Ping G30 SF Tec Driver – More Fairways and Greater Distance

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Recently, I went to PING.com to investigate the new G30 line. What greeted me on the opening page was a short video of Bubba Watson – PING Ambassador extraordinaire – on a launch monitor demonstrating the new G30 driver. Since the video launched as soon as I entered the site, I had no choice but to listen. Within the first few seconds I heard him say his clubhead speed was up 2 mph because of the turbulators. Not knowing what a turbulator was, I was intrigued. After watching the rest of the video, I spent some time on the website learning more about Straight Flight Technology, turbulators and other Marvin the Martian type words.

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Without question, the G30 is all about speed. After all, gain clubhead speed and you gain extra yards. The turbulators – which resemble the facial markings of the Borg Queen (but in a good way) are engineered onto the crown of the 460 cc G30 head, and help to reduce the aerodynamic drag and create better airflow thus generating greater clubhead speed. And you don’t need to achieve massive swing out of your shoes, these turbulators will give extra yards to golfers of all skill levels and abilities.

Something else of note; the center of gravity (CG) on the new G30 driver is lower and farther back then on any other PING model. Translation: a lot more forgiveness, more energy transfer and an optimal launch angle.
Combine that with the TFC 419D shaft – which places the balance point of the shaft much closer to the grip end, allowing for a slightly heavier head – and the result is more energy, momentum and inertia, which explains the longer tee shots – and better accuracy.

Yet another factor that leads to longer strikes is the new T9S titanium face, a lightweight, high-strength material that is thinner and hotter . Translation: faster ball speeds and longer drives.
Ping’s Trajectory Tuning+ Technology offers five settings. Loft can be increased or reduced by 6/10ths of a degree or one full degree which allows you to optimize your ball flight, thereby maximizing distance and control. Settings are standard, +0.6°, +1°, -0.6°, and -1°. The adjustable hosel has the same mass and outer diameter as PING’s fixed hosels, providing the benefits of adjustability with no sacrifice in performance. Translation: a driver that is customizable to optimize performance.

This year, PING has specifically addressed the needs of players who tend to slice the ball off the tee. Introducing the G30 SF Tec driver. SF Tec stands for Straight Flight Technology, something all of us are looking for. This new driver places a weight near the heel, helping to square the clubface at impact. When combined with a lighter swing weight (D1 vs D3), shot bend was improved by 12 yards in players tested using a G30 driver. Translation: more fairways hit.

It took about a dozen swings before the G30 started to show me its potential. Once I was able to consistently make solid contact, it only took a little bit of tweaking to the lie and loft to start hitting my drives farther than ever. I became an instant fan of the G30 SF Tec. Making changes to the lie and loft is easy and self-explanatory with the tool provided.

When I first picked up the G30, I couldn’t help but notice what a good looking club it is. As you stand over the ball and get set for your drive, you can’t help but notice the turbulators on the crown; three above and three below the center. There is no line on the middle of the club to help in alignment; instead what you have is just enough space for a ball perched on a tee to fit in between the two sets of turbulators. I found this more helpful when lining up my tee shot.

The silver TFC 419D shaft is a nice touch; I’ve had several people ask why I had changed back to a steel shaft. Not sure if that was the reaction that PING was looking for but it does get the club noticed. The higher balance point of the proprietary shaft helps launch the ball quickly and the club’s overall lighter weight helps you to generate more clubhead speed and gain more distance.

It’ easy to work the ball both left and right with the G30 although with the SF Tec setup, it’s a little tougher to fade. The clubface is super-hot and the ball just screams off of it. I can see this club staying in my ag for quite a while. The club is avaialable in My G30 came with a headcover – a good looking white, black and blue combination

For more information on the PING G30 driver and the complete lineup of G30 equipment, you can visit their website at www.ping.com.

David Theoret

David Theoret has been in the golf and golf travel industry for over 12 years, primarily selling online advertising. For the past seven years, he has also been a golf writer, reviewing golf courses, resorts, destinations, equipment, golf apparel, and training aids – the latter of which never seems to help. What started as a dream years ago, by God’s grace, became a reality in 2015 when The Golfin’ Guy editorial marketing company was founded. Working together with golf course designer Ron Garl; David’s articles and reviews have been posted on many golf travel, equipment, and apparel websites.

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