Ping G30 Driver Review
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Panfilo Lacson
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Lacson in 2007
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Senator of the Philippines |
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Assumed office June 30, 2016 |
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In office June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2013 |
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Chair of the Philippine Senate National Defense and Security Committee |
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Assumed office July 23, 2019 |
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Preceded by |
Gregorio Honasan |
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Chair of the Philippine Senate Accounts Committee |
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Assumed office July 24, 2019 |
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Preceded by |
Gregorio Honasan |
| Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery | |
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In office December 10, 2013 – February 10, 2015 |
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| President |
Benigno Aquino III |
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Chief of the Philippine National Police |
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In office November 16, 1999 – February 16, 2001 |
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| President |
Joseph Estrada |
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Preceded by |
Edmundo L. Larroza |
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Succeeded by |
Leandro Mendoza |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Panfilo Morena Lacson
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| Political party |
Partido Reporma (2021–present) [1] |
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Other political affiliations |
LDP (2001–2004) Independent (2004–2021) United Opposition (2007–2010) |
| Spouse(s) | Alice de Perio |
| Children | 4 |
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Alma mater |
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Philippine Military Academy Imus Institute Bayang Luma Elementary School |
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| Website |
pinglacson .net |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Philippines |
| Branch/service |
 Philippine Constabulary  Philippine National Police |
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Police career |
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| Allegiance | Philippines |
| Department |
Philippine National Police |
| Rank |
 Director General |
Ping G30, Sf Tec & Ls Tec Driver Review
Once again Ping has had to wrestle with the issue of improving one of the best selling drivers in the market. Ping G30’s driver is the 7th instalment of the Ping G2 range, which was introduced six years back with the Ping G2 leader.
The Turbulators, which are located on top of the club’s crown, is visually the most distinctive feature of G30 drivers. These aerodynamic fins (whose names must be recited in a movie trailer voiceover) smoothen the airflow through the club while it swings to increase its head speed.
The belief was that the harder a clubhead’s surface and curves were, the quicker it would move for many years. Turbulators however claim to be able to smoothen rather than disturb airflow as shown in this Wind Tunnel Testing video.
However, this might not work in a golf club.
The G30 was brought down to the driving range by Olly, a PGA Professional at The Leading Edge, and we took it to each club in order to determine the average Speed using Trackman. The results were quite interesting. The G25 driver’s average club head speed was 105.5 MPH, but the G30 driver managed 106.5 MPH.
Now 1 mph may not get you leaping up and down in joy, but each 1 mph usually equates to around 4 yards carry, or about half a club less into the green for your second shot.
Bubba Watson showed that the faster you swing it the more gain. He added 2 mph (from 118.5 to 118.5) for 10 extra yards. However, since most amateurs that will purchase the club will likely be within the 85-100 MPH range, it is possible for the gains to not be quite as evident on the green as you might expect.
Review: Pilot Pingg30
Revised on July 3, 2014.
These drivers are less forgiving and more spinny than Ping’s original G25 driver. We tested the driver with the turbulators (ridges in the crown at the front) and it actually works. It achieved an average of about 1mph faster clubhead speed.
Cons: The new adapter adds an additional 1 degree of adjustability, but it’s not compatible with Ping’s previous adjustable tips. Really high-spin golfers still might not be able to get their spin to an optimal range with the G30.
Bottom line: Ping took G25, golf’s most patient driver, and made it more accepting. Amazingly, the company also managed to lower the spin, which was the greatest knock on G25. G30 is a great way to extend distance thanks to its unique turbulators. Ping claims that the G30 runs 7 feet longer than the G25. We agree.
Performance
Ping says that Bubba Watson was able to go about 10 more yards on the G30 than the G25 driver. He can be seen demonstrating this in the below video. Bubba Watson doesn’t play golf, so let us see what the G30 driver showed in our internal testing.
