**Updated** G425, TSi2 in hand. S**ts about to get real around me....

[Shank Aaron 197]

 

Just look at the picture. I won't need to explain further....

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Shank Aaron

[dlow206 5,213]

Don't even want to know how you got that G425...

(Actually I do)

[jayjay0808 1,117]

That 425 just looks so bad*ss 

[PMookie 11,950]

Well, needless to say, I’m very intrigued by both of those and am curious to hear about their performance. Of all drivers coming out next year, the Ping has my interest the most!!!

[JohnSmalls 5,964]

HOLEEEE mother of PING

[Kenny B 23,291]

The Ping looks like the Defiant on Star Trek Deep Space 9.  Yeah, I'm a trekkie.  

[Shank Aaron 197]

Just some better pic's of the G425. Pardon the marks from the cheap wood tee's. I'll be typing up my first take's from my sim session last night a little later this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shapotomous 1,148]

What shaft is in the Ping??  What is the SW compared to the Titleist?   I know.....I should just wait until the review write up.....

[Shank Aaron 197]

Ok, here goes the G425 first take review. I will post up the TSi2 review later.

 

I want to start off by making it clear that my experience as of right now with either of these is on a GC Quad, and I made it a point not to record any data. My goal in that was to make sure my first swings with these two drivers would be strictly about feel, aesthetics, sound, and an overall first impression. I will be playing both drivers for a full 18 this weekend, and will have another sim session to record data after that. So, here goes.

 

Me- 

15 handicap

110-115 mph swing speed

2020 Avg driver distance (total via Arccos sensors)- 287 yards

*NOTE*- prior to starting the testing I had already went through my full bag warm up routine, and hit about 15 drives with my Mavrik gamer. 

 

The Club-

Ping G410 LST 10.5* neutral weight, neutral adapter settings- Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black stiff 70 playing to 44.75" 

Ball- New, out of the sleeve Pro V1X's

 

Ping G425

Just at address I personally love the looks. Muted and subdued matte black really appeals to me in its simplicity. The first few practice swings made me notice the weight of the head. It's just heavy enough that you notice it on the release, but just light enough that I dont feel it as a chore to swing it. It's a really nice feeling club swinging at air. Time to make it rain. I spent the first 10 swings just getting used to the club and getting solid contact, roughly 75% of my usual swing. The sound is close to the same sound I got from other 400 series drivers, but the G425 is just a tad pingy. Not in a bad way, mind you. The sound is the usual muted twack you're used to from the G410, but theres just the slight hint of a soft ringing at the end. Now, up to this point everything I've written out is basically the same points of view you would expect from the 400 series drivers. Here is where the G425, at least in my opinion, takes a very hard left at the fork. 

 

The feel off the face is unreal. All of you know what I'm talking about with your irons. When you hit the ball so sqaurely off the face that it feels like time has stopped, the ball melted, and you know you did it perfectly. My problem with previous 400 series drivers was that as good as they felt, and as forgiving as they were, I couldn't hit them as far as I could other drivers. I dont really trust distance readings from simulators, but if any of those numbers that popped up are true, this driver will be in every distance conversation in 2021. What impressed me the most were the feel of the mishits. Heel, toe, low, none of those strikes "felt" punishing in my hands and the balls still had nominal impact points on the sim screen. Like a guard dog begging to get off the leash and protect his turf, it just felt like it wanted to hit the ball as far as my ability would allow it. I really hope this will translate to the course and open air. If this driver gives me the proven forgiveness of a Ping AND gives me the distance I want? TAKE MY MONEY! 

 

I will get to work writing the TSi2 review later today. Apparently, they don't pay me to sit here and write club reviews. I've had my job backwards this entire time..... 

Edited November 18, 2020 by Shank Aaron

[Golfspy_CG2 25,122]

2 hours ago, Shank Aaron said:

Ok, here goes the G425 first take review. I will post up the TSi2 review later.

 

I want to start off by making it clear that my experience as of right now with either of these is on a GC Quad, and I made it a point not to record any data. My goal in that was to make sure my first swings with these two drivers would be strictly about feel, aesthetics, sound, and an overall first impression. I will be playing both drivers for a full 18 this weekend, and will have another sim session to record data after that. So, here goes.

 

Me- 

15 handicap

110-115 mph swing speed

2020 Avg driver distance (total via Arccos sensors)- 287 yards

*NOTE*- prior to starting the testing I had already went through my full bag warm up routine, and hit about 15 drives with my Mavrik gamer. 

