Kevin's Ping G15 Driver Review

[kfowler]

I picked up the new Ping G15 Driver last week. I've been able to play a couple of rounds with it so here's my review.

Specs
G15 Driver
Loft: 9.0*
Length: 45.75"
Head Weight: 204g
Shaft: Ping TFC 149D Stiff 5.3 Torque and 60g Weight



Background
I've been using a 2007 TaylorMade Burner Draw 10.5* with stock Re Ax 50 gram stiff shaft. I liked the club but was seeing too much draw and way too high ball flight. My swing spreed averages around 103 mph. My average drives with this club have been 220-240 yards. I got absolutely no roll due to the launch angle. Measured on video, it looked like my launch angle was around 18*.

So I was looking for lower more penetrating ball flight and a more neutral face.

Appearance
The driver is a 460cc but a little more traditional than some of the pear and square faced drivers. The head is black with a dark red decal for alignment. Some people will not like the decal but it's pretty subtle due to the color.

Performance
I can't say enough about this driver so far. According to my GPS, my last round I did not have a drive less than 260 yards. My low end drives have been around 240 while the upper end 260+. I've noticed that even drives that were toward the two, still went 260. I guess the MOI is really working here. A lot of the increase distance I attribute to a better fitting loft and shaft more than anything else. The ball flight is much more penetrating and I'm getting better roll on the landings.

Some of my local stores had commented that Ping had worked to make a "hotter" face with the G15 to G10. I've hit the G10 several times but not enough to compare.

The driver seems pretty easily to hit. I've been fairly consistent with it other than the occasional hard push or snap hook.

One of the attributes I like most about the G15 is the sound at impact. It's sounds very much like a whip cracking. Impact sounds seems to be all personal taste but it certainly can help add confidence if the sound is pleasing to your ear.

Interestingly, my last two rounds have been two of my better handicap scores of the season. Part of this can be attributed to short game practice and another part is certainly the increased distance on the drives.

Price
You can expect to pay $299. Unfortunately you're paying new club price but even the G10 has only dropped to $250. Still it's better than paying $400 like I did several years ago for the Titleist 907 D1.

Summary
I think all of the major manufactures make quality drivers. Some are just better fit for a person. All personal taste. The G15 seems to be a great driver so far. It has all the attributes I've been looking for. Only negative would be that we only have about 2 months left in the season here to play with it.

[CG031]

Ping truly makes great clubs, let me tell ya. I've had two drivers the past 3 years, both Pings (g5, g10) and I'll strongly consider the g15 and i15 when I go driver shopping again.

[kfowler]

I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to try the i15 as they did not have any in yet. I probably still need the forgiveness of the G15 but would have liked to hit it.

[MSchumacher]

I read a lot of reviews about the G10 being really long. Is this true or just bs? Does Ping make the longest drivers out there?

[kfowler]

I read a lot of reviews about the G10 being really long. Is this true or just bs? Does Ping make the longest drivers out there?

Not sure but it seems manufactures have already pushed the envelope on distance for what the USGA will allow. Plus anytime I see those driver studies in Golf Mag it appears the yardage difference is negligable 3-5 yards. I still believe it has more to do with which driver better fits you.

Now if you want to talk about the HammerX, that's another story.

[MSchumacher]

Now if you want to talk about the HammerX, that's another story.

I already have the HammerX shipping to me. Can't wait.

[kfowler]

I already have the HammerX shipping to me. Can't wait.

POWWWWW!!!!!!!!

This has become this biggest joke among my golfing buddies at work. We walk around the office saying "WAMMMMM!" and "Looks like a sword and cuts through the air like a knife."

[Taylor Shrake]

Have to confirm the G15 driver is really awesome for lack of a better term. It added about 10-15 more yards on my drives and they all seem to launch higher(which I needed) Very forgiving, very tradional. I love ping drivers

[mirv]

the guy who owns the course near my house is always letting me try out various clubs/balls/etc that he has in the clubhouse. about three weeks ago, i commented i'd been having some trouble with my driver, and he got out a demo G10 he had in the back and said i could take it out for nine holes and see how i liked it. i got approximately the same distance as my callaway big bertha but the g10 was clearly more forgiving. i'm interested to try out the g15.

[RandomRaiderTTU]

I've got a G5 right now.

It's not the longest driver that I've ever hit, but it's the most forgiving.

Where I notice the most forgiveness is out on the toe of the club. I can catch one out there and still get the "oohs and aahs" of my buddies when in my head I'm thinking "dangit, hit it off the toe". The ball will stay pretty straight and loss of distance isn't that bad.

