Ping today is introducing the G440 family, which feature its latest advancements speed and distance through engineering, including what it says is its lowest CG ever in a driver.
The new custom-fit, custom-built G440 family consists of three driver models (MAX, LST, SFT), three fairway-wood designs (MAX, SFT, LST) in multiple lofts, six hybrid choices and an iron set (4-9, PW, UW, 52°, 56°). For slower-swing-speed golfers, each of the clubs except the LST driver can be custom built with lighter head weights, the ultralight Ping Alta Quick shaft and a lighter grip as part of the G440 High Launch (HL) option.
“Our pursuit of helping golfers play better and enjoy the game more advances to an even higher level with the introduction of the G440 family,” said John K. Solheim, Ping CEO/ President. “Through multiple technologies across all the product categories, the next generation of our ‘G’ franchise is delivering more speed and more distance while ensuring the forgiveness expected from every PING club. The powerful combination of distance and forgiveness yields maximum performance when golfers are properly fitted. We see that every day in our testing, and we’re excited to get the G440 into the hands of golfers so they can enjoy the same benefits.”
“The Tour adoption of the drivers and fairway woods has been exceptional. The G440 LST driver was used to win its first official week on Tour and we’re seeing more in play around the world every week. Our Tour players appreciate the added ball speeds and continually comment on the great sound and look. Like all golfers, they are in search of more speed and optimized launch conditions, and they are happy to find it in new equipment.”
In the new drivers (SRP $6S0 with stock shaft) olheim said, Ping’s engineering team achieved the lowest center of gravity in a Ping driver to date, leading to distance-adding ball speed and higher launch across the face through multiple weight-saving advancements, including applying Carbonfly Wrap crown technology in each of the to three models.
The combination of a shallower face, lightweight carbon crown and an internal technology, called “Free Hosel,’’ help save significant weight and align the CG closer to the force line for faster ball speed, optimal spin and higher launch. The lower face height results in a hotter, thinner face for more flexing, especially in the high heel region, a common mis-hit location for a lot of golfers. The Free Hosel saved four grams from the hosel region inside the head and played a key role in optimizing the CG location.
“Our engineers more than met the challenge in the G440 drivers,” Solheim said. “As with all our designs, it’s never just one thing that leads to performance improvements. They did an excellent job of identifying weight savings with advancements like the Free Hosel to achieve our all-time lowest CG position while optimizing the face structure to produce more consistent ball speed results across the face. Golfers can expect to hit straighter drives with the G440 drivers and with the higher launch they can also play less loft and enjoy faster ball speeds.”
Knowing a properly designed, lighter system weight leads to faster swing speeds and distance gains, mass was removed from the heads and shaft to reduce the overall weight by 10 grams compared to the previous generation. In doing so, the standard shaft length was increased ¼″ to 46 inches in the Ping Alta CB Blue, and 45.5 inches ” the Ping Tour 2.0 and stock aftermarket options, a combination Solheim said delivers more speed while ensuring forgiveness and improving dispersion.
“Our decision to go longer in length is backed by discoveries made here at the Ping Proving Grounds, inspired by the game-changing forgiveness of Ping drivers,” Solheim said. “We know that longer-length clubs allow most golfers to swing faster, so we began measuring the effect of a 46-inch shaft during our fittings. The data revealed that most golfers improved their performance, leading to higher-launching, longer drives with tight dispersion.”
The G440 MAX (460cc) is the most forgiving model and fits most golfers. It is engineered with a 29-gram, three-position adjustable back weight for added shot control. The G440 LST (Low Spin) is a 450cc design that also features the 29-gram back weight while appealing to players with faster swing speeds, providing lower spin and more control. Golfers in need of slice-correction technology fit best in the 460cc G440 SFT (Straight Flight), which is designed with a two-position (Draw and Draw+), adjustable 23-gram back weight. All three models feature the 8-setting Trajectory Tuning 2.0 hosel (±1.5° loft adjustment and lie up to 3° flat from standard).
“One of the key design themes throughout the G440 driver family is ‘optimization,’” Solheim said. “That includes everything from the head size and shape to ensuring each model fits a specific player profile. Our team took a measured approach to ensure each model provides a fitting solution for every golfer. The MAX fits every skill level, from Tour players to higher handicaps, whereas the SFT and LST allow fitters to further dial in a result that best fits a golfer’s needs. It’s an exciting opportunity for golfers to hit longer and straighter drives, and we look forward to putting the G440 drivers to the test in the fitting environment. We’re confident they will win a lot of the head-to-head comparisons.”
The SFT (Straight Flight Technology) model, which positions the CG to deliver right-to-left shot bend, is being offered in a 9° loft to fill a growing need among new golfers.
