PING G400 - CONSISTENT, FORGIVING & GOOD LOOKING
When I first heard about the new PING G410 irons, my first thought was that they sounded like a modest update to the highly successful G400s. I expected new colors, plenty of marketing spin and a fresh price tag. What I discovered reading the tech sheets and seeing the clubs in person was a pleasant surprise.
Not only had the PING designers incorporated more performance features, they did it in a smaller club head that’s very appealing to players like myself in the Game Improvement category. These were irons I couldn’t wait to hit.
The PING G410 irons feature a shorter blade length and 10% less offset than their predecessors. 10% may not seem like a lot, but to my eye, less is best. At address, the club head has a lot of eye appeal with a topline that’s relatively thin and a hydropearl 2.0 finish that cuts down glare.
I really like the matte grey finish on the club face and white paint fill, which is only on the bottom groove. The face showed some wear during testing, but not to an extent that’s distracting or concerning. It’s a simple thing, but the stamped club number is a nice detail that lets you avoid the sole flip manoeuvre when you’ve grabbed a couple of clubs and want to verify which club you’re pulling the trigger with.
The soles of the G410s are modest in width, with attractive shaping on the trailing edge. The toe has an exposed weight plug that adds a bit of technical mystique to the clubs. On the back, the co-moulded cavity badge is framed attractively and looks sharp with the bold red on black.
Despite the refined shape of the G410 irons, PING was able to increase MOI by 8% by concentrating weighting in the hosel and the toe. The resulting increase in forgiveness and consistency were confirmed when I pulled the 6 iron for the first time and hit three consecutive balls that flew identically and would have landed on a blanket.
The lofts of the G410 irons are the same as the G400s. To increase performance, PING made a larger, more flexing face and incorporated next generation COR-Eye technology that amplifies ball speed for more distance and higher peak trajectories. Although I didn’t experience any distance gains over my gamers, the trajectories peaked out higher and were amazingly consistent.
I was impressed with the performance of the stock PING Alta CB Red graphite shafts that I tested with. The clubs felt very balanced and the powerful ball flight felt effortless. With seven stock metal shaft options available, I’d say PING has something suitable for most every golfer.
If you’re in the market for new game improvement irons the PING G410s are definitely worth a close look.