Ping fairway woods are growing in popularity – and for good reason! They are simply great clubs with a great combination of distance, forgiveness, and feel.
Their latest G425 release includes 3 fairway woods models. The Max (great all around option), the LST (low spin head), and the SFT (draw biased). I’m a big proponent of the Max and SFT for the large majority of golfers that need lots of forgiveness and more height on their fairway wood shots. If you don’t want the draw-biased aspect, then I’d 100% recommend the Max fairway wood.
Below you’ll find my honest review of the Ping G425 Max fairway woods!
Appearance
Ping has ditched the “ribbed” pattern of their previous G series woods. Honestly, I’m kinda glad. I like the smooth look of the G425 fairway woods better. Instead of the ribbed pattern, Ping has gone with three small alignment dots to help make sure you are squaring the ball up at address.
Looking at the bottom of the clubhead, you’ll see the weight placement – low and back. That’s a clear giveaway of a forgiving, high launching design. Overall, I’m a big fan of the black/grey color scheme.
Lastly, take a look at the shape of the sole. Ping has moved to a very flat sole with their fairway woods, which are far more forgiving on mishit shots. If you miss the center of the club face with a more rounded sole, you’ll be punished badly. But with a flatter sole, mishits shots still fly relatively OK.
Performance
Let’s make something clear. My anecdotal experience with the Ping G425 Max fairway woods doesn’t offer much value to YOU. So, if you can, demo this club at your local range or at a “demo day” in the future. While you may think that the Max is the one for you, you may find that you like the LST or SFT far better for a wide variety of reasons.
In general, the Ping G425 Max is simply an awesome all-around fairway wood. I was hitting the Ping G425 Max about 10 yards longer than my current gamer (5+ yr old Callaway model). Honestly, if I was putting the Ping G425 Max in the bag, I’d probably opt for the 4 wood so that I’d have more consistent distance gaps.
Where the Ping G425 Max really shined was with forgiveness. Even shots that felt way off the sweet spot flew pretty far and straight.
Compared to previous Ping models, they say that the club faces have made small improvement due to “Maraging Steel Facewrap” and “Spinsistency”, but that sounds a little bogus to me. It’s very possible that these will perform no better than previous models like the Ping G410 and G400 fairway woods.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Very flat sole, which I’m a huge proponent of when it comes to fairway woods. I think flatter soles are far more forgiving on mishits and easier to hit in general.
- Small improvements in the club face compared to previous Ping models (small difference, though, if any)
- Great mix of distance, forgiveness, feel, and versatility.
- Adjustable hosel to adjust loft/lie. You can make the lie flatter (small fade bias). You can add or subtract 1.5 degrees of loft.
- Come stock with Arccos Caddie Smart Grips
- Available in 3W, 5W, 7W, and 9W.
Cons:
- $300 for a single fairway wood is more than I’d be willing to spend
- You can give it a slight fade bias (flatter lie angle), but not a draw bias that a larger portion of golfers would prefer
- Some golfers have experiences HUGE increases in distance. May sound like a great thing, but it could lead to a big distance gap if you are not careful. Consider getting a 4 wood to replace your old 3 wood so you aren’t left with a huge gap. Plus, the 4 wood is a little easier to hit than a 3.
Who It’s Best For
The Ping G425 Max fairway wood is great for a golfer that wants a solid all-around fairway wood, no matter the price. This is a club for the golfer that doesn’t need a low spin head (like the LST) or the draw biased head (like the SFT). It’s great at everything that you’ll need: distance, forgiveness, and feel.
Ping G425 Max vs LST vs SFT Comparison
Curious how the G425 Max compares to the two other Ping models? Here’s a quick overview. Basically, the G425 Max is right in between the SFT and LST.
- The Ping G425 Max is higher spinning & higher launching than the LST, but (barely) lower spinning and lower launching than the SFT.
- The Ping G425 Max has a clubhead that is larger than the LST, but slightly smaller than the oversized SFT.
- The Ping G425 Max is more forgiving than the LST, but slightly less forgiving than the SFT (because the majority of golfers struggle with an open club face, so the SFT is “more forgiving” due to the draw bias)
- The Ping G425 Max and LST don’t have a draw bias, while the SFT does.
- The Ping G425 Max is available in the most lofts (3W, 5W, 7W, 9W). The LST is only available in 3W. The SFT is available in 3W, 5W, 7W.
- All three models have adjustable hosels.
Better Value Alternative
If you want more bang for your buck, then you should go with the Ping G400 fairway wood.
Ping has made high quality woods for many years now. I’ll tell you this with 100% certainty: there is hardly any difference in performance between a 2021 Ping fairway wood and a Ping fairway wood that is 5 years old. If money plays a huge role in the clubs that you buy, then you I’d strongly suggest that you go with a slightly older model like the G400. You may give up 1-2% in overall performance, but the price difference is substantial. Unless you play in competitive tournaments or just flat out make BANK, I always recommend slightly older models.
The new G425 fairway woods are $300, while you can pick up slightly used G400 fairway woods for $130 easy. The choice is yours (obviously). If money isn’t a problem, go with G425. If money is a concern, go with the G400. Easy peazy.
