Is a 10K driver worth the money? We found out | Fully Equipped Mailbag

Chances are you’ve heard the term 10K being bandied about at your local course, but you’re still not quite sure what it means.

Without getting too far into the gear weeds, it’s a mythical number combining heel-to-toe and top-to-bottom Moment of Inertia. Better known as overall forgiveness. The higher the number, the more stable and forgiving a driver will be.

Drivers

Up until this year, no driver had been able to break the 10K g-cm2 threshold — until Ping’s G430 Max 10K, TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max and PXG Black Ops came along.

For golfers wondering if upgrading to a 10K product is worth the dinero, we pitted G430 Max 10K against G430 Max in a head-to-head test that revealed 10K was more forgiving and retained launch characteristics and spin rates on common mishits, particularly low on the face.

Considering Ping is known for stability, adding even more of the good stuff for golfers who don’t consistently find the center of the face is a massive win that confirms 10K isn’t just marketing hype. Check out the video below.

PING G430 Max 10K Custom Driver

$599.99

The G430 MAX 10K is PING’s straightest and highest MOI driver to date, eclipsing the 10,000 g-cm2 combined moment of inertia threshold first surpassed by the G400 MAX five years earlier. FIXED BACK WEIGHT The fixed back weight allows for the record-setting MOI as it drives mass down and back to increase forgiveness and optimize the center of gravity position. LARGER HEAD PROFILE PING’s biggest head profile to date maximizes the USGA-allowable heel-toe and front-back dimensions while staying within the 460cc volume limit. This eye-pleasing shape helps square the golfer to the target and inspires the confidence to hit longer, straighter tee shots.

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WHAT’S UNDER THE HOOD

LIGHTWEIGHT

Ping’s Carbonfly Wrap crown redistributes weight around the head to achieve limit-pushing MOI.

HEFTY

A 28-gram weight in the rear keeps the CG as low and deep as possible for stability purposes.

STEADY STUFF

The high-tech Spinsistency face curvature helps control spin rate variation, regardless of impact location.

Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment. Prior to joining the staff at the end of 2018, he spent 6 years covering equipment for the PGA Tour. He can be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.

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