Is the Ping Rapture Driver Still Good? Is It Forgiving For High Handicappers?

Is the Ping Rapture Driver Still Good? Is It Forgiving For High Handicappers?

“The Ping Rapture driver came out in 2007 and it was an instant hit because of its premium looks.”

But do the premium looks translate to premium performance? Is the Ping Rapture driver still worth it sixteen years later?

The Ping Rapture is a composite driver. When it was released in 2007, the composite carbon fiber/titanium design was groundbreaking. Nowadays, you sort of see this kind of design in almost all premium drivers.

The idea of the composite design was to use an ultra-lightweight material and couple it with a stable material. The desired result is extra speed and distance. I tested the Ping Rapture driver to see if it lives up to its promises and if it is still a good driver overall.

Is the Ping Rapture Driver Still Good?

“I have no reservations saying that the Ping Rapture driver is still a good driver.”

The first thing I took account of was the looks. Behind the ball, the Ping Rapture looks very impressive. It has a carbon fiber composite crown panel. You can actually see the carbon fiber weave throughout the gorgeous black crown.

The carbon fiber crown has a glossy finish which I’m usually not a huge fan of because glossy finishes create a lot of glare. But I actually welcomed direct sunlight because it makes the crown look even more impressive…without producing an unbearable amount of glare.

The Ping Rapture driver features a titanium face and sole panel. The titanium face creates a solid, crisp sound at impact and gives really good feedback too. The combination of the carbon fiber crown and titanium face/sole panel creates a driver that is lightweight and fast.

Keep in mind that all these lightweight appointments are housed in a 460cc head. At address, the Ping Rapture looks very forgiving. And in terms of performance, the Ping Rapture is forgiving.

One of the first things I noticed about the performance was that the Ping Rapture launches high. The launch monitor confirmed this. At the end of my test session, the Ping Rapture averaged a launch angle of 14.3°.

The Ping Rapture driver is fast, launches high and is likely to create extra carry for most players so yes, I would definitely say it’s still a great driver.

Is the Ping Rapture Forgiving for High Handicappers?

“I think the only thing I have against this driver is that there are no adjustability features.”

I have almost come to expect an adjustable loft hosel or sliding weight from Ping drivers so maybe I’m just spoiled. But other than that, the Ping Rapture is an overall forgiving driver.

When testing, I felt like the Ping Rapture was very easy to hit. I didn’t have to adjust my swing  much to feel like I was getting optimal distance and in order to make clean contact.

That being said, the Ping Rapture driver launches a bit too high for my swing. On some swings, I felt that I missed out on a bit of carry due to the high launch angles. But for high handicappers with moderate tempos, this should not be a problem at all.

In fact, I think the steeper launch angles will help high handicappers get more carry. The 460cc head creates an expansive sweet spot so most of your mis-hits should be muted by the Ping Rapture.

Perhaps the best thing about this driver for high handicappers is its speed. It feels very light and nimble throughout transition and I felt like I could swing it faster than my gamer driver. So I can imagine that, with the right shaft, it will actually increase the swing speed of slow/moderate swing speed players.

Ping Rapture Vs Ping G5 Driver

“The Ping G5 came out two years before the Ping Rapture and had a much more stripped down design.”

Internal weighting places the CG low and far back in the head of the G5 driver which is always a plus if you struggle to get the ball in the air. The G5 also has a titanium head. But overall, the G5 just felt clunkier and slower than the Ping Rapture. In fact, it wasn’t even close. In my opinion, the Ping Rapture is the superior driver in almost every way.