Review: Ping G 3-wood
Little Changes Make a Difference
It can be hard to justify buying new clubs. Sometimes we think that there won’t be much difference and sometimes that is true. Year to year we try to honestly assess if the tweaks a company makes to their product is worth the investment. Even when a manufacturer makes significant changes in design, will it impact your scores? The question that every golf consumer must face. New and shiny are always nice, but better results should be most important. I found that Ping G 3-wood had better results than the G30 because of a few little changes that make a difference.
I’ll start with what I believe made the biggest difference; the shaft. I had the lightweight counterbalanced shaft in the G30 and no matter my ability to manipulate my swing to fit it, I still didn’t have the consistent results I wanted in a 3-wood. The Ping G 3-wood has the Tour 80 stiff which is a much better fit for my swing. By comparison the dispersion went down significantly with the G 3-wood which at the end of the day is one of, if not, the most important factor. Ping did change up their stock shaft to an Alta
The only other significant change I found in the Ping G 3-wood is the face and how it lifts the ball. The leading edge is slightly sharper and lower which makes it easier to get the ball airborne and hit it higher. Both of which I found true during my on course testing. The Ping G 3-wood hits high towering shots off the tee or fairway with ease.
Beyond those 2 features, it is very similar to the Ping G30 3-wood. If you have that club and hit it really well already, I would be hard for me to say you should go out and buy the new G 3-wood. It is better for me because of the shaft and tweaked face, but not hugely different in any other way. It looks the same, feels the same and performs almost the same; especially if you have the same shafts. Don’t get me wrong the Ping G 3-wood is awesome, just like the G30 was, but the changes are little.
The crown of thePing G hasn’t changed with the turbulators on the top. The shape is the same. It sounds and feels almost identical. These aren’t bad things, just reality of the new G 3-wood. I like the thin look and average footprint of this 3-wood. It lines up very easily behind the ball and I found I hit it straighter, I had less losses to the right with it.
FlightScope Xi Tour Launch Monitor
Ping G 3-wood
- Spin: 3081 rpms
- Launch Angle: 14.7*
- Dispersion: 6.4 yds
- Club Head Speed: 99.1 mph
- Ball Speed: 142.1 mph
- Total Distance: 244.9 yds
- Carry Distance: 230.5 yds
If you are looking to upgrade your 3-wood game, the Ping G 3-wood should be on your list to demo. It is easy to hit, very forgiving and with the right shaft, is very accurate. They only make a few little changes from the G30 to the G, but for me they were significant improvements for my game.
For more information: www.ping.com
Quick Hits
+Better results
+Straighter
+High launch
+Forgiving
+Easy to hit straight
–Very similar to G30