Ping G30 Driver Review
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Panfilo Lacson
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Lacson in 2007
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Senator of the Philippines |
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Assumed office June 30, 2016 |
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In office June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2013 |
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Chair of the Philippine Senate National Defense and Security Committee |
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Assumed office July 23, 2019 |
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Preceded by |
Gregorio Honasan |
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Chair of the Philippine Senate Accounts Committee |
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Assumed office July 24, 2019 |
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Preceded by |
Gregorio Honasan |
| Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery | |
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In office December 10, 2013 – February 10, 2015 |
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| President |
Benigno Aquino III |
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Chief of the Philippine National Police |
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In office November 16, 1999 – February 16, 2001 |
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| President |
Joseph Estrada |
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Preceded by |
Edmundo L. Larroza |
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Succeeded by |
Leandro Mendoza |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Panfilo Morena Lacson
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| Political party |
Partido Reporma (2021–present) [1] |
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Other political affiliations |
LDP (2001–2004) Independent (2004–2021) United Opposition (2007–2010) |
| Spouse(s) | Alice de Perio |
| Children | 4 |
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Alma mater |
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Philippine Military Academy Imus Institute Bayang Luma Elementary School |
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| Website |
pinglacson .net |
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| Allegiance |
 Philippines |
| Branch/service |
 Philippine Constabulary  Philippine National Police |
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Police career |
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| Allegiance | Philippines |
| Department |
Philippine National Police |
| Rank |
 Director General |
Ping G30, Sf Tec & Ls Tec Driver Review
Ping had to once again address the problem of improving the driver that is the most popular on the market. Ping G30 is 7th iteration of the same range that began six years ago with Ping G2’s market-leading driver.
The Turbulators, which are located on top of the club’s crown, is visually the most distinctive feature of G30 drivers. The Turbulators are aerodynamic fins that improve the club’s head speed by smoothing the airflow.
Many people believed, for many years, that the smoother a surface or curve of a golf clubhead would make it go faster. 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?
The G30 was taken to our driving range which felt like a wind-tunnel at times. Olly, a PGA Professional with The Leading Edge helped us hit each club using Trackman to find an average speed. The results proved to be very intriguing. The average head speed of the G25 driver was 105.5 miles per hour, while the G30 driver averaged 106.5.
One mph doesn’t get you jumping up and down with joy. However, each 1mph equals around four yards, or approximately half the distance to your green for your second shots.
Bubba Watson showed that the faster you swing it the more gain. He added 2 mph (from 118.5 to 118.5) for 10 extra yards. 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.
Review: Driver Ping G30
Revised: The original review was published on July 3, 2014.
These drivers are less forgiving and more spinny than Ping’s original G25 driver. We tested the driver with the turbulators (ridges in the crown at the front) and it actually works. It achieved an average of about 1mph faster clubhead speed.
Cons: The new adapter adds an additional 1 degree of adjustability, but it’s not compatible with Ping’s previous adjustable tips. Really high-spin golfers still might not be able to get their spin to an optimal range with the G30.
Bottom line: Ping took G25 as the most forgiving golf driver and made it even more so. Even more impressive is that the company was able to lower its spin, too, which was the biggest knock on the G25. G30 offers a new and effective way to increase distance with its turbulators. Ping is correct in claiming that the G30 takes 7 yards more to run than the G25.
Performance
Ping reports that Bubba Watson increased his distance by about 10 yards when using the G30 driver, as compared with the G25. Watch the clip below to see how he does it. The majority of golfers won’t be Bubba Watson so we tested the G30 driver.
Ping’s improvements for the G30 created a driver that was as much as we hate this expression in golf equipment reviews better than its predecessor in every way. Bubba was able to see the benefits of the turbulators for 99.99 percent. This is due to his PGA Tour-leading speed with the clubhead. The increased ball speed means that the turbulators won’t be as efficient for him. But the drag forces created by Bubba’s slower swing speed were more noticeable than for others.
