Gear: Ping G430 Irons. Price: $170 each. Includes Ping AWT 2.0 Steel shafts and Golf Pride Tour Velvet gloves. Alta CB Black graphite shafts cost $185
Specifications: Cast 17-4 stainless-steel heads with internal tungsten loads
Available: Jan. 26
Who it’s for: G430 irons are game improvement clubs for players with higher handicaps who desire more forgiveness and distance.
The Skinny A successor to the G425, G430 irons have a faster face and lower center of gravity. They also feature a vibration-absorbing badge that provides more distance and better feel.
The Deep Dive: It is difficult to make a game-improvement tool that looks good. Golfers who play in the high 90s and mid-80s need more forgiveness and distance. They need clubs that are easy to control, feel good at impact and look great at address. However, they also want their clubs to improve their game. Ping has successfully addressed this challenge with the G425, G410, and G400. The G430 is the successor to the G410 and G400 offerings that Ping attempted to make a club that would deliver on all of those fronts.
Ping G430 irons feature a thin, strong face. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The G430’s body is made of 17-4 stainless steel and the face has undergone a new heat treatment. Ping stated that it strengthens the hitting area, so designers could make it thinner or 3 percent lighter. A thinner face will allow for more ball speed and flexibility. While a weight reduction of 3 percent may not seem like much, it allows more weight to be transferred to other areas of the club that can improve performance.
Ping also adjusted the center of gravity by adding a tungsten weight to the heel and a screw to the toe. The G430 is less likely to turn on off-center hits, which increases its consistency.
The G430 features a tungsten screw in its toe and a back badge that allows the face to move more efficiently. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Ping also created a new badge for back called PurFlex, which he attached behind the G430’s hitting area. It is made up of seven pieces with varying degrees of stiffness. Engineers at Ping discovered that the badge could be divided rather than being relegated to one large piece. This allowed for more face flexibility and absorbs vibrations to improve sound quality and feel.
Ping also shortened the G430’s Hosel. This helped reduce the G430’s weight in the club, and made the G430 appear smaller in the address position.
G430 irons have lofts that are 1 to 2.5 times stronger than those in the G425. This is true for the 4-iron (19 degrees) and 9-iron (37 degree). Ping also added a pitching wedge to the set, labeling it with its loft. The pitching wedge is 3.5 degree stronger (41 degrees). To ensure perfect gapping between clubs, golfers can now purchase 45-, 50, 54, and 58 degree clubs.
Ping G430 irons feature a broad sole and a beveled edge. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
G430 has 2 mph faster ball speed than G425. This is due to its stronger lofts and faster face. Ping stated that tests showed distances of 7 to 12 yards for the 4-iron with pitching wedge, and slightly higher ball flight.
Ping also gave the G430 irons 1° more bounce than the G425 irons because of the difficulty with ground-first contact for players who shoot in the 80s and 90s. Although it’s subtle, the G430 irons will benefit from the extra bounce. They won’t dig on fat shots and should be able to work more efficiently through the impact zone.
