- PING updates their game-improvement irons with the new G440 line.
- The G440 irons are more compact than the previous G430s.
- Although lofts are the same, the G440 irons are longer on average than the G430s.
- In stores Jan. 30 with a per club MSRP of $170 with steel shafts and $185 with graphite shafts.
PING did something impressive with their new G440 game-improvement irons: they squeezed more performance into a more compact iron profile. In the game-improvement market, “make them larger” is often the recipe for improvement. Yet, somehow, PING has made a better iron while making some of the aspects smaller.
Compared to the G430 irons, the new PING G440 irons show increased ball speed, launch angles, max height and carry. This almost sounds like sorcery when you consider that the G430 and G440 irons have the same lofts.
If that is not enough to get you excited about the G440 irons, how does a 20-percent decrease in shot dispersal sound to you?
The PING G430 irons scored a respectable eighth place finish in Most Wanted testing last year, scoring especially well in accuracy and forgiveness.
Anyone shopping for game-improvement irons should get fired up for a new iron set that is longer and tighter than its well-performing predecessor.
PING G440 irons hit new heights
How did PING get more distance from an iron with the same loft? The simple answer is that they shifted the center of gravity, resulting in higher launch and more carry. PING was able to shift the CG by making a few shape changes as they moved from G430 to G440.
Some of the changes you can see but others are internal.
The shape of the new G440 irons is not radically different from the G430 irons but, as I mentioned, they are a touch smaller. The most significant change was the reduction in face height.
This new height is most likely to be noticed at address. The iron looks a little less like a game-improvement iron, perhaps becoming more attractive to better players who would usually not be interested in a G-family iron.
More significant than the aesthetics is that the shorter face allowed PING engineers to make the 17-4 steel face nine percent thinner. The thinner face yields higher ball speeds and the weight saved from the face can be repositioned internally to optimize the CG and MOI values for each iron.
Realistically, you don’t need to care about any of the technical marvels in the G440 irons. What you should care about is that for the 4-9 irons, the lofts are the same as the G430 irons and the G440 irons are longer and tighter.
New G440 PurFlex badge
The thinner face necessitated a new badge for the G440 cavity. The purpose of the four-piece molded PurFlex badge is to support the thinner face while not inhibiting the flexing of the face.
The blue accents of the G440 badge match the aesthetics of the other G440 family clubs. Compared to the G430, the badge of the G440 makes the irons look less like cavity-backs. Again, this could make them more attractive to a player who usually avoids cavity-back irons (even if they need them).
PING’s research determined that most of people surveyed found the new G440 irons more attractive than the G430s. I agree. The G440s are a more attractive set, primarily because of the new badge.
The G440 long irons (4-6)
While the lofts have not changed in the G440 long irons, this section of the set saw the most significant distance gains. The G440 5-iron gained 1.2 mph of ball speed and four yards of carry compared to the G430.
Perhaps some of the distance could be attributed to the G440’s shaft being an eighth of an inch longer. In all likelihood, the height and distance comes from the lower center of gravity and thinner face. An eighth of an inch is unlikely to result in four more yards of average carry.
I can see players, maybe even pros, building combo sets with the G440 long irons to add a bit of forgiveness at the top of the bag.
The G440 short irons (7-9)
The gains were not as great as those of the long irons but the G440 short irons also put up better numbers than the G430 irons of the same loft. The ball speed from G440 7-iron was only 0.6 mph faster and 1.4 yards longer than the G430 but the dispersal was 20 percent tighter.
That is a huge gain. These are the irons you are hitting when you expect to hit the green. I hope to hit a green with a 4-iron but I expect to hit it with my 9-iron. If your shot dispersion shrinks by 20 percent, you are more likely to hit your target.
The G440 irons show improved distance consistency. The G430 irons had wider range of shot distances than the G440 irons. The shot area for the G430 irons was oval with the long and short shots at the longer end of the shape.
For the G440 irons, the dispersal shape is more of a circle. This means you should have fewer shots that fly long or come up short of the green.
Having the ball fly expected distances is critical when hitting into the green. G440 does it better.
The G440 wedges
PING overhauled the bottom end of the G440 iron set. The PING G430 set had five wedges starting with a 41-degree pitching wedge followed by 45, 50, 54 and 58. The new PING G440 set has four: a 42-degree pitching wedge, then 47, 52 and 56.
PING made this change to make 10-yard gaps between clubs for the player who hits a 7-iron about 135 yards. That is who PING thinks of as the typical G iron player.
