Creating Bubba-like launches with Ping G20

• By Global Golf Post
• Aug 22, 2011 2:27 PM ET

Director of engineering Brad Schweigert says it wasn’t easy improving upon Ping’s popular G15 driver when it came time to produce a next generation product in that category.

“But we found that by doing lots of little things, we could make significant enhancements,” he said. The result is the G20, and it looks to boost Ping driver performance in a number of ways.

“One of the first steps was to optimize the location of the center of gravity,” he said. “One of the reasons (Ping staff professional) Bubba Watson hits his drives so far is that they are launched high with very low spin. And with the G20, we are trying to create Bubba-like launch conditions for every player, in large part by adding an external weight to the rear of the club.”

Another advancement with the G20 is a large, variable-thickness clubface that generates faster ball speeds and increases Moment of Inertia (MOI) across the hitting surface for increased power and forgiveness. Ping engineers were also able to beef up MOI by employing a lighter, lower density titanium alloy, dubbed Ti 8-1-1, in a 460cc clubhead that is slightly heavier than in previous models.

And the high strength-to-weight ratio of that clubhead allowed technicians to strategically place additional weight in ways that boosted MOI in both the vertical and horizontal axes.

Finally, Schweigert and his colleagues turned to a proprietary, high-balance-point stock shaft, called TFC 169D, for help. Though the TFC 169D is lighter than most, the overall swing weight of the G20 driver remains unchanged, due to the heavier clubhead. And that, he said, allows golfers to make contact with a clubhead that not only has more stability but also more energy.