Review: Ping G25 Driver

Ping just made driving the ball easier

The one club that most amateurs struggle with is the driver.  Actually  a number of pros have their driver woes too.  We all are just looking for something easier to hit and longer.  If only it were so simple; but it is now with the G25.  I found it to be an easier and longer combo than previous G series Ping drivers.  The G series has been Ping bread and butter driver for years, even many of their tour staff prefer the forgiving model.  They want to hit fairways just like we want to hit fairways so having the most forgiving driver is key, yet no one wants to give up yardage.  The G25 offers both.

New for 2013 in the G25 is a shift in color to match the other drivers Ping has recently produced, the matter black is similar to the i20 and Anser driver.  I think this is the best looking color for any driver on the market.  It looks so good at address.  Matte black just looks tough.  The sole is also all black with just a big Ping and G25 on the bottom so from top to bottom this is a great looking stick.  The addition of the adjustable hosel is also new for 2013.  The Anser was Pings first adjustable driver, now that same hosel is used in the G25 driver.  While not as complex or as adjustable as other drivers, it does help tweak the driver for a more accurate fit. 

The stock options are limited in terms of shafts compared to the Anser driver.  The TFC 189  is the only stock option.  I went in for a fitting, as Ping always encourages with all their clubs, and found that even the TFC 189 Tour Stiff shaft seemed to generate a little too much spin.  I ordered mine with a second shaft, the Graphite Design DI 7 to bring the spin down.  The TFC 189 tour stiff is lower launching, but the spin was higher, where as the DI offered higher launch with lower spin.  So get fit and find what combo works best for you, you might even be able to find one of the shafts from the Anser driver will work well in this head too.  I tried the Diamana Ahina from my Anser and found the low launch low spin worked well on windy days.  So with all the fitting options and abilities to tweak the head, get fit to figure out exactly what you need to get the most out of this forgiving yet long driver.
 

My first rounds with this driver were at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic.  I hadn’t played golf in over a month outside because of the extended winter we’ve had in MN.  So like anyone with a rusty swing on a new course, and a tough one at that, my main goal was just to survive and hit as many fairways as I could.  The G25 inspires confidence just looking at it.  That big matte black head sets up very nicely behind the ball, it has a tall enough face to feel like you can find the center and has ample width so even the inconsistencies of winter aren’t going to be to penal.  On the first tee, there were both jitters and confidence, so I swung away and hit a towering bomb into the middle of the first fairway.  It felt so good.  High launch, low spin and straight as an arrow, you couldn’t ask for anything more.  The rest of that round and the following rounds were really just more of the same.  It averaged 10 of 14 fairways.  Which I felt was pretty good considering the timing of the year.  Of the 4 missed fairways; 2 were just barely misses, 1 was wide but playable and 1 was the unfortunate results of a really bad swing. (if you look at the pictures down at the bottom of the review you can see how far off the center of the face I was on that bad swing)  No driver can fix all your problems, but the Ping G25 is about as forgiving of a driver as you can buy.

Ping has really dialed in their sound and feel.  The G25 moves closer to the i20 in terms of sound and feel.  In my opinion the i20 might still be the best sounding and feeling driver any company has made, but the G25 is very close, just slightly hollower.  It is a low pitched metallic sound at impact that sends the ball screaming out into the fairway.

The stock TFC 189 is a great shaft, it is very tight, has a solid mid launch and feels very smooth.  There is nothing wrong with the shaft in any way.  My guess is that it fits a good number of golfers.  But I unfortunately spin the ball too much with 99% of stock shafts.  I always seem to need a lower spin shaft in my driver.  That is why I ordered the DI.  This shaft is one of my favorite shafts.  The super smooth Graphite Design feel has that coveted low spin with high launch which turns the G25 into a canon.  I’ve also found the DI shaft to be very accurate so I ended up with the best fit for the G25.  I think the move from the TFC 189 to the DI added a good 10 yards to this driver because of the lower spin.  Now too low of spin can have a negative impact on drives, so start with the TFC 189 and go from there.

I found the G25 was just a little longer than the distances I was hitting the G20.  I attribute the distance gain to the launch and lower spin. I can’t say I hit it way further than any thing else out there, but it sure is easy to hit a long ways.  At the end of the day that is what it is all about, I don’t want to work too hard or need the stars align just so I can hit a long drive, I just want it to happen automatically with each drive.  That was exactly what the G25 did. 

Ping has another winner with the G25.  It is going to fit many more golfers than the Anser or the i20, both great drivers, but obviously more demanding.  The G25 on the other hand is just easier to hit and longer.  Go find your nearest Ping retailer and get fit.  The TFC 189 is a great shaft and might be the perfect fit for you, if not, they offer an endless selection of shaft upgrades.  I’m just happy to have an easy to bomb driver in my arsenal.

Check the price online here

For more information: www.ping.com

Quick Hits:
+Easy to hit straight
+Matte black looks
+Solid sound and feel
+Longer

-Limited stock options

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