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In this review, I’ll be taking a look at the PING G425 MAX driver.
The G425 MAX is aimed at forgiveness-minded golfers seeking maximum moment of inertia (MOI) and minimal twisting on off-center hits. While this is the primary goal of the driver, it’s also designed to deliver fast ball speeds, optimal feel, and adjustability.
How does the G425 MAX actually perform when put to the test? How does it compare to its predecessor, the G410 Plus? Who is it best suited for? Is it worth putting in the bag?
Read on to find out what you need to know to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The PING G425 MAX driver won a gold medal on the Golf Digest Hot List for 2021 and 2022. It has been lauded by critics for its outstanding stability and tight dispersions.
The driver currently enjoys average customer ratings of 4.9/5 on Global Golf, 4.8/5 on PGA TOUR Superstore, and 4.8/5 (96% recommended) on the PING website.
What People Like
- unbelievably good forgiveness
- easy to get the ball airborne
- easy to swing
- great feel
- shot shape adjustability to suit your swing
- inspires confidence at address
What People Don’t Like
- loud sound is unappealing to some
- average distance compared to other modern offerings
The Features
The G425 MAX driver is packed with PING’s latest cutting-edge technologies. It has the highest MOI of any driver PING has ever manufactured.
Tungsten Movable Weight
A 26-gram tungsten weight shifts the CG low and ridiculously deep, pushing the total MOI to a record 10,000.
This weight can be moved towards the toe for a fade bias, kept in the middle for a neutral bias, or moved towards the heel for a draw bias.
Dragonfly Crown Technology
An ultra-thin Ti 8-1-1 (titanium alloy) crown takes on a web-like “dragonfly wing” structure. This enables weight savings that are redistributed to increase MOI and distance.
T9S+ Forged Face
This proprietary precision-machined, high-strength face maximizes flexion across the face at impact, thereby increasing ball speeds.
Crown Turbulators
These are a series of angled ridges on the crown. Part of a special aerodynamic design, they reduce drag for increased swing speed.
Internal Ribbing
A Ti 8-1-1 body contains an internal rib structure that reinforces key sections of the head. This enhances acoustics for solid sound and feel.
Stock Info
The G425 MAX driver is available in 9°, 10.5° and 12° standard lofts at 460CC.
An included Trajectory Tuning 2.0 adjustable hosel, lightweight and aerodynamic, offers eight loft and lie combinations to fine-tune your trajectory.
There are many stock shaft options offered at no upcharge including the PING Tour 65, PING Alta CB 55 Slate, ALDILA ROGUE White 130 MSI 70, and Mitsubishi TENSEI AV Orange. The Alta CB Slate, in particular, is counterbalanced to deliver more momentum and forgiveness.
The stock grips are the Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 and Tour Velvet Cord, both of which are compatible with Arccos sensors.
Below are the specs of the PING G425 MAX driver. Click or zoom to enlarge.
The Performance
Distance
Generally speaking, the G425 MAX should not be thought of as a pure “distance” driver. Ball speeds generated are average or maybe even slightly below average when compared to most other modern drivers that you can put in your bag today.
I didn’t notice any significant gains in distance over the G410 Plus. Indeed, most of the G425 MAX’s technologies focus on increasing MOI and stability rather than raw distance.
However, depending on your configuration, sole weight position, etc., you could see distance results that are much better than your current gamer. For example, chronic slicers of the golf ball will have success with moving the sole weight into the heel as it will help straighten out their shots.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is where the G425 MAX driver shines most. It may well be the most forgiving driver I’ve ever tested up until this point; this is especially impressive given the adjustability features which historically detract from forgiveness.
This is true both in terms of ball speed and direction, thanks to a super deep CG position. I do find that the G425 MAX has an edge in forgiveness over the G410 Plus — mis-hits retain a better line, launch and spin.
Dispersions are so tight that it really takes a hideous swing to miss fairways, particularly those with a generous width. And moderate mis-hits won’t lose much distance at all relative to sweet-spot strikes.
Playability/Trajectory
The G425 MAX driver tends to produce a high trajectory with a very slight draw bias when the weight is in the neutral position. Moving the weight into the heel position will introduce a healthy draw bias, and this is probably the best course of action for slicers.
One of the side effects of the G425 MAX’s extremely deep CG is slightly higher backspin RPMs which shave down your distance. At the same time, it promotes an easy launch and great mis-hit performance.
One thing to note is that even with the strong-lofted 9-degree driver, it’s easy to get a nice high launch, yet with a relatively shallow descent angle and great carry. With the higher-loft options, there’s really no golfer out there that shouldn’t be able to get the ball airborne.
When it comes to workability, you can pretty much forget it. But the G425 MAX is really the driver of choice for golfers seeking maximum consistency and stability off the tee.
The Look
The G425 MAX driver shares many similarities with its predecessor, the G410 Plus. You have the “valley-shaped” face pattern, crown turbulators, a matte black finish, and a moveable weight on the back edge of the sole.
In terms of differences, the crown of the G425 MAX is wider from front to back, the ridges on the back of the crown are slightly different, and the driver looks heftier overall.
In addition, the G425 MAX appears to have more going on in the sole design. There are no coloured accents; instead, a black/white/silver colour scheme has been employed. It’s a very tasteful, sharp aesthetic in my judgement.
There’s no doubt that the G425 MAX gives you a lot of confidence when set up behind the ball, as a maximum forgiveness driver should.
The Sound & Feel
The sound & feel of the G425 MAX driver are very reminiscent of the G410 Plus. Sound is fairly loud, resonating, a little metallic, and medium-pitched, producing a sharp “pop” at impact.
Despite PING having made great strides in the sound of their drivers in recent years, I can still see how it would be unappealing to some golfers.
The feel of the G425 MAX is uniquely explosive. Although solid and stable, you can really feel the face flexing at impact. It’s certainly one of the most satisfying feelings you can get from a modern driver.
The feel is, unsurprisingly, maintained extremely well even in heel and toe face regions. While this can be considered a positive from the standpoint of game improvement forgiveness, it means that mis-hit feedback is not very informative and it will be difficult to pinpoint precisely where you make contact with the face.
Where To Buy This Driver Online
Online availability of PING golf clubs is more limited than other manufacturers.
One of the best places to pick up the G425 MAX driver (new or used) is eBay. You can typically find deals here that you can’t find anywhere else.
You can also check the stock at Global Golf, PGA TOUR Superstore, and Rock Bottom Golf. These merchants may offer club trade-ins, points programs, or other perks to enhance your shopping experience.
Conclusion
Most drivers today are marketed as distance bombers with a certain degree of low spin. The PING G425 MAX takes a different track and can be considered the ultimate forgiveness driver.
With an unprecedented MOI, confidence-inspiring shape, and high launch with an adjustable sole weight to boot, the G425 MAX will help golfers of all skill levels hit more fairways. It matches or beats the previous G410 Plus model in every category.
If you can get used to the loud sound and if you don’t mind that it’s not the longest driver out there, the G425 MAX driver should absolutely be a new permanent addition to your bag.
Are you interested in the G425 MAX driver? Have you played it? What’s your experience? Fill us in down below.
