Is the Ping G2 Driver Still Good? – Is it Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Ping G2 Driver

“For a lot of golfers, the Ping G2 driver set the standard for what modern game improvement drivers should look and play like.”

When we dusted off the old Ping G2 driver for a modern review, we were instantly reminded of why it was so popular in the first place.

It’s big, it inspires confidence and it looks really nice. It’s just an alluring driver that beckons to be played.

Still, the Ping G2 driver came out in 2003.

Two decades of golf engineering and technology have elapsed this driver which begs the question, ‘is the Ping G2 still any good?’ This is precisely the question we will answer in the following review.

Is the Ping G2 Driver Still Good?

“If you’re a beginner golfer and you don’t want to worry about damaging an expensive driver, the Ping G2 should absolutely be on your radar.”

For now though, we aren’t going to focus too much on the affordability of this driver.

We wanted to judge this driver strictly on its performance merits. The Ping G2 is a 460cc driver. This is the largest head you can legally game in tournaments.

At address, it’s big and confidence-boosting. The crown has a black, sort of glossy finish that looks really nice on sunny days.

There is a sort of faded crescent alignment marker on the head – it’s subtle, but it does actually help you align the ball in the hitting zone.

The toe has a chrome finish and much of the head and face are made of titanium. It’s important to note that the Ping G2 is a perimeter weighted driver.

This is one of the G2’s key features as it increases forgiveness by a significant amount.

The Ping G2 driver is 100% still a good game improvement driver. If you are looking to maximize distance and forgiveness, you can’t go wrong with this driver.

Is the Ping G2 Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“Weights have been placed in the back of the head and in the perimeter to enhance forgiveness.”

One of the things that surprised us about this driver was that the flight and shot shape were very controllable.

Even though this is a rear-weighted, low CG driver, we didn’t have any problems with ballooning shots. Instead, we got a nice mid-high trajectory that stayed out of the wind.

Affecting a nice draw or fade was also possible with the Ping G2. Again, this really surprised us given the size of the head.

It wasn’t perfect though. When we hit close to the heel, we got a consistent and severe shank. However, the shanks emerged only on pretty severe hellward misses.

In general the Ping G2 is very forgiving. It may take a few swings to find the sweet spot; but once you do you will be able to confidently take full swings that maximize your distance.

Ping G2 Vs Ping G10

“The Ping G10 driver is a little younger than the Ping G2 but sports a lot of the same features.”

The G10 driver also has a 460cc head volume and titanium construction. When testing the Ping G2 and G10 side-by-side however, we noticed that the G10 produced higher launch.

This will be a benefit to players who struggle to launch the ball. But it may affect trajectory for golfers who play in windy conditions.

However, the Ping G10 driver has variable face thickness so mis-hits don’t have such a pronounced effect on ball flight.

Ping G2 First Impressions

Ping G2 Driver1

“The looks of the Ping G2 is what first caught our eye.”

The elegant and simple curved lines on the sole, the reflective black crown and the refined toe section really stand out.

This is a beautiful looking driver with a nice deep face that just begs to be swung. It looks very forgiving without being gaudy.

Ping G2 Driver Selling Points

  • Titanium head
  • 460cc head volume
  • Faded crescent alignment marker
  • No offset

Ping G2 Driver Key Features

“By today’s standards, the Ping G2 features are pretty rudimentary; but they are still effective.”

Titanium Head: The head and face of the Ping G2 driver are made of titanium which was (and still is with some companies) all the rage in the early 2000’s.

It’s lightweight and resilient and in the Ping G2, produced good ball speed and consistency.

Perimeter Weighting: By adding more weight to the sides of the head, you get straighter flight on mis-hots.

The perimeter weighting helps the head to remain stable and resist twisting on strikes made outside of the sweet spot.

Rear Weighting: The rear weighting increases MOI – the head’s ability to resist warping on mis-hits. It also makes it easier to pick up speed on your downswing.

What Handicap is it for?

“If you are in the 20 to 25 handicap range, the Ping G2 would be a good choice.”

We would even say that it’s a good driver for pure beginners. You can pick it up for dirt cheap too so it’s a good price for beginners.

Ping G2 Driver Options

  • Ping TFC 100D shaft
  • Grafalloy ProLaunch Blue 65 shaft
  • Aldila VX Wood shaft
  • Aldila NVS 65 shaft
  • Aldila NV 65 shaft
  • Aldila NV Green 65-R shaft
  • Aldila NV 2KXV Green 65 shaft
  • 5°, 10° loft

Who Should Buy the Ping G2 Driver?

Ping G2 Driver2

“Going beyond high handicappers, we would say this is a great shaft for beginners.”

You can get it for as little as $70 so you don’t have to worry about denting and otherwise damaging an expensive driver.

But it’s about more than price. The Ping G2 is a great driver for beginners and high handicappers because it invites you to keep on swinging.

It looks great, modern game improvement drivers are modeled after it and it is very forgiving. Only the worst mis-hits are punished.

Otherwise, you will feel very confident with the Ping G2. Once you find the sweet spot it performs very consistently.

Distance: 96/100

Forgiveness: 96/100

Feel & Control: 97/100

Value: 97/100

Ping G2 Driver

Overall Score: 97/100

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