HAS EVERYONE BEEN SCAMMED? (Ping G430 10K Review...)

The most forgiving driver ever to be made... comes at a price. But is that price justified and should it be allowed with what Ping have done!

Full review & thoughts on the new Ping G430 10K Driver!

[awalsh]

My first time out with the 10k was 13 of 14 fairways hit…it’s a beast

[bmurray]

All golf equipment manufacturers scam the public. Every year, new equipment is just a different paint job and a paper clip worth of weight is moved around the club. Then a marketing blitz happens and golf influencers say it is the best club they’ve ever hit when compared to past models.

[ExitThirteen]

(Warning: long post) Hello, as a person who owned both the G430 Max and the G430 LST, I can offer a little bit of what I saw comparing those two drivers to the G430 Max 10K. Tidbits: Compared to my G430 Max, I saw about 5 yards distance increase on the Max 10K, so that's really not a factor, but I did see my dispersion tighten up by about 10% or so. The G430 Max gave me a little more ability to shape the flight of the ball (draw/cut), while the Max 10K just does one thing super well... it's straight. Launch angles and spin rates were almost identical between the Max and the Max 10K (the spin rate on the 10K was a touch higher, about 100 rpm give or take). Now, compared to the LST, I do lose a little bit of distance on the Max 10K, but pretty minimal (about 5 yards or so), but again, I see a tighter dispersion on the Max 10K. The big difference here is the launch angles and spin rates, as the Max 10K produced about 1-1.5 degrees higher launch angle and about 400 rpm higher spin rate. Now, there's a hat trick here that people may or may not know about... The perimeter weight on the back of the clubhead on the Max 10K is 28 grams. On the Max, it's 25 grams, and on the LST, it's 22 grams... this gave me an idea. I started playing around with that weight and started monitoring my launch angles and spin rates. What I discovered is that if you want LST performance with a little more forgiveness, swap out the 28 gram weight for the 22 gram weight. Going to the 22 gram weight dropped my launch angle by about 1.5 degrees, and reduced my spin rate to almost identical to my LST, about 400 rpm. Putting in the 25 gram weight made it almost identical to my Max for both launch angle and spin rate. So a person could tweak their preferred launch angle and spin by swapping out the perimeter weight at the back of the clubhead. Again, I must make it clear that these are numbers that I personally saw when testing and owning these drivers. Your mileage my vary. Was I upset about Ping releasing the Max 10K after I had purchased a Max? Not really, after finding out why... Ping was initially having some trouble with the addition of the carbon fiber on the crown of the clubhead. Now some people may scream, "Well, Ping has it on the LST!" Yes, they do, BUT... the shape of the head between the LST and the Max 10K is a bit different, and because of the different shape, Ping was having a little bit of trouble with putting the carbon fiber on the crown and making it reliable, which is why it didn't get released right away. Ping did it right by marketing it as an addition to their G430 line, as I feel if they simply marketed it as the "new" G430 Max, that would have definitely angered more people, leaving people feeling like they've been ripped off. Is it WORTH the $600 price tag? If you already have an LST or a Max, no. Just "dance with the one ya brung". Only reason I went after it is because I got great trade-in value for my Max. But, for someone that's looking to upgrade from something that's older than maybe 4-5 years old, it may be worth it. (Side note: I did hit the Taylormade Qi10 Max and the Callaway Ai Smoke. They were both very forgiving, but the Qi10 was consistently 20 years shorter distance, and the Ai Smoke didn't feel good to me at impact, wasn't getting any feel.)

