WHAT IT DOES: The honey-do list for fairway woods could ruin any Saturday morning. The G430 tackles this challenge in several ways. Need help launching it higher? How about a wraparound carbon-composite crown to lower the center of gravity (CG). Need a faster face? How about stretching it into the crown and sole for more spring on off-center strikes. Need more launch on thin hits low on the face? How about less curve on the bottom half of the face for more consistency. The G430 responds, “Check, check and check.” 

WHY WE LIKE IT: Ping’s primary mission since forever has been increasing forgiveness. That’s how you win a loyal fan base of average golfers. Forgiveness is generally improved by increasing a club’s moment of inertia (resistance to twisting). It often comes from repositioning weight to the perimeter to stabilize the head. But these fairway woods, including the high-launching, slice-fighting SFT model, maintain a steady MOI in favor of a lower CG. A low CG that lines up with the fastest part of the face yields more overall consistency in distance and dispersion. Come to think of it, that sounds a heck of a lot like forgiveness. Old dog, meet new tricks. Read more>>>