Martin Hopley
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Once again Ping has had to wrestle with the issue of improving one of the best selling drivers in the market. The Ping G30 driver is the 7th incarnation of the range that started with the market leading Ping G2 driver six years ago.

Ping G30 Driver Sole

The standout feature of the G30 driver visually and technically is the Turbulators that sit on the crown of the club. These are aerodynamic fins, whose name has to be spoken in movie trailer voiceover style, that smooth the airflow over the club during the swing to increase the club head speed.

Ping G30 Driver Turbulators

For years you would have believed that the smoother the surface and curves of a clubhead, the faster it would go. However like dimples on the golf ball, the Turbulators claim to smooth the airflow rather than disrupt it as the Wind Tunnel Testing video below this review shows.

This is all well and good in a wind tunnel, but will it work on a golf course?

I took the G30 down to our driving range, that felt like a wind tunnel at times, to put it through its paces against the previous Ping G25 driver.

With the help of Olly, a PGA Professional from The Leading Edge , we hit each club to get an average speed using Trackman and the results were very interesting. With the G25 driver the average club head speed was 105.5 mph, but with the G30 driver the average rose to 106.5 mph.

Ping G30 Driver Review

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.

The faster you swing it, the greater the gain as Bubba Watson added an extra 2 mph to his 118.5 mph swing speed for an extra 10 yards, as the Bubba Longer video below shows. On the flip side, given that most amateurs who will buy this club are likely to be in the 85-100 mph range, then the gains may not be as visible on the course as you would expect.

However, it is a gain and we like it when manufacturers make an improvement in technology that has a demonstrable change in performance, so well done Ping.

The other major change from the G25 is the Trajectory Tuning + adjustable hosel that has double the number of loft options. As well as the +/- 1° option that the G25 had, the G30 also has a +/- 0.6° option so that you can fine tune your trajectory a little bit more. I like this as it can make up for any slight variation in the actual loft of the 9° or 10.5° heads during the manufacturing process.

Ping G30 Driver Trajectory Tuning

The increment of 0.6° does seem a bit odd as usually these increments are in round half degrees, but remember what I said about keeping a winning formula? One of the conditions Ping's designers work to is that the adjustable hosel must not weigh more than a non-adjustable hosel to keep the balance of the head the same, as Marty Jertson of Ping told me:

One thing we've really learned with studying the aerodynamics is that the size or diameter of the hosel is very crucial to the air flow. So for us, keeping the outer diameter the same as our traditional fixed hosel designs was very important, so we didn't have move the centre of gravity nearer the heel whilst allowing us to keep the hosel and shaft area of the head very aerodynamic.

Due to the geometry of the five options on the hosel, Ping say that at the G30's 72° shaft lie angle, the mid point for a range of 1° loft change loft turned out to be 0.6°, so there you have it.

Despite this, the adjustable process is easy to understand and use as the hosel is clearly marked and I would recommend going through a fitting process before you order the driver and also after it arrives to ensure you have it optimised for you.

At address the driver looked good and after a few shots you forget about the Turbulators on top of the matt black crown. Ping claim the Turbulators help frame the ball at address, but I think that's stretching it a touch. Maybe if they were a different colour they might, but that would probably affect the aesthetics more.

Ping G30 Driver address

The G30 driver seemed to want to sit open at address a little more than the G25, especially when you moved it to the 1° open setting, so if you like your drivers like that then you will love the G30.

There is also a new blue TFC 419D shaft that has a higher balance point to keep the swing weight the same for the fractionally heavier G30 head. The extra 1 gram of weight helps with increasing the Moment of Intertia (MOI) as the G30 is still a very forgiving driver right across the face.

Ping G30 Driver Shafts

For those with stronger swing speeds there is also a choice of Tour 65 or Tour 80 shafts that have a bit less torque and come in a classy shiny silver finish that looks like a steel shaft.

Whilst on the subject of looks, the G30 comes with a royal blue paint job, which not only seems to be the colour of the moment, but also harks back to the blue flashes on the original G2. It looks good without turning a lot of heads, but that is classic Ping understated style.

The sole weight on the G30 is also larger on the sole than the G25 and this combines with changes in the internal weighting to move the centre of gravity lower and further back on the optimum axis.

Ping G30 G25 Driver Comparison

Overall I liked the Ping G30 driver and the Turbulators are a worthy improvement and the extra adjustability gives you more flexibility. The sound at impact is similar to the G25, so that makes it quite noisy, but thankfully on the right side of being too much.

Despite all this I can't recommend it because there is a better driver that was launched at the same time.

