldn't beat my Ventus Blue, and Tour Chrome was the next best option with that head, so I got that and will likely be using Ventus Blue with the 430 LST head. Naturally, will experiment with both shafts in the sim. 

 

 

[msg]

On 4/15/2023 at 7:00 PM, Redpro said:

I went back to the G400 and then the G400 Max after dabbling with the Tour Edge and the Mizuno drivers, and the G425 Max

 

Then, I heard about the sound of the G430 was muted and everything else was better; distance, accuracy and the adapter sleeve had more settings, and the moveable weight.

 

Store credit allowed me to snag the G430 Max yesterday. It only took 10 hits at the range this morning and I was laughing after each shot. I put the Oban Revenge 03 55g shaft in it (was using it in the G425). I'm an 8 hcp and 73 years old. 

 

it's way better than the G400/Max for me.

 

Give it a try. 🙂

It is a worthy successor of the G400 MAX for sure. 410 and 425 did not live up to that greatness. 

[jimes]

On 4/11/2023 at 11:48 AM, F1Aussie said:

For guys with the 430 have any of you tried the Tour chrome 2.0 shaft and Tour black 2.0?

If so what differences did you notice? 

I have a G425 Max with Tour 65s and recently purchased a G430 Max with Tour 2.0 Chrome 65s. They are not the same but close. Tour 2.0 plays a little softer in my opinion but again, close. I prefer the original Tour 65... in fact I also prefer the G425 head to the G430 as it seems to be a little more forgiving. G430 sounds a lot better. I have some numbers comparing them on my GC3 that I could post but they don't show much difference and don't reflect that it's easier to hit the G425/Tour 65 straight. I confirmed the indoor findings with a trip to the driving range. 

[msg]

2 hours ago, jimes said:

I have a G425 Max with Tour 65s and recently purchased a G430 Max with Tour 2.0 Chrome 65s. They are not the same but close. Tour 2.0 plays a little softer in my opinion but again, close. I prefer the original Tour 65... in fact I also prefer the G425 head to the G430 as it seems to be a little more forgiving. G430 sounds a lot better. I have some numbers comparing them on my GC3 that I could post but they don't show much difference and don't reflect that it's easier to hit the G425/Tour 65 straight. I confirmed the indoor findings with a trip to the driving range. 

Just shows that it depends on the person hitting. While I agree on the shaft profile feedback on the Tour Chrome differences, I found the 430 more forgiving in my experience. Maybe it's the fact that the 425 head does not look ok to me at the address and I cannot seem to feel comfortable with it. While the 430 looks right to me. Maybe it is all mental in my case.