G430HL Irons

[neverfightapar]

Been a long time since I last posted anything on WRX.  

Now 70 years old (my God that's a lot of birthdays), and recovering from a couple of surgeries.  My club head speed has slowed a great deal and have not been able to play since mid January.  I played to a mid single digit for many years…currently an 11 index.  

Been reading about the G430HL line but not able to find many reviews or comments.  The concept of a lighter setup makes sense that your club need speed would increase.  Currently play G710 irons with recoil shafts R flex (6-UW).  I’m a Ping fanboy, owned 10+ set of Pings going back to eye2.   

 

I have been on our range swinging a few times lately and not happy with the distance.  I wasn’t expecting to be out to where I was before the recent surgery.  I had a Recoil SR flex installed in my 7 iron and it goes the same/better distance than my 6 iron.  It’s going to be a while before I will be able to get out and play.  My game, pre surgery was acceptable, found alot of fairways, fair approach game, better than average short game.  

 

Looking to gain some club head speed, gain a few yards with my irons…also looking to hit the ball higher. 

 

Sorry for the long message…bottom line…anyone with any knowledge, experience with the G430HL, I would love to hear your thoughts

 

Thanks

 

 

[jjfcpa]

I've been playing the Titleist T300's for the last couple years, but due to my daughter having a home in Palm Springs, I decided to buy an "away" bag so I wouldn't have to travel with my clubs back and forth to Omaha (home base).

 

I wanted to try something different and decided that the G430 HL's were a compelling choice, since I'm 75 years old.  But I should clarify that I'm in decent shape for 75.  I go to the gym almost daily and do lots of strength and flexibility work.

 

I purchased the G430 HL's about 2 months ago and probably have 18 rounds with them.  They are the real thing.  I'm getting more distance than my T300's and they are truly comfortable to play with the lighter weight.  I really don't think these get enough media coverage because for the senior golfer, there's nothing else out there that I found that comes close.  

 

I tested the Srixon ZX4's with the senior shaft and I just couldn't get the same numbers I was getting with the Ping's.  

 

My first set of clubs were Ping's and I didn't really like them.  I tested the G425's and didn't like them.  T300's were better than any of those I tested till I tried the G430's.  

 

How much better are they than the T300's (with the Tensei AV AM2 Red (senior) shafts?

 

I'll try and be as specific as I can.  I think I'm getting a few more yards with the Pings.  Dispersion took a while to dial in, but they are probably an 8 on a scale of 10 and the T300's are probably a 7.  Not a lot better but definitely working for me.  Spin is about the same.  I can't generate enough swing speed to get the kind of spin I should get but they tend to fly a little higher so that helps hold greens.

 

I'm still kind of torn between the T300's and G430's.  There really are positive to both irons, but I have no problem playing one or the other.  I did have my lowest round (77) with the G430's and I continue favoring it so it is now my "home" set and the T300's are my "away" set.

 

 I'm about the same as you when it comes to handicap.

[JAM01]

I started the season with G430 HL through the bag, driver, 3 wood, 4 hy and 5-LW. All with Alta Quick graphite. The woods are still in the bag and are superb. I traded the irons for a standard G430 iron set with DG 105 r300 shafts. My issue was simply with the light shaft and the weaker lofts I was hitting shots very short. I need all the distance I can muster though. I’m 60 and never hit my irons long, ever. But for whatever reason, with heavier steel shafts and the normal G430 irons I’ve been very pleased with my game the past 6 weeks. I’d highly recommend the irons, just be sure you know what shaft will work best. 

[neverfightapar]

JJFCPA/JAM01 thanks for for the reply.  

Once I’m able to gain a bit more swing speed (still only able to swing at 1/2 to 3/4 swing) I will go to PGASS and swing G430HL 7 iron and my G710 7 iron with the the Recoil shaft.  This should give an idea if I’m going to see if going at this the right way.  

 

Another question…did you try the G430 HL hybrid or fairway metals?  I currently play Ping 4 and 5 hybrids.  May also consider a 6 hybrid.  My only fairway metal is a TEE 17.5 4 metal.  Excellent club but a bit heavy and a little too stiff.  My driver is the 400 Max, it’s not going anywhere.  Put a SR shaft in it last year and it is a fairway finder.  

 

Thanks again for your input.

 

As a side note…I have read here on WRX that someone suggested adding a topic to the menu for sr golfers.  It appears that there is more and more post from us old guys that love this game and have played for 50 + years.

 

 

[jjfcpa]

Neverfightpar

 

I am playing the Callaway Paradym X 4 hybrid and 5 wood.  I don't carry any other woods besides a driver, which is a Titleist TSI1.

 

I tried the Great Big Bertha hybrid and woods and I think the Paradym X are better for my swing speed.

 

I also have the Alta lightweight shafts in my G430's and wonder about a little heavier shaft.  Might be something to think about or at least test just in case.

