Ping G400 Hybrid Review

The Ping G400 Hybrid has a new maraging steel face, faster ball speed and much more stopping power

Details: Ping G400 Hybrid £200. Lofts: #2-17°, #3-19°, #4-22°, #5-26°, #6-30°. Stock shaft: Ping Alta CB / Ping Tour. Adjustable hosel: No

No new golf equipment family launch is complete nowadays without either a matching hybrid or hybrid iron to get you bridge the gap between your longest iron and your fairway woods.

So just like Ping’s G400 driver, irons and fairway woods, the new Ping G400 hybrids have undergone a makeover, too.

Ping G400
Ping G400 Driver Review
Ping G400 Irons Review
Ping G400 Crossover Review
Ping G400 Fairway Wood Review

With the G400 Hybrid, the biggest improvement is a new maraging steel face, which Ping say gives it both instant ball speed and feel improvement. Ping say that new center of gravity weights also will help golfers launch the ball higher with their latest hybrid, achieving a higher peak trajectory and steeper landing angles.

Progressive CG locations in the G400 hybrid offer versatility in helping golfers properly gap their sets. The 2- and 3-hybrids are engineered with a CG more toe side to minimise a left bias while the 4-, 5-, and 6-hybrids are designed help golfers launch the ball higher with added forgiveness.

Ping G400 Hybrid: Video Review

Ping G400 Hybrid Review: You need to know

Ping say the G400 delivers hotter, higher shots with a tighter dispersion. A new maraging steel face is 11% thinner and 10% lighter which Ping reckon delivers a 2mph faster ball speed. Thanks to repositioning mass more efficiently you can expect to peak shots out 5 yards higher, which helps hold a green from distance. The #2 and #3 are more toe weighted to help stop shots from going left in the hands of better players.     

When and how to replace your 5-iron

Ping G400 Hybrid Review: We say 

An absolute cracker of a hybrid, which all three testers would be happy to put in their own bags. The beauty of the G400 lies in its versatility and ability to suit so many different types of player. We’re big fans of the across the board performance which was highlighted when the G400 produced our two amateurs second fastest ball speeds from a slightly weaker loft than the test average.

Our test pro loved how the face grooves highlight where you should be impacting shots, and Chris in particular felt able to hit both higher flighted softer landing and lower more penetrating shots for maximum distance. Being able to buy G400 in both a lighter Alta 70 and heavier Tour 85 shaft means all golfers should be able to find their perfect fit and feel. 

  

Ping G400 Hybrid Review: Verdict

A brilliant all-round hybrid option, the matt black finish means the turbulators on the crown fade into the background creating a completely un-offensive head design. A mid-wide head shape is perfect for flighting shots easily from the turf, digging shots out of the rough and scuttling shots out of low lipped fairway bunkers.   

Need help choosing hybrids? Wide body vs Narrow body vs Utility irons here

 

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Ping G400 Hybrid Review: Find out everything you need to know about the technical aspects and key features of the G400 Hybrid, including revised cosmetics, fasters ball speeds and more stopping power. 

 

Ping G400 Hybrid Review: Faster Ball Speed

On average, the Ping G400 Hybrid promises 2mph more ball speed than the previous Ping G model and which Ping say has been achieved by their latest face material called maraging C300.

Marty Jertson, Director of Product Development at Ping, says “It’s one of the strongest materials in the world. It’s 20% stronger and more flexible than the previous material we’ve used.”

“What we’ve been able to do is thin the face down and produce 35% more flex in the face during the impact. We’re getting the face to flex nearly the entire face thickness during impact, producing more ball speed and a higher peak trajectory”

Ping G400 Hybrid Review: More Stopping Power

A lot of players use hybrids in place of long irons as many struggle to get their long irons high enough off the ground and consequently can’t hit them as far as they would like. Ping say their latest hybrid has the highest trajectory and most stopping power of any hybrid they have ever made.

Marty Jertson, Director of Product Development at Ping, says “How we achieved that was with our new face material called maraging C300, and pair that with our new center of gravity weights that are lower and deeper so we are getting more dynamic launch.”

“The end result is a higher peak trajectory and steeper landing angles so you can hit shots from a long distance from the green that stop fast”

Ping G400 Hybrid Review: Revised Cosmetics

Some players who struggle with hybrids tend to have trouble finding the middle of the face, but Ping say their improved design, which gives cues to the golfer, solves that problem.

Marty Jertson says “We have two turbulators on the toe and two on the heel, providing this focal point to the center of the face. We’ve paired that with this groove pattern where we left the grooves unpainted right in the middle of the face.”

“We’ve done testing to validate that we can improve the impact stat area from the player, so if somebody hits their hybrids on the toe, now they will be more centered”

Watch Marty Jertson, Director of Product Development at Ping, explain everything you need to know the Ping G400 Hybrid

Ping G400 Hybrid in numbers

35% The maraging steel face in the G400 hybrid offers over a third more face flex than the G.

5% Shots with the G400 hybrid fly 5% higher, increasing your shot stopping power.  

5 yards Compared to G Ping reckon the G400 hybrid increases ball speed by 2mph which equates to 5 yards of extra carry.

20% You can expect to hit the G400 Crossover 20% higher than the G, and get 33% less roll out.

20g A tungsten weight in the toe of the Crossover raises MOI, and means 45% less shot bend so you hit shots straighter.

Ping G400 Hybrid vs Ping G Hybrid

We went to Ping HQ in Phoenix, Arizona, to challenge Ping to show us just how much better the new G400 Hybrid was in comparison to their previous G Model. 

Teaming up with Director Marty Jertson, we testing the Ping G hybrid against the Ping G400 hybrid on a trackman, and this is what happened…