Ping’s G30 improvement made the driver a much better golfer than the previous one. Bubba was able to see the benefits of the turbulators for 99.99 percent. This is due to his PGA Tour-leading speed with the clubhead. The increased ball speed means that the turbulators won’t be as efficient for him. But the drag forces created by Bubba’s slower swing speed were more noticeable than for others.
One of our testers, who swung a G25 at about 100 mph, saw an average of 1 mph more clubhead speed with the G30. An average increase of 1.5 mph was seen in another tester who used a G25 driver to swing at 114 miles per hour. These results equate to an average of 1.5 mph and 2 mph faster ball speeds.
Because the G30 doesn’t change much other than the appearance of the driver’s face, the turbulators can be used to improve your performance. The G30 offers other options to enhance your performance, including turbulators.
Remember those 4 grams of weight Ping saved with its new face material? The driver will be more willing to forgive them if they are located further back in the clubhead. However, the effect is not so noticeable that it is difficult to spot. Ping claimed that it reduced the G30 launch time by 150 rpm. However, this was clearly visible on our Doppler radar rocket monitor. For our high-speed tester (116 mph swing speed), the G30 proved to be even a little lower spinning than that.
Ping’s G30 LS Tec driver provides a more stable spin rate than the G30.
Ping states that the G30 can travel 7 yards further than the G25. This is due to the G30’s higher speed and lower-spin launch. Ping golfers who are older will see additional yardage gains.
Review: Ping’S Drivers G400 and L400
Ping’s G30 drivers were my first experience. I vividly remember it. That was July 2014. I was in Phoenix at Ping’s headquarters. At the time, super low spin drivers were a rage. They helped golfers maximize their launch conditions with their forward center-of gravity. This allowed them to launch at insanely high speeds and spin ridiculously little. One of the drivers was a familiar face to many in our business. I spent many launch monitors trying to learn how to achieve more distance using these low spins. Unfortunately, forward-CG drivers were by their nature very unforgiving. Poor shots could be very short and awkward.
Before I knew the G30 was a big deal, Marty Jertson , Ping’s Director of Product Development, explained to me his vision for the perfect driver inside a conference room at Ping Headquarters. According to Marty Jertson, the perfect driver wasn’t the one with a forward, low center of gravity (CG). According to him, the CG should be as far rearward as possible in the driver’s head. This would allow for the best combination of optimal launch conditions, good forgiveness, and optimized launch conditions.
While it took a while to find the right driver (and is still a lot of work), Jertson was happy that Ping was finally able to bring the G30 to life. This driver, which was the culmination of Ping’s vision, was powerful when released. Rear-CG technology allowed it to travel great distances on both good shots and bad ones. The driver was very straight. G30 sold amazing and led to a shift in the direction of forward-CG driving.
It’s been nearly three years since the release of the G30, and Ping has just made another counterintuitive driver release. The company shrunk the size of its new G400 drivers in a climate where full-size drivers have become the norm. Although it is only 15 cubic cms smaller at the address, it still makes a noticeable difference. The G400 looks like the G30’s replacement Ping G drivers.
However, even though they have slimmer bodies, G400 drivers can be more accommodating than G drivers. Ping reps believe smaller is more in this case of the G400. Ping drivers with the lowest rearward CG have ever been used. They are also said to be smaller, which is believed to increase their aerodynamics and allow golfers to use them more quickly. The other big change is a new face material made of T9S+ titanium, which is thinner and more flexible to help golfers generate more ball speed.
In this review I was going to pit the G400 LST against the G LST. Therefore, I took the G400 LST and G400 LST along with me to Launch Pad Carl’s Golfland. Trackman IV was used to test each driver’s head. I took five shots and compared them with Trackman IV. Every driver’s head was set to the exact same loft or close.
Notice: All G, G LST, G400 drivers that I tried were at 10.5 degrees, with the heads adjusted to 9.5. G400 LST’s loft was 10 degrees. This level was adjusted to 9.4°.
Here’s a quick look
This new design is a great fit for Ping’s G series. The performance also supports it. It offers an extremely stable flight and powerful impact sensation.
