Review: Ping G20 Driver

Getting “Bubba” long
Ping staff player Bubba Watson is known for his length off the tee.  He regularly is near the top statically in driving distance tournament after tournament.  It is amazing to watch him smash his Ping driver.  Amateurs wish they could drive the ball that far.  Well the Ping G20 driver is going to get you “Bubba” long. (compared to what you are driving now)

Every time Ping comes out with a new driver it is exciting yet simple.  They aren’t building drivers with all kinds of bells and whistles, they aren’t painting them wild colors, instead they work on the internal design to make them longer and easier to hit compared to their previous model.  The G20 is no different.  It is longer and straighter than previous Ping drivers.
As always Ping offers the best customization process of any golf company.  I have praised it in all my Ping reviews and will continue to do so.  If golfers want to get better and have the best equipment; it needs to be fit for them.  But honestly sometimes you just want to walk into a golf store and walk out with a new club.  So if you are going to walk into most golf stores you are going to see the Ping G20 with a variety of lofts with basically the stock shaft as the only option, the Ping TFC 169D either standard or tour.  The tour is lower launch and less torque.  The D3 swingweight at 45.75” topped with Pings ID8 grip is the common set up.

I’ve never been a fan of stock shafts, simply because the “made for the masses” shafts are typically cheap, inconsistent and rarely fit my swing.  So I was skeptical of playing a G20 off the rack driver, especially as I consider all the fitting options Ping offers.  But after the many rounds I’ve played with the Ping G20, I can’t imagine getting better numbers or results with any other shaft.  This driver is a cannon right off the shelf.  It is a mid-launch shaft with mid/low spin.  The feel is crisp and smooth.

The head itself is a full 460cc with plenty of girth front to back and side to side.  It has a relatively deep face and sits square.  It is painted a charcoal color on the crown, it has the Ping half-moon alignment aid and the bottom has a mostly polished sole with some red and black paint.

On the course is where you get “Bubba” with it.  My first drive was so impressive.  I hit an absolute bomb right down the middle of the fairway as straight as can be.  It felt so hot off the face and rose gently to a mid/high launch and just carried and carried until it descended bounding down the fairway.  For the rest of the rounds, it just simply was a copy of that first drive over and over.  It was as consistent and long drive as any driver.  It was one of the longest drivers I’ve hit off the rack.  I found it to be a great combination with my G20 3-wood (review here) that I was able to reach a couple of par 5s I’ve never reached before in 2.  It was long for other people too. I was paired up with a high handicapper for one round and he had just bought the Ping G20 driver, similar specs to mine.  He was really struggling with all of his clubs except the driver.  He was bombing it far beyond his ability.

Ping’s simple changes to create the G20 made this club “Bubba” long right off the rack.  If you are looking for no frills length with great sound and accuracy, check out the Ping G20 driver.

   For more information: www.ping.com

Quick Hits
+”Bubba” long
+Consistent
+Forgiving

–No adjustability