After keeping the Ping G20 Driver in the bag for the majority of the season last year, I was certainly excited to take a look at the new Ping G25 Driver. The G25 has a new look, added adjustability, and also features a larger face.
Ping G25 Driver
While the G25 is the updated version of the G20 (and the sixth release in the G-series of drivers), it feels different enough from the prior model to make it feel like more of a new club than an iteration on last year’s release. This is likely amplified quite a bit by the drastically different look – but it certainly is more than the G20 with a few tweaks.
After putting the club in play for a dozen rounds, the one word the comes to mind to describe the driver is “easy.”
The driver is extremely easy to hit and is more consistent in flight, trajectory, and dispersion than any prior driver that I’ve reviewed. The G25 is extremely easy to hit and that’s a great feeling when you’re addressing the ball. Honestly, it’s pretty hard to miss a fairway with the G25.
The matte black top of the crown is a nice change to the driver and one that I strongly prefer. The matte finish removes glare and makes the head of the club feel huge. The only noticeable visuals looking down on the club are the alignment aid and the white lines on the face of the club. The club is minimalist in nature and has a great overall look.
The driver comes in lofts of 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degrees. All of the lofts are adjustable by half a degree and the adjustability is achieved by opening and closing the club face. I tested out the 9.5 version with the stock TFC 189 shaft and settled on the neutral position and natural loft.
The biggest surprise to me was the launch that I received from the club. The ball consistently flew noticeably higher than any other driver that I’ve had in play for quite some time. While most people that I’ve talked to that have used the driver have noticed more distance, I couldn’t seem to find the extra yardage with the driver. Although the driver does have a very high ball flight, I didn’t seem to gain (or lose) any yardage that was significant.
It’s worth noting that the one area where the G20 out-performed the newer version for me is in the sound of the ball coming off the club face. While it’s always hard to represent the sound of the driver in words – the G20 had the perfect sound for me while the G25 sounds more shallow than I prefer.
Overall – this is a great driver and it earns high marks for it’s consistency and for how easy it is to hit.
Ping G25 Fairway Wood
When I put the G25 driver in the bag, I also paired it with the G25 Fairway wood.
The fairway wood that I matched the driver with was the 3 wood (15 degree). As expected, the overall look of the clubs match well and the clubs have similar characteristics and consistency across the G25 line.
While I didn’t notice a difference in yardage with the driver, it was certainly noticeable with the fairway.
Compared to other similar specs from other manufacturers – the fairway wood is giving me an extra 10 to 15 yards on pure strikes and slight misses are comparable to good strikes with other fairway woods. I clearly enjoy this fairway wood – it’s about as good as it gets for all around performance.
The G25 Family
The combination of the G25 Driver and Fairway are a great match for both looks and performance. The pairing of these two clubs are a pleasure to have in the bag and a nice combination that is worth exploring.
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