[marke]

I bought the G430 max as when I tested it with the G430 10k I personally didn’t get enough differences to warrant the additional cost. Prices of drivers now are getting ridiculous with people getting drawn into marketing hype which ‘justifies’ the cost. Good video and thanks for doing an honest review 👍

[ndama]

I think many have missed the point in this driver, it’s not a replacement for the Max, it’s another option. Think of it as Max driver for guys looking for slightly reduced spin. The majority of people who’ve bought a FITTED 430 Max probably will see little to no benefit to going with Max 10K. Feel it’s a little unfair to be quoting RRP price when it can be bought for less. Titleist TSR is 18 months old still selling for £529, no one criticised Titleist for their price increase

[vansman]

I bought my G425 Max on sale about 18 months ago. I'm very pleased with it (the sound is also something I like about it). I don't think I'll be changing it for at least 3 years, probably not at e5 years)

[kyshapka]

Great review, love the video. I'd push back that it's not a scam by Ping releasing something in the same 430 series. One, it's a year later. Many of the big brands release a new model every single year. Ping shouldn't be criticized for that. And two, all of this R&D is ongoing. Ping can't just release everything at the same time when there is ongoing development to produce something better. Why wait? This driver wasn't ready last year, but it is now. Golfers should expect that there will always be improvements down the road, and there will always be the choice of buying something now or waiting. Always.

[oddlygoodvibes]

I just bought a G 430 max 10k and honestly it is good. I treated myself after a breakup and i dont have a single regret. My best drive was 230 yards carry last year and on the simulator i was carrying 260 rollout 280 more than i could have imagined. Is the 215 slice still in the bag? Absolutely, but it doesnt go as far right nearly as my last club. Could not be more excited about this golf season in 2-4 weeks.

[markbesant]

The G430 is a lovely club, but I saw a video only last week stating that the G425 Max and the G430 10k had almost exactly the same data when tested and distance. I love the G425 so will not be changing any time soon. Either some one are trying to pull a last one or no one noticed the data from the previous model.

[louist]

I just purchased a 3-4 yr old Cobra SZ Speedzone brand new, surprisingly, and I'm getting less spin with slightly more distance than my 9 month old G430 MAX. I know the technology is improving, but i agree that the prices are getting ridiculous. $169 for the new Cobra SZ, by the way. $400 cheaper than the new 430 MAX 10K.

[elchiquilin]

I just bought mine and I love the 10k. The sound is something that took me a bit to get used to, but I love it

[TheProfessorZ]

I’ve played the Ping G430 Max for the past 12 months and found it to be decent—but strangely, I never really loved it. After watching quite a few reviews of the new G430 Max 10K, I decided to give it a shot and picked one up.

Today was my first round with it, and all I can say is—the difference is very noticeable. I hit more fairways than ever, and it both feels and sounds better than the standard G430 Max.

I’m a 20 handicapper, but I could clearly see and feel the improvements. Really pleased with the purchase.

[jayleo]

YES I’m a bit cheeky! Just bought my G430 Max in November, been wondering if it’s worth the “upgrade” or change to 10k. Irritated 😠

[wessims]

How about a head to head between this 10K and the regular Ping G430 Max, Callaway Ai Smoke Paradym and Taylormade Qi10? Hit 10 balls with each and let’s see the numbers and the dispersion and really see if this is worth the money.

[fergusfitzgerald]

I am a high handicapper and use a Ping G30 sf driver second hand and it's the best most consistent driver I have ever used !

Mind you I have upped its loft to 11* !
Folks ! - all our purchases these! days - (my other
interests are photography and cycling )- are the same It's happening with bikes cameras - everything !
Buy your product after careful evaluation and advise and get out there and enjoy your life this is capitalism good and bad !😂😢

[johnforeman]

10k honestly best driver I have ever had. I don’t know if it is the confidence I have in it don’t know what it is but it is straight and long.

[vincentharper]

I think that it's good, that they're making the game easier, but so disappointed with the price tag. Ping, up until recently, were always reasonably priced. I'm glad that I waited and didn't go for the 430 max. I think I'll look at Taylormade or Callaway.

[PCLABAR]

I had already bought the driver! And I was watching the video to see if was too crazy! And maybe it was not worth the money!! But you are right! I loved your passion and enthusiasm in this video!! How could you not put it in the Bag!!

[jrsantos]

I got sucked in. Traded my lst for the 10k. Blessed to be in this situation. Keep it in the short grass.

[BryceMeyer]

Just got fit for a 10k today, first new driver in 10 years and really looking forward to putting some rounds through it