Smaller heads may appeal to more skilled players.
RRP: PS299.00
Drawing on inspiration from plane wings and cycling helmets, the Ping G30 driver features so-called ‘turbulators’ on top of the crown. They increase the club’s aerodynamics while reducing drag.
Ping states that wind tunnel testing showed a decrease of drag at various swing speeds. For average golfers, 1mph in clubhead speed equals 2-3 yards extra carry. Turbulators also aid alignment, by drawing your eyes into the back of the ball. Ping’s G series is a well-known brand, but the G30 range represents an improvement. Club golfers have always sought maximum distance and forgiveness from their drivers, fairways, hybrids, and irons. This is still true, however it’s safe to say that this driver doesn’t look like the G drivers before him.
Ping G30 Test Driver
PING’s newest driver features radical new technology aimed to get you swinging faster and bombing it down the fairway.
Over the last few years, PING drivers have been gaining more and more popularity. Bubba Watson who is the longest player on the PGA Tour may have contributed to this popularity. PING is not unlike other companies that offer a range of drivers. Each one targets a specific group of players. PING has a number of driver options. There was the Anser driver, but the K series is no longer available. Most of PING’s products can be found in the “i” series or the “G” series. The “i” series has traditionally been seen as the line that is best for the professional player. However, the “G” series is more suitable for casual players. While some of that still holds true, the lines are becoming more and more blurred and it isn’t uncommon to see the better player, including the likes of Bubba Watson, with the “G” series driver in the bag.
With the G30 driver, PING has their most radical product offering to date. As a company more familiar with traditional technology, PING doesn’t often offer clubs the same level of innovation as other clubs. They were among the first to offer adjustable hosels to their drivers. There are many other options that allow you to adjust your settings. There are no movable weights or sliders available that allow you to fine-tune the club’s center of gravity. You will not find any driver with Turbulators. Read more to learn about what they are and how to use them.
This review was done using the standard G30 Driver (not SFTech, LSTech). I received it with a 10.5 degree head and the standard PING TFC 419D stiff shaft. It was something a bit different as this is the first time I’ve played with a PING driver. PING continues to be the major equipment manufacturer, producing its own shafts for their clubs instead of relying on third parties. The shafts are great and I look forward to getting it into my bag. The club also came with the standard PING grip, which is fairly similar to a Tour Velvet. Although it’s a strong grip, I prefer the wrap-style and have since changed to a Pure Wrap. The club’s appearance is where I am most dissatisfied. It was my first reaction to the club’s release. I mean, what the heck were those bumps on the crown? They must be thinking that this is going to make the club look terrible! Then I saw the club in person, and I’ll admit that I was wrong. The Turbulators (or bumps) don’t cause distraction. They serve an important purpose: to help the club align. These bumps (the Turbulators) are actually an upgrade from the ugly “half-moon” alignment aid.
The rest of the club looked good to me from the start. My previous TaylorMade driver had a white crown. Although it wasn’t my favourite, I really liked its matte finish. PING appears to have done a fantastic job in this one. The crown, which is almost charcoal grey in color, has a matte finished. The face of the club retains the dark look, using the PVD finish that has become popular over the last handful of years and the sole is a glossy black with blue accents.
As I have mentioned, Turbulators at the club serve an additional purpose. The driver should have no alignment aid, which has been my preference since childhood. This club is 460cc and it doesn’t hide its size well. If you tend to like the smaller looking clubs, this might be one area where the G30 might give you some pause.
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You can share the Huckeby book on other websites. It was great!
PING HQ was a great place to be. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the driver and tech were there. PING has done things correctly in my opinion. PING is all about functionality. While you won’t find any fancy items at PING, what you will see is functionality.
Early predictions indicate that G30 wins the Most Wanted Driver Award in 2015.
Below are closeups that I took during my Arizona trip of the driver to complement Huckeby’s excellent review.
This thread should be kept active. What do you think of such a bold statement by a conservative company (Turbulators?)?
.Ping G30 Driver Review