Comparing the Ping G400 to the Ping G

The Ping G and prior to it the G30 are great drivers, long and forgiving. Ping generally don't launch a new driver unless it's better then their old one. They claim that the G400 is the their fastest and longest ever.

We decided to put his to the test by comparing the G400 to the G. 

The G400 head is 445 cc smaller then the G's 460 and looks a little more compact at address. The strike also sounds a little bit more muted then the G.


We got 2 players to test the two drivers, a 9 degree G400 and a 9 degree G. Player A hit 18 drives with both clubs, Player B 12 and we used Trackman to record the results. Each player used the same shaft in the G and the G400, an Accra Tour Z 475 M5 flex, this way we could measure how much difference there was between the heads only. Each head was hit 3 times before altering to the other one and so on until all balls were hit. Titleist Pro V1 balls were used in the testing.

The tests were done on a nice August evening with a very slight breeze against and temperatures were around 17-18 degrees Celsius.


The results we wanted to compare were Club Head Speed, Ball Speed, Carry Distance, Overall Distance, Lateral Distance from Target, Launch Angle, Spin Rate and Height.

Results

 

	Carry (Yards)	Overall (Yards)	Club Head Speed/MPH	Ball Speed MPH	Side Distance Feet	Launch Angle	Spin Rate RPM	Height Feet
Player-A G	237.0	260.4	102.8	151.8	41.5	11.6	2559	87
G400	239.0	260.1	102.8	152.4	43.13	11.6	2843	92
Player B G	240.9	265.0	103.2	152.6	43.83	11.6	2526	87
G400	243.0	264.8	103.6	154.6	42.39	11.7	2627	92

Analysis

 

As we can see there's very little difference between the two drivers for both players. A slight increase in carry of around 2 yards for both. Overall distance, club head speed, accuracy and launch angles were very similar. There was a very slight increase in ball speed, more so for player B. The other differences were a slightly higher flight and slightly more spin, explaining a slightly longer carry both less run.

Conclusion

 

There really is very little difference from the G to the G400, the main difference is the slightly higher spin and height. This can suit some players, others may have to go for the lower spin head or less loft to compensate for this and both may lead to a small gain in distance.




Should you jump from the G to the G400? 

The answer is not really, you're not going to gain much if anything extra. Certainly nothing that will affect performance. The more compact head and muter sound are more attractive though!

If you're in the market for a new driver should you look at the G400?

Definitely, Ping are a great club maker and rarely make a bad one, the G400 is one of their best.


Comments and questions are always welcome.