mr.hicksta

I'm flying to Maui tomorrow to catch up with a golf buddy of mine who is out here on vacation. We're going to be playing Wailea Golf Club - Emerald Course so I figured I'd share it with y'all! Kapalua gets all the attention when it comes to golf on Maui, but the Wailea courses are easily the best bang for the buck. I played Gold and Emerald last year and they were both fantastic so I'm excited about getting back down there to play!

That’s where I’m different. Hybrids have been easier for me for whatever reason. I think part of it is the smaller footprint. FWs in the other hand have been a real struggle, but the G410 line is a beast. While I didn’t get a 5W, the few swings I took produced a lovely high launch, which any golfer would’ve enjoyed!

Thanks! I told him the lofts of my 4 and 5 irons and we worked off those. He certainly wasn’t rushing, but he was pretty efficient!

Just posted my fitting review! Check it out here! mr.hicksta's Ping Long Game/Gap Testing Fitting

I’m not a huge fan of hot melt, but I’m considering using some on my Crossover later on down the road. Admittedly it has been a mixed bag for me with the club so far, and I’m honestly still trying to figure it out. But the good shots I’ve hit have been impressive so I just need to put in more time with it. And thanks for the kind words!

My fitting was definitely a back and forth, which really helped narrow down the options. As for my setup, it was about in line with what I thought I’d get!

That’s a bold contract man, but I get it considering the TrueSpec fitting. The bag looks great and I hope you go low with it!

I decided to add them after the fact! And thanks!

No issues with it for me so far, but trust me if I do have issues Bushnell is going to hear about it quick

While I don't have the Crossover and hybrid in the same loft I can tell you for sure a huge difference will be in the sound. Since you already have a Crossover you know that they sound...unique, haha! I'd tend to think the hybrid would be longer, but I think that would be largely dependent on the setup of the two clubs.

It's different than my Epon AF-505 4i in just about every way. It's a degree weaker (23 instead of 22), 3/4" longer and has a graphite shaft. And yes, as of now it has replaced my 4i, but so far I've only used it a few times and have not used it off the tee yet. Overall though it's definitely more forgiving than the typical long iron, and it's longer as well. My initial impression is that the Crossover will get limited use, but that may change as I get more comfortable with it. I actually went the other way with mine, haha! When I get some Trackman time I'll dial it down and will post the numbers.

Tossed up some updated pics since there have been a few changes!

It's been mentioned already, but the G410 hybrids are indeed adjustable, which is probably the biggest change they made to them. You would probably get away with a 4 and 5 hybrid and then adjust them to your desired loft.

Sort of. I could’ve made a good argument to keep my G400 3H, but I decided to make the switch to take advantage of the updates tech and adjustability.

Annnnd my Stage 1 is up! Keep the questions coming y'all!

I haven't taken it for a spin yet, but I'll keep you posted. From what I've read the TZ6 is a different beast and I made sure I did my homework before pulling the trigger!

