Sim 2 vs Ping G425 Fairway Woods
If you hope that you don’t have to pull out your fairway wood after every drive, you’re not a lone.
A lot of golfers dread using a wood off the deck. The reasons for this vary but in our experience, we’ve noted that most golfers simply don’t have a congenial fairway wood in their bag.
A fairway wood should be forgiving, provide good apex height and play as long as you need it to. You could be landing on more greens if you have the right wood in your bag.
So today we are going to be comparing 2 popular fairway woods to help you find the perfect one for your game.
Overview Of Both Clubs
The SIM 2 fairway woods match the description in the previous section to a tee (no pun intended).
The V steel panel draws the CG super low for high launch, twist face technology makes it very forgiving on low face hits and the patented Speed Pocket helps to push your ball further.
The Ping G425 fairway woods are a bit more for snipers. These woods provide great spin consistency so if you know how to work the ball, you will be able to place it accurately with these woods.
Quick Comparison
Taylormade SIM 2 |
Ping G425 |
|
Adjustable weighting? |
No |
No |
Lofts |
13.5, 15 and 19 |
14.5, 17.5, 20.5 and 23.5 |
Key technology |
Twist Face architecture |
Maraging Steel Facewrap |
Weight |
D3 |
D1 |
Price |
$400 |
$300 |
Overall Rating |
96/100 |
95/100 |
Taylormade SIM 2 Fairway Wood Key Features
You can feel the CG pull low on every swing you take with the Taylormade SIM 2 Fairway wood thanks to the V Steel panel on the sole.
The SIM 2 also features a Twist Face made of titanium for straighter shots. You also get an adjustable loft sleeve that allows you to move the loft up or down by 2 degrees.
Ping G425 Fairway Wood Key Features
Ping calls it their Maraging Steel Facewrap. It’s essentially a thin stainless steel face that wraps into the head so that the face doesn’t really have a border.
This increases forgiveness tremendously. That coupled with the face curvature helps to control spin for more distance and accuracy.
The SIM 2 Family Of Woods
The SIM 2 Fairway line includes the standard SIM 2, the SIM 2 Max and the SIM 2 Max D.
All 3 models feature the V steel panel, twist face architecture and the Speed Pocket.
The standard SIM 2 is the only one with an adjustable loft sleeve. It also has the smallest head size at 170cc.
The Ping G425 Family Of Woods
The G425 line includes the G425 LST and the G425 SFT.
The SFT has the largest head of the bunch and was designed for players who prefer side/heel CG. The LST has the smallest head profile and produces a flatter launch trajectory.
All models feature the Maraging Steel face and tungsten weighting.
G425 Vs. G410 Fairway Woods
The Ping G410 fairway wood features a forged steel face.
It still has the Miraging wraparound face but with a better feel thanks to the forged steel. It also has an adjustable loft sleeve.
The G410 performs comparably to the G425 but with a better overall feel – although some distance is lost.
SIM 2 Vs. SIM
Taylormade didn’t change a whole lot when they came out with the SIM 2 in terms of technology but the club head did get a complete makeover.
The original SIM and SIM 2 fairways feature the same technologies: Twist Face, V Steel panel and titanium face material. The biggest difference is that the original SIM fairway wood has a heavier V steel panel.
Who Is Each Club For?
Getting back to the Ping G425 Vs. the Tayloramde SIM 2 fairway wood, we would say that the SIM 2 would be more comfortable in the hands of high to mid handicappers.
There are some features of the G425 that would simply be lost on high handicappers – such as the complex face curvature.
Taylormade SIM 2 Options
- Tensei Raw AV Blue shaft
- Extra stiff, stiff and regular flex
Ping G425 Options
- PING Alta CB 65 Slate shaft
- PING Tour 65 shaft
- PING Tour 75 shaft
- Mitsubishi Tensei AV Orange 75 shaft
- Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 70 shaft
- Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 80 shaft
- Soft regular, stiff, extra stiff and regular flex
Performance Comparison
The Taylormade SIM 2 did play a bit longer than the G425 – but only by a couple of yards.
That being said, the Ping G425’s all have stronger lofts and were launching the ball higher. We liked the more solid feel of the G425’s too.
Accuracy & Consistency Comparison
There was no question that the Ping G425 fairway woods were more accurate than the SIM 2’s.
You get great control over spin and feedback from them.
They also offered a tighter shot dispersion so we knew what kind of distance we were going to get on each shot.
Price Comparison
There’s about a $100 difference between the Ping G426 fairway woods and the Taylormade SIM 2’s.
The SIM 2’s go for about $400 while the G425’s go for around $300.
Taylormade SIM 2 Pros & Cons
Pros:
- They play longer
- Very noticeable low CG
- Impart good swing mechanics
- Adjustable loft
- Titanium face
- High forgiveness
Cons:
- More expensive
- Fewer custom shaft options
- Weaker lofts
- Not as accurate
Overall Score: 96/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Ping G425 Pros & Cons
Pros:
- More accurate
- Better feel
- Stronger lofts
- Good apex height
- Great spin control
- More affordable
Cons:
- Not as long
- No adjustable weight
- Tuning the hosel can be tricky
- Lower launch
Overall Score: 95/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Final Assessment
The answer to “which fairway wood is better” is a subjective one.
If you are focused on getting more distance from your fairway wood, the SIM 2 will be a better fit.
However, if you are a mid handicapper looking for consistency, tight dispersion and accurate ball placement, go with the Ping G425 fairway wood.