REVEALED: Ping G430 Max 10K driver blends Max and LST tech

Everything we know about the Ping G430 Max 10K driver, which extends the brand’s driver family for 2024.

Read our full G430 Max 10K driver review.

Ping models consistently feature among the best drivers, and a new model has appeared on the USGA website, hinting at what the company might be launching next year.  

The G430 MAX 10k follows in the same footsteps as the current G430 drivers (LST, MAX, SFT), launched at the start of 2023, and will be a blend of LST and Max.

Soon-to-be launched clubs often appear on the USGA conforming list at this time of year, as it makes them legal for use in year-end tournaments such as this week’s PGA Tour event, the RSM Classic, or Europe’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship. We’ve already seen Rory McIlroy put a new TaylorMade driver in his bag in Dubai and Cameron Champ will be using the Ping prototype at the RSM.

“I’ve been pounding balls with it,” Champ told GOLF.com. “I was excited about it and wanted to keep hitting it to be sure. The feel is different than any driver I’ve hit. To me, it feels very soft coming off the face, you can really feel it. I’d go so far as to say it’s the softest driver I’ve ever hit. Different sound, too.

“Even within the first few balls I noticed the spin numbers weren’t jumping. With the misses, it was pretty interesting to see. For me, an ideal drive is around 2,500 to 2,800 [RPMs].

“Even with a miss, the max for me was still around 2,800. It felt like the misses weren’t as bad and still felt like solid contact. And for them to be able to hold spin was huge. When you miss, you either get a bunch more spin or hit it off the toe and it has nothing. With all the balls I hit with it, it was impressive to see how the spin stayed pretty damn close to a good shot.”

Ping G430 Max 10K driver: What we know so far

There are two key points on the USGA’s conforming list for 2024 that might give us some more clues about what to expect: 

– The driver has a titanium face with ‘CARBONFLY WRAP’ crown – only the Ping G430 LST has had a carbon fiber crown before. 

– There’s also a tungsten back weight, but it mentions nothing about whether the weight is movable and it’s impossible to tell from the only image.

Ping revealed the super-popular 460cc G400 Max driver – which was bigger than the 445cc G400 – later than the G400, G400 LST, and G400 SFT in 2018.

Back then the Max had a fixed back weight, so it wasn’t tuneable for shot shape, but the bigger size gave an MOI of 9900g cm2 – 10% higher than the G400.  

The Max was designed as a more forgiving driver option for golfers who sprayed shots over the entire face, rather than a distance or shot-shaping model.

Ping G430 Max 10K: Ultimate forgiveness?

If MOI is over 10,000 – which would be a sensible angle based on the name – this would be Ping’s most forgiving driver in 2024.  

But it’s worth remembering that Ping said the G430 Max’s MOI was 10,055 g cm2, so we’d expect the G430 Max 10K to be a few hundred points higher, which would mean incredible levels of forgiveness.  

Find out which model is right for you in our guide to the best Ping drivers.

Simon Daddow – Today’s Golfer Equipment Editor

Having tested and played more than 10,000 clubs in his life, what Simon doesn’t know about golf clubs isn’t worth knowing.

He’s a specialist in all things metal having spent a large part of his career as a golf club maker and product development manager, and has worked in the golf industry for more than 30 years.

He joined EMAP Active (now Bauer Media) as Equipment Editor in 2006 and has made todays-golfer.com the most reliable source for golf club testing.

You can contact Simon via email and follow him on Twitter for loads more golf equipment insight.