Review: Ping G400 driver

Our Ping G400 driver review took place at the Golf Shack at Moor Allerton in Leeds and also out on the course at Bro Hof Slott near Stockholm.

The G400 range is possibly one of the worst kept secrets in golf after a number of Ping players put the new driver into play at the US Open.

But we can finally reveal all the details and tell you how we got on with it in testing…

Ping G400 driver review – First impressions

Ping have added a bit more style and shelf appeal to the G400 driver compared to the previous G range.

Ping G400 driver review

They’ve dropped the blue in favour of a gold/copper colour which definitely looks a bit classier.

At address, the G400 looks sleeker than the G and G30 drivers but we still have the Turbulator technology which was first seen in G30 and the dragonfly crown which debuted in the G range.

The Turbulators on G400 are more pronounced than on the G drivers.

Ping have also changed the colour of the stock Alta shaft from blue to the new gold/copper finish. The two-tone nature of the shaft means at actually looks black when you hold the club at address which is very cool.

As with the previous two ranges from Ping we have a standard model, an LST (low-spinning), and an SFT (draw-biassed) model.

So rather than having a driver with adjustable weights, Ping have three drivers with a weight positioned in different places.

The weight is as far back as possible in the regular G400, a bit nearer the face in the LST and towards the heel in the SFT.

Ping say that once you have been fitted into a driver you shouldn’t play around with the weights so this way of doing it removes the temptation to tweak it yourself.

Ping G400 driver review – The technology

As with the G30 and G drivers, Ping have focussed on getting the club’s centre of gravity low and deep. This is the key to high MOI (resistance to twisting) and forgiveness.

Putting weight forwards can lead to more distance but as the expense of some forgiveness – something which Ping won’t do.

The G400 has an emphasis on being light and incredibly aerodynamic to gain more speed on the downswing which will lead to more ball speed.

The G400 has Ping’s lightest-ever crown, while a new forged face is also thinner and lighter. Ping say they have also improved the sound and feel – one criticism of the G drivers.

All in all these improvements should result in about five yards of distance on G which should be about 10 yards more than G30.

[skylab_video id=”123410″]Ping G400 driver review[/skylab_video]

Ping G400 driver review – The results

I was fitted into the G400 SFT model to help eliminate my miss to the right.

To me, this driver looks classier and sleeker both on the shelf and at address. It was ticking a lot of boxes for me before I even hit a shot.

When I started hitting, the sound and feel were both a massive improvement on the G drivers. It has a soft and sweet feel off the face compared to quite a high pitched, harsh feel on the G.

Ping G400 driver review

With this driver I was getting the numbers I would expect on a good shot but most what pleased me the most was the fact they were all going left of target.

I’m used to aiming left and letting the ball fade back to the right. With this driver they were starting left and finishing left. So going where I was aiming. Wouldn’t it be great if I could actually start aiming to where I want the ball to finish?

Another thing which is hugely impressive about this driver is the forgiveness. I hit a couple of really bad shots here and the worst one carried 200 yards and would have finished in the middle of the fairway. It was such a bad strike, I barely made contact with the ball.

So on Trackman I was seeing a lot of things which I liked.

Out on the course, I was missing every fairway to the left but was getting really good carry and a nice strong ball flight.

I just need to put my faith in this driver and start aiming more to the right.

Ping G400 driver review – NCG verdict

This is the most excited I have been about a new driver.

I really feel like I can trust the technology and the engineering which has gone into it. It does exactly what it is supposed to do.

You can say that about previous Ping drivers but I often found myself a bit underwhelmed with the overall package which includes looks, sound and feel.

This driver offers the complete package in my point of view. The performance, looks, sound and feel are fantastic.

I’m looking forward to using this driver more out on the course as with a bit of technique and alignment work, I’m certain it can help me shoot lower scores.

Details

SRP: £389

Lofts: 8.5˚, 10˚ (Regular, LST); 10˚, 12˚ (SFT)

Stock shafts: Alta CB (SR, R, S, X), Tour 65, 75 (R, S, X)

After market shafts: (+£60)

Kuru Kage 60, Hzrdus Yellow 75, X-torsion

For more information visit the Ping website