William L. Coney Blog: First Look – 2017 PING G400 Drivers

Monday, June 12, 2017

First Look – 2017 PING G400 Drivers

Given that it has been nearly a year and a half since the release of the PING G Series, it's reasonable to assume that it's just about time for the next G. And so here you go; the PING G400 Series has landed on the USGA's conforming clubs list.

Following the model and naming conventions established with the G30, there will be three versions of the G400. The LST is the low spin model. The SFT offers Straight Flight Technology, which means it's designed to fight the slice. The non-suffixed G400 is the middle of the road offering for the healthiest percentage of the market.

As usual, the USGA's photos don't provide much in the way of detail, but there are some inferences to be drawn from the limited information provided.

G400

From what we can see in the USGA photos, the most notable change in the G400 is the addition of what appears to be a tungsten weight bar. You know the story with tungsten, it's heavy, which assuming weight savings in other parts of the driver, allows engineers to strategically position big chunks of mass where they believe it will have the most benefit.

In the case of the G400, that appears to be as far back as possible, suggesting the G400 may exceed the MOI of previous G-series drivers.

Also of note, the USGA entry suggests the G series' Vortec cavity carries on. We don't think it's much of a leap to assume that Turbulators will carry on as well. What remains unknown for now is what, if any, measures PING has taken to reduce weight in the face and crown. 9° and 10.5°

Both 9° and 10.5° lofts were approved by the USGA.

G400 LST

What I see in this photo suggests that PING might be taken a more aggressive approach to the G400 LST. While the LS Tech was the lowest spinning of the G/G30 models, we never found it to be particularly low spin with respect to the market as a whole. That may change with the G400 LST.

The photo suggests that PING might be shifting mass a bit more forward in this season's model. Note the more forward placement of the tungsten bar as well as the more forward location of the tuning port weight. It's reasonable to believe that the LST will be PING's lowest CG/CGNA offering.

Also of note, the USGA has approved the G400 LST in both 8.5° and 10°. PING's lowest loft was 9° in previous G-Series offerings, suggesting that the LST may be better adept than its predecessors at lowering launch angle and cutting spin.

G400 SFT

PING's Straight Flight Technology is designed to help golfers who need it mitigate a slice. Part of how PING does that is with aggressive, heal weighted geometry and closed face angles. That appears to be true for the G400 SFT.

For the G400 SFT, PING has shifted the Tungsten weight from the center of the sole to the heel side. Adding weight to the heel does two things. First, it shifts the sweet spot towards the heel, which benefits golfers who tend to impact the ball on the heel side of center. Secondly, it increases the closure rate of the club, which makes it easier to square leading into impact, which for many, helps take the right side of the golf course out of play.

The USGA has approved the G400 SFT in 10° and 12.5° models.