Mexican stand off

[Stanters]

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly........wah waaaah waaaaah.

A three way gunfight in darkest Sussex, at stake the credibilty of a would-be single handicapper caught in a world of hurt and deep rough.

The Good (Il Bueno) - Ping G10 Proforce V2 Reg 10.5 degree.

I have always preferred the duller sound and more solid feel of Titleist drivers and this is very much along those lines. No tinny, sharp noise, just a pleasing thwack on impact. That was the first thing that I liked, the second was the forgiveness; my 905R is a terrific driver but let's you know when you are off centre, the Ping is more generous. Off centre strikes travel a good distance without too much leakage and oh boy, when you stripe it

The distance was very good - hard to tell exactly and with range balls but on par with the best 905R strikes and bare in mind the Accra shaft that I have in that is a beauty, produces miles of roll. The Ping is it's equal and easier to hit, better to look at and just more fun to be with, Titleists are always a bit surly, much like their owners.

The Proforce shaft is another strongpoint, it's stable, smooth and for me, falls into that range of being on the stiff end of regular and not too soft. If it were a politician it would be a sort of bedwetting, pinko-liberal but with a secret life conducted in the mysterious hours of the dead of night. It has that element of covert power that it's mere visage belies.

Its well priced and has all the requirements that a mid handicapper and above would need, having never been a low handicapper I can't comment for them. Ping have hit the jackpot with the G10 in my opinion, it really is a first class piece of equipment and will turn up week after week unshaven, chewing a cheroot and despatching anything that stands its way.

Like for example.......

The Bad (Il Brutto) - Callaway Hyper X Fuji fit on stiff 9 degree

Thought I'd try this out, I have seen mixed reviews but wanted to see for myself. It sets up ok and looks good but sadly that's where the positives end.

Forgiveness is so-so, mis-hits go nowhere and although good swings get a good trajectory and boring flight, it just feels a little flat. When I went back to the G10 the difference in class was obvious.

I'd never say forget it to anyone but to me at the same price this driver is going to be comfortably outdrawn by the poncho wearing G10, even it does have a fancy holster this is one driver that will be run out of town.


The Ugly (Il Cattivo) - Callaway Big Bertha 460 nv55 stiff

Being at the cheaper end of the market this fella needs to make up for its somewhat bland and awkward appearance.

It does.

It's ridiculously forgiving if not that long. If you play a bit you could hit fairways with your eyes closed, you may not even have to go the course at all, it's that easy to hit. Trouble is when it comes to distance the G10 was carrying as far as this travelled in it's entirity.

The BB460 won't win any long drive contests but if hitting fairways is your weakness then I'd suggest you gve it a try. It's a great value club and is nearly 33% of the cost of the FT-5.

Epilogue

The Ping G10 kills the HyperX and boots it into a dusty grave but allows the BB460 to live as it serves a purpose for those whose needs it meets. There really is no contest between the HyperX and the G10 at the same money, take the yankee gold and demo a G10 if you haven't already, it's a beautiful, forgiving but powerful beast that will make you smile when you see it in action. I'm bagging one and I bet many others will too.

[warbirdlover]

Another believer!!!

[JEFF4i]

Blasphemy!

[mddubya]

Lol, a quite unique test and review but I liked it. Good job !!!!!!!

[CosmosMpower]

Great write up, very entertaining. I've tried various G10 configs in the simulator and just didn't get along with it very well.

[Eracer]

Outstanding review, Stanters! Keep that pinko shaft out of sight around here...lol.

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by JEFF4i

Blasphemy!

Awww, Jeff! Ping was makin' good drivers when Eli Callaway was still in diapers! It just takes some folks a while to get past the hype of marketing, the glitz of a square chunk of red iron on the end of a stick, and get their hands on a REAL driver! Look how many frogs WBL had to kiss before he found his Ping Princess!!!!!

[warbirdlover]

And they all left a bad taste in my mouth!!

[figjam]

Good review, very entertaining. I have used the Ping G10 and Hyper on the monitor and I got closer results than you did. I think part of the reason you got such great results from the Ping may have been the loft and the shaft. 10.5 R vs 9 S are very different combinations that predictably produced very different results. I must say that I like the Ping more than the Cally, but if you swapped lofts and shafts maybe the results would have been the other way round.

[warbirdlover]

I'm to the point of not trusting monitors. Take one out for a "test run" on the course. Lot's of course pro shops have demos you can sign out for.

If you don't give this thing a try you really might be missing the "Saviour" of all drivers....

[IrishGolfer]

Class review Stanters!

I'd love to give the G10 a whack. Nearly got the G5 a few years ago.

(I'm whistling that theme tune as I type this!! And then doing the Wa Wa Waaaa )

[JEFF4i]

Originally Posted by limpalong

Awww, Jeff! Ping was makin' good drivers when Eli Callaway was still in diapers! It just takes some folks a while to get past the hype of marketing, the glitz of a square chunk of red iron on the end of a stick, and get their hands on a REAL driver! Look how many frogs WBL had to kiss before he found his Ping Princess!!!!!

Yeah yeah yeah. I actally played a tournament with this tall lanky funny looking guy (like me, in 20 years), and he bombed the heck out of his G10.

However, I'm still loyal to my clubs.

[ManchesterGolfer]

The Rapture2 Will kick this Lilly Livered POS into touch very soon

[SiberianDVM]

As I said before, at the LPGA Ginn Tribute (may it rest in peace) at least half of the lady pros I saw were playing G10 drivers, and they were bombing them.

Christie Kerr even kissed the head of her G10 after a nice drive. Yes, I had the same thought.

If I wasn't so happy with my Cobra, I'd be all over a G10.

[LeftyHoges]

I cannot stand Ping drivers. Haven't seen one yet that I would piss on if it was on fire, let alone bag it. Purely my opinion, but they should stick to what they know (Putters, GI irons) and leave the rest alone.