I’ve always been a fan of Ping Golf. They’ve been pioneers in golf engineering for decades. I still have a G2 driver and Ping Zing putter in my bag because no other offerings from other golf companies have been able to dethrone them. Any companies which want to submit their products to me in an attempt to dethrone them are welcome to, but no guarantees!
This review primarily is based on my experience with the G5 3-Wood but covers the G5 Fairway Wood line in general.
Ping G5 fairway wood technology
The G5 fairway wood has a stainless steel head and a high-strength 455 steel face. The G5 fairway wood series employs a “rocker sole” design which helps square the face up at impact from various lies. The face of the G5 fairway woods are milled and robotically welded which Ping says gives you more distance and better “feedback.”
The weighting of the G5 fairway woods varies depending on the loft. Ping uses “progressive weight pads” which are positioned for the optimal center of gravity. As the loft of the club increases the pads are moved farther back in the club head. The optimal weight pad position provides better control and spin.
Ping has done a lot of research on visual aids and has determined that a crescent shape helps the player align the club. You see the crescent shape in their CrazE putters and as alignment aids on the tops of their G5 fairway woods.
Specs
| Club |
Loft |
Length |
Lie |
Head Size |
| 3 Strong |
13.0° |
43.00″ |
56.5° |
190cc |
| 3 |
15.0° |
43.00″ |
56.5° |
190cc |
| 5 |
18.0° |
42.50″ |
57.0° |
175cc |
| 7 |
21.0° |
42.00″ |
57.5° |
165cc |
| 9 |
24.0° |
41.50″ |
58.0° |
157cc |
| L |
27.0° |
41.00″ |
58.5° |
150cc |
| Grip Color Code |
Size |
| Orange |
+1/16"
|
| Gold |
+1/32"
|
| White |
standard
|
| Aqua |
-1/64"
|
| Red |
-1/32"
|
| Blue |
-3/64"
|
| G5 Fairway Wood Shafts |
Material |
Flex |
Torque |
Weight |
| PING JZ¹ |
steel² |
Regular |
3.2° |
108g |
| PING JZ¹ |
steel² |
Stiff |
2.9° |
108g |
| PING JZ¹ |
steel² |
X-Stiff |
2.5° |
108g |
| PING TFC 909F³ |
graphite |
Soft R |
4.8° |
69g |
| PING TFC 909F³ |
graphite |
Regular |
4.0° |
70g |
| PING TFC 909F³ |
graphite |
Stiff |
4.0° |
72g |
| PING TFC 909F³ |
graphite |
X-Stiff |
4.0° |
75g |
| PING TFC 100F |
graphite |
Soft R |
4.4° |
69g |
| PING TFC 100F |
graphite |
Regular |
4.0° |
71g |
| PING TFC 100F |
graphite |
Stiff |
4.0° |
73g |
| PING TFC 100F |
graphite |
X-Stiff |
4.0° |
75g |
| Aldila NV 75 |
graphite |
Stiff |
2.8° |
78g |
| Aldila NV 75 |
graphite |
X-Stiff |
2.8° |
78g |
| Aldila NV 75 |
graphite |
Regular |
2.8° |
79g |
| Grafalloy ProLaunch 75 |
graphite |
Regular |
2.9° |
76g |
| Grafalloy ProLaunch 75 |
graphite |
Stiff |
2.9° |
76g |
| Grafalloy ProLaunch 75 |
graphite |
X-Stiff |
2.9° |
76g |
| Aldila VS Proto 85³ |
graphite |
Regular |
2.0° |
86g |
| Aldila VS Proto 85³ |
graphite |
Stiff |
2.0° |
87g |
| Aldila VS Proto 85³ |
graphite |
X-Stiff |
2.0° |
88g |
Feedback
“Feedback” in golf clubs generally refers to the feel and sound you get at impact. The feedback from the G5 fairway woods is terrific. I love the “pingy” sound they make when you hit the center of the club face. This sound tells you instantly you’ve made solid contact. You also get a great feel of the trampoline effect in the club face when you hit center. When you don’t hit center, the club lets you know with a different sound and feel. On off center shots the club is still very hot and accurate.
On the course
The first thing you notice when you put the G5 fairway wood into play is how confident you feel. The look of the club at address is very pleasing to the eye. The weighting feels like it almost forces you to put a good swing on it. The sound and feel at impact are great.
I found the G5 3-wood to be one of the easiest to hit fairway woods I’ve ever played. It was even easy to hit out of the rough when the ball was sitting down slightly. I found the G5 fairway to be very long compared to many 3-woods I’ve played as well. The only problems I had with the G5 were the occasional miss left. I know that miss and it usually is the result of a closed face on the club, rather than neutral. I can’t find anything on Ping’s site regarding the this however.
Conclusion
The G5 fairway is yet another terrific feat of engineering from Ping. The performance, feedback and aesthetics of this club as as good as any fairway wood I’ve played.
You can find a great deal on the G5 fairway woods at Edwin Watts Golf.
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