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Taylormade SIM2 vs Ping 425


Beaumissy

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@jlukes makes good points, but assuming you’ve tested several different options and have come down to those 2, I would say whichever one gives you the best performance (dispersion, spin rate, etc.).

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I haven’t hit the Taylormade, but I have the 425 with the stock Alta shaft in senior flex. I find it to be very forgiving and as long as anything else I have tried. Obviously, it would be best if you test could both on a launch monitor. Good luck. 

14 of the following:

Ping G430 Max 10.5 degree

Callaway 2023 Big Bertha 3 wood set to 17 degrees

Cobra F9 Speedback 7/8 wood set at 23.5 degrees

Callaway Epic Max 11 wood

Ping Eye 2 BeCu 2-SW

Mizuno 923 JPX HM HL 6-GW

Hogan sand wedge 56 degree bent to 53

Maltby M Series+ 54 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 Eye2 58 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 60 degree

Evnroll ER2

Ping Sigma 2 Anser

Cheap Top Flite mallet putter from Dick's, currently holding down first place in the bag

TaylorMade Mini Spider

Bridgestone XS

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Sir, I would go to a certified fitter and get on trackman and see which one gives you the best results with the right shaft.  I am 75 and would never purchase a new club without a fitting.  I just order the the new TSi3 from Titleist with the Fujikura Speeder Tour 64 shaft and inside was hitting the prov1 ball 230 pretty darn accurately.  I feel with a few rounds it will increase.  I am a definite proponent of golf fittings to get your best results, because the club is the designed just for my swing.  Trackman does not lie.  With respect.   

 

Driver - TSi3 10.75* - Fujikura Speeder 661 TR

Fairway - TSi2 14.25* - Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 6.1 

Fairway - TSR1 17.0* - Fujikura Vista Pro 65S

Hybrid - TSR1 20.0* - Fujikura Atmos Red Tour 75  

Hybrid - TSR1 23.0* - Fujikura Atmos Red Tour 75

Irons - T350 (2023) - 6-48W - True Temper AMT Red 95g-107g

Wedges - Vokey SM9 - 52.08F, 56.10S - True Temper AMT Red 94 

**  GolfPride MCC +4 Midsize Grips  (all woods/irons/wedges)

Putter - 2023 Scotty Cameron Super Select Squareback 2 35" 

**  Superstroke 1.0 Pistol Grip  

Golf Ball - TITLEIST - Prov1s (2023)                                                         

Golf Bags - TITLEIST  - Cart 14 (black), Mid Size Tour (black/white)

Golf Glove - FootJoy (StaSof), Shoes, Apparel and Outerwear        

Rangefinder - Bushnell Pro XE

 

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Just now, ChuckZ said:

Sir, I would go to a certified fitter and get on trackman and see which one gives you the best results with the right shaft.  I am 75 and would never purchase a new club without a fitting.  I just order the the new TSi3 from Titleist with the Fujikura Speeder Tour 64 shaft and inside was hitting the prov1 ball 230 pretty darn accurately.  I feel with a few rounds it will increase.  I am a definite proponent of golf fittings to get your best results, because the club is the designed just for my swing.  Trackman does not lie.  With respect.   

My fitter is a certified fitter for ping and sells a lot of their drivers and recommends them to our age customers.  Have not heard any complaints.  But that does not mean either are the right club for you without the right shaft.  At our age we want accuracy and down the middle.  

 

Driver - TSi3 10.75* - Fujikura Speeder 661 TR

Fairway - TSi2 14.25* - Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 6.1 

Fairway - TSR1 17.0* - Fujikura Vista Pro 65S

Hybrid - TSR1 20.0* - Fujikura Atmos Red Tour 75  

Hybrid - TSR1 23.0* - Fujikura Atmos Red Tour 75

Irons - T350 (2023) - 6-48W - True Temper AMT Red 95g-107g

Wedges - Vokey SM9 - 52.08F, 56.10S - True Temper AMT Red 94 

**  GolfPride MCC +4 Midsize Grips  (all woods/irons/wedges)

Putter - 2023 Scotty Cameron Super Select Squareback 2 35" 

