Equipment
Tour Report: Seeding week for Ping G425
As we saw just a few weeks with the tour launch of the Titleist TSi, whenever a big OEM teases their new gear out on Tour, it’s a huge deal—especially for the gear heads. Is it better? Longer? More stable? Who is putting it in play, and on and on…
This week in Vegas (Shadow Creek CC) at the CJ Cup, it’s Ping’s turn to throw their hat in the ring with the new G425 woods. It’s just that time of year: All the heavyweights come out swinging with new ideas, and tech which hopefully results in better scores for the rest of us.
From where I sit, the Ping G410 was/is hands down the most stable brick wall of a driver on the market. If you look at the players that lean towards this profile (LST or MAX), they tend to be high-speed players (Finau, Champ, Watson, Woodland). At that speed, extra distance isn’t necessarily a priority—stability is up always front. Not to say those drivers don’t pack a punch, they are plenty long, but as a golf club built for accuracy, it sits as king of the mountain.
The big question is, “What direction did Ping go in with the G425?” My hunch is they found a way to keep the stability and crank up the distance volume even more.
As its too early to get into the tech story, I did want to get a feel for what early testing was looking like, so once again I tapped my old buddy Kenton “K.O” Oates from the Ping tour team to get the inside look.
JW: First reactions across the board…what are players saying?
KO: First, the amount of work and effort that went into this launch from everyone at Ping worldwide was simply incredible. It is hard enough to launch a full line of clubs across multiple tours across the globe under normal circumstances, and I think we can all agree 2020 has been far but normal.
In Phoenix, I think we knew from early testing results with a few of our staff players that this was going to be overall a very well-received launch this week in Vegas and across the pond in Scotland. If we needed any further fuel for the fire for this launch, look no further thann Tyrell Hatton winning at Wentworth with three new G425 metal woods the first week in play.
JW: Max vs. LST. What are guys leaning towards at first testing?
KO: Players right away loved the clean rich look of the G425 Max and LST drivers. The biggest takeaway is how forgiving these drivers are with zero sacrifices to playability or speed. Ping drivers have long been known for their stability, and the G425 takes that baton and keeps running. The coolest thing we noticed was how easy it was to control and optimize the launch and spin of the bigger super stable G425 Max and how straight the smaller, sleeker low spinning G425 flew. We will see more G425 LST in play due to its extreme forgiveness in a lower spinning package—felt like you could give a player G410 Plus forgiveness with G410 LST launch conditions.
JW: How are the reactions to the new Fairway woods?
KO: From a looks standpoint, players were generally shocked to see fairway woods and hybrids without turbulators for the first time since G25/I25 fairway woods and G30 hybrids. Along with a fresh new look, players saw nice performance gains in terms of ball speeds, launch conditions, and distance with both our G425 Max and LST fairways with the same forgiveness, playability, and stability of their G410 fairways. Both players who put G425 hybrids in play this week needed the same adjustment…more loft as it was flying too far in the standard-setting.
JW: Any fun testing stories?
KO: In previous months, both Viktor Hovland and Cameron Champ tested longer driver length options. Both players gamers are short, 44 3/4 for Hovland, to very short 44 1/4 for Champ. In the previous testing, Hovland could not control spin or right miss enough to feel comfortable gaming longer option and Cameron could not find enough stability out of his preferred LST head option at his speeds.
Right away with Hovland, 425 reduced his right miss and lowered his spin at his gamer length, it wasn’t long into the fitting he looked at us and goes, “We need to build the longer one with this head.” So, we left Viktor both options, and over the last 10 days, it was fun to get screenshots of Trackman from Viktor as he approached and then surpassed 180 mph ball speed.
In Cameron’s case, he has wanted to play a longer shaft but to do so, he felt he needed to switch into our 410 Plus head to give him the extra forgiveness and stability. We started Cameron’s G425 testing with slightly longer options and were able to optimize his launch conditions with a 9-degree LST in the small plus setting. Tuesday, we tested his gamer, shorter length on Trackman, and course. The longer length gave him additional 10 yards of carry, 4 mph of ball speed, and was still more stable than his old gamer.
All said and done Hovland will play a driver an inch longer at 45 3/4 and Cameron will go with a 45-inch shaft.
Ping G425 woods in play this week at CJ Cup
Staff
Champ LST Driver Max 3w 19* Hybrid
Conners LST 3w 19* Hybrid
Hatton LST Driver LST 3w Max 7w
Hovland LST Driver
Hughes Max Driver Max 3w Max 5w
Munoz Max Driver
Niemann Max 3w
Oosthuizen Max 3w Max 7w
Thompson LST Driver Max 3w Max 7w
Watson LST Driver Max 5w
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Delta1
Oct 18, 2020 at 12:48 pm
This website is not secure. Beware!
Delta2
Oct 19, 2020 at 10:22 am
omg, what do we do!
matt
Oct 16, 2020 at 6:59 pm
do we have head size info on these… I assume the LST is less than 460?
Kev
Oct 17, 2020 at 12:29 am
445cc
Carolyn
Oct 16, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Great new drivers that will give the over 110 MPH Swing that benefit of face “COR”…I think it is so funny that guys swinging up to 130 MPH or more are getting added benefits and hitting the ball 350 yards or more while the guy with the 85 MPH or less and paying $500 or more for his/her driver are only gaining a few yards if the club is adjusted right for their swing. You want to stop this horrible distance problem in Pro Golf just change the legal limit of “COR’ and within days those 350 or more drives will come back without changing current ball limits. If the face does not rebound fast enough even Bryson will be swinging out of his shoes to get 320…
The dude
Oct 17, 2020 at 5:53 am
Someone needs a box of Kleenex….
Clay
Oct 19, 2020 at 1:13 pm
I don’t really want to see any changes, but if a change was made it’s easier to change the ball because they are cheaper and everyone goes through multiple boxes over the course of a season. Telling everyone to start buying the new, legal ball would go over much better with the golfing public than telling every golfer in the world they need to buy a new $500 driver because their gamer is now illegal.