PING introduces G410 LST driver & Blueprint, forged blade iron

G410 LST driver

PING announced the expansion of its G410 driver family today with the release of the G410 LST, a high-MOI driver engineered to produce low, stable spin with the shot-shaping control provided by the company’s innovative movable-weight technology. The new multi-material driver will be available from May 30^th. 

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“With the tremendous success of the G410 Plus and SFT drivers introduced earlier this year, we’re pleased to add the highly anticipated G410 LST model to the line-up in time for the summer golf season,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “It took us a little longer than planned but that was only because our first iteration didn’t out-perform the G400 LST. We re-worked the design to meet our performance improvement standards and are excited to get the G410 LST driver into golfer’s hands.”

“The head size is slightly smaller than the Plus model and the CG is positioned to reduce spin several hundred rpms while still providing extremely high forgiveness,” Solheim added. “The combination of lower spin and more stability, plus the ability to dial in the shot shape with our movable-weight technology, greatly expands the types of golfers who can benefit from the technology of the G410 LST driver. As always, we encourage golfers to undergo a thorough custom fitting with a trained PING Fitting Specialist to determine which G410 driver model best fits their game.”

Low, stable spin

The G410 LST shares the movable-weight technology introduced in the G410 Plus model. The CG position is slightly forward of the G410 Plus in all three positions (Draw, Neutral, Fade), leading to spin reduction of approximately 200 to 400 rpm, depending on shaft choice and a golfer’s launch conditions. Each weight position shifts the CG location by 1/10″ in each direction from neutral, influencing left or right shot direction approximately 10 yards (20 yards of correction between Draw and Fade settings).

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“The addition of the movable-weight technology in our low-spin driver option allows us to fit a wider range of golfers,” said Solheim. “A perfect example is a high-swing-speed player who battles a miss to the right. In that case, the combination of placing the weight in the draw position and the lower spin greatly improves dispersion and leads to increased ball speed for more distance.”

Patented Dragonfly Technology on the inside creates an ultra-thin crown structure, saving weight, which is moved to the extreme boundary of the clubhead to increase the MOI by 3% (compared to the G400 LST) for added ball speed and forgiveness.

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Fast and powerful shape

At 450cc, the G410 LST driver features a more rounded, pear-shaped design and combines with more efficient Turbulator Technology for advanced aerodynamics, leading to increased clubhead speed. Its “Tour Square” face sits slightly open and the score-line pattern frames the impact area to aid in alignment. The creased crown design provides a clean and powerful look at address.

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Forged, T9S+ face

The unique forging and patented heat-treatment process of the T9S+ face powers a thinner, hotter impact area that is precision machined to elevate ball speed across the entire face for more flexing and faster ball speeds. The forged face and the internal geometry of the head are instrumental in producing the powerful feel and sound of the driver.

Trajectory Tuning 2.0

The patented lightweight and aerodynamic adjustable hosel expands from five to eight settings, offering loft (0, +1⁰, +1.5⁰, -1⁰, -1.5⁰) and lie adjustments (including up to 3⁰ flatter than standard) to optimise ball flight.

“The expansion of the loft options is a tremendous benefit for all golfers, and the flatter lie angles add another layer of opportunity for expert club fitters to really fine-tune a golfer’s driver,” said Solheim.

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Multiple shaft options

Four high-performance shaft options are available at no upcharge and ensure a shaft-fitting solution to match the launch conditions of all golfers. The PING Tour 65 & 75 (lower launch, low spin, stable feel) and the counter-balanced PING Alta CB Red 55 (high-launching, lightweight) are developed in house by PING engineers. For popular custom after-market options, golfers can choose the Project X EvenFlow Black 75 (low launch, low spin) and Mitsubishi Tensei™ CK Orange 60 (mid launch angle, low spin).

G410 LST Driver Specifications:

Multi-material construction: Cast Ti 8-1-1 body, forged T9S+ face, high-density tungsten back weight, lightweight aluminium/thermoplastic adjustable hosel
. G410 LST loft options: 9⁰, 10.5⁰
. Head volume: 450 cc
. Head weight: 206g
. Swing weight: D4
. Std. lengths: 45.75″ (PING Alta CB Red), 45.25” (PING Tour & Aftermarkets)
. Loft adjustability: 5 settings: +-1.5⁰ (0, +1⁰, +1.5⁰, -1⁰, -1.5⁰)
. Lie adjustability: Up to 3⁰ (Std: 57.0⁰)
. Stock shaft option: PING Alta CB Red (Soft R, R, S, X)
. No-upcharge shaft options: PING Tour 65, 75 (R, S, X), Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 60 (R, S, X), Project X Evenflow Black 75 (5.5, 6.0, 6.5)
. Stock grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 in six sizes: Blue -1/16″, Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″, White Std., Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″
. RRP: £450

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Blueprint

Focusing on the needs of highly skilled golfers who rely on pinpoint accuracy, PING introduced the Blueprint today, a forged-blade iron sized and shaped to ensure the workability and confidence required to play with score-lowering precision. The new 8620 carbon steel iron will be available from May 30^th. 

