Ping G430 Fairway Wood Review

By Simon Daddow, Today's Golfer Equipment Editor

Last Updated: 30 June 2023

At a glance
TG Rating 5 out of 5
Owner Rating Not yet rated
Pros
- Three models means there's options for all golfers.
- There's an excellent range of shafts.
- Some of the most forgiving fairway woods available.
Cons
- At £550/$600 the G430 LST is super expensive.
RRP £350.00

What we say...

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.

Ping G430 fairway woods feature a carbon crown

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.