Is the Ping Si3 Driver Still Good? Is it Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Is the Ping Si3 Driver Still Good? Is it Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“The Ping Si3 driver came out in 2003.”

To be honest, I can’t tell who this driver was originally designed for. The Ping Si3 has a 380cc head volume. So at first, I thought it was originally intended for mid to low handicappers. But after testing it, I’m not so sure.

The Ping Si3 is a very unique driver; but it’s also 20 years-old. You may not be shopping for a 20 year-old driver but that might change after you read this review. Read on to find out what you need to know about the Ping Si3.

Is the Ping Si3 Driver Still Good?

“The first testament to the quality of this driver is its construction.”

The Ping Si3 features a forged titanium face – something you don’t see very often in game improvement drivers which further confused me. In any case, the Ping Si3 has a very soft and satisfying feel. The ball doesn’t simply get buried in the face. You can still feel it. But there is a smoothness across the entire face that makes this driver very addicting.

Next we have to talk about the size of the head. The Ping Si3 features a 380cc head volume which is significantly smaller than your average game improvement driver. I thought this would make the Ping Si3 harder to hit but that wasn’t the case. The Ping Si3 has a deep face profile and was set up to have a closed angle with a bit of offset.

This ended up working very well with my swing. When I wasn’t careful, my draws were turning into pulls. But with just a bit of mindfulness, I was able to find the heart of the fairway. The driver head also feels weighted in such a way that keeps the ball straight.

I’m not sure what it was to be honest but I do know that most of my shots were falling very close to the target and going decently far. I was getting good ball speed and much of my usual side-spin was muted.

It’s almost like Ping wanted the Si3 to look like a players performance driver but perform like a game improvement driver. Overall though, I think this is still a good driver despite being 20 years-old. And one of the reasons I say this is because it was driving nearly as far as my gamer. I got an average of 256.2 yards of carry with the Ping Si3.

Is the Ping Si3 Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“Surprisingly, it is.”

Again, I was expecting the 380cc head volume to be a bit tricky but the sweet spot still felt expansive. It may be due to the fact that the Ping Si3 driver features variable face technology. So even when I mis-hit, the ball flew like it was hit perfectly square. And thanks to  the forged titanium, my mis-hits even felt like pure strikes.

More importantly, after just a few swings I was finding the middle of the fairway with ease. It was hard to affect my usual baby draw; but I don’t mind that so long as I am staying in the middle.

The first couple swings I took did pull. But I think that was just my warming-up phase. Once I got used to the feel and the weight of the Ping Si3, it was more or less point-and-shoot.

Is the Ping Si3 driver the most forgiving driver on the market? No. Is it still forgiving enough for high handicappers? Definitely. Don’t let the head volume fool you. The Ping Si3 will help you produce playable lies from the box and get you down the fairway. What more could a high handicapper ask for?

Ping Si3 Vs Ping G410 Plus

“The Ping G410 plus has a 455cc head volume and a movable weight.”

The movable weight allows you to change the shot bias so right off the bat, the G410 is more versatile than the Ping Si3. The G410 Plus also has a forged titanium face. If you really need to correct a hook or slice, I would try the Ping G410 Plus.