Ultimate forgiveness? Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood Review

A new carbon fiber crown on the Ping G430 promises huge gains on Ping’s already industry-leading fairway woods.

Ever since Ping introduced the G2 range way back in 2004 the ‘G’ marquee has produced some of the most forgiving and best fairway woods available. Each generation since has slowly primped and preened the model, to be better looking, more forgiving, and produce faster ball speeds.

The trend continues with the new Ping G430 fairway wood family, but this time around, thanks to a new wraparound carbon fiber crown on top, Ping say golfers will see their biggest ever single-generation gains from a G fairway wood. We’ll see how it performs in our test of the best fairway woods.

The Ping G430 is a three-model family, with an option that suits everyone from high-speed players, to average club golfers and slicers – if you don’t know which you need then use our guide to ensure you get the right fairway wood for your game.

Everything you need to know about the Ping G430 fairway woods

That’s a wrap

For the first time, the G430 fairway woods all have wraparound eight-layer carbon fiber crowns. Ping engineers spent six months of research on understanding how, by applying the same strokes gained approach they use with drivers, saving 10g of weight from high up in the head could mean in terms of better scoring.

It led the company to think that a higher MOI isn’t always the way to scoring lower. So, whilst the center of gravity of the LST, MAX and SFT are optimized for their target player, in an unprecedented Ping way, while the MOI isn’t any higher on any of the three models, dispersion numbers have drastically reduced. Ping say it’s a move that changes what forgiveness means.   

  

Favour the toe

Variable Face Thickness (VFT) is nothing new in metal wood construction, it helps improve face flex and preserves ball speed when shots don’t hit the center of the face. Ping say the G430 fairways have a new toe-side VFT which maximizes ball speeds for centered strikes while and protecting ball speeds on golfers’ most typical mishits. 

All adjustable

From top to bottom Ping are a custom fit brand, so whilst other companies flit in and out of including adjustable hosels in their fairway woods and hybrids, it’s a constant for Ping.

Whilst there’s no moving CG shifter to alter ball flight like there is in Ping drivers, there is 1.5° of loft adjustability. It means golfers can dial in the ball flight or specific yardage gap they’re looking for, plus there’s the ability to dial in a 1° flatter lie angle – a set-up good players often want.    

The LST is Ti

It’s not quite ready to be introduced just yet but we’ve had it on good authority there will be a matching G430 LST fairway, and this time around it’s going to have a full-on titanium chassis, where the MAX and SFT are 17-4 steel.   

The 2041 Beta titanium LST will set golfers back just as much as a modern driver (it uses the same construction method, so why wouldn’t it?), but thanks to its lightweight chassis there will be a mammoth 80g tungsten sole plate. So even though it’s a low-spin model, it will be more playable than most brands’ forgiving fairway offerings.       

Spinsistency

The days of woods having uniform curve across and up the face (known as roll and bulge) are well and truly over.

Engineers used to talk about roll and bulge offering ‘gear effect’ that brings off-center hits back online, but more advanced analysis nowadays shows shots hit low on the face spin more, which costs distance, while shots hit high on the face spin less, causing the ball to nose-dive out of the air.

Ping’s solution (a little like TaylorMade’s Twist Face tech) is to make the face more ovoid in shape (from sole to crown), rather than a traditional circle with a consistent radius. It means the lower part of the face has less loft, so shots spin less and go further, yet higher up the face there’s more loft (which means more spin) so shots stay in the air for longer.

The idea gives greater spin and distance consistency, no matter where shots impact the face, hence the name ‘Spinsistency’. Thanks to the efficiency of ‘Spinsistency’, the G430 fairways have slightly more loft (up from 14.5 to 15 in the 3 wood), which helps maximize playability. 

How the Ping G430 fairway woods differ

Ping G430 LST Fairway Wood

RRP: £550 / $600

Lofts: 3W – 15°

Stock shaft: Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome or Black

LST stands for Low Spin Technology which usually means this fairway will be most at home in the hands of high swing speed players, and those who have no difficulty launching and flighting fairway wood shots from the turf. Thanks to the titanium chassis, you’ll also need to be a serious golfer to warrant investing in such a costly model.

For those that do Ping, say the center of gravity is lower and further from the face, and there’s 1.1mph more ball speed on offer for golfers swinging at 105+mph (with a driver). At that speed, shots will launch fractionally higher (0.7°) but spin 400 RPM less than the previous G425 LST fairway wood. The really impressive gain though is an 18% tighter dispersion, which comes down to the center of gravity optimization, made possible by the new carbon crown and titanium chassis.        

Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood

RRP: £350 / $385 | VIEW UK OFFER | VIEW US OFFER

Lofts: 3 – 15° / 5 – 18° / 7 – 21° / 9 – 24°

Stock shaft: Ping Alta CB Black, Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome, Ping Tour 2.0 Black

The fairway wood for the masses, Ping say the model will fit more players than previous MAX offerings. You’ll want to be a golfer who doesn’t need much extra help to flight shots from the turf, you’ll likely spray shots across the face, but also be somebody who isn’t specifically flighting a persistent slice. For very moderate-speed players (that’s less than 85mph with a driver) there’s also a new High Launch setup that’s lighter and easier to launch.  

A new wrapped carbon crown frees up 10g of weight which is redistributed to lower the center of gravity. A tighter roll radius low on the face maximizes ball speed and reduces spin, so golfers can expect 5+ more yards on low-face impacts. Compared to the previous G425 fairway wood, the center of gravity has been lowered, so golfers swinging between 90 – 105mph (with a driver) can expect a fraction more ball speed and launch (0.3mph and 0.2°), a little lower spin (-200 RPM) and crucially a 14% tighter dispersion.  

Ping G430 SFT Fairway Wood

RRP: £350 / $385 | VIEW OFFER

Lofts: 3 – 16° / 5 – 19° / 7 – 22°

Stock shaft: Ping Alta CB Black, Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome, Ping Tour 2.0 Black

The SFT (Straight Flight Technology) is Ping’s most forgiving fairway wood, a fraction extra loft and slightly lighter swing weight mean the flatter, wider head is super easy to launch. You won’t find a more draw-biased fairway wood on the market in 2023. This model often works best for players suited to Ping’s lighter wood shafts, which are the Alta CB Black and Alta Quick. 

Compared to the G425 SFT fairway, golfers swinging at less than 90 mph (with a driver) can expect a gain of 2-3 mph in ball speed, which will equate to 7 yards of distance. Impressively, thanks to the new weight set-up, you should also benefit from a 22% tighter dispersion too. 

Gains across the range

Ping promises distance gains across the entire G430 range. Here’s how they add up:

Video: How does the Ping G430 Max compare to other leading 2024 fairway woods?

Verdict: Ping G430 Max fairway wood

It would be easy to question why Ping’s one-year-old and very costly G430 Max fairway justifies a place among our list of elite fairway woods in 2024, especially when the competition is so hot. But unlike the Titleist TSR fairways, the G430 isn’t scheduled to be replaced this year. In anyone’s book the G430 Max is still a cracking option, I say that as the model comes with some very strong stock shaft offerings and an adjustable hosel that lets golfers tailor the loft, lie, and face angle of every head to their own desired setup.

At 153.7mph the G430 Max posted the 4^th fastest ball speed of our entire 24-model test, which is seriously impressive, but the reasons to include the model as a top performer grow exponentially when I throw into the ring a carry distance 4.3 yards further than our average, the smallest ball speed drop off (9 yds) and our tests 2^nd smallest shot area (61% smaller than our test average).

Ping has a massive reputation for making forgiving products and once again our data highlights how this model flies incredibly high in the forgiveness stakes. Yes at £350 a pop you don’t want to buy too many but if you’re looking for a blend of speed, power, and forgiveness at any swing speed in 2024 write the G430 off at your peril.     

Data comparison: How does the Ping G430 Max compare to leading competitor fairway woods in 2024?