Stage Two - Ping Long Game Gapping/Testing – Official MGS Forum Review by mr.hicksta Intro The majority of my time with these long game clubs was spent on the course with the occasional range session to see if the numbers matched what I was seeing on the course. This combination gave me a good feel for how the clubs performed in various situations, which puts me in a position to be able to give you all some solid feedback to look over. My goal while playing was to use all the clubs as much as possible even in some situations where I normally wouldn’t. This includes lots of use off the tee as well as various approach shots sometimes in the spirit of not laying up ;). Looks (10 out of 10 points) I’m a huge fan of the matte black crown and combined with Pings signature turbulators, you have what I believe are some fantastic looking clubs. The G410 line has a bit more color in it as well with the addition of the red, and it really complements the overall look of both the FW, hybrid and crossover. The color scheme is a huge improvement over the G400 line in my opinion. G410 3W: Prior to the fitting, this was the club I was most worried about adjusting to because I was not a fan of the G400 fairway woods. They probably performed just fine, but I was so turned off by the look of the club head that I didn’t even have it in my bag a month. That concern no longer exists with the G410 3W! The club head shape is perfect in my opinion and it looks fantastic at address. The matte black crown with the turbulators is a great combo and the use of red for the lettering compliments the overall look nicely. The graphics are subtle and there’s nothing about the look that’s over the top. Overall the design is simple and screams ‘performance’! G410 2H and 3H: I was most comfortable with the Ping hybrids having gamed the G400 3H for almost two years and the changes in the G410 are all welcomed. The most noticeable changes are the slight larger turbulators and overall size of the club head. It is still nice and compact and is certainly not one of the chunkier hybrids. It sets up beautifully behind the ball! G410 4 Crossover: If I had to describe the look of this club I’d use the word ‘subtle’. As far as driving irons go, it’s quite compact, which I think most would enjoy given some of the criticism I’ve seen about other driving irons. The finish is the traditional brushed satin, with the typical branding you’d find on an iron. Ping can’t get too carried away seeing how there’s not a lot of real estate, and they certainly didn’t here. Simply put, it’s a clean looking club that performs beautifully minus one little thing (keep reading!). Sound & Feel (8 out of 10 points) G410 3W, 2H and 3H: The 3W and hybrids sound fantastic. I’d describe the sound at impact as a crisp, metallic ‘crack’. There are slight differences if you catch the heel or toe, but it’s not a crazy departure from flushing it. As we all know, feel is very subjective, but the G410 fairways and hybrids don’t have any issue in that department. I can clearly tell when I don’t catch it around the center of the face, which is all I care about when it comes to sound and feel. G410 4 Crossover: Bottom line up front: this club sounds terrible, especially off the tee. It’s slightly better off turf, but the sound is my single biggest issue with this club. It’s beyond me why Ping didn’t address this as I know the last Crossover sounded terrible, too. I understand that around MGS performance trumps sound and feel, but the sound of this club is borderline obnoxious. Some won’t care, but if you do, then chances are you won’t like the Crossover based on acoustics alone. It is much better in the feel department, and for a driving iron it’s quite forgiving. Mishits aren’t terribly punishing, but there is a distinct difference between flushed shots and misses on the towards the heel or toe. Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points) G410 3W and hybrids: Hands down the longest and most forgiving clubs I’ve played in either category. The G410 3W is performing for me like I imagined it would. Easy driver replacement on tight tees, and for longer approach shots on par 5s. It has eliminated my fear of FWs and has just about replaced my hybrid as my go to club off the tee. My comfort level with the hybrids has increased, and they’re my second favorite clubs out of the lot. The hybrids have shined out of the rough and I’ve held several greens when I’ve used them for approach shots. My 2H in particular, played at 18.5, perfectly fits the gap between 3W and 4 Crossover and my confidence with it is sky high. The forgiveness of the hybrids is impressive as well and some of my best shots have been where I missed towards the toe. It’s nice to flush it obviously, but knowing you won’t get hammered for a mishit is one way to increase ones comfort with a club. I’m quite