Like the decrease in dispersion with the short irons, this consistent gapping should help players to hit the correct wedge into a green.
I love this change for another reason. One of the things I have always liked about PING irons is that their wedges had letters rather than numbers. While I realize that engraving a “P” for “pitching” on a wedge or a “42” for loft is essentially the same thing, I prefer to know how far my pitching wedge goes rather than a 42-degree wedge.
Above 50 degrees, numbers are fine but below that, I want letters.
The new 56-degree G440 wedge
While I’m at it, I might as well air another one of my irons idiosyncrasies. I love set wedges! This love goes back to when I first started playing golf.
My first fitted set of clubs was the Callaway Razr X irons and I had the set built from 4-iron to lob wedge. At the time, full-swing wedge shots were so much more consistent with those set wedges. My wedge game is better now but I still try out set wedges whenever they are available.
The 56-degree G440 wedge is more than just an afterthought in the set. PING put some time into designing a wedge that would benefit the typical G iron player.
The overall design of the G440 56-degree wedge is based on the PING Eye 2 shape. The hosel is reduced in size as well. PING’s research determined that this wedge design improved the chances for the target player to have their bunker shot end up on target. It even slightly increases the likelihood of getting out of the bunker.
That doesn’t sound like a “just a set wedge” wedge.
Yes, I do wish that the 52 and 56 wedges were labeled “S” and “L” instead but the numbers make it easier for someone to swap in a different wedge and maintain correct gapping.
New PING AWT 3.0 shaft
The G440 irons are the first set to feature PING’s new AWT 3.0 steel shaft. Like previous versions of the shaft, AWT stands for Ascending Weight Technology. AWT shafts get heavier as the club number increases, making short iron shafts heavier than long iron shafts.
For the AWT 3.0 shaft, PING partnered with Nippon to produce a “modified, nonlinear weight progression.” Again, this results in lighter long and mid irons and heavier wedges.
The regular flex version of the shaft is especially intriguing since these will feature a softer tip section than the S or X versions. This softer tip section should benefit the slower-swinging R-flex player who struggles to get long irons up in the air.
Remember, PING has a whole bunch of other stock shaft options to choose from in both steel and graphite.
G440 versus G730
Some of you may remember I spent some time with the G730 irons last season. How would I compare the two? Though I have fewer rounds played with the G440 irons, they are my favorite of the two.
I prefer the smaller look of the G440 irons to the G730. The G440 irons also seem to provide better feedback on strikes.
Based upon my limited play and range data, I’d say it’s apples-to-apples comparison. In the produce section, the G440 irons would be my preferred Fuji apple but I’d still eat a G730 apple if they were out of Fujis.
PING puts the “G” in “gains” for 2025
I play game-improvement irons for a reason. The G440s are improving my game. While my plan is to swap in a 4-hybrid for the 4-iron, the G440 long irons are very easy to hit. The scoring clubs are engineered to hit greens and the wedges are more than just wedges to complete the set.
The feel is not that of forged butter but I find it instructive and in no way harsh (when struck correctly at least). The G440 irons will help with errant impacts and let you know that they happened so perhaps I can improve my swing along the way.
You may disagree but the looks of the G440 irons are a dramatic improvement over the G430s. Ultimately, all looks will fade as we disfigure our irons by repeatedly bashing them into the ground. That said, I prefer to spend my money on something I like looking at.
Can’t wait to see how these perform in Most Wanted testing this year (and in my golf bag).
For those of you who prefer the look of the G430s, and a good deal, you can now find the G430s at a discounted price.
Find out more at PING.com
G440 Iron Specifications
- Available: 4-9, PW (42°), UW (47°), 52°, 56° in 10 color codes (lie angle). Black color code is
standard. - Loft options: Standard, Power Spec and Retro Spec
- Stock shafts: PING AWT 3.0 steel (R, S, X), PING Alta CB Blue graphite (SR, R, S), PING Alta Quick 35/45 (HL build)
- Optional stock shafts: Dynamic Gold (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold Mid 100 (R300, S100), Dynamic Gold 105 (R300, S300), Dynamic Gold Mid 115 (S300, X100), Dynamic Gold 120 (S300, X100), KBS Tour (R, S, X), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 105 (R, S, X), Elevate MPH 95 (R,S)
- Stock grip: Golf Pride 360 Tour Velvet in six sizes (Blue -1/16″, Red -1/32″, Aqua -1/64″, White-Std, Gold +1/32″, Orange +1/16″)
- U.S. MSRP: $170 per club with stock steel shaft; $185 per club with stock graphite shaft
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