Earlier this week Ping released a limited edition of its G440 LST 7.5º driver, which a couple of Tour players have been rumored to be playing in 2025. Club tinkerers, junkies and players alike all felt a jolt of excitement with the release, but can any of us normal golfers actually use it?
G440 v G430
The biggest benefit of the G440 lineup over the G430 was that the G440 models launch more easily — not necessarily higher per se, but more easily. This was great for weekend golfers who need help launching the ball, but elite players were still more drawn to the penetrating flight of the G430. On Tour, G430 LST was mostly dominated by 10.5º heads, so those players fit nicely into a 9º G440 LST. For the few 9º LST players, there was no easy switch available. That is, until the 7.5º head came along.
Ping tour rep Adam Harding also told me that Ping is using much heavier weights in the rear position of G440 drivers compared to the G430s. G430 weights may have been 19 or 21 grams, but G440 players are using 29-, 32- or even up to 35-gram weights in the back of the LST heads. Every gram that you bump up the weight in the rear of a G440 model increases the MOI of the head by 1%. So in theory, some top players are potentially playing LST drivers that have MOI numbers that encroach into MAX head territory. And they’re doing this while maintaining a lower spin and launch profile by moving into a lower lofted option.
This sounds like an ideal setup if you ask…well, anybody.
Harding also said that during the testing process Ping saw ball speed increases with more weight in that back port. A specific Tour nugget we may all want to test is hitting a driver with a lower loft than whatever your “standard” is — but with a 32-gram weight in the back. Could be the difference.
It seems like the design of the G440 series was a perfect storm that combined more forgiveness, speed and launch, even at the highest levels of the game. And the club isn’t just for Tour players.
A 7.5º head I could actually recommend
Fitters will confirm that many weekend warriors who upgraded from G430 to G440 were able to decrease loft while maintaining proper launch conditions, which helps to increase ball speed and improve control. More ball speed and control through the same launch window to which a player is accustomed? That’s a recipe for success.
The other thing to remember here is that although the Ping G440 LST is labeled as a “Low Spin Tech” head, it’s definitely not the lowest on the market. Once you go too low with spin, there’s a severe loss of control. There’s a bit more room for error with the LST compared to other drivers on the market, and some of that is due to the Spinsistency Face Design. The LST has always been stable. The G440 series ball speed and spin retention on off-center hits is potentially the north star of the driver market. Because the head doesn’t start with too-low spin, it allows players to have a miss that reduces spin, without going into scary territory.
Because of the new design of the head, and the idea of added weight in the back of the head, the G440 series is easy to launch. I would still say that a player needs to have a decent amount of speed to unlock the potential of the 7.5º head, but it definitely works for the player who can move it. I got one of the 7.5º heads a bit early, and let a friend of mine borrow it who’s around the 120 mph clubhead-speed mark. He hit the ball just as high, if not higher, than I did all day, and my peak height is somewhere around 115 feet. I can’t imagine how high that ball would have been going all day if he was in a 9º head, and that was just with the stock weight on the 7.5º model.
I could also see this driver helping players with crazy-high spin. The lower loft itself is going to help cut down on a lot of that spin, and being able to manage launch at a higher spin level will drastically help players who may feel lost with other options. You can still build up the driver with much back weight to promote forgiveness (and increase speed, Harding says).
Not everyone should run out and buy a 7.5º G440 LST, though. Please don’t do that. The same day I brought the head out for a buddy of mine to test for me, I tried to hit a couple of balls. It didn’t go well. I’m usually playing a 10.5º head, or a 9º head with lots of back weight, and I don’t know if I got the ball higher than about 75 feet. It was fast, it ran forever and it was really straight, but not usable for a guy like me with around 112 mph clubhead speed and 165 mph ball speed.
There is a limited stock of 7.5º heads available at Fairway Jockey for custom builds so if you think the 7.5º option may be the right head for you, I’d jump on the chance before they’re gone. Ping doesn’t usually mess around with their limited gear. When it’s gone, it’s likely not coming back until we get a new-generation G series.
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