A G25 driver who averaged 100 mph was one of our test subjects. The G30 had an average speed of 1 mph faster than his G25. An average increase of 1.5 mph was seen in another tester who used a G25 driver to swing at 114 miles per hour. These results equate to an average of 1.5 mph and 2 mph faster ball speeds.
Because the G30 doesn’t change much other than the appearance of the driver’s face, the turbulators can be used to improve your performance. You can improve your G30’s performance in other ways than turbulators.
Remember those 4 grams of weight Ping saved with its new face material? It is believed that the position of the drivers is more forgiving if the driver is positioned further rearwards in the clubhead. But the difference is not significant enough to be noticeable. Ping claimed that it reduced the G30 launch time by 150 rpm. However, this was clearly visible on our Doppler radar rocket monitor. The G30 spun at 116 mph, which was the highest speed we could see.
Ping’s G30 LS Tec driver is lower than the G30.
Ping says the G30 has a 7 yard longer range than the G25. We were able to see at least 7 more yards due to the extra speed of the turbulators, as well as the higher spin launch. Older Ping drivers will likely see more yardage gains.
Review: Ping’S G400 and G400 Lst Drivers
Ping’s G30 drivers were my first experience. I vividly remember it. That was July 2014. I was in Phoenix at Ping’s headquarters. The era was dominated by super-low spin drivers. With their forward center of gravity, they were helping golfers optimize their launch conditions beyond their wildest dreams: crazy high launch, ridiculously low spin. Many people in the industry had these drivers. They spent many launch monitor sessions trying out different ways to maximize distance and get higher knuckleballs. Unfortunately, forward-CG drivers were by their nature very unforgiving. Bad shots can be really bad and they are often very short.
Marty Jertson (Ping’s Director Product Development) explained his vision to me inside a conference at Ping headquarters. His vision of the perfect driver was not based on the low-forward center gravity (CG) being in the rumours at that time. The CG was placed as low as possible and rearwardly in the driver’s head. He stated that this would provide the best of both, optimizing launch conditions for good shots, and the greatest forgiveness possible on bad shots.
Although it was difficult to build the perfect driver, Jertson was thrilled with Ping’s G30. It was an impressive testament to Jertson’s vision. The G30’s rear-CG design allowed for great distance in both good and poor shots. It was also very straight. The G30 sold incredibly well and, as a result, the industry mostly shifted away from forward-CG drivers.
Ping released another driver in a surprising move, almost three years after the G30’s release. This was in contrast to full-size drivers becoming more common. Granted, it’s only 15 cubic centimeters smaller, but it’s noticeable at address. They look just like the G400s, which are replacing the G30 Ping G driver.
However, even though they have slimmer bodies, G400 drivers can be more accommodating than G drivers. Ping representatives believe that smaller is better for the G400. The drivers have the lowest, most rearward CG of any Ping drivers ever, and their smaller size is said to improve their aerodynamics so golfers can swing them fractionally faster. Another big difference is the new T9S+ titanium face material. This is lighter and more flexible, helping golfers to generate greater ball speed.
The G400 LST was my choice, but I also wanted to see how they compare to the G LST drivers. To do this, I drove them to Launch Pad Carl’s Golfland near Bloomfield Hills. Trackman IV allowed me to hit five shots each with each driver. To ensure a comparison of apples and oranges, each driver was tested with the exact same shaft. Every driver’s head was set to the exact same loft or close.
Notice: G LST, G400, and G 400 drivers were all 10.5 degree heads. I adjusted them to 9.0 degrees. The G400 LST had a loft of 10 degrees, and it was adjusted to 9.4 degrees.
The Glance
Ping’s G Series gets a new look, with excellent performance. The G-series offers very stable ball flight, with powerful impact sensations.
Better players may want a smaller head.
RRP PS299.00 > Read more equipment reviews in The Ultimate Golf Gear Guide >>
Drawing on inspiration from plane wings and cycling helmets, the Ping G30 driver features so-called ‘turbulators’ on top of the crown. They increase the club’s aerodynamics while reducing drag.