Ping G30 SF Tec Driver Review

It's called the Ping G30 SF Tec with the SF standing for Straight Flight. This is essentially the same club but the weight on the sole is move towards the heel of the club to slow it down and allow the toe to overtake it and create a little draw spin to straighten out all those fades most amateurs hit.

Ping G30 SF Tec Driver

The SF Tec set up is effectively the same solution as having an offset driver, but it looks like a normal club. Compared to the standard G30 the sole weight makes it sit better at address and the different internal set up makes it sound better too with a more solid strike.

However it is in the performance that it really shone. I was expecting a big draw from this, but it actually just went straight, like the name says. Several Golfalot testers tried it, including some habitual drawers of the ball and we all found it went pretty straight.

The SF Tec head is 2 grams lighter than the standard version and comes in 2 lofts of 10° and 12°. Using the adjustable hosel you could de-loft the club and open the face to counter some of the draw bias if it did prove too much.

It was so much fun to hit that for me, the SF Tec G30 driver with the shiny Tour shaft is the one to choose, but of course go through a fitting first as sometimes what you want and what you need are different things.

Ping G30 LS Tec Driver Review

In February 2015 another version was released called the Ping G30 LS Tec with the LS standing for Low Spin. This will replace the Ping i25 driver as the better player model, with the 'i' woods taking a break from the Ping range for now.

No prizes for guessing the differences with the LS Tec, as the sole weight has been moved forward by around 1.5cm to move the CG forward, which in turn lowers the spin.

Ping G30 LS Tec Driver

Aside from the brushed steel surround to the sole weight, the other visual changes are a matte black finish on the sole instead of gloss and the loft number has been moved from under the Ping logo to just below the adjustable hosel screw.

Ping G30 LS Tec Driver Sole

This is a driver for higher swing speed players, as the standard model is probably a little spinny for these faster swingers. Claims like these have to be tested and thanks to Ping's adjustable hosel I could try both 10.5° heads with the same silver Tour 65 stiff shaft to make it a fair contest.

Ping G30 LS Tec Driver Shaft

This shaft is probably ideal for higher speed players as it is just a little firmer with a lower torque and for me the G30 LS Tec span around 150 rpm less at a 100mph swing speed, which is within the 'up to 400 rpm' range that Ping are claiming.

Of course this will vary according to different players, but the lower flight and spin of the LS Tec version at least enables them to get all the forgiveness benefits of the excellent G30 head in a more playable set-up.

Other than the spin the only other difference was the slightly lower, more muted sound that the LS Tec had compared to the standard G30. This is due to the different weight position affecting the acoustics and I actually think it is a plus point.

Given the target market, the G30 LS Tec only comes in 9.5° and 10.5° lofts, but with the adjustable hosel and choice of 3 shafts, your local Ping fitter has plenty of scope to get the best launch conditions for your swing.

Choosing Your Ping G30 Driver

Whichever G30 driver you go for, you will be rewarded with one of the best drivers on the market and you also get to say 'Turbulators' in movie trailer voice whenever anyone asks what the fins are for, which will never lose its appeal.

Golfalot Rating: 5 stars
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Ping G30 Driver - Product Details

UK Launch01 August 2014
UK Launch RRP£299
Handicap Range
Low
High
GolferMens
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
Left Handed Lofts9°, 10.5°, 12°
Right Handed Lofts9°, 10.5°, 12°
MaterialTitanium
Colour OptionsBlack
Head Volume460 cc
Club Length45.75 inches
Swing WeightD3
AdjustabilityLoft
Shaft NamePing TFC 419D
Shaft TypesGraphite
Shaft Weight65 or 80 grams
Manufacturer's WebsitePing Website

User Reviews

DH
July 2017

On the G30 Is the "+" & "-" the same for a left handed club. I.e. Is the "+" greater loft and the "-" less loft.

Golfalot: Yes that is correct.

September 2016

My wife bought the G30 with regular shaft on it last year for Christmas. I took it out the next week and just kept hooking the ball. It felt like sometimes I'd even hit the ball off the hosel. I just kept in my bag and hoped after a year of practice I would be able to hit it straight and long......no dice. Just went to the shop and found that it was the shaft. I switched to the tour 65 stiff and now I don't think I'll ever change my driver again. Just a wonderful club and a wonderful feeling when striking the ball.

July 2016

Best Driver I've ever played. I just switched to the G30 driver 10.5 with the TFC 419D stiff shaft. Fantastic combination for me (swing speed upper 90s). It's a bit lighter than my previous driver which gives me more speed, more distance and more accuracy. I'm hitting more fairways, getting more distance, and keeping the ball in play. Fantastic PING driver!

