2024 PING G430 MAX 10K Driver

[KevB_44]

I couldn't take it anymore so I had to indulge....

I have been playing TSr 3 and I have enjoyed it---man when I was on, this thing went for miles.   I am less accomplished than most that I play with, but I would routinely out drive them all.  It sounded great. It looked great.  At one point last summer, I don't think I was more than 10 feet off the fairway  ...but every now and then, I would get into a funk... and when I got into a funk, I had to work hard to get out of it.

I felt guilty when I started thinking about a Ping just to get a little more consistency, but I felt like I could really benefit from it if I could find it.   I picked up a G430 10K Max and the very first time I hit it I thought I must have broken it.   It sounded awful, it felt weird., but it went high and it went straight..... for a week or two in the cold and rain, I struggled going left (a bit of a hook) and getting a feel.   I think I was struggling to go from the TSr to the Ping.   

Fast forward to the weekend....  I think I have gotten accustomed to a different sound.  The feel does not match the Titleist, but all of a sudden, I am seeing the straightest flight I have ever seen.  Previously, my best drives had shape to them--typically a bit of a fade and my worst would slice. Now I see a high straight flight or a tight fade or even a slight draw.  The straighter flight is now resulting in drives every bit as long as what I would do with the TSr and I'm pretty sure that a few at the range were some of the longest I have ever hit. 

I have the 9 degree with the Ping Tour 2.0 Black which is the lowest launching shaft.  I like what I am seeing and will be getting my Ventus TR Black shaft refitted with a Ping adaptor.   Bottom line--i think it is only going to get better and I have quickly learned to accept the sound and gotten accustomed to the feel mostly because I am liking what I see in terms of performance.   I know when I was on with the TSr, I was happy, but when I went wayward, I went way wayward.   With this thing, I don't think I have hit anything that would qualify as a slice and I have hooked a few.  My average has been good, and now I am seeing my good stuff looking very promising.   I am looking forward to getting back in the groove and getting the Ventus TR in there and see how it compares to the Tour 2.0 Black.

[KevB_44]

I should also say that after the first couple times out with the Ping, I thought I made a mistake and it wasn't for me.   I take it back...   I really like the Titleist and it has been good---the look, the feel, the sound, and the distance, but for me it could be demanding and a few times I just would hesitate and hit my driving iron or a 3 or 5 wood figuring i would just have to make it up on the next shot--better to be in play than looking for a ball under a tree.  

I am hoping with the G430 10K Max, I might have the power and the accuracy to avoid "negotiating" at the tee on some days.   

[DukeStKing]

1 hour ago, KevB_44 said:

I couldn't take it anymore so I had to indulge....

I have been playing TSr 3 and I have enjoyed it---man when I was on, this thing went for miles.   I am less accomplished than most that I play with, but I would routinely out drive them all.  It sounded great. It looked great.  At one point last summer, I don't think I was more than 10 feet off the fairway  ...but every now and then, I would get into a funk... and when I got into a funk, I had to work hard to get out of it.

I felt guilty when I started thinking about a Ping just to get a little more consistency, but I felt like I could really benefit from it if I could find it.   I picked up a G430 10K Max and the very first time I hit it I thought I must have broken it.   It sounded awful, it felt weird., but it went high and it went straight..... for a week or two in the cold and rain, I struggled going left (a bit of a hook) and getting a feel.   I think I was struggling to go from the TSr to the Ping.   

Fast forward to the weekend....  I think I have gotten accustomed to a different sound.  The feel does not match the Titleist, but all of a sudden, I am seeing the straightest flight I have ever seen.  Previously, my best drives had shape to them--typically a bit of a fade and my worst would slice. Now I see a high straight flight or a tight fade or even a slight draw.  The straighter flight is now resulting in drives every bit as long as what I would do with the TSr and I'm pretty sure that a few at the range were some of the longest I have ever hit. 