[JAM01]

Yes, HL driver 3 wood 4 hybrid. I think the deference is the weight on the back is lighter and silver. And the shaft is the Alta Quick. Even at 45 grams I still find it to be robust and not a noodle. It’s by Fujikura and I’d guess it’s based on the Lighter Speeder Air. 

[jjfcpa]

I'm headed to Palm Springs and shipped my bag with the G430 HL irons this time.  I'll have a better idea of their performance capabilities after playing a few of the courses there, which tend to be longer than the courses I normally play.  I've played my T300's in Palm Springs a number of times (8-10 rounds) and they were ok, but I want to see if the G430's work better.  Their fairways tend to have fairly tight lies and sometimes, it's hard to hit down on the ball with an iron.  I think the G430's might actually be better suited for this type of course as opposed to the T300's.

 

These are by far the lightest shafts I've ever played in an iron and I'm intrigued by the idea of a slightly heavier shaft.  Ping's advertisement says that the weight of each club is 15% lighter than normal.  I guess that comes down to the shaft and grip being lighter.

 

I may end up ordering just a 7 iron with a normal Recoil senior shaft and compare it to see if that really makes any difference.  As I stated, when I swing the T300's in comparison to the G430's, I can feel that slightly heavier weight helping a little when you make solid contact.  I have this feeling that the feedback with the Ping's on mishits is not as good as that with the T300's.  Is that due to the weight difference in the shaft?  No idea.

[neverfightapar]

Looking forward to hearing your results after playing in Palm Springs.

 

Next step for me is to get to PGASS and on the launch monitor to compare my G710 7 iron 

w/Recoil vs G430HL w/light weight shaft.  I will also compare the HL w/Recoil.  All with Sr flex shaft.

 

I will also hit the hybrids as I’m considering adding another hybrid.

 

This getting old sucks (beats the alternative though) and expensive.

[JAM01]

22 hours ago, jjfcpa said:

I'm headed to Palm Springs and shipped my bag with the G430 HL irons this time.  I'll have a better idea of their performance capabilities after playing a few of the courses there, which tend to be longer than the courses I normally play.  I've played my T300's in Palm Springs a number of times (8-10 rounds) and they were ok, but I want to see if the G430's work better.  Their fairways tend to have fairly tight lies and sometimes, it's hard to hit down on the ball with an iron.  I think the G430's might actually be better suited for this type of course as opposed to the T300's.

 

These are by far the lightest shafts I've ever played in an iron and I'm intrigued by the idea of a slightly heavier shaft.  Ping's advertisement says that the weight of each club is 15% lighter than normal.  I guess that comes down to the shaft and grip being lighter.

 

I may end up ordering just a 7 iron with a normal Recoil senior shaft and compare it to see if that really makes any difference.  As I stated, when I swing the T300's in comparison to the G430's, I can feel that slightly heavier weight helping a little when you make solid contact.  I have this feeling that the feedback with the Ping's on mishits is not as good as that with the T300's.  Is that due to the weight difference in the shaft?  No idea.

Yes, I moved from the Alta Quick 45 in the Irons to the DG 105 and the heavier weight for me seems to perform better than any swing speed gain from the lighter shaft. 

[jjfcpa]

First round in Palm Springs is tomorrow at Mission Hills North.  With temps in the low 100 - 110, I'm teeing off at 7:30 when the temp will be a much more tolerable 80-85.  Clubs arrived without issue so with a little warm up I should be ready to go.

[neverfightapar]

Hope you hit’em well.  Let us know how it goes.

 

I hope to play my first round later this month.  It has been nearly 4 months so not looking for anything great.  The lay off reminds me of what we went trough when living up north.  The course looks to be healing well after the normal spring/summer maintenance we endure in the SE.  

[jjfcpa]

I'm really perplexed now, because I hit some really nice shots with the G430 HL's today.  Not everyone was good, but for the most part they were dead on for distance.  Even surprised me a couple times when I thought I was going to end up short because of where I hit them on the head, but they are very forgiving on mishits.  I just had a little trouble with dispersion because the fairways in Palm Springs are very tight.  Their rough is more like our fairways back in Omaha.  

 

Where I really messed up is pulling the hybrid (Paradym X), when I could have opted for my 5 iron.  I'm quite sure I would have faired better with the 5 iron than the two muffed hybrid shots.  Live and learn.

 

Greens were fuzzy - not sure what the grass on the greens is, but it's not smooth and fast like the ones back home.  

 

In short, I'm really hooked on these G430's and not really sure if a slight heavier shaft would make that much difference.  I think I'm going to take them with the Alta Quick 45 and just keep playing them.

[neverfightapar]

A lot of positive feedback on the G430 HL irons and driver/fairway metals.  Keep it coming, I really appreciate your thoughts.  I still have not been able to hit them yet.  I have been able to do a fair amount of short game and putting at our practice area.  Short game looks pretty good and putting (new putter, Ping Anser 2D) looks very good.  And a little bit of work on the range…not any full swings yet.  We have a great practice facility.  