comfortable with the gaps at the top of my bag now and both of these clubs fall within their respective distances lanes and I’m able to work them if necessary. Finally, I’ve only adjusted my 2H, but the 8 possible settings on the FWs and hybrids make them extremely versatile. G410 4 Crossover: Admittedly, this is the club I struggle with the most. I have hit some terrific shots with it, but I have also hit some ‘WTF’ shots. Normal for an amateur for sure, and I think a lot of it has to do with my setup. With that said, the well struck shots have been very consistent in terms of accuracy, distance and trajectory. Even though I’ve hit some crap shots with my Crossover, I still find it to be very forgiving. I’ve just had some swings that no amount of forgiveness could save! It is my go to club for most par 3s in the 190 to 210 range, but I haven’t held any greens with it as of yet. Here are some numbers from a recent range session that will give you an idea of what kind of distance I'm getting with these clubs. G410 3W teed up: G410 3W off the deck: G410 2H off the deck: G410 4 Crossover off the deck: On-Course Performance (27 out of 30 points) I’ll preface this section by saying that all poor shots are 100% on me, but it has been years since I’ve had long game clubs that I’ve felt this comfortable with. During my time with the G410 long game offerings, I’ve made every effort to use them in situations I’d normally use FW/hybrid/driving iron as well as situations where I may be in between clubs just to see if I can hit a range of shots. The results have been mostly positive, and highlight the positive attributes I’ve discussed with each of the clubs. Over the last two months I’ve often been left in positions where I can get to a green with a short iron or wedge, so from the long game perspective they’re fantastic. My issue, however, has been with irons/wedges lately so my scoring average has been about the same or slightly higher because of issues not related to these clubs. As far as Ping goes, I think the G410 line builds on the already impressive G400 line and these clubs are a legit upgrade over their predecessors. The feature that stood out most to me is the more streamlined shape of the FWs. They look fantastic and setup WAY better than the G400s. Finally, I know there’s no such thing as a perfect club, but Ping knocked it out of the park with these clubs. Despite my mild criticism of the Crossover, I believe that these clubs can help a wide range of handicaps and they flat out perform! Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points) The design of the G410 line is what stands out the most to me. It’s not super flashy, and the black and red compliment each other nicely. It’s a clean and efficient look that I’m a huge fan of! The only other knock is the limited number of shafts available, but I’ll admit that’s nitpicking. And I mentioned this in my fitting review, but the turnaround time from the day of my fitting to the clubs arriving was around 5 days. The fitter said it would be fast and he was not joking! Kudos to Ping for getting the clubs built and shipped in such a timely manner! Lastly, I usually only play with a few local friends and all of them have commented on shots I’ve hit with these clubs. So if my thoughts aren’t validation enough, give these a spin and watch the compliments start flying! Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20 points) The G410 3W, 2H and 4 Crossover are staying in my bag! I’m very comfortable with the gapping, and the sound of the Crossover isn’t justification to let it sit on the sidelines. Bottom line is the top of my bag has never been better from a performance perspective! With the range of the G410 line (standard, SFT, LST) and the ability to adjust the FWs and hybrids to 8 different settings, these clubs can help a wide range of golfers from high handicappers to scratch players. Conclusion The G410 fairway woods, hybrids and crossovers are the REAL DEAL. They straight up perform and you’d be hard pressed to find a more forgiving clubs in each category. The adjustability makes it easy to set your gaps at the top of your bag, and I believe these clubs can help a wide range of players, in a variety of situations. Since putting these clubs in my bag, I have definitely improved off the tee, but unfortunately my irons and wedges have regressed so my index has stayed about the same. I think with more time, that will change and any improvement will be somewhat attributed to these long game clubs. In closing, I'd like to again thank MyGolfSpy and Ping for the opportunity. I truly enjoyed the experience and I'm grateful for the chance to contribute to this fantastic golf community. I hope that readers find all of our reviews helpful, and I'm happy to answer any question you all may have. Thanks for reading! Final Score: (90 out of 100 points)