**  Superstroke 1.0 Pistol Grip  

Golf Ball - TITLEIST - Prov1s (2023)                                                         

Golf Bags - TITLEIST  - Cart 14 (black), Mid Size Tour (black/white)

Golf Glove - FootJoy (StaSof), Shoes, Apparel and Outerwear        

Rangefinder - Bushnell Pro XE

 

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I'm 70 and a fitter. I'd recommend the Ping G425MAX with the stock Alta shaft in soft regular (senior). I have a G400MAX at 44.5", I'm 6' tall, and was fit by Ping at the PGA Show. The stock length is 45 3/4" and I would recommend hitting shorter shafts where ever you're making the purchase. Most pros hit shorter shafts because when you hit the sweet spot, you get more distance and accuracy. Longer drivers are a definite mistake for most amateurs and it is more marketing than realism. If you buy a shorter driver, order it so the weighting is proper, or have a certified builder add the proper weight. Doesn't cost much and worth it.

Certified Club Fitter.

Ping G425 Max Driver 10.5° w/Fujikura Ventus TR

Ping G425 Max 5-7-9 Fairway Woods w/Ping Alta CB

Ping G425 Irons 5-U w/Ping Alta CB (Power-Spec Lofts)

Ping 4.0 Eye2 Glide Wedges 54°-58° w/Recoil SmacWrap

Ping Redwood ZB Putter w/PP58

PING Pioneer Cart Bag

Lamkin Sonar+ Wrap Mid-Size Grips

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Recently upgraded from TM M4 with regular shaft to G425 max with Alta Stiff.  Fitted by ping staff with aid of trackman. Was shocked to be put in the stiff shaft but performs best.  Little longer than M4 but dispersion is much tighter.  Moral tone story, get fitted with help of technology 

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19 hours ago, Beaumissy said:

Have narrowed a new driver down to two finalists.  Any suggestions or reasons to pick one over the other.  77 year old trying for max consistency and distance,(of course)

I would say Ping G425 all day long. My father, about your age, plays it and its the best overall driver he's ever owned, per him. And it seems like he's owned them all. I love it that a 77 year old is still chasing the dream!!! Keep at it! 

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I hit the sim2 considerably farther on good strikes  than the 425, or my 410Lst; but I’m not consistent enough to game it. I game ping drivers because they offer the most forgiveness in my opinion. So what matters to you? Max distance? Fairways hit?  For my game, I just want to see the same shape/flight on every swing, and ping gives me that.  So I’d ask the OP what matters most to their game, and pick whichever driver offers that.

 

Driver - Cobra LtDxLS

3 Wood - Ping g410 LST

2iron - Titleist U505

Irons - Ping i59

Wedges - Vokey Sm9

Putter - Mizuno Mcraft IV

 

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I’m not far behind you in age and thought you might find a suggestion from another old duffer helpful.  I have not hit a Sim2 driver, but I own Ping G400 and G410 drivers, with regular and soft regular (SR) flex shafts, respectively.  I’m keeping up in distance with guys 10 years my junior with my Ping drivers and my control is respectable as well.  Ping makes some outstanding drivers; I don’t believe you could go wrong with Ping. 

Started playing late in life, but as I got older I found that golf is a much better activity than a lot of things old folks get into, plus I meet some of the nicest most interesting people!

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I did this in April. There was no doubt that the Sim2 Max (for me) was longer than the Ping G425Max, but so was my M5. HOWEVER, me and Twist Face do not get along. It seems that it was made for people who swing out to in. My in to out swing and a hit toe hit or low heel hit created huge hooks and slices. The TM drivers I can miss by 40 yards. The Ping while shorter (on the monitor) was mostly dead straight with the occasional 5-10 yard miss. 
 

Most of my missed fairways this weekend (played 5 rounds) have been from trying to fade or draw the ball, and it simply going straight and running out of fairway. I’m growing more confident in this driver and I have been hitting the G425Max as far as my old M5 and much straighter. I also have the 9 wood and plan on the 7 and 3 woods. I bought a G410 5 wood and will determine if it is worth the extra bucks G425Max, if the 5 wood ever gets here.   
 