 

The Club-

Ping G410 LST 10.5* neutral weight, neutral adapter settings- Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black stiff 70 playing to 44.75" 

Ball- New, out of the sleeve Pro V1X's

 

Ping G425

Just at address I personally love the looks. Muted and subdued matte black really appeals to me in its simplicity. The first few practice swings made me notice the weight of the head. It's just heavy enough that you notice it on the release, but just light enough that I dont feel it as a chore to swing it. It's a really nice feeling club swinging at air. Time to make it rain. I spent the first 10 swings just getting used to the club and getting solid contact, roughly 75% of my usual swing. The sound is close to the same sound I got from other 400 series drivers, but the G425 is just a tad pingy. Not in a bad way, mind you. The sound is the usual muted twack you're used to from the G410, but theres just the slight hint of a soft ringing at the end. Now, up to this point everything I've written out is basically the same points of view you would expect from the 400 series drivers. Here is where the G425, at least in my opinion, take a very hard left at the fork. 

 

The feel off the face is unreal. All of you know what I'm talking about with your irons. When you hit the ball so sqaurely off the face that it feels like time has stopped, the ball melted, and you know you did it perfectly. My problem with previous 400 series drivers was that as good as they felt, and as forgiving as they were, I couldn't hit them as far as I could other drivers. I dont really trust distance readings from simulators, but if any of those numbers that popped up are true, this driver will be in every distance conversation in 2021. What impressed me the most were the feel of the mishits. Heel, toe, low, none of those strikes "felt" punishing in my hands and the balls still had nominal impact points on the sim screen. Like a guard dog begging to get off the leash and protect his turf, it just felt like it wanted to hit the ball as far as my ability would allow it. I really hope this will translate to the course and open air. If this driver gives me the proven forgiveness of a Ping AND gives me the distance I want? TAKE MY MONEY! 

 

I will get to work writing the TSi2 review later today. Apparently, they don't pay me to sit here and write club reviews. I've had my job backwards this entire time..... 

That was a nice transition from everything we've always known to here's where it got real!   Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the TSi as well.

[Shank Aaron 197]

2 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

That was a nice transition from everything we've always known to here's where it got real!   Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the TSi as well.

Very kind of you to say, I appreciate it. 

[Shank Aaron 197]

Heres my first take on the TSi

 

Club 

Titleist TSi2 9* neutral (A1) adapter settings- Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black stiff 70 cut to 44.75"

Ball-

New out of the sleeve Pro V1X

 

TSi2 

So I was on the fence about the Titleist offering, well....any Titleist driver for that matter. For me, and I'm guessing a lot of you as well, every model I've ever tried has had so much spin that it hurt my game more than anything. I try my best to keep an open mind on new gear regardless of brand, but I won't lie about being wary. Ok, whining aside, let's swan dive into this. 

At address it's a simple look with a nice, smooth profile. You can almost forget that it's a 460 tear drop head....almost. The black crown and the small Titleist center line logo are subtle, and quiet despite the glossy paint job. Just looking at the head and it kinda slaps you in the chicken bag. The face is HUGE! Tall with a design on either side of the center that look like the milled grooves you'd find in a wedge. Seriously, I had to run my fingers across them to make sure they weren't. In my practice swings the head felt light, lighter than I'm used to, but I could feel the head flow right through my release. 

 

Like with the G425, I spent the first 10 swings getting used to the club and making solid contact at around 75% of my normal swing. The sound was a satisfying dull crack, and the feel was amazingly solid. I had to look at the sole to make sure I had the right driver, I did. It felt REALLY good. With every shot I took I looked up to see the ball flight on the screen and was kind of shocked, if I'm honest.

 

Two quick things- 1) I'm a mid-high spin, 10-20 yard low fade player (IT'S NOT A SLICE!!!). 2) While I do trust the raw data from the GC Quad, I trust the screen projections of ball flight/shot shape from any sim/launch monitor in the same way I trust a chain link fence to keep out mosquitoes.

 

Enter my surprise, more accurately- shock. Through 8 swings each one was a mid/high easy draw, none of which were more than 5 yards offline. I know I said I would refrain from reporting on data for this first look, but....I looked. The spin numbers were (for me) abnormally low. So low, in fact, that I stopped the test on swing 8 and restarted the entire system. Waste of time....swings 9,10 at 75% were more of the same. Swings 11-20 at 100% were more of the same easy fade, and weren't much higher on spin, either (and I swear I heard the ball whimper on swing 6). If this thing gives me that shot shape, with legit distance, AND low spin?