“Through our extensive fitting research, we’ve identified a category of golfers who are new to the game, very athletic and swing extremely fast but need the slice correction of the SFT model,” Solheim said. “The addition of a 9 degree allows them to take advantage of their athleticism while keeping their ball in the fairway. It’s a perfect example of our constant pursuit of bringing golfers fitting solutions to improve their performance.”
The G440 iron (SRP $170 per club) best fits golfers in need of game-improvement technology who prefer the setup view of a players-style shape. Increased ball speed comes from a shallower, thinner face and the low/back CG location – resulting in higher-launching, longer-carrying shots with stopping power.
“The G440 iron offers golfers everything they need to elevate their iron play. It looks amazing and delivers the distance they want with the control they need to hit shots closer to the hole,” said Solheim. “In this category, we continue to emphasize the importance of consistency and stopping power when determining the iron that best fits a golfer. We know they want distance, but distance without control doesn’t lead to lower scores. Through multiple advancements, the G440 represents the most versatile iron in our line and will fit the games of a lot of golfers.”
The G440 4, 5 and 6 irons are 1/8″ longer than the G430 irons to increase ball speed and help golfers launch shots higher and farther for more consistent distance gaps. Reducing the number of wedges from five to four (PW, UW, 52°, 56°) from the previous generation and modifying their lofts improves gapping and simplifies wedge choice. The 56° is inspired by the iconic Eye2 sand wedge with its bounce profile, sole design, and hosel shaped to help golfers of all skill levels escape bunkers.
The new AWT 3.0 steel shafts are the culmination of many years of research and testing. AWT stands for Ascending Weight Technology, with the longest iron shaft being the lightest, progressing to the shortest wedge shaft being the heaviest. The lighter long iron shafts allow for more speed and a higher flight while the heavier short-iron shafts promote a lower ball flight with more control and precision.
The G440 fairway wood family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances Ping’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while providing a CG location that delivers high-launching performance off the ground. The face thickness is optimized in the heel and toe regions for more consistent performance on off-center strikes.
“Utilizing data from Arccos, we discovered golfers use fairway woods a lot off the tee, so we focused on giving them more confidence in that situation with a slightly taller face,” Solheim said. “At the same time, we were able to optimize the CG location and maintain high performance off the ground, due in large part to weight savings of 11 grams from the Free Hosel. The G440 fairway woods are extremely long, and now even more versatile.”
The contoured sole shape and slimmed down back-weight profile ensures that the club sits more flush to the ground and the face angle remains consistent, allowing golfers to benefit from the multiple loft and lie options provided by the adjustable hosel.
Each model (SRP $385 stock shaft) is designed to fit a specific player type with a head profile engineered to provide launch conditions that best match a player’s swing. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions. The multi-material LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with faster swing speeds, providing high launch and lower spin. Its new HST 220 (High Strength Titanium) face combines with a Ti-811 body, carbon crown and 85-gram tungsten sole plate to deliver exceptional distance. Golfers in need of slice-correction technology fit best in the SFT (Straight Flight), which is designed with a draw-inducing CG location. Each model features the eight-setting Trajectory Tuning 2.0 hosel (±1.5° loft adjustment and lie up to 3° flat from standard).
“Fairway woods continue to grow in popularity,” Solheim said. “We’ve had a lot of success at the Tour level and we’re seeing a lot more golfers put 7- and 9-woods in their bags. We’ve also expanded the fitting options with a MAX 4-wood and LST 5-wood to help golfers better gap their sets. It’s a deep line of products that appeals to every type of player.”
The G440 hybrids (SRP $325 stock shaft), Solheom said, appeal to a variety of skill levels, each engineered to deliver different ball- flight characteristics – from the slightly fade-biased 2 hybrid for off-the-tee performance to the draw-inducing 5, 6 and 7 hybrids that help optimize gapping. The 3 and 4 hybrids are designed with straighter ball flights. They all share a new, shallower and thinner face design, which improves face contact for more ball speed and higher-launching shots that hold the green.
A lower CG in the multi-material heads (stainless steel, maraging steel and carbon) is mainly attributed to the mass savings (4g) from the Free Hosel and contributes to ball-speed gains for more distance. The slimmer back weight allows for a more contoured sole design to ensure the club sits flush to the ground and the face angle remains consistent. The lightweight, 8-position hosel enables adjustments for loft (±1.5°) and lie (up to 3° flatter than std.) to further dial in ball flight for the best results.
“We took a very specific approach to the design of each loft in the G440 hybrid family,” said Solheim. “Knowing the 2-hybrid player and the 7-hybrid golfer have different shot expectations, we engineered the lofts to best fit their needs. The ability to optimize the CG location in each loft enables us to influence ball flight, designing the lower-lofted versions with a slight fade/straight tendency and transitioning to the higher-lofted heads from slight draw to draw biased. This adds a new dimension to the hybrid fitting process while helping golfers better optimize and properly gap their set.”
Photos Courtesy of Ping