FIRST HIT: Ping G25 fairway wood

With its matt-black finish and large head, the G25 is both smart and confidence inspiring. To me, this is a wood designed primarily to be hit off the deck – or at least you will probably want to peg it down.

It reflects a changing era in the game – previously the fairway wood was the club you chose if you had lost confidence with the driver or were playing safe. Now, the driver is arguably the easiest club in the bag to hit.

The G25, then, is designed to sit close to the turf and give you all the help possible to get the ball up, even from a tight fairway lie.

And its certainly goes high for me.

I think people who have previously struggled to get a decent flight off their 3 wood form the deck will find they can get great results with this.

"People who have previously struggled to get a decent flight off their 3 wood form the deck will find they can get great results."
Ping say: “The face is the thinnest of any Ping fairway wood. The low-profile, forgiving design features mass low in the 17-4 stainless steel clubhead, positioning the CG low and back for higher launch and increased forgiveness, especially on shots hit low on the face.”

The facts

Available: February

SRP: £199

Lofts: 3 (15º), 4 (16.5º), 5 (18º), and 7 (21º)

Shaft: TFC 189F (Soft R, R, S, Tour-Stiff, and Tour X-Stiff flexes)

To read more about the G25 driver, click here

To read more about the G25 irons, click here

To read more about the G25 hybrids, click here