It’s that time of year again: the USGA Compliance List is filled with new additions, in this case with most of the equipment, we will see the players playing in the main tours in 2027.
On Monday, four new models from the Ping G450 family hit the list, which is where every new club needs to live before being officially approved. My personal intuition? We might see how Neal Shipley or Austin Eckroat put this line into play, but we’ll wait and see.
USGA
Three pilots in the new line follow Ping’s typical framework with LST (Low Spin Tech), MAX (their most forgiving model) and SFT (Straight Flight Technology – Draw Biased). But there is also a new mini driver G450 MINIMAX, for which golfers have been clamoring since the prototypes reached the tour.
MINIMAX could be the best name for a mini driver, and it is very Ping., based on the MAX name for which the brand is known. It’s the perfect way to say that we’re still the buttoned-down serious Ping we’ve always been, but we’re here to party too.
;)
USGA
The only major change for the entire family that we can see from the compliance list photos is something called FASTFLEX. This seems to be Ping’s version of something like the TaylorMade Speed Pocket or Mizuno’s Coretech Chamber. Typically, this is a technology that allows the face of the driver to flex a little more, providing more ball speed, regardless of swing speed.
Knowing Ping, there’s probably even a history of forgiveness built in. Often, this support allows the face to be more consistent on mis-hits, which means that the off-center speed will be faster, but the performance on off-center shots is still to be maintained.
It also seems that there will be a 7.5º offer in the LST right off the bat, though it might only be for tour-level players, and the MINIMAX is only available in 13º of loft. It’s a bit disappointing for me as I really like a 15.5º mini, but the 13º segment makes sense. Ping took their time with this mini driver, so I’m sure they have a great reason for the 13º.
;)
USGA
If this means that Ping is chasing speed with the new line, the driver market is about to feel a real shake.
Today on Tour There is about a 70/25/5 split, respectively, between the LST/K/MAX leaders in play, but I wonder what will happen to that K percentage once a new MAX is introduced.
We look forward to getting our hands on the product for some upcoming tests. In the meantime, be sure to keep an eye out our social channels for the latest information as we get it! Ping’s new fairways and hybrids will also be exciting additions, but there’s no word on those yet.
