Review - Ping G2 8.5* Aldilla NV-65 stiff

[1972Apex]

Picked up this driver on Thursday and took it out to the course yesterday. I was looking for a G2 in 10* with the ProLaunch stiff shaft in it but none of the stores I went to had one so I decided to try the 8.5* NV-65 stiff.
Yesterday, without benefit of even a practice swing, I took the Ping out on the course. I kept my current driver in the bag (10.5* R7-style component head on a 45” Grafalloy Blue stiff) as I only have 13 clubs right now, in case the Ping didn’t work out and for comparison’s sake. Conditions were windy, cold, wet and light rain. I was wearing a windshirt, vest and a rainsuit over the whole thing so let’s just say conditions were not the best for testing out a new driver.
First the general impressions: This thing is long and straight. It is also very forgiving on hits that miss the centre of the face. I teed it up a bit too low on the first couple of holes and still hit it out there very well. Once I got the tee height right it turned out to be a real bomber. Not as long as the 7.5* 510TP I sold last week, but in the same class, and longer than my current driver. Also considerably longer than either my 975J 9.5* or 983 9.5*. A very nice stick.

The Overall

Distance - No complaints here. I had heard the G2 was not overly long but very straight and very forgiving. It was longer than I expected. Not the longest I’ve ever hit but pretty darn impressive.

Accuracy - It’s straight. I can aim right up the middle with confidence. I never sliced it once, which is something I generally really struggle with when hitting large drivers.

Forgiveness - This is the first large driver I’ve ever hit that actually went anywhere when hit low on the face. If I hit the TP low and on the heel for example, the ball just went out there dead. You lose some distance when you hit the Ping low on the face but it still has plenty of pop.

Trajectory - Perfect. Lower than my current driver and higher than the TP. Just what I was looking for. I would say the 8.5* with the NV shaft hits the ball higher than the stated loft. A hair higher that the 983 E 9.5* but lower than the 9.5* 975J.

The Shaft - My only previous experience with the NV-65 shaft was with a 983K demo that I purchased last summer. It had the exact same shaft as the Ping in it. I took it to the range that evening and nearly killed everyone within 300 yards of me. I’m sure the workers at the range are still talking about it. I took it back to the store the next morning. All I can say is the one in the Ping feels much stiffer than the one that was in the K.

The Sound - Well nothing sounds as sweet as really hammering a Taylor Made 510 TP, but this is pretty good. Much more muted than other 460cc drivers I've hit, many of which sound like an aluminum baseball bat hitting a garbage can. The Ping is pretty good.

Time will tell - I’ve hit other drivers very well the first time out before - but I was very impressed by the G2. It was exactly as advertised. Not as long as the 7.5* 510TP “Killer Driver of Death I just sold, but not that much shorter either. It is also the straightest driver I have ever hit, at least for my swing, and that includes the R7 copy I’ve been using, which is pretty darn straight. I think for now I’ll just keep on carrying two drivers and alternating them both until a clear winner emerges. Or until I get my Balliwick 3 iron head shafted to complete my iron set and get back up to 14 clubs in the bag.

[LeftyT]

So, I had been playing with the Tec until now. I thought that driver was good but I knew I needed a change as my ball flight was way too high for my liking. So this year, I have decided to go look for another driver that can do better than my tec. I was looking at the r7 Quad as people have been saying its a great driver, g2 and Big Bertha Titanium 454. These were my top choices when I went to hit the ball.

The r7 quad was good but not that good in feel. distance was good but not better than what i'm getting out of my tec. forgiveness was okay but didn't get a chance to play around with the weights for what i may like.

The BB titanium 454 was surprisingly good. Feel wasn't as good as I wanted but that might be in my head as i was never a big fan of calloway...bad incident. But the distance was amazing. forgiveness was actually pretty good. off hits would go pretty far but not always straight. I may pick one up for a back driver. Definetely would switch the shaft from this driver. the price was amazing for what it can do. $349 at GT and i think i can upgrade to a better shaft for $50more??? Aldila NV-65.

Finally the ping G2. I have been a big fan of Ping since their TiSi. the G2 was awesome. felt really confident with this club. it goes long. feels great. very forgiving. nice club to look at. and goes really straight for me!!! Comes with an upgraded shaft as stock: Aldila NV-65 or Graffoloy Blue Pro Launch?? Two higher end shafts that comes stock, that is great. I bought this driver and have been using it. Way better than my tec.