Ping Long Game/Gap Testing - Fitting Once I received my local Ping reps info, I shot him a text and we quickly settled on a fitting time and location the Friday before Memorial Day. The fitting took place at Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course on the windward side of the island, and it turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day for some golf. Here a pic of what some of that drive looks like! That side of the island gets a bit windy, so of course I was hitting limited flight range balls directly into about a 15 mph headwind, but it’s a good looking range as you can see here. I arrived around 1145ish, warmed up and we got down to business. Joey (the Ping rep) watched me hit shots for a bit and then took at look at what I had in my bag. He didn’t ask a lot of questions when he saw my setup, but I think seeing my setup combined with seeing me swing helped him establish a baseline of sorts. We talked about what the fitting was focused on and then we got going! Seeing how we had to go with the fitters recommendation regardless of any previous fitting data we had, I figured the process would be fairly straight forward, and it was. Joey setup the Trackman and we started testing some long game weapons! I got started with the Crossover, and based on the feel and dispersion alone, I knew I wanted one in my bag. None of the Crossovers he had stiff shafts, so I tested the one with a regular shaft. As such the ball flight was ridiculously high, but I knew with the correct shaft it would come down significantly. It was a leap of faith to a degree, but based on what I’ve seen so far, that leap has been rewarded! What was funny was comparing the Crossover to my 4i. Straight up, it was no contest. In fact, after hitting the Crossover, I seriously considering looking at a 5 Crossover as well, but that will have to wait for now! Next we got going with the hybrids. I told him my G400 3H had a special place in my heart and that I was expecting similar results from the G410 line especially from a comfort perspective. My intuition was correct, and the test G410 I got a long with best had the Ping Tour hybrid shaft. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but the G410 3H was at least 5 yards longer than my old setup and that was all I needed to see. We were about to move to FWs, but Joey asked me to give the G410 2H a few swings. His logic was that with the adjustability, it would fill the gap between FW and Crossover perfectly. I hadn’t even considered that, but he was 100% correct as 2H, played at 18.5, is what is in my bag now! Finally, we went through the FWs. Admittedly, I started to get nervous at this point because I struggle with FWs and have had a hard time finding one that has worked well for me on and off the tee. The first one I tested was a standard G410 3W with a Ping Tour 75 S shaft. No joke, I absolutely ripped the first one off the deck and that pretty much settled what was going in my bag. We tinkered around with a few more configurations, including a G410 5W and G410 3W LST, but nothing came close to what I saw and felt with the standard model. I tried the following shafts in all the clubs: Crossover - Alta CB Red, Hybrids - Ping Tour 85 S and EvenFlow Black 85HY 6.0, FWs - Ping Tour 75 S and EvenFlow Black 75 6.0. Based on that, I was all set to go with the Ping Tours, but Joey said he liked the ball flight and spin numbers he saw when I was hitting my old FW with the Tensei CK Pro Blue so he wanted me to get that shaft in the Crossover, hybrids and FW. While I could’ve easily gamed any of the Ping Tour shafts, I was happy he recommended a shaft I was even more comfortable with. Following the discussion about shafts, we quickly went through the grips, and settled on midsize Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360s (gold) on all the clubs. I gave Joey my contact info, then headed out to enjoy what ended up being a golf filled Memorial Day weekend! Joey wrapped things up by telling me I could expect to see my order in about a week and honestly I thought he was yanking my chain. But when I got CC’d on the order email the same day as the fitting, I knew he wasn’t playing around. I received the tracking the following Tuesday, and that Friday, the box you see below was on my porch! Right below that picture are the packing list along with the configuration tags for each club. As is usually the case with Ping, the clubs were built to spec and have performed nicely so far! I had been fit one time prior to this in September 2018, and overall it was a very straight forward process. Joey seemed most interested in making sure the clubs I tested were in a certain spin range, and he was able to get my dialed in quickly once we get near the desired range. I was very excited to get the clubs so quick and I did not waste any time getting them in my bag because new clubs need to be used, right? With one of the parameters of this testing being overall game improvement, I thought it was important to put them to use ASAP and the more I use them, the more impressed I am! In closing I would again like to thank MGS and Ping for the testing opportunity, and I hope this post gives everyone an idea of what the fitting process was like!