“As the name suggests, we’ve applied a Blueprint approach to the new irons,” said John K. Solheim, PING President. “Every detail is extremely precise and carefully calculated. The resulting design is spectacular in every way for the elite player — performance, feel and looks. It’s a true shot-maker’s iron crafted with precision, and for precision.”

With that in mind,” Solheim continued, “we know the Blueprint iron isn’t for everyone. We encourage golfers interested in the Blueprint to get fit and compare it to other PING iron designs to find the best solution for their game. To paraphrase the warning sign next to the first tee at Bethpage Black that we saw so often last week during the PGA Championship, ‘The Blueprint is an extremely difficult iron to play, which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers.’’”

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Workability, versatility

Fully forged from 8620 carbon steel, the Blueprint’s small blade design appeals to the player who puts a premium on workability and trajectory control. Shorter blade lengths, less offset and narrow sole widths optimised to perform in all conditions give elite players an iron to attack any pin with confidence. A machined tungsten toe screw increases the MOI for additional forgiveness and combines with an internal heel weight to provide precise swing-weight tuning.

“I put them in play immediately once they arrived,” said PING pro Tony Finau, the 15th–ranked player in the world. “They’re workable, incredibly versatile and feel great. There isn’t a single shot I can’t hit with them, which gives me a lot of confidence in pressure situations. The look at address is also perfect; the size and shape really fit my eye.”

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Tour inspired, Tour validated

Based on requests from several PING professionals for a blade-style iron sized and shaped to deliver more control and workability, PING’s engineering team took a scientific, methodical approach to the development and design of the Blueprint iron. Through on-course observation sessions and conversations with the players about the shots they rely on to excel in competition, the engineers began the prototyping process to apply their learnings and gather additional feedback. After extensive in-house research with varying head sizes, the findings revealed the theory of “aim small, miss small” was validated by many of the highly skilled players in the test, who produced tighter stat areas when hitting the more compact head. That design was prototyped in limited quantities and released on tour nine months before the official introduction.

“When we launched it on tour, a few players put it in play immediately and it wasn’t long before we had our first win,” continued Solheim. “Based on a lot of their input, we were able to deliver exactly what they were looking for while expanding our iron offerings into a new category. We’re very pleased with the development process we went through and are looking forward to applying our learnings to future PING products.”

Four-step forging process

A four-step, multi-stage process for the one-piece forging provides very tight dimensional tolerance control within the compact design. The high-strength, 8620 carbon steel increases the iron’s durability, ensuring long-lasting performance and quality. More than 50 steps in the manufacturing process, including machining the face and grooves, are 100% inspected.

Pleasing sound and feel

The choice of 8620 carbon steel combined with a head design that concentrates mass through the impact zone delivers a pleasing sound and feel.

“The feel is amazing,” reports PING pro Louis Oosthuizen, who was the first player to put the new irons in his bag last fall and the first to win with them at the South African Open in December. “I love the feedback I get and how smoothly they go through the turf from any lie. They’re like no other iron I’ve ever hit. The Blueprint’s workability gives me the control to hit all the shots with the precision I need to win tournaments.”

Blueprint Iron Specifications

. Manufacturing process: One-piece, four-step, multi-stage forging
. Materials/finish: 8620 carbon steel, tungsten toe/heel weights, hydropearl 2.0 finish
. Available: 2-9, PW, +- 2 degrees lie angle
. Stock grip: Golf Pride MCC Align Black/White (Std, Mid)
. Optional grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 in six sizes (Blue -1/16″, Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″, White Std., Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″); Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord (upcharge) in two sizes (White Std., Gold +1/32”)
. Stock shaft options: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), PING AWT 2.0 (R, S, X)
. Aftermarket shaft options (no upcharge): True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), True Temper Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Project X LZ (5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5), True Temper XP95 (R300, S300), Nippon Pro Modus Tour 105 (S, X), KBS Tour (R, S, S+, X)
. RRP: £219 per iron w/steel shaft (stock or aftermarket)