Ping G5 Driver Golf Club

Okay, so I'm playing golf last week on an upscale Championship style course for the first time in a while (been playing P&P and Par 3 with the kids) and this guy that's about half my size is destroying perfectly struck fades and draws with his driver and getting it by me. I was taken back a bit because I am used to being the longest off the tee. But the thing that got me was the guy wasn't even swinging very hard - just very smooth and mechanically sound.

I then noticed his driver had a HUGE head on it and I started thinking about mine. I've been using a Titleist 975D driver I purchased about seven years ago. At the time the 975D with a V65 shaft was the hottest thing on the market. But after viewing what's out there these days, technology seems to have come a loooong way in recent years.

I was at a local Sports store and I noticed that a lot of the Drivers are selling for $200 or less and they're all HUGE (400+ cc)! I had resisted these in the past because I just feel like Bozo the clown holding one in my hands and also because I still like my 975D (which cost $500 new way back when). But I couldn't shake the memory of the guy that was killing it straight almost effortlessly.

I then headed to an Edwin Watts nearby to take a look around. I noticed a line of Ping Drivers that looked appealing to me. I picked out a G5 Driver (9* with a stiff Aldila shaft) and hit a few into the net. I have always used and enjoyed Ping irons and thought to myself, "What the heck?". The club felt solid and strong, so I signed it out as a demo. The first thing I noticed is that the club is designed such so that it doesn't look as big as it really is. I think it's due to the fact that the face is so tall that a lot of the size comes in the height, which is very appealing to me. Some of the other companies (e.g. Titleist) have gone to really weird looking shapes (like the long, flat look .. eww!) and this club looks quite "traditional", if that's possible for a "metal" wood. ;)

I took the club to the range and started warming up thoroughly with all my clubs in succession (as is my routine) before ending with the big stick(s). I was convinced I'd see negligible differences and just return the club to EW - no big deal. Well, I hit a few with my Titleist and then switched to the Ping off and on and slowly I began to realize how this little guy had driven the ball as he had. The G5 is SOOOOO easy to hit. The giant head filled me with confidence to swing as hard as I wanted and slight mis-hits were not penalized nearly as much as the ones that come off my 975D. And despite the face having almost no grooves, I could work it both directions with ease. The bottom line is this Ping G5 Driver was so much easier to hit than anything I've used before! Average hits were landing on the fly where my 975D shots stopped rolling. And hits on the sweet spot were just absolute bombs!

I am looking to purchase a similar club to the one I demoed here on Ebay, but with less loft (7.5*) and a heavier, extra stiff Aldila shaft (75 or 85X) as I swing very hard and the stiff 9* model tended to produce blocks instead of draws, unless I really slowed my swing down.

I'd like to thank those who have warned others about the knock-off clubs. I am new to Ebay and will make sure the seller has a good reputation and provides the serial #. The low ratings obscure the reality that this is a tremendous club, but I'm also glad that folks are looking out for the welfare of others. :)