 

Still doing PT at least through the end of July so I have some time to do additional research.  

 

JJFCPA…enjoy reading your feed back of your on course experiences.

[jjfcpa]

Played another 18 at the Mountain course at Desert Willow golf resort.  What made this particularly enjoyable was the guy I was partnered with.  He has played there a lot and was very familiar with the course, which help me because I've never played it before.

 

When I play a new course, I try to stay out of trouble.. that means avoiding bunkers and water, and of course. OOB.  While I didn't get a lot of GIR's, I did get a number of up and downs thanks to the GL430's which helped keep the ball in the short grass on my approach and then let my short game (with a wedge) get me in close to the pin.

 

I can't say enough about the long irons (5 and 6 irons), which just seem so much easier to hit than any other brand I've ever played.  The 6 irons is easy to launch with good height and more than acceptable distance for me.  The 5 iron is kind of like a driving iron and although it doesn't launch very high, keeping in on your target line is just automatic.  Really easy to get a good swing on it.

 

I went with the 5i down to the 45 degree wedge and the 45 is just a really nice club that you can use for a variety of distances.  Really easy to get good spin and great checkup on greens.

 

One more round to go but I can honestly say that these are making it very hard to go back to my T300's.  They are so easy and comfortable to swing.  I almost don't want to hit my hybrid or 5 wood even though I will leave it short because they are just so much fun to play.

 

Forget what I said about a heavier shaft.  I think I would loose distance with a heavier shaft.  I think Ping did a really good job of matching a lighter shaft with this head and the grips are very good too.

[neverfightapar]

Quick update on my attempt to hit the G430 HL.  Went to PGASS and asked to hit the G430HL and the put together a 7 iron for me.  The iron felt a little heavy, could really feel it in the back swing.  I asked if it was the HL head…response was they didn’t’ have a HL head.  It did have the light weight shaft (45 grams) and grip.  They checked the fitting cart…no light weight head.  Then asked how are you supposed to know if the HL version is what you are looking for…response: custom order. 

 

That doesn’t sound very Ping like considering the Ping fitting standards.  So I called Ping CS to confirm what I was told…they confirmed that a G430HL head is not included in the fitting cart.  So I’m considering ordering a 7 iron to my spec.

 

My question is for you folks who are playing the G430HL after hitting a fitting 7 iron is:

 

a) does it feel way different than the heavier regular HL head?

 

b) are you happy with the feel and weight?

 

c) does it fly higher?

 

d) do you see any distance gain?

 

Thank again for your input.

 

 

 

 

 

[neverfightapar]

I did hit the fitting iron with the lite weight shaft and grip.  It felt odd, un-balanced.  I was hitting it against my G710 with Recoil shaft.  I am primarily looking for a club head speed increase after recent neck surgery.  
 

i will reach out to Ping and ask the head weight difference.

 

Thanks for your input.

[ZipinZ]

25 minutes ago, neverfightapar said:

I did hit the fitting iron with the lite weight shaft and grip.  It felt odd, un-balanced.  I was hitting it against my G710 with Recoil shaft.  I am primarily looking for a club head speed increase after recent neck surgery.  
 

i will reach out to Ping and ask the head weight difference.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

 

Direct your e-mail to the following individual & you will get a prompt response, she's the best.

 

Cheers

 

D.

 

 

PING Consumer Support <[email protected]>

Attn: Madalyn G

PING -Consumer Relations Communication Coordinator

Phone: 1.800.474.6434 / Monday- Friday:  7:00am - 4:00pm MST

 

 

 

.

Edited July 29, 2023 by ZipinZ

[neverfightapar]

Thought I would check back in with my progress.  Back playing a limited schedule, healing has been slow but there has been some signs of improvement.  

Those that have  responded earlier in this thread or new users, how has your experiences been going?  Still using the G430HL irons, hybrids, fairway metals and drivers?  Any downsides?  

Still considering buying a 7 iron to my specs because the Ping fitting cart does not have the light weight 

[neverfightapar]

Thought I would check back in with my progress.  Back playing a limited schedule, healing has been slow but there has been some signs of improvement.  

Those that have  responded earlier in this thread or new users, how has your experiences been going?  Still using the G430HL irons, hybrids, fairway metals and drivers?  Any downsides?  

Still considering buying a 7 iron to my specs because the Ping fitting cart does not have the light weight 430HL heads.  

Any other input would be appreciated.  Thanks

 

[JP1000]

I appreciate this thread.  I'm getting close to 60 in age.  I'm seeing less and less height in my iron shots over the last 1 1/2 years (I suspect slowing swing speed).  For those who have tried 430 vs 430HL, do you see empirically higher peak shot tragectory?