Ping G440 Max Fairway Wood Review

Fairway woods are one of the weakest parts of my game. So when I saw the new Ping G440 Max Fairway Wood, I was immediately interested.

Ping are one of the best when it comes to fairways and hybrids, and you’ll often see non-contracted Tour players choosing to use Ping woods because the performance is so good.

Following on from G430 is never going to be easy. That was one of the most popular wood ranges we have seen in recent years.

The new G440 Fairways are said to feature new shaping and weight saving. The result: better performance and an improved sound and feel. Let’s see how it performs…

Who Is It Aimed At?

There are four different fairways in the new range – the Max, LST, SFT and HL.

The Max model serves as the ‘standard’ model in the range, with a blend of forgiveness, distance and workability.

For me, Ping woods are all about being easy to hit. So if you’re somebody who is not very confident when it comes to the top end of the bag, they are definitely worth considering.

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The Tech

One of the big new pieces of technology across the G440 range is the Free Hosel. The way the shaft fits into the hosel has been redesigned, saving 11.5 grams of weight compared to previous years.

This combines with the Carbonfly Wrap crown, which saves weight to be reallocated lower in the head. This lower CG provides more forgiveness, and is said to offer a better, more muted sound at impact.

Ping have updated the shape slightly too. The face is taller than previous years, and said to be ‘optimised’ in the toe and heel. This is designed to give you better ball speed and performance on off-centre strikes.

The range features a contoured sole where the back weight sits more flush within the head. The face angle also remains consistent, regardless of the loft or lie setting selected.

Ping are really focusing on helping golfers with gapping at the top end of their bag. As a result, we’ve got a new G440 4-Wood this time around. This is also said to provide extra versatility, which is part of the reason why Ping fairway woods are so popular on tour.

Ping G440 Max Fairway Wood Review

Looks and Feel

The G440 Max features a classy looking matte head, which I am a big fan of. It’s a lot less cluttered than the driver design, without turbulators or the two-tone crown.

One thing I hate with fairway woods is offset – I just feel like I’m going to hit the ball miles left.

The G440 Max sits nice and square which looks great, but there’s still plenty of footprint by the ball. The flatter head shape makes it look forgiving and easy to launch.

Lofting up (more on that later) also provides a bit more confidence as you can see a bit more of the face at address too.

The blue colourway reminds me of the older G and G30 ranges from when I first started playing golf. It’s a really nice return to this, and for me a big improvement on the lime/yellow of the G430.

Off the face you get that characteristic Ping feel and sound, although it definitely seemed more muted than previous years.

The stability across the face was something that really impressed me. I have definitely hit a number of shots from different areas of the face, and it still felt as if there wasn’t much twisting of the head.

Performance

I was lucky enough to travel to Ping’s HQ in Phoenix at the end of last year and was fitted for the G440 range. As someone who struggles with low spin and launch, I actually ended up with a 16.5 degree fairway.

Back in the UK I tested the G440 Max at Hukd Golf. The main takeaway I had from the indoor testing was just how impressive the consistency was.

The ball flight was repeatable, carry distances were strong even on mis-hits, and spin rates were pretty stable too.

An average carry of just over 230 yards fits perfectly within my setup. An average peak height of 106 feet is so much higher than I usually manage with a 3 wood, and it felt easy to do this too.

Out on the course, the main thing that the G440 Max has offered is consistency. In the past I would’ve avoided using my 3 wood, especially off the deck. This is because I was concerned about losing it left or striking it poorly.

Now I feel like I can attack par 5s or use it off the deck to get myself into position much more easily.

It slots perfectly between my driver and hybrid at the top end of the bag. Lofting up to 16.5 degrees has made it so easy to launch the ball high from different lies, but the ball still seems to travel forwards which is great.

The shape of the head is a nice balance between friendly, without looking too large or offset. I’ve even hit a few shots out of the rough and still found it easy to strike and launch.

Ping G440 Max Fairway Wood Verdict

As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed using the G440 Max. When golfers find a fairway that they like, they tend to stick with them for years.

The G440 Max has instantly given me a confidence boost because I feel like I can commit to it. Regardless of the lie, it seemed to launch high with ease and the forgiveness was really good too.

If you’re looking for a new fairway wood this year, this is definitely one to add to your shortlist. The addition of the 4-Wood is also a great move by Ping, and something that I’d recommend lots of golfers to try.