Ping reports that wind tunnel testing revealed a drop in drag when swinging at different speeds. An average player will get 2-3 yards more of carry when they hit 1mph. Turbulators help with alignment. They draw your eyes in the direction of the ball’s back. Ping’s G range has been available for more than a decade and the G30 series is its latest evolution. Club golfers have always sought maximum distance and forgiveness from their drivers, fairways, hybrids, and irons. That’s still the case, but it’s fair to say this new driver looks nothing like any of the G drivers that have come before.
Ping G30 Driver Review
PING’s newest driver features radical new technology aimed to get you swinging faster and bombing it down the fairway.
In the past few years PING drivers gained more recognition. Bubba Watson who is the longest player on the PGA Tour may have contributed to this popularity. PING offers a variety of driver options, all aimed at different groups of golfers, just like many other companies. PING has a number of driver options. There was the Anser driver, but the K series is no longer available. Most of PING’s products can be found in the “i” series or the “G” series. The “i”, which is the best series, has been considered the one for better players. While the “G” series was more for weekend warriors. Although some aspects of this still hold true, it’s not uncommon for the best player to be accompanied by the driver of the “G”.
PING now has the most advanced product offering with their G30 driver. While PING may be more known as a traditional firm, they don’t have clubs that offer technology unlike other clubs. The company was among the last to go to adjustable hosels as standard for their drivers, and even at this point there are other hosels that are much more advanced and allow for more settings. This club doesn’t have any sliding or movable weights to allow for fine tuning the center of gravity. The only thing you’ll find on this driver, which is not available on any other, are Turbulators. Find out how Turbulators work and if they’re worth adding to your driver bag.
The standard version (not the SFTech and LSTech versions) of the G30 Driver was used for this review. The standard 10.5° head was included with it, as well as the PING TFC 419D stiffhaft. As I hadn’t played before, this was quite a change for me. PING still makes their shafts and is currently the largest equipment manufacturer. Their shafts have been a great choice and I was excited to finally get one. Additionally, the club came with the standard PING grip. This is similar to a Tour Velvet. It is solid, but I like a wrap grip and I have replaced it with the PURE Wrap. This club’s looks are one of my most irritated areas. The first time it came out, I have to admit my initial reaction wasn’t very positive. It was a strange crown with bumps. It’s going look awful! The club was actually in my backyard, which I realized I had been wrong about. They are an alignment tool for the club, so they don’t seem distracting. In that sense, they are actually an upgrade in my opinion as the previous “half-moon” alignment aid that proceeded this was ugly.
From the beginning, the rest of the club seemed to be in good shape. Although I had used the TaylorMade TaylorMadeRBZ driver in the past and was not a big fan of its white crown, the matte finish was something I enjoyed and it didn’t glare as much. PING is hitting a stride in this particular area. Although the crown’s color remains almost charcoal grey, it now has a matte finish. The face of the club retains the dark look, using the PVD finish that has become popular over the last handful of years and the sole is a glossy black with blue accents.
Like I said, club Turbulators have a secondary role as an alignment aid. At address they are very effective at framing the ball. I prefer drivers not to use any alignment aid. This is very near my preference. It is full-sized at 460cc. This doesn’t conceal its large size. If you tend to like the smaller looking clubs, this might be one area where the G30 might give you some pause.
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Like Huckeby? Share it! Great read.
PING HQ is hard to describe the impression I had on both the driver, and tech staff when we visited. PING does things well, in my view. PING is all about functionality. While you won’t find any fancy items at PING, what you will see is functionality.
Early predictions indicate that G30 wins the Most Wanted Driver Award in 2015.
These are some close-ups of Huckeby’s driver, taken while on vacation in Arizona.
Let’s make this thread alive. It would be great to know your opinions on this bold assertion (Turbulators) made by such a conservative firm.
.Ping G30 Driver Review