© Ping Golf

© Ping Golf

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” is how the late boxing great Muhammed Ali handled challengers in the ring. On the golf course, player’s drives can now float like a dragonfly with the insect inspired design found in the new Ping G driver. The engineers at Ping have strengthened the ultra-thin crown using the design pattern mimicking a dragonfly’s wing which produces a lower and deeper center of gravity and higher launch angle. Marty Jertson, PING's director of product development explains, “Normally when you go thinner, people worry about denting and the sound not being all that great. The driver, if anything, sounds a little bit deeper, and the crown is plenty durable.”

Improved aerodynamics also play a role in the G driver performance with the Vortec technology at the rear of the head. Drag is reduced 37% at impact with the rectangular, concave Vortec feature just below the crown at the back of the clubhead which means improved stability and speed through the golf swing. The symmetrical, pear-shaped G head improves airflow as well.

Though the previous G30 driver used moveable weights to control ball flight, Ping omitted the adjustable weights and released three head versions for players who prefer particular trajectories. The G standard has a square face angle with two lofts available 9 and 10.5. Each loft is adjustable +/- 1 degree with the lightweight, aluminum hosel sleeve. A number of custom shaft options are available and the first step in selecting the right specification is the online fitting engine nFlight Web found on the Ping website which gives players a static fitting for Ping’s range of products. In case a playing partner has a question about longer drives, simply explain that the ball has dragonfly’s wings.