Ping G5 Driver

[pingshack22]

Why do they come 45 3/4" ?

Does anyone have any idea why the G2 and G5 retail drivers are 45 3/4" ? I understand you can order any length you want from their WRX department, but what is the logic of 3/4" over standard specs for retail clubs??? Is it for added distance or what?

[papichulosteve]

its all about the long ball. basically it's almost a minor change that many recreational golfers don't realize and get a little more distance as a result. adams is doing the same thing, their stock driver shaft is now 46 inches.

[pingshack22]

Wouldn't this make the club less forgiving and harder to control?

[nikkthestikk]

IF you listen to some of the insiders at Ping (some know what a golf club is and some don't) they will tell you that they are using a new measurement point on the club in accordance to the USGA's new measurement system, and that what you are really getting a 45 inch driver.. Hmmm.. I don't know if i am willing to swallow that one yet...

 

I think they are trying to stretch the clubs potential distance, and possibly get it to a desired swing weight with the normal 60-65 gram shaft.

 

Either way it looks pretty good at 45 3/4" because of the relation of the head size and shape. Looks good that is until you can't hit it on the middle of the clubface.

 

It looks REALLY good at 44.5" ...

[Cameron Circle T]

Few reasons that ping did this.

 

1) yes, distance is a factor. the extra 3/4" does give you a little extra oomph.

 

2) ping r&d decided that with the new head the slightly longer shaft reacted better than the old std that they used on the Si3 which was the normal 45"

 

3) and this is just my opinion, but bc they are longer the are less trimmed which means that they are going to spec out on the weak side of the flex if anything which in the long run will actually get you more distance. if this shaft is not overly weak you also wont sacrifice much control with the club and bc its not going to play quite as stiff your going to get a few yards more out of it. so the fact that its longer in an of itself produces more distance as does the slightly weaker flex they have a driver that seemingly goes longer than the competition.

 

heck this driver is a full inch over the R5 TP which imo is what std. should be bc most golfers need the control of a slightly shorter club. however i can also see the argument that most golfers need a slightly longer carrying and overall ydg. club so it could go both ways. I dont know bc many of the good players that play this driver (my friend at ping included) play it at old std. length to keep in line with old feeling. Im from a diff school of thought i play a really short driver bc for so long i sacrificed control. I used to hit it about 340ish with a 9.5* and 10* at 45" (X) but would hit maybe 50% of fairways... i now play a 43.75" X driver thats been tipped to make it even stiffer...lost bout 30 yds. Avg. drive is now bout 310-315 but i can say that i hit the fairway pretty close to 100% of the time with my driver. Id say play with it for a bit and if it doesnt suit you cut it... it can always be plugged unless you have a ss in the 110's and up then i wouldnt reccomend a plug. GL.

 

 

And as someone said all companys have diff way of measuring their drivers... taylor made measures them at address position...have to call ping and find out what the tour/college dept says they do but USGA now does measure the club perpendicular to the ground which given todays head sizes does add about .5" to the overall length of the club...however comparing it to TM clubs i dont believe this is what theyre doing since it is slightly longer.

[pingshack22]

Great feedback CCT ! I appreciate your input.

[Cameron Circle T]

NP glad i could help ping is my specialty...heh never really been a fan or familiar with anything other than ping and tm glad my useless knowledge can finally help.

[topdog]

Just got my G5 last wednesday.

 

 

Order it at 45" which to Ping is -3/4"

 

 

Asked for a normal swingweight and Ping told my sales agent(golfdiscount.com) that at the length I wanted it would barely be D1( normal is D3) not that my 12 cap would notice any difference.

 

 

Anyways, compared it to my stock 983K (prolite) and because of the size of the G5 head it looks a little short(optical illusion???) althought they both measure the same.

 

Most importantly, I think my 983k is still longer and easier to turn over(draw).

 

 

:) :cheesy:

[Cameron Circle T]

Yes as I and one of the other posters stated bc of the design of the G5 at short lengths it is harder to achieve a "normal" swingweight. Ping can make drivers custom to whatever swingweight you want...tho im not sure theyll take the time for their consumer market...i know all my heads have come marked with the swingweight and the overall headweight marked on them usually by hand. The driver is a very large head and bc of that to achieve the desired weight you need a heavier shaft if short or a longer shaft. For example im about to switch from the ping driver i play which is D5.5 (came in at D3 which is what i wanted at the time but started lifting more and needed more weight) that is 340cc with a grafalloy blue X tipped and butt cut down to 43.75" Im about to go to a 400cc R7 TP tour and will probably be going with the 75-x upon reccomendation bc of the fact that i cut drivers so much which is about 10g heavier than my 64g blue. Bc i hack so much off the butt end the shaft needs to be about ten grams so that when i lose the weight it still specs out at the normal swingweight. so you could cut it and then lead tape it till you get it right or you could switch to a shaft a few grams heavier (10 grams as im doing probly isnt needed as its only 3/4" whereas i trim all drivers btwn 1-2" depending on the company). My guess is to achieve your desired weight you might want to try the leadtape bc your probly not going to find a shaft thats only 5 or so grams heavier. it may not be the prettiest but if done right and cut well etc. its the mark of a true golfer...lol customization the old fashion way. GL...and keep it in the short stuff

[auggiewest]

cut mine down to 45" cost maybe 5 yds but way more accurate. did need to put a lighter grip and some lead tape to get back swingweight to

d2/3 range

[pingshack22]

After testing, had my G5 (UST V2 65S) cut to 45 1/4" (D1 swingweight), which is - 1/2" off Ping's standard. For me this was the perfect balance between distance and accuracy. In the end, whatever feels comfortable to the player should be the deciding factor.

[dlefty]

As already mentioned, a little extra distance, and needed swingweight points. The thing that really drives me nuts about these G2 and G5 heads when doing reshafts, is that it is damn near impossible to get a good D2-D4 swingweight out of them at 45". Adding 10+ gram heavier shafts, 4-6 grams worth of tip weights, etc., nothing seems to get them past D0 or D1.

 

Memo to PING, make heavier heads please! 190-193 gram heads just aren't doin' it!

[Cameron Circle T]

well its not just the weight of the head its the concentration of that weight the old Si3 was 190 grams and i never had a problem when dealing with them as to get them to D4 even which is even a little lighter than i like to play my driver, and thats given that i play such a short length (43.75) however its that these heads are so large and they only weigh that they cause a problem with the extra length.