FIRST HIT: Ping G20 driver

Improving on what had gone before was no easy task. Ping’s flagship G15 driver had gained widespread approval from amateurs worldwide and pros on the leading tours.

So what does the G20 do that the G15 doesn’t?

Well, just like its predecessor, whatever else you say about the G20 it is certainly not a driver packed with gimmicks.

So don’t expect to find any kind of adjustability, a previously undiscovered geometrical shape for the head or a colour scheme never previously associated with the game.

Instead, you get a subtle change in shape (slightly less round) and colour (a soft grey that grows on you), as well as what we think is a significant improvement in stock shafts.

Previously, Ping have offered one proprietary stock shaft and one made by another company (like Aldila) aimed at the better player, as well as thousands of others on a custom-fit basis.

This time they believe they have created shafts for both average (TFC 169D) and stronger swingers (TFC 169D Tour) that perform better than anything on the market.

As ever with shafts, this is impossible to quantify but our personal feedback would be that the Tour version is very stable – comparable to the feel of some very expensive after-market options we have tried.

Versus the G15, the ball seems to come off the face that little bit quicker and more solidly. To what extent that is the head and to what extent the shaft is hard to say but one thing is for sure – the G20 is a reassuringly easy driver to put straight into the bag.
Versus the G15, the ball seems to come off the face that little bit quicker and feels more solid.

DETAILS

Tested by Dan Murphy (3hcp) and Joe Whitley (9hcp)
SRP: £255
Lofts: 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 & 2°
Standard shaft: Ping TFC 169D
Flexes available: L, Soft R, R, S, X
Head size: 460cc
Head weight: 208g
Standard length: 45.75″
Spec tested: 9.5°, Ping TFC 169D (stiff)
w: pinggolf.com
t: 01427 615 405

WHAT THE CEO SAYS

We asked John Solheim, Ping’s Chief Executive, what the G20 offers over the G15 line…
“There’s a lot of new technology in the entire G20 family.
“Our engineers optimised the clubs to fit and benefit golfers of all skill levels.  In the driver, we’re using for the first time a titanium alloy called Ti 8-1-1, which allows us to improve the weighting to better optimise the entire clubhead.
When combined with our new, proprietary high-balance-point shaft, our testing shows significant improvements in energy transfer, which leads to longer, straighter drives.
The irons are more forgiving and feature a cavity design that includes an elastomer badge for improved feel. The fairway woods and hybrids offer golfers high-launching, forgiving options from all conditions.”