I'm interested in the G15, but I'm kind of a "ain't broke, don't fix it" guy and the G5 is working well for me right now.

However, when the time arrives, I'll give the Pings a look for sure.

[Balto]

Just wondering if you took the "09" Burner for a test drive as well? I'm guessing they improved on the "07" Burner. I'm actually trying to decide between 09 Burner (irons and driver) and either the G10 or G15 (irons and driver) ATM.

[browndog]

Just picked up a G15 3 wood. Yup, I gotta get the driver now :)

[Dub]

Cool review.


Glad to hear that you guys are pleased with those G15s.


I know the G10 I gamed for a while was very long for me. I wished I'd ordered a different shaft for it.

[bogeyhitter25]

The only Ping driver I've hit was my buddy's G5. Such an underrated club.

[kfowler]

Just wondering if you took the "09" Burner for a test drive as well? I'm guessing they improved on the "07" Burner. I'm actually trying to decide between 09 Burner (irons and driver) and either the G10 or G15 (irons and driver) ATM.

Balto - I did not. I actually like the Burner head. My issue was more with the Re Ax shaft. Which I could have changed of course. I still plan on keeping the old 07 Burner.

[lionelp4]

I had a full fitting session at Ping recently. I was really enthusiastic to try the i15 driver as I had seen shots of it on the internet - it looked really good - I think the black faced drivers always do - is that just me ?
On hitting the driver (I usually use 10.5 degrees loft so tried the 11 as 10.5 is not an option) I was rather underwhelmed. I was striking them nice but they weren't getting out there. The fitter explained that I wasn't getting enough backspin (about 2200) and I should try the G15. Suddenly I was carrying the ball a good 15 to 20 yards further and my backspin readings were now over 2600.
One of the main things I personally look for with a driver is how it sits at address and to me the G15 is a real winner. Of-course had I not gone for a fitting I would have have been purchasing the i15 and been an unhappy chappy !
I've played golf for 40 years and this was my first ever fitting. I would recommend the experience to everyone and I can't recommend Ping highly enough.

[Drudersh]

I went to one of the golf mega stores with the intention of buying either a 909D2 or a 909D3 but was willing to experiment beyond those two as I had some time on my hands. I started with the 909 series, the D2 I had hit before and knew that would work for me reasonably well but I was excited to try the D3 to see if I could get more workability. I could, and was interested, but someone had left behind both a G15 and an i15 at the range so I decided to hit them both. The i15 was unimpressive, felt clunky and too hard off the face at impact and tended to spray and I am starting to get the feeling that only the truly good players should be playing these fade biased "gamer" drivers. I don't shoot even par enough to call myself a true gamer but I do it enough to think that I can have an opinion and these clubs require too good a swing for the true amateur. The G15 is a completely different story. This club is absolutely awesome. The feel is nothing like the G10 which almost felt too soft with a face like a trampoline. The ball simply melts off the face of this club on good swings and on halfway decent swings with me it produced a decently high (I fight the low ball off the tee) mini draw. What I really like about the club is that it's finally gotten to the point where you can feel the technology working to help you slow your swing and get the result your looking for without having to swing too hard. You can watch the ball hang in the air with smug satisfaction knowing your carrying it 10-20 yards longer than you used to.
I've read some reviews that say "you can't fade the ball with this club" and "the ball tends to just go straight with little workability", false. You can hit a beautiful high fade if you know anything at all about how to produce one, and a draw if that tickles your fancy. I've read reviews that say "the trajectory on this club is too high", false. Get a stiff shaft if your ball flight is too high and you don't want to hit a 9.5 idiots. I'm not the longest hitter and the second time I took this club out I hit 3 drives that were 300+ two of which were over 320, and yes, all were in the fairway.
So is this the best driver ever??? I don't know but I know that I like it a hell of a lot. There are a million options out there and while it's good for me I doubt that it would be a very good club for someone with a significantly slower swing speed than my own. Will it cure your tendency to slice the ball or snap hook it towards the end of the season or when your back is sore and you get lazy? Probably not, there is MARKED improvement on off center hits but you can still put an ugly swing on a golf ball and hit a crappy drive, that's the nature of the game people, don't listen to anyone who tells you a club is the end all be all and will fix you right up they've probably sold insurance at some point in their life. I can tell you that if your into feel off the face, a slightly longer shaft and marked improvement in the carry department, check out the G15, and unless your scratch, leave the i15 on the rack.