I have the 9 degree with the Ping Tour 2.0 Black which is the lowest launching shaft.  I like what I am seeing and will be getting my Ventus TR Black shaft refitted with a Ping adaptor.   Bottom line--i think it is only going to get better and I have quickly learned to accept the sound and gotten accustomed to the feel mostly because I am liking what I see in terms of performance.   I know when I was on with the TSr, I was happy, but when I went wayward, I went way wayward.   With this thing, I don't think I have hit anything that would qualify as a slice and I have hooked a few.  My average has been good, and now I am seeing my good stuff looking very promising.   I am looking forward to getting back in the groove and getting the Ventus TR in there and see how it compares to the Tour 2.0 Black.

Everything you just posted, but substitute Paradym for TSR. The 10k is worth it for those 2-4 drives a round that were off. But when I tracked my Paradym with my GPS after an entire season, my average was 10 yards less than my old 425… the reason- more missed fairways. Landing in the rough canceled out the longest drives with the Paradym (and they were longer than with the 425). 

I will report back with my data after a season with the 10k. But I feel pretty confident in my hypothesis- that my season long average will be 10 yards longer… of course, I’m hoping for more. 
 

BTW: This may be anathema to most, but I actually missed the sound of my 425. 

Edited March 25 by DukeStKing

[KarlNacho]

Straighter is longer according to PING.  I would agree for the 10k.  So if you don't always hit the fairway, this might be your driver.

Edited March 26 by KarlNacho

[KarlNacho]

On 3/25/2024 at 12:00 PM, KevB_44 said:

I should also say that after the first couple times out with the Ping, I thought I made a mistake and it wasn't for me.   I take it back...   I really like the Titleist and it has been good---the look, the feel, the sound, and the distance, but for me it could be demanding and a few times I just would hesitate and hit my driving iron or a 3 or 5 wood figuring i would just have to make it up on the next shot--better to be in play than looking for a ball under a tree.  

I am hoping with the G430 10K Max, I might have the power and the accuracy to avoid "negotiating" at the tee on some days.   

Yeah the heavier ping heads can take a while to get used to.  I just got an Accra fx3 140 m0 to try in mine.

[MattA72]

Love my G430s, can’t believe they’ve found a way to improve them !

[KarlNacho]

3 hours ago, MattA72 said:

Love my G430s, can’t believe they’ve found a way to improve them !

There's really nothing like the 10k.  Ping may have changed the driver game a bit.

[Rearviewmirror]

I'm still a hair mixed with my 10K. I will have rounds or spells when it is absolutely perfect, and then rounds like yesterday where I get a dead hooking ballflight that only goes ~220yds. It's definitely me and not the club, but I'm wondering if something magically happens when you drop below a certain swing speed. I've been focusing a lot on contact with my other clubs and so wonder if that has taken SS down a notch on course.

I'm back on the swing speed training, so we will see if that changes things for the better. I am a bit tempted to buy a Tour 2.0 Chrome shaft and see if it performs differently.

[cnosil]

2 hours ago, Rearviewmirror said:

I'm still a hair mixed with my 10K. I will have rounds or spells when it is absolutely perfect, and then rounds like yesterday where I get a dead hooking ballflight that only goes ~220yds. It's definitely me and not the club, but I'm wondering if something magically happens when you drop below a certain swing speed. I've been focusing a lot on contact with my other clubs and so wonder if that has taken SS down a notch on course.

I'm back on the swing speed training, so we will see if that changes things for the better. I am a bit tempted to buy a Tour 2.0 Chrome shaft and see if it performs differently.

I'd look at spin; especially when you drop swing speed.  My guess is that influences your delivery which reduces spin which creates the snap hook ballflight.  

 

[Rearviewmirror]

4 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I'd look at spin; especially when you drop swing speed.  My guess is that influences your delivery which reduces spin which creates the snap hook ballflight.  

That's my hunch as well. It's a bit of a difficult beast finding the sweet spot between consistency and committed speedy delivery! 

[cnosil]

1 minute ago, Rearviewmirror said:

That's my hunch as well. It's a bit of a difficult beast finding the sweet spot between consistency and committed speedy delivery! 

I guess the question is what you are looking for with regards to consistency.  IMO , the driver is intended to be a max distance type club and if you try to swing it with less speed you will create more issues.   Not being committed is a mental game issue.   If I pull driver it is swing normal swing no matter what.  