My decision was based on there was not a club difference in the overall distance between these 2 drivers, but there could be a whole stroke difference in having a shot at the green and having to punch out. 

:ping-small:G430LST 10.5° on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Driver 

:ping-small:G430MAX 3w  on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Fairway 

:ping-small:G425 3H on     T P T    POWER 18 Hi Hybrid 

:taylormade-small:P790 Black 4-A 
on :kbs: TGI 80S
 

:mizuno-small: ES21 54-8° & 58-12° on :kbs: Hi Rev

:L.A.B.:DF2.1 on :accra: White

:titelist-small: ProV1  

:918457628_PrecisionPro: Precision Pro  NX7 Pro

All Iron grips are BestGrips Micro-Perforated Mid

Driver, 3w, 3H are JumboMax JMX UltraLite XS 

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On 5/29/2021 at 5:46 PM, Beaumissy said:

Have narrowed a new driver down to two finalists.  Any suggestions or reasons to pick one over the other.  77 year old trying for max consistency and distance,(of course)

Titlest ts2 I find it to be forgicing and long

 

Leonard Friedman

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If you've got a smooth swing with a smooth changeover at the top put them both on the shelf with an XXIO. I changed to an XXIO Prime 9 last year and gained 15-20 yards and more consistency than I had been getting. Try to find someplace that will let you hit them outside so you can actually see the ball fly through the air. I think Global Golf will let you hit one and return it. There are likely other companies that will do that as well. It was such a great feeling to see the ball fly past where I normally hit it and still be in the fairway. XXIO costs more but for me, it was worth it. I'm now contemplating getting a 3 wood and irons if I can get the shoulder that I messed up the rotator cuff repaired. 

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17 hours ago, Tom23 said:

Mostly likely the TaylorMade will give you more spin/height and the Ping less, but it depends on YOUR swing and what you are trying to keep/change.

Sorry to disagree but I think the numbers would suggest that on average Taylor Made drivers spin less than their Ping counterparts.

 

@the OP this is so hard to say without knowing your numbers. I have tried the Sim2 Max v the Ping G410 and G410 LST.  The Sim2 max easily won that battle outdoors on track man (with range balls) and so far it is on the course also.  It spins less than either of those heads - We were able to get my launch angle the same with all three heads - the G410 and Sim2 max by opening the club a notch the 410 LST by closing it (adding launch.)

 

In regards to fitting if that’s what you do, ask for your numbers. I’ve been fit for stuff tons of times and have been

misfit a couple of them.  If the fitter doesn’t know your game he’s fitting a snap shot - you will know whether you brought your A or D swing - if it’s one of those days it could be an expensive result.

 

Also while I have respect for any fitter I must write with all due respect that it’s no longer the case that most players on tour use driver shafts under 45” and it’s certainly not true of LPGA players who are the far better point of comparison for most of us.  The notion of a sub 45” driver shaft automatically being best for all is dated - it’s not necessarily the case anymore. 
 

It is certainly the case that if you are fit for a shorter length shaft the weighting will be proper if you order direct from the OEM. The waiting will be longer, too. 🙂

 

The simple answer to your question is to look at the results of the most wanted driver test for slower swing speeds or if you know your numbers plunk down $7 on trufit and see what it spits out.

 

Good luck 
 

 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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45 minutes ago, revkev said:

Sorry to disagree but I think the numbers would suggest that on average Taylor Made drivers spin less than their Ping counterparts.

Agree. TM in general and especially the sim and sim2 drivers are lower spinning drivers compared to other brands in the same categories. The ping Max drivers have been some of the spinnier heads on the market.

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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I agree that fitting will help you get the most out of your setups. However, I was a long time Taylormade driver user and I still feel that I hit them longer than anything else BUT don't let the distance seduce you. I'm now using PING drivers (G410 LST), and my driving distance has dropped a little but I find more fairways and my misses don't punish me. I am shooting lower scores since switching to PING. Secondly, spend the time and money to find the best shaft for your swing. I have invested quite a bit in my driver but after I found the perfect shaft setup, I'm have increased my drives by 30 yards. Combine the new length, with hitting more fairways, and now I'm hitting short irons into greens.

