50 Word or Less
Exactly what you’d expect from a PING G series driver: super forgiving, long and straight. Has one of the biggest footprints of any driver, but the matte black keeps it looking slick.
Introduction
Every two years, just like clockwork, PING releases a new G series driver that adds a new wrinkle to the well-established formula of FORGIVING + LONG = GOOD DRIVER. With the G25, that new wrinkle is adjustability. Just as with the Anser driver, you can add or subtract 0.5° of loft, which will also change the face angle 1°.
Looks
There’s not too much to say here: it’s big, it’s black and…uhhh…that’s about it.
The G25 has a really big footprint; it’s big from heel to toe and front to back. For a lot of people that’s confidence-inspiring, and I’d guess it’s part of the reason this club is so easy to hit.
The matte black crown, a look that PING basically owns, is awesome. It kills all the glare and it looks mean.
Sound & Feel
On a scale from “Old Timey Persimmon” (quiet) to “2000’s Cobra” (ear-splitting), the PING G25 falls somewhere in the middle; it’s not super loud nor is it whisper quiet. The sound tends towards more of a metallic crack, which is typical of most drivers today.
As far as feedback, most centered shots feel pretty similar, but you will know it when you catch one significantly towards the toe or heel. It seems that for clubs this forgiving, you do lose a little of the sensitivity to impact location, but I will happily lose that feel for extra distance and fairways.
Performance
As with any PING product, performance is what it’s really about, and the G25 does perform. The most notable feature of the G25 is its forgiveness. I hit the ball all over the face (on purpose, of course) and saw minimal ball speed loss when compared to other drivers. Additionally, heel and toe shots didn’t produce the big gear effect hooks and slices that you might expect from other drivers.
On the range, the G25 is almost boring to hit: put a decent swing on it and the ball is going to go high and straight.
The other thing that always amazes me about PING is the quality of their stock shafts. Lots of equipment nerds (myself included) hold their nose at the thought of playing stock shafts, but in the case of the G25, the shaft and head were literally made for each other. The TFC 189D shaft is back weighted (heavier in the butt) to counterbalance the heavier G25 head. According to PING, this leads to more swing speed and distance.
Conclusion
The bottom line is this: whether you’re one of the best drivers on the PGA Tour like Hunter Mahan or an everyday 30-handicap, you can play the G25 and have fun. I’m not sure there’s any other driver on the market that I would blindly recommend to golfers over the G25. Right off the rack, the G25 is exceptionally solid, and when it’s fine-tuned to your specifications, it can be an absolute beast.
Price, Specs, and Manufacturer Notes
The PING G25 driver retails for $349.
It comes in 8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°, and 12°, and all lofts are available for lefties, too.
The stock shaft is PING’s proprietary TFC 189D, which comes in 5 flexes, from Soft-R to Tour-X.
Watch the Video
Matt Saternus
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Nice review Matt…haven’t gamed a Ping driver in a while, but am in love with my i20 3-wood. Outstanding club – and say what you want about their irons, but Ping makes the nicest looking drivers and fairways out there today…
Agreed on the looks of the woods, the matte black is the best crown finish by a mile.
Excellent review Matt. Yep, though I had the i20 in my bag last year, and hit it as well as I’ve hit my driver in years, three guys that play in my swat switched for the i20 to the G25.
All three can play and I respect their opinions so I had shop credit and even though I can’t play right now, I picked up the G25 with the stock TFC 189D(S), which 2 of the 3 guys went with, haha, and the one’s definitely a “snob,” lol.
I don’t think that I’ve heard or read a negative review on the 25, which is rare indeed.
Again, great review!
Fairways & Greens My Friemd,
Richard
Thanks, Richard.
I would really be hard pressed to say anything bad about the club. Obviously some people may like the look or feel of other drivers better, but from a performance standpoint there just isn’t anything but good stuff going on here.
Let me know your thoughts on it when you get it on the course!
Haha, Dude, a little OT, though am I able to put a pic in my box here next to my comments?
Thanx Much
My Best,
Richard
RP, if you register a profile with http://www.gravatar.com you can assign a ‘global avatar’ that will be recognized by blogs etc
Brad beat me to it. Gravatar is the answer.
Just started golf and bought a G25 on the back of this. Fingers crossed.
Thank You both :)
Fairways & Greens 4ever
WoW, this technology’s incredible!!
I just entered it at wordpress.com site, and wala, it appeared here.
I’m adjusting pretty well to the virtual world, though I just ripped off a quad post on another site, LMAO, and I wasn’t on my phone.
I hadda go with black/white cuz the color was too dark.
Black/white doesn’t do me justice, though that is a pretty good smiling shot ;)
Thanx for the help Guys
Fairways & Greens 4ever
Supposedly the most forgiving driver on the market!
Great review! What are the face angles of the G25 driver when the loft adjustment is at zero? Is the face angle different for each club?
William,
At the stated loft, the G25 should be square. Be aware, though, that every manufacturer has tolerances of about +/- 1*, so if you look through the rack you may find some that are a little open, some that are a bit closed. If you know for sure that you want something with a closed face, you could also buy a little less loft and leave it set up closed/with higher loft.
Best,
Matt