Ping built the G440 hybrid to get the ball up and stop it, and it does both. It is not the longest hybrid from its year, but it misses straighter than most of them.
What's new
Ping launched the G440 hybrid in January 2025. A maraging steel face, 8% shallower and 6% thinner than before, sits on a 17-4 stainless chassis under a carbon fiber crown. Ping also pulled 4 grams out of the hosel and heel and moved it into a slim back weight, which drops the center of gravity by 12%.
Six lofts run from a 17-degree 2H to a 34-degree 7H, and heads shrink from 122 cc to 113 cc as loft rises. An eight-position Free Hosel moves loft 1.5 degrees either way and flattens lie by up to 3 degrees. Ping prices it toward the upper end of the hybrid market.
How it plays
Testing put it at 8.7 overall in its 2025 class, and accuracy carries that result. At 8.8 it is the best of its six scores, with forgiveness at 8.7 right behind, so off-center strikes still hold their line and their height.
Distance and feel both sit at 8.5. That is solid rather than headline speed, but a hybrid that climbs and stops on a green will often matter more than a few extra yards of rollout. Workability scores 8.4. The 2H is set up to fade and the 5H through 7H to draw, and the hosel tunes flight beyond that.
Where it lacks
Distance puts it in the middle of its 2025 class. Anyone shopping strictly for ball speed out of the rough will find longer options from the same year.
Value is the weakest score at 8.3, because the price lands above the budget end and this is a 2025 head that a newer model has since followed. The stock shaft list is long, from ALTA CB Blue to Tensei 1K Black and PRX Denali Red, but the light ALTA Quick setup comes only in the HL build.
“It will not win a long-drive bet, but it puts the ball where you aimed it.”- The Club Stand gear team
Reasons to buy
- Accuracy scores 8.8, its best number, and forgiveness follows close behind at 8.7
- Six lofts from 17 to 34 degrees, with an eight-position hosel to fill any gaps
- A lighter HL build in 3H to 7H suits slower swings without a custom order
Reasons to think twice
- Distance lands mid-pack among 2025 hybrids, so ball speed alone will not sell it
- Priced above the value end, and value is its lowest score at 8.3
- A 2025 model that is now one generation old
Specs
| Face | Maraging steel, 8% shallower / 6% thinner |
|---|---|
| Body | 17-4 stainless chassis + carbon fiber crown |
| Weighting | Slim back weight (4 g removed from hosel/heel, CG down 12%) |
| Hosel | 8-position Free Hosel (+/-1.5 deg loft, up to 3 deg flatter lie) |
| Lofts | 17, 20, 23, 26, 30, 34 (2H-7H) |
| HL build | 3H-7H (C7 swingweight, ALTA Quick) |
| Stock shafts | ALTA CB Blue / PING Tour 2.0 Chrome / PING Tour 2.0 Black / Tensei 1K Black / PRX Denali Red |
| Best for | Players who want a high-launching, stopping hybrid with seven loft gaps to choose from |
More fairway woods we've scored
- Cobra OPTM X Fairway 2026 - 9.2/10. Cobra's OPTM X fairway gets close to driver ball speed off the deck and stays straight on mishits.
- TaylorMade Qi4D Fairway 2026 - 9.0/10. The core Qi4D head won the 2026 fairway wood test by pairing top-two ball speed with tight dispersion.
- Mizuno JPX One Hybrid 2026 - 8.9/10. Mizuno's high-launching hybrid finished first in an eight-club test by hitting the tightest group of the year.
- Tour Edge Exotics Max Hybrid 2026 - 8.8/10. The longest hybrid in an eight-club 2026 test also carries the lowest price in that field.
- PING G440 Max 2025 - 8.8/10. PING's best-selling fairway wood of 2025 leads no single category, yet sits above average in all of them.
- Callaway Elyte Ti Fairway 2025 - 8.7/10. Callaway's titanium Elyte fairway wood pairs a carbon crown with a Step Sole that glides through turf.