 

Having an inner debate between my beloved Mavy, the G425, and the TSi2 before Callaway and Taylormade even get close to releasing their 2021 driver offerings? Look, that's just stress I do not need in my life. If either of these drivers Simulator performances translate to being real on course I am going to have a major problem. 

 

Hoping to have another post up tomorrow night on data between the G425, TSi2, and my Mavrik. 

[Shank Aaron 197]

I got the G425 out for 18 Saturday and plugged an Arccos sensor into it to log the data. I played a local course to me that's only 5800, and has a total of 11 driver holes. I hit 6 of the 11 fairways. Aside from me being my usual, inconsistent self on the back 9, the driver proved to me what I knew from the simulator. IT WILL LAUNCH! Outside of the drives that were very short that I obviously did not have a good swing, I was very pleased with the performance. On my really bad swings and misses I was very shocked that the ball flights were straight pushes/pulls and not the 70 yard right high slice/50 yard left low hook I'm accustomed to when I swing lazy. The feel and sound was the same that I experienced in the sim, but seeing the ball flight in the open air was what I really needed to confirm. I used new Pro V1X's for the round. 

November 21, 2020 G425 LST 10.5*

 

For a baseline, here is the only other time I've played this course earlier this year with my Mavrik performance. No judging. 

 

And one more from a round at my home course last month with the Mavrik

 

[PMookie 11,950]

6 minutes ago, Shank Aaron said:

I got the G425 out for 18 Saturday and plugged an Arccos sensor into it to log the data. I played a local course to me that's only 5800, and has a total of 11 driver holes. I hit 6 of the 11 fairways. Aside from me being my usual, inconsistent self on the back 9, the driver proved to me what I knew from the simulator. IT WILL LAUNCH! Outside of the drives that were very short that I obviously did not have a good swing, I was very pleased with the performance. On my really bad swings and misses I was very shocked that the ball flights were straight pushes/pulls and not the 70 yard right high slice/50 yard left low hook I'm accustomed to when I swing lazy. The feel and sound was the same that I experienced in the sim, but seeing the ball flight in the open air was what I really needed to confirm. I used new Pro V1X's for the round. 

November 21, 2020 G425 LST 10.5*

 

For a baseline, here is the only other time I've played this course earlier this year with my Mavrik performance. No judging. 

 

And one more from a round at my home course last month with the Mavrik

 

I saw that you have 110-115 mph swing, yet use just stiff shafts. Any reason you’re not in X-stiff?

[Shank Aaron 197]

1 minute ago, PMookie said:

I saw that you have 110-115 mph swing, yet use just stiff shafts. Any reason you’re not in X-stiff?

My usual shaft is X, I used the Atmos TS for this because its the only shaft I had more than one of for this head to head to head thing. 

[Rickp 20,714]

Nice job!!


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[bens197 5,899]

I would love to see / hear some videos if you could upload some for our viewing pleasure.

[Shank Aaron 197]

Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay with more information. Family, work, and the holidays have temporarily derailed my plans for testing. The weather isn't helping either. I'm hoping to spend some in the sim next week, and hopefully get the TSi2 on the course as well. 

 

22 hours ago, bens197 said:

I would love to see / hear some videos if you could upload some for our viewing pleasure.

I HATE posting videos of myself, the last thing I want/need is to be internet famous, but heres a link to a couple slo-mo's of the Ping and the TSi2. No judgment allowed!

Ping- 

 

 

Titleist- 

 

[bens197 5,899]

1 hour ago, Shank Aaron said:

Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay with more information. Family, work, and the holidays have temporarily derailed my plans for testing. The weather isn't helping either. I'm hoping to spend some in the sim next week, and hopefully get the TSi2 on the course as well. 

 

I HATE posting videos of myself, the last thing I want/need is to be internet famous, but heres a link to a couple slo-mo's of the Ping and the TSi2. No judgment allowed!

Ping- 

 

 

Titleist- 

 

You won't get judged here on MGS...You have a unique swing and I think that's pretty dope.  Did you hand pick the LST vs MAX or was that just the one you were given to try?  

[Shank Aaron 197]

2 hours ago, bens197 said:

You won't get judged here on MGS...You have a unique swing and I think that's pretty dope.  Did you hand pick the LST vs MAX or was that just the one you were given to try?  

Thanks, I've had some back injuries from my time in the service. As awkward as my swing looks to some, it's the one that gives me the best results and least pain. Coming back that flat has also helped me overcome my over the top move that killed the game for me early on. 

 

As far as the LST, it fell into my lap. The only choice that was available to me was which shaft am I going to build?