Equipment
‘Our longest iron ever’ – Ping unveils new G430 irons
Ping has today unveiled its new G430 irons for 2023.
Billed as Ping’s “longest iron ever”, the G430 irons combine a lower CG with stronger, custom- engineered lofts and a thinner face that delivers up to 2 more mph of ball speed, per the company.
At the heart of the new addition is the PurFlex cavity badge, an innovation which features seven flex zones that allow more free bending in design to increase ball speed across the face.
In combination with a lower CG, the badge aims to contribute to the solid feel and pleasing impact sound. The stronger lofts across the set resulted in the addition of a 41 degree PW to ensure proper gapping options and allowed for standard lofts in the traditional scoring wedges (45.5, 50, 54 and 58 degrees).
“Our ability to make this iron so much longer while maintaining all the other important attributes golfers need from their irons like forgiveness, stopping power and gapping alternatives is one of the most impressive engineering stories throughout the entire G430 line. We know golfers want more distance from their irons but distance without control doesn’t lead to lower scores. That’s why we put so much emphasis on designing an iron that not only goes a very long way, but it flies higher, straighter and lands softer.” – John K. Solheim, Ping CEO & President
Among the refinements to the overall shape is a shorter hosel, which bids to create a more compact, clean look and helps lower the CG, aligning it closer to the force line in design to increase ball speed and ensure solid impact, especially low on the face.
Approximately 1 degree of additional bounce throughout the set aims to providee clean turf interaction and pure strikes, minimizing “heavy” shots that come up short. The high-density tungsten toe and shaft tip weights contribute to its high MOI in design to produce tighter dispersion patterns. The hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish seeks to deliver consistent performance from wet or dry grass.
Specs, Availability & Pricing
- Lofts: 4-9, PW (41°), 45.5°, 50°,54°, 58° in 10 color codes (lie angle). Black color code is standard.
- Loft options: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec
- Stock shafts: Ping AWT 2.0 steel (R, S, X), PING Alta CB Black graphite (SR, R, S), Ping Alta Quick 35/45 (HL build only)
- Optional stock shafts: Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon NS Pro Modus Tour 105 (R, S, X), Elevate MPH 95 (R, S)
- Stock Grip: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16”, Red -1/32”, Aqua -1/64”, White-Std, Gold +1/32”, Orange +1/16”)
- Price: $170 per club with stock steel shaft; $185 per club with stock graphite shaft
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...
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Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
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Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
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Mike
Jan 15, 2023 at 11:14 am
So Ping has obviously & energetically signed on to the loft-jacking movement.
What’s the 45-deg wedge called? Not a ‘pitching wedge’. Not a gap wedge’. So Ping needs to invent a new name. It shows how STUPID club “numbers” have become. But Ping actually lost me a few years ago when they started charging $170 per club.
C’mon, most of us golfers aren’t as stupid as the OEM’s think we are. In a few years my bag will contain 5 or 6 wedges. But for now, I w/b able to arrogantly say that, despite Father Time playing havoc w/ my aging body, I’m “2 clubs longer” than I was 10 years ago! Surely that’s worth the price of new clubs!
BobbyG
Jan 13, 2023 at 7:15 pm
Those are irons?
Karsten
Jan 12, 2023 at 12:38 am
I believe the hype! LFG!!!
Holdin Tudiks
Jan 11, 2023 at 4:32 pm
Ping is running out of people to fool.
Gunter Eisenberg
Jan 11, 2023 at 9:28 am
I wonder why these clubs are so much longer? Probably because their lofts are 2 clubs stronger than Players’ Blades and CB?
Dan
Jan 10, 2023 at 11:01 pm
Of course they’ll go further when the PW loft is 41
Big PW Energy
Jan 10, 2023 at 10:06 pm
So is that two pitching wedges or two GW? Not really sure what’s going on here
Bjorn
Jan 10, 2023 at 8:05 pm
The 37-degree 9-iron is 2.5 degrees stronger while the 41-degree PW is 3.5 degrees stronger. That prompted PING to add a fourth set-matching wedge to the G430 line, a 45-degree wedge to go along with the matching 50-, 54- and 58-degree wedges.
The hitting bay combatant, the 7-iron, is only one degree stronger at 29 degrees, the same as the Callaway Paradym but still 1.5 degrees weaker than Paradym X. PING’s Power Spec should even that up.
PING says the combination of the thinner VFT face, the lower CG and the stronger lofts are adding roughly three mph ball speed and 7.5 yards to the 7-iron. To its credit, PING says maybe one yard is coming from the new face, three yards from the lower CG and 3.5 yards from stronger lofts.
Bob
Jan 10, 2023 at 4:20 pm
41 degree PW does not mean the club is long. It means the lofts are jacked.
Even the 4 iron is 20 degrees and is calling 22 deg. “retro”! 41.5 deg is “retro” too. Fraud.