[TylorJudd]

2 hours ago, Rearviewmirror said:

I'm still a hair mixed with my 10K. I will have rounds or spells when it is absolutely perfect, and then rounds like yesterday where I get a dead hooking ballflight that only goes ~220yds. It's definitely me and not the club, but I'm wondering if something magically happens when you drop below a certain swing speed. I've been focusing a lot on contact with my other clubs and so wonder if that has taken SS down a notch on course.

I'm back on the swing speed training, so we will see if that changes things for the better. I am a bit tempted to buy a Tour 2.0 Chrome shaft and see if it performs differently.

I’m not sure this is just limited to Ping, if I decide to let off the gas with my paradym it’s the same thing, I get a little too inside and find the toe and have a large window of left misses to choose from

[Rearviewmirror]

5 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I guess the question is what you are looking for with regards to consistency.  IMO , the driver is intended to be a max distance type club and if you try to swing it with less speed you will create more issues.   Not being committed is a mental game issue.   If I pull driver it is swing normal swing no matter what.  

1 minute ago, TylorJudd said:

I’m not sure this is just limited to Ping, if I decide to let off the gas with my paradym it’s the same thing, I get a little too inside and find the toe and have a large window of left misses to choose from

I think you're both right. I definitely find it a bit harder mentally to step on the gas with this club compared to my G425 which felt so so forgiving. I think part of that was the nightmare start I had with it and the wrong shaft (Tour Black) but I need to get back to a place of trust and total commitment.

[TylorJudd]

5 minutes ago, Rearviewmirror said:

I think you're both right. I definitely find it a bit harder mentally to step on the gas with this club compared to my G425 which felt so so forgiving. I think part of that was the nightmare start I had with it and the wrong shaft (Tour Black) but I need to get back to a place of trust and total commitment.

It can be physical too though, right. Especially if you walk the course, the energy golf requires is big. I try not to swing a bunch of drivers before the round, or only right after my 8 iron warm up to give myself time to rest before tee off

[DukeStKing]

Got my G430 Max 10k with Kai li white 60s this week and played yesterday. It was 50 degrees out with gusts of 30mph and wet. I still averaged a little over 250 despite the fact that it seemed like most of the holes were against the wind. What I think is the advantage of this club is that I tried to swing completely out of my shoes more than a couple of times and I wasn’t afraid of losing it- I did only once (that may have been a bit of fatigue on the back nine as this was my first walking round of the season). On the front nine I swung a few times as hard as I could and the ball stayed on the fairway after flying sooooo high. It’s a fun club for sure. 

[KarlNacho]

3 hours ago, DukeStKing said:

Got my G430 Max 10k with Kai li white 60s this week and played yesterday. It was 50 degrees out with gusts of 30mph and wet. I still averaged a little over 250 despite the fact that it seemed like most of the holes were against the wind. What I think is the advantage of this club is that I tried to swing completely out of my shoes more than a couple of times and I wasn’t afraid of losing it- I did only once (that may have been a bit of fatigue on the back nine as this was my first walking round of the season). On the front nine I swung a few times as hard as I could and the ball stayed on the fairway after flying sooooo high. It’s a fun club for sure. 

Yeah I found mine performs like a champ in the wind too.

[KevB_44]

I changed the tip and started playing the Ventus TR Black in mine vs the Ping 2.0 Black.   (I like the black profiles).   Not a huge adjustment as I think the shafts are at least similar.  I would say that where with the Ping shaft, I would see the ball flight go left and I had to be cognizant and diligent to avoid that, I can really bring some heat with the Ventus and everything has tightened up.  Most everything is dead straight or 5 yards left or right (I need to work a bit to fade it).  This driver is a laser pointer with the Ventus attached to it.

[ole gray]

I can’t imagine the 10k being better than the regular G430. Has anyone compared them?


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[bama no 1]

I have been looking at drivers and only tested the Callaway smoke thus far.  I will be trying out the ping and taylormade in a couple of weeks but will wait until after the new Titleist release before any purchase latter this year.

[Whoisskinny]

Finally got a proper driver fitting last week and ordered the G430 Max 10k. Waiting is definitely the hardest part. I was told 2-3 weeks and I’m hoping they are just managing expectations and it arrives sooner. Anyone else experience that long of a wait or delays? 