Previous drivers: Ping G2, G5, Cally FT-3, FT-5, RAZR-fit Xtreme

G30 is the real deal. Nice job Ping!

March 2016

I've been playing the most popular driver of tour for the past 30 years, our club had a demo day with top four clubmakers on site with a variety of irons, hybrids and woods. You know how you're always looking for 10 more yards, well I found it and it maybe as much as 20 yards taking my 14 hole average. I'm 70 years of age, and the Ping G SF Reg Flex is the longest driver of the bunch, for me at least. It has a great feel and for some reason it seems to return me to the centre of the face all the time most of my ball marks are about the size of a quarter !! The other day downwind I managed to hit one well over 300 yards and I'm a 10 handicap player, the group ahead of me were not impressed. I felt bad about that, but never in my mind did I think the shot was there. This driver out performs TM R1 or R9, Nike, Callaway you name it, I had all of them . Titleist was not there, but I did have two 910's Reg and Stiff and this driver is better.

February 2016

A friend recommended that I try a new driver so I went and asked for recommendations. The Ping G30 with the SF technology was the first club that I hit. This golf club has changed my golf life. I am hitting my new driver on average 30 to 40 yards longer and straight with no slice. It is the greatest club I have ever owned!

December 2015

Having success with my trusty old G5 offset driver I was reluctant to change, but I did, and I've purchased the PING G30 SF TEC 10 degree driver fitted with the TFC419 regular shaft and boy, am I glad I did. Firstly, I suffer with a condition called AS which restricts my spinal movement, soat my fitting I discussed this with the pro, Haydn, and it turns out several pros suffer with this condition. Haydn got me to change my grip to the baseball style which helps restrict my turning so I do not over turn, and coupled with theSF TEC driver I now have a weapon in my arsenal that works, I'm hitting straighter, longer and without the discomfort I usually have. My club head speed is up into high 90's (97mph avg.) and my carry distance is approx 240 yds, up by 7mph and over 30yds in distance. The change in grip has also worked as I now do not feel like giving up after 14 holes!

October 2015

I have recently purchased the Ping G30 with the Tour 65 Stiff Shaft. I am yet to hit this club in full flow on the course however at the range it is simply amazing. I previously used the Cobra Amp Cell Driver and the first thing I noticed was the weight of the G30 (much lighter). From the first hit straight as you like and very easy to hit draw and fade shots.

My clubhead speed has increased to around 107 mph from 102mph and I am getting carry distance of around 265.

Love this club and alongside the G25 irons, fairway wood and hybrid sits in the set superbly.

Andy Pullan - 14 handicap Wakefield GC England

September 2015

Had a G30 3 months now, usual PING quality. Standard 10.5 G30 with Tour Stiff 60 shaft. I wouldn't say I hit any further than with my K15 maybe that's the shorter shaft. It's very light which I feel encourages a nice smooth swing, it's very forgiving, maybe too much sometimes. I have a habit as we all do every now and then to hit a high slice with a driver, the G30 seems to make this into a massive slice, I have been in some very far out places with G30. However if you are slightly out on your strike it does still go and holds pretty straight. Can't hold the huge slice against the club it's my own fault so overall a great driver.

July 2015

I have been using the G30 for two weeks now. I'm very impressed with its consistency and distance. I used the G25 for 2 years and switched to the Aero Burner TP and Cobra Fly+ for several weeks. Never impressed with any of these, then I went back to Ping with the Tour shaft. The results are incredibly long and so consistent. I will keep this one for the next two years for sure.

May 2015

Awesome Driver! I play the LS and replaced the stock shaft with a Penley ET2. Bomber with unparalleled consistency. This driver head is solid but with the Penley, it takes it to a whole new level! You'll love the head and I promise you, you will absolutely love that ET2 shaft and together, look out!

J. Owen Montana

April 2015

I'm 60 years old. I swing this driver( Ping G30 with a tour 60 shaft) + 10 yds when compared to my preceding Taylor Made R1 with a stiff Bi Matrix(Bubba Shaft). Amazing club! Off centre contact still feels solid with minimal distance loss. Ping's shafts are quality so no need for aftermarket. My swing speed with driver is 110-113 mph. In 1980 I was leading qualifier (286 yds- 8 inches) from Wisconsin in the PGA-Chrysler National Long Drive Contest. I wish I had this G30 driver back then when I was twenty five! Today, with this club, I'm still as long off the tee as I was when I was 25! Bill Rasmas - Tacoma Firs Golf Centre

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