Driver: image.png.3694600600c43a37c27394a7ea01ced0.png ZX5 10.5, HZRDUS Smoke 6.0

3 Wood: image.png.3694600600c43a37c27394a7ea01ced0.png ZX, HZRDUS Smoke 6.0

5 Wood: :callaway-small: Epic Flash, HZRDUS Smoke 6.0

4/5 Hybrid: :ping-small: G425, EvenFlow Black

Irons: :ping-small: i525s (6-UW), DG 105

Wedges: :ping-small: Glide 3.0 (54, 58 EYE2), Ping Z-Z115

Putter: :odyssey-small: White Hot RX, V-Line Fang, Super Stroke 3.0, image.png.1102aaa904b351f31a2644cd0d9d76e5.png Spyder X, Super Stroke 1.0

Ball: image.png.3694600600c43a37c27394a7ea01ced0.png Z-Star XV, White

 

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I hear the need for fitting many times over and have gone through that experience twice with major OEMs.  Both times were a disaster and I ended up selling the clubs within a month.

At your age and most likely with your golf history you know  what you are looking for better than someone else or some machine.  I do think that it's imperative that you demo both drivers if at all possible so that you can decide which one fits your needs the best. 

Since golf is played outdoors I would only demo on a outdoor grass driving range and not off mats.

Those are both good choices and there are a lot of recommendations for the Ping.  Seems like something to look at.  Good luck.

SIM2 Max Driver 10.5* Ventus 5-S

Cobra Rad Speed 3W 14.5* Evenflow Riptide CB Stiff

Ping G  4W 17.5* Ping Alta Reg

TM Ti  5W 19* Diamana FW 65 Reg

Titleist T-300 5-PW Amt Red Stiff

Vokey SM7 Wedges 46*  56*  60*

Ping Zing/Anser putter  85020/85029// TM Spider SR#9 Flo Neck

Titleist Pro V-1x 

 

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On 5/29/2021 at 3:46 PM, Beaumissy said:

Have narrowed a new driver down to two finalists.  Any suggestions or reasons to pick one over the other.  77 year old trying for max consistency and distance,(of course)

How did you narrow it down? Hitting them at the store or outdoor demos? 

If I were to randomly guess, with only having hit the G410+ and M5 as a comparison. I would say the Sim2 will likely go farther with less spin and have wider dispersion. The G425 should be more forgiving/straighter on mishits because of higher MOI. It is also more adjustable with the fade/draw weighting, the hosel adjustments for loft and lie are similar on both. 

The best way to decide would be to find a course where you could demo them while playing a round of golf, next best option would be to hit them on a monitor (preferably using a GC Quad so you can track where you are hitting the ball on the face) and hit your gamer balls if its indoors. 

:ping-small: G425 MAX Driver & 5W

:cobra-small: Baffler Rail-H 3H-4H

:Sub70: 699 Pro Utility V2 - 4i

:callaway-small: APEX CF19 6-AW

INDI Wedges 52, 56, 60 

 :edel-golf-1: EAS 2.0

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23 hours ago, Scotland blue said:

I hear the need for fitting many times over and have gone through that experience twice with major OEMs.  Both times were a disaster and I ended up selling the clubs within a month.

At your age and most likely with your golf history you know  what you are looking for better than someone else or some machine.  I do think that it's imperative that you demo both drivers if at all possible so that you can decide which one fits your needs the best. 

Since golf is played outdoors I would only demo on a outdoor grass driving range and not off mats.

Those are both good choices and there are a lot of recommendations for the Ping.  Seems like something to look at.  Good luck.

That’s too bad in regards to those fittings.  Like every profession there are good fitters and not so good ones. If you have enough fittings, no your normal numbers and have a sense of what you need to achieve to maximize distance for your swing you should be able to avoid a fitting disaster. I’ve had one in my life, fortunately the OEM allowed me to exchange my irons for something else.  
 

Most fitting disasters happen because the player is either swinging exceptionally well or poorly on the day of the fitting or because there is a break down in communication between the player and fitter. 

 

 

Ping has a nice array of no up charge shafts including a really good senior option. At slower swing speeds spin is not necessarily an enemy. It helps keep the ball in the air longer. 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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