50 Words or Less
The PING G440 irons jam the G Series’s trademark forgiveness and consistency into an increasingly small package. Tremendous ball speed and distance. These irons make it hard to hit a terrible shot.
Introduction
The PING G Series irons are synonymous with the term “game improvement” in my mind. PING has been arguably the innovator in this space, and they’ve taken forgiveness to insane heights, as seen most recently in the G430 irons [review HERE]. This gave me great anticipation heading toward the PING G440 irons, but when I unboxed them, I got a huge surprise…
Looks
When I first got the PING G440 irons out of their packaging, I wasn’t sure that I had received the right clubs. These look more like PING’s i Series than G. The hallmarks of the G Series – super wide soles, tons of offset, deep cavities – are all absent. These aren’t butterknife blades, but they’re miles from the G irons of old.
At address, the G440 irons have average blade lengths and heavily rounded top lines. PING notes that the top lines have been thinned, the faces shallowed, and the blade length shortened from previous iterations. There is a noticeable amount of offset, but it’s no more than average, and it’s well-shaped. While you might argue with PING’s claim that these have “players-style aesthetics,” there’s no debating that this is the best-looking G-Series iron yet.
Finally, in the bag, the PING G440 irons have a sharp, high tech look. Most of the club has the familiar PING matte finish, but there’s a ribbon of chrome above the “cavity” with a stripe of blue just under that. The back of the club is dominated by the geometric PurFlex cavity badge that looks like a robotic eye. There’s very minimal branding – a small “G440” on the toe and “PING” only appearing on the hosel.
Sound & Feel
The PING G440 irons produce a crisp “knock” when striking a premium golf ball. It’s a sharp sound, but it’s too full to be called a “click.” These are a touch louder than average, especially in the long irons. They provide good audio feedback as the sound is clearer on pure strikes, a bit muddier on misses.
Impact feels firm and powerful, a sensation that pairs well with the sound. The feel gives you the sense that these irons offer the ball no quarter, pounding it with everything they have. Mishits feel firmer than pure strikes, which adds another level of feedback. Locating impact isn’t difficult, but I wouldn’t regard the feel as precise.
Performance
The biggest question I had after looking over the PING G440 irons was, “How much forgiveness did PING sacrifice to make these irons this small?” After just a short amount of testing, I found out that the answer was, “None.”
Just as with the G430 irons, I think the consistency of the G440 irons is their best trait. My notes say, “So hard to get a bad result,” because so many of my ugly swings still carried their full distance on good lines. Despite having a thinner sole, the CG of these irons is very low, meaning thin strikes look more like good ones. Weights in the toe and hosel give the G440 irons more stability, so off-center strikes can still find their target. If there’s anything bad to say about all this, it’s that you might get careless after watching so many mishits find the green.
Just as in the G440 MAX driver [review HERE], PING made the faces