Ping Long Game/Gap Testing - Stage 1 Hey MGS! I’m Josh, aka mr.hicksta, and like many others around here, I’m a golf junkie! I’m an active duty Navy officer and I have been playing golf for the 19+ years I’ve been serving. I'm extremely grateful to MGS and Ping for the opportunity to test some fantastic clubs and I'm excited to share the experience with the forum! Since fall of 2015 I have been able to practice and play consistently and my overall game is the best it has ever been as a result. Now it is certainly not perfect, but I feel like it is pretty well rounded given the amount of time I put into improving. On the course, I like to keep things light and try not to take this game so seriously despite my sometimes gruff exterior. I get hard on myself from time to time, but I aim to be a person that others would like to play with regularly and I feel like I’ve done a good job of that. As for this crazy game, I love it because it mirrors life in a lot of ways. I like to say you could play the same course for 10 days straight and it would be different every time! With my current setup I’ve tinkered with the driver and putter, but nothing else has changed. The FW spot is easily the most fluid spot in my bag and has been a source of frustration for years. My hybrid has been one of my most consistent clubs and my 4i is spotty. To give readers a better idea of my gapping at the top of my bag, check out the spreadsheet below that is from my ‘Golf Equipment’ tracker (#golfnerdalert). Club Loft Length Lie Offset Shaft Weight SW Torque Shaft Distances Cobra F9 Speedback 9º 45" 57.5º 70g D0 3.6 ACCRA TZ5 65 M4 250-290 Ping G410 3W 14.5º 43" 56.5º 76g D2 4 Tensei CK Blue 70 S 230-250 Ping G410 2H 18.5º 40.75" 57º 79g D2 3.1 Tensei CK Pro Blue 80 S 210-230 Ping G410 4 Crossover 23º 39.25" 59.9º 0.18 79g D2 3.1 Tensei CK Pro Blue 80 S 200-220 Epon AF-505 5i 25º 38" 61º 3.4 124g D3 1.5 Modus³ Tour130 S 190-200 Based on overall looks and the performance I’ve seen so far, I am a fan of the G410 lineup! Below are the blurbs directly from Ping on what each club brings to the table. Buzzwords and tech jargon aside, I can confirm that these faces are HOT, I’m finding all of them to be quite forgiving and I’m seeing distances I was not seeing with my old clubs. My current handicap is 11.5, trending to 11.3. I truly believe if my long game was more consistent I would easily be in the single digits, and I mention this because long term I’m hoping these clubs help me do just that! I’m not a high speed player, but I have an aggressive tempo (meathead issues). This video is my driver swing face on, which should give you an idea of how I move the ball around the course. With that beautiful swing, my typical ball flight is mid to high and my miss lately has been a nasty snap hook. I’d say my current strengths are above average distance off the tee, decent iron player and good putting. My weaknesses are inconsistency off the tee, and the constant struggle to avoid letting old swing habits creep in. As for my typical use of my long game clubs, I regularly use my FW and hybrid off the tee especially if it’s a tight fairway. For longer approaches, I gravitate to my hybrid even if it means I’ll be coming up short as it’s a club I’m very comfortable with. G410 FW: “Powered by a forged, maraging steel face, the G410 fairway woods are engineered to launch the ball easily and deliver faster ball speeds on a penetrating trajectory that maximizes distance. A shallower face and efficient CG placement elevate MOI for tighter dispersion.” My take - This FW is a forgiving distance machine! G410 Hybrid: “Our first-ever adjustable hybrid allows you to customize your ball flight eight different ways through more loft (+- 1.5˚) and lie combinations for consistently better results. Thinner and more flexible, the maraging-steel face generates faster ball speeds and higher launch so you carry trouble while hitting (and holding) more greens. A larger profile provides added stability and helps elevate MOI heel to toe.” My take - Added adjustability in an already pleasing shape makes this one of the most versatile hybrids available. G410 Crossover: “With a heavier tungsten toe weight for added forgiveness, a maraging-steel face for faster ball speed and max shot height, and a more compact and stable head, PING’s third Crossover family combines the precision and control of an iron with the speed and forgiveness of a hybrid.” My take - This club is forgiving, unlike most long irons! Oh and did I mention the face is hot? More on that later! And finally, here are some pics of these beautiful clubs courtesy of my talented wife! So what’s next? Between now and Stage 2, I plan on getting more time with my new long game setup, focusing on how they help my long game. I will also be posting about the fitting experience to include what all was discussed, how we determined this setup was right for me and more! Additionally, I’ll be getting some Trackman time and will post those results to give readers more detail on how the G410 FW/hybrid/Crossover line performs. Finally, and most importantly, I will be working to determine whether or not the G410 clubs will be in my bag long term. They’re in there without competition right now, but we’ll see what the numbers and on course performance have to say about that!

It’s murdaaaaa [emoji41]

Boom [emoji378]

I purchased this a few weeks back, and put it to use yesterday for the first time. It 100% lives up to the hype!

84 (41/43) with 30 putts. I didn’t do anything particularly well, but I got away with the mediocrity since I’m familiar with the course. Gonna take the few positives from this round and keep grinding!

Played the back 9 at Navy Marine yesterday and shot 42 with 16 putts. I didn’t hit a single fairway so I got some solid scramble work in for sure! Looking forward to getting back out there today with@yungkory