The PING G430 MAX driver review. Did it live up to the hype?
We often test clubs to keep up with all the new products being released every year. It’s what we do. Sometimes we buy and sometimes we don’t. It’s just a great way for us to get acquainted with all the new releases. Quite frankly, it’s getting hard to keep up, but we love trying. The goal is always simple. PLAY MORE GOLF.
We show up to see “our guy”. Just a normal “let me play around with some new products” kind of day. As my partner (wife) is getting fit for a new putter, I see “my guy” setting up the hitting station. I say hey John, do you have a fitting appointment coming soon. Nope, he replies. I set it up for you. There is a club I want you to hit. Of course, at this point I am smiling from ear to ear and feel like a 6-year-old on Christmas morning. “I’m addicted, and I just can’t get enough.“
LET’S TALK ABOUT SOUND
I didn’t look at the club, seriously. I actually thought it was the PING G425. My bag is full of PING products and “my guy” knows that. I swing this “unknown club” about three times and realize, this doesn’t sound the same. Now my interest is peaked. I casually wisp the shaft all the way through my left hand to see the club head. It was the new, not released to the public, this thing is beautiful, PING G430 MAX.
The most hated thing about the very popular and extremely successful G425 is the sound. The G425 has a very loud and almost awkwardly annoying sound. Not the sound you’re looking for in a driver. PING heard all of us and said, “we got this”. PING’s website says research into audio frequencies and harmonics led engineers to create a new internal rib structure and increase the curvature (stiffness) of the crown, skirt and sole, resulting in a desirable sound and impact experience for the PING G430.
Wait……What? They meant to say we messed around and accidently made the most awesome sounding driver ever created. It is a testament to their hard work. When I swung this for the first time, I immediately noticed the sound. It was like nothing I have ever heard before. Not only did PING fix the only real thing anybody had to complain about, they made it better than any of their competitors.
Performance
Forgiveness
We play enough golf to know exactly how every single club in the bag performs in all types of conditions. Changing seasons, wind, different climates, indoors, higher elevations etc. After getting past the awesome sound of the G430 I wanted to see what this bad boy could do. I ALWAYS swing a new driver nice and easy with minimal effort to see how the club reacts to just a fluid almost lazy swing. Kind of mimicking a senior. I noticed immediately how close all the balls were landing to each other. Very consistent. I could almost swing this club one handed and park the ball in the middle of the fairway. PING has claimed for years to have the most forgiving driver. Honestly, they’re right. The G425 is the most forgiving driver, and we don’t think it’s even close.
Somehow, PING has managed to take the best overall driver (especially for amateurs) and make it better. PING.com states that they took the game’s most forgiving driver (that also ranks as one of the longest) and made it even longer, while producing a more pleasing sound.
Distance
Truthfully, we didn’t see any gains in distance. I wanted to in the worst way possible. It just didn’t happen. After a few sessions, we have seen the same distance within a couple yards of the G425 and other popular models. The huge difference is forgiveness. I have never swung a driver in my life that was so easy to swing and pleasing to the eye. The PING G430 MAX checks all the boxes in the most forgiving driver of 2023 category.
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Quality and Looks
PING is traditionally known as one of the, if not the highest quality golf equipment manufacturer in the world. They stand by their products and have a long-lasting slogan that says, “custom built for you”. (Watch the video below to learn more)
The PING G430 MAX Driver is no exception. A ton of time and effort was put into this product over the past 2 years, and it shows. They listened to us “the consumer” and made it better. They simply took a product that was already top of the food chain and tweaked it to our liking. Smart. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
We absolutely love the new look with just a hint of color. Traditionally PING sticks with neutral colors and doesn’t get flashy. They added just a splash of color without getting too far away from the look we all know and love. Some people are not the biggest fan of this look. WE LOVE IT!!
Adjusting Loft & Lie
Trajectory Tuning 2.0 utilizes a lightweight, aerodynamic hosel sleeve that provides eight positions to customize your trajectory for maximum distance and accuracy. The 8-position hosel enables adjustments for loft (±1.5°) and lie (up to 3° flatter than std.) to further dial in your ball flight for the best results.
Trajectory Tuning Chart
Conclusion
After watching and reading most of the PING G430 MAX reviews. There was one thing we noticed. Nobody could find much of anything bad to say about this club. They were picking apart the headcover or knocking the new slight color change, but nobody was bashing the club performance. Literally everybody is saying how easy this club is to hit and how they loved the look of the club standing over the ball.
Driver is the oldest club in my bag. The Callaway Mavrik was my baby. It had seen its best days, but nothing out there was getting me excited and the Mavrik was still performing well. I was leaning towards the G425. I knew the price was finally coming down from the new club releases and it was going to be the best bargain out there.
Enter the G430 MAX driver review. It was love at first swing. As I dive deeper into the world of golf and learn more and more about golf equipment PING has taken over my bag. 14 clubs are allowed and now 11 of them are PING. I’m proud to say I have finally chosen the Driver that will be by my side for the next couple years. It wasn’t easy until “our guy” put a club in my hand that I didn’t even know what it was. Thank You PING. You have done it again.
Most Forgiving 3 Wood 2022(Opens in a new browser tab)