[KevB_44]

10 hours ago, bama no 1 said:

I have been looking at drivers and only tested the Callaway smoke thus far.  I will be trying out the ping and taylormade in a couple of weeks but will wait until after the new Titleist release before any purchase latter this year.

Why do you need to plant that seed in my head.....????    LOL

[KevB_44]

7 hours ago, Whoisskinny said:

Finally got a proper driver fitting last week and ordered the G430 Max 10k. Waiting is definitely the hardest part. I was told 2-3 weeks and I’m hoping they are just managing expectations and it arrives sooner. Anyone else experience that long of a wait or delays? 

Curious as to how your fitting went and what more precisely you were fit into if you wouldn't mind sharing....

[sp513]

8 hours ago, Whoisskinny said:

Finally got a proper driver fitting last week and ordered the G430 Max 10k. Waiting is definitely the hardest part. I was told 2-3 weeks and I’m hoping they are just managing expectations and it arrives sooner. Anyone else experience that long of a wait or delays? 

Ping delivered mine right in that 2-3 week window.  It was the same estimate I received.

[David Leighton Reid]

I have purchased a G430 Max 10k head that will arrive this week.  I couldn't help myself after the community call discussing this driver.  My plan is to use the shafts I currently have for my G425 Max.  

[jswatson0917]

On 4/4/2024 at 6:45 AM, MattA72 said:

Love my G430s, can’t believe they’ve found a way to improve them !

Same if I hadn't shelled out the cash for the Max in December I would seriously consider this, especially after everything I have read about it

 

[David Leighton Reid]

I have played three rounds with my new Ping G430 Max 10k and I have to say that I am very impressed.  The Max 10k just seems to be a fairway finder.  And I do believe it is longer than my Ping G425 Max.  I am using a UST MP5 ladies flex shaft or a ProLaunch Blue 45 in stiff flex and both work well in this head.  My swing weight is at D1, which is the same as I was playing with the G425 with some lead tape added.  My misses with the Max 10k aren't straying far from the fairway and retaining good distance.  As advertised, impact sound is muted compared to the G425 Max.  So far, I am a happy buyer.

[Rearviewmirror]

Alright, I think I may finally have found my dream shaft/10K combo after a bunch of searching! Two rounds in with the Chrome 2.0 and it is an absolute weapon. I'm finally consistently seeing the distance I saw in my fitting, along with a WAY tighter dispersion.

Still figuring out aim line, as I seem to either hit it dead straight or with a 15-20yd draw, so it's still something i'm calibrating. That said, I hit some absolute bombs today (some of the course was downhill, so hard to tell if that was a major influence), but everything was comfortably over 250yds with a few in the 270/280yd+ range. 

Hoping to take it out on my home course next week, so that'll be the clearest test yet of this shaft/head combo. Definitely getting a bit more height out of this shaft, than the RDX, so I may eventually go back down to 10.5 (currently playing this in the small plus setting).

[RangerGrey]

I couldn't resist the temptation as I order a 10.5 10K Max with a Oban Kiyoshi Purple Tour Reserve shaft as I love my PING BPS so why not but the rest of my woods will be Callaway. Straighter is Longer is what they say as my Ai Smoke Max D was very nice but I want straighter as I have played Oban Shafts before as I love the feel of them over anything else. The Purple was the best of the Oban bunch for me.  I played the Fujikura Speeder NX Blue in my Ai Smoke Max D as it was just ok, the best Speeder I ever hit was a my Evolution VI 757 that was in my Cobra Radsped. To me they were just as nice as the Blue Vents TR with a bit more accuracy. 

[Rearviewmirror]

I was playing around with a lighter 25g back weight at the range today and noticed a much tighter dispersion with the Tour Chrome 2.0. Going to try it on course tomorrow and see how it goes!

[Rearviewmirror]

Great first round with the 10K and the 25g weight with the Tour Chrome 2.0 in stiff. I think this is my gamer combo going forward (mainly just to let it settle in). I wasn't seeing any two way misses any more, and the miss was a pull hook, which is me, not the club.

If anyone else is struggling with inconsistency in dispersion sometimes, I would definitely think about trying a lighter headweight. Way cheaper than going with a new shaft.