The Best Driver In The World - Ping G10

Ping G10

The best driver in the world is not Louis Hamilton, Alonso or Jensen Button.

Before I declare to you the real McCoy, I want you to know that you have come to the right place if you are looking for reliable and unbiased information on golf equipments. I have also made the selection based on users' reviews, professional assessments including those that conducted tests without advertisement revenue, ratings from A list golf magazines and my personal usage and test. 


As the saying goes: "Drive for show and putt for dough", the golf driver is perhaps the most difficult club to handle like a wild stallion to be tamed and subdued by virtue of the fact that it is not only the longest club in the bag but also the one with the lowest loft (except the putter). It doesn't help that over here in Asia, there isn't a strong culture of club-fitting especially for the driver and the standard combination they offer you are the stock 10.5 degree regular flex or 9.5 degree stiff flex since Singapore is a small market and not many will select a 9.5 degree with regular shaft. I will provide you with more important information in separate articles but in the meantime, let's get down and dirty.

Ping engineers used a Gray Supercomputer and coined the G10 as the Power of 10 using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). It has a 199g traditional looking, confidence inspiring 460cc head fitted to an excellent 45.75 inch TFC129 D burnt orange 60g stock shaft with torque of 4.6. Lie angle is 58 degrees with a swing weight of D3. I shall now give you the ratings by top magazines' reviews.

Accolades

Ping G10's crown sections are thinned to save weight in order to lower the CG. The sole and sloped crown are designed to work with variable-thickness face to improve energy transfer. A very nice club that produces solid results. Very solid and yet soft feeling. You can't see the technology but the results are amazing. An all-round brilliant driver with a faint half-moon alignment aid. Definitely 5-star quality performer.

You will not find anything negative and the sound that it produces are solid and sweet, exactly how a driver should sound. Distance and accuracy are lethal and it is straight and long off the tee all day. You will love the feel and sound at impact. A highly recommended best seller. By far, this has to be the best driver - long and forgiving and it will help you to keep up with the younger and stronger guys. 

This club will outperform all others in each category. Shot dispersion is tight, ball flight is consistent and it has a medium launch and trajectory. Despite being forgiving, it is somewhat workable and off centre hits have minimal loss in direction and distance. You do not feel like it is twisting or turning and has a good one-piece feel throughout the swing. A definite winner being such an outstanding performer and fairway splitter. You feel like you can go and crush it!

Despite great competition from many new drivers both n 2008 and 2009 where every major brands have launched many new models G10 could hold its ground being an all-rounder. It just works marvellously and is appealing to all - high, mid and even low handicappers.

Ratings

In terms of Looks, I will give it 9 out of 10 since nothing is perfect in this world and I like one with a traditional look. For Forgiveness, I would reckon that you will still need a relatively decent swing as it doesn't swing itself so I shall rate it a 8.5. I rate its Feel at 9 and Distance as 8.8.

Low handicappers will find it best and would love it. Tests conducted by neutral testers have shown the Ping G10 as the best for low handicappers, best for feel, best for distance and best overall. I will readily give it a solid Gold 5-star rating!

Believe you me, in the years that I have been studying the subject, never before have the same club let alone a driver been chosen as the best club by several golf magazines and reviews at the same time and to top that in two successive years in 2008/2009 is really a mean feat. Remember that all the other drivers mentioned are also top notch and many more brands and models were introduced in 2009 itself.

GuruGeoff: I am playing a Ping G10 with American specs Regular stock TFC129D shaft with a loft of 10.5 degree at 45.75 inches length. Swing weight is D3. I like my driver to have a traditional look which gives confidence at address. The TFC129D shaft is indeed a better shaft than previous Ping stock shafts, not whippy and gives you a balance feel and exactness. At 460cc, the head does not look a tad too big and even at 10.5 degree, it provides a nice boring trajectory without ballooning. Upon impact, it gives off a sweet, beautiful sound and the solid feel has to be experienced to believe. 

Distance achieved is very good and results are fabulous and even on heel or toe hits you are still likely to be within the fairways due to its tight dispersion. Indeed, it is a fairway splitter, a winner which is simply outstanding. Although suitable for a broad range of players from high to low handicappers due to it being as forgiving as a Golden Retriever (anything more forgiving and you have to go to church), I would still advocate that you slug it out with a test drive at the range as I feel it may not be suitable for slower swingers. 

It is certainly the best driver I have ever played and do take note that this is saying a lot as I have owned, played with and tested many drivers over the years and across all brands and models. Do yourself a favour, go try out and get one but do not play in my flight. Even the rust-coloured club head cover is easy to use and is forgiving as it allows for easy removal, protection and cover.

What are you waiting for? It is so good I have even thought of buying another one just in case they stop producing it.


Golf as in life, play as it lies.