Fairway Wood	Loft	Ball Speed	Launch Angle	Backspin	Height	Descent Angle	Carry Distance	Carry Distance Drop Off	Shot Area
TaylorMade Qi10	15°	154.5 MPH (1)	8.7°	2916 RPM	26 YDS	34.5°	251 YDS (1)	12 YDS (2)	379.2 SQ YDS (3)
Srixon ZX MK II	15°	153.9 MPH (3)	8.1°	2715 RPM	23 YDS	31.5°	249 YDS (2)	20 YDS	864 SQ YDS
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max	15°	152.4 MPH	9.6°	2995 RPM	27 YDS	36°	248 YDS (3)	20 YDS	566 SQ YDS
Titleist TSR 3	15°	152.5 MPH	8.3°	2786 RPM	23 YDS	31.9°	245 YDS	29 YDS	1377.5 SQ YDS
Wilson Dynapower	15°	152.4 MPH	8.2°	2849 RPM	23 YDS	32.5°	245 YDS	16 YDS	838.4 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed LS	14.5° @ 15.5°	152.3 MPH	9.6°	3189 RPM	28 YDS	37.4°	245 YDS	17 YDS	906.1 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10 Max	16°	153 MPH	8.6°	3309 RPM	27 YDS	36.4°	244 YDS	22 YDS	693 SQ YDS
Ping G430 Max	15°	153.7 MPH	7.2°	2913 RPM	21 YDS	31°	244 YDS	9 YDS (1)	328.5 SQ YDS (2)
Mizuno ST-G	15°	150.4 MPH	9°	2666 RPM	23 YDS	31.6°	244 YDS	30 YDS	1302 SQ YDS
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD	15°	154 MPH (2)	8.3°	2611 RPM	23 YDS	31.7°	243 YDS	46 YDS	3109.6 SQ YDS
Titleist TSR 2	16.5°	149.8 MPH	10.2°	3204 RPM	29 YDS	38.2°	242 YDS	24 YDS	907.2 SQ YDS
PXG 0311 Black Ops	15°	152.5 MPH	8.7°	3589 RPM	28 YDS	38.1°	241 YDS	25 YDS	815 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed X	15°	152.6 MPH	7.5°	2952 RPM	23 YDS	32.7°	241 YDS	21 YDS	821.1 SQ YDS
Cleveland Launcher XL 2	15°	151.2 MPH	7.3°	2877 RPM	20 YDS	30.4°	240 YDS	17 YDS	382.5 SQ YDS
PXG 0311 XF GEN6	16°	151.7 MPH	9.9°	3699 RPM	31 YDS	40.3°	239 YDS	17 YDS	698.7 SQ YDS
Mizuno ST-Z 230	15°	150.8 MPH	8.3°	2714 RPM	22 YDS	31.7°	239 YDS	25 YDS	892.5 SQ YDS
TaylorMade Qi10 Tour	15°	150.7 MPH	8.8°	3239 RPM	27 YDS	36.8°	238 YDS	25 YDS	705 SQ YDS
Ram FX	15°	150.6 MPH	7.3°	2516 RPM	19 YDS	28°	236 YDS	15 YDS (T3)	579 SQ YDS
Sub 70 949 X	15°	150 MPH	7.6°	2874 RPM	21 YDS	31.4°	235 YDS	25 YDS	562.5 SQ YDS
Cobra Darkspeed Max	15.5°	151 MPH	7.4°	3841 RPM	25 YDS	36.2°	232 YDS	17 YDS	839.8 SQ YDS
Vega Alkaid	15°	148 MPH	8.3°	3554 RPM	24 YDS	35.7°	231 YDS	15 YDS (T3)	486 SQ YDS
PXG 0211	15°	146 MPH	9.3°	3092 RPM	25 YDS	35.7°	230 YDS	20 YDS	848 SQ YDS
Inesis 500	15°	145.1 MPH	10.7°	3401 RPM	30 YDS	39.9°	229 YDS	22 YDS	264 SQ YDS (1)
MacGregor V Max	15°	146 MPH	8.4°	4052 RPM	25 YDS	37.3°	222 YDS	24 YDS	993.6 SQ YDS
Average		151 MPH	8.6°	3106.4 RPM	24.7 YDS	34.5°	239.7 YDS	21.4 YDS	840 SQ YDS

About the author

     

Simon Daddow – Today’s Golfer Equipment Editor

Having tested and played more than 10,000 clubs in his life, what Simon doesn’t know about golf clubs isn’t worth knowing.

He spent a large part of his career as a golf club maker and product development manager, and has worked in the golf industry for more than 30 years. He joined EMAP Active (now Bauer Media) as Equipment Editor in 2006 and has worked for both Today’s Golfer and Golf World.

You can contact Simon via email and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) for loads more golf equipment insight.

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Ping G430 LST Fairway Wood

RRP: £550 / $600

Lofts: 15°

Stock shafts: Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome or Black

Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood

RRP: £350 / $385 | VIEW UK OFFER | VIEW US OFFER

Lofts: 3 – 15° / 5 – 18° / 7 – 21° / 9 - 24°

Stock shafts: Ping Alta CB Black, Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome, Ping Tour 2.0 Black

Ping G430 SFT Fairway Wood

RRP: £350 / $385

Lofts: 3 – 16° / 5 – 19° / 7 - 22°

Stock shafts: Ping Alta CB Black, Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome, Ping Tour 2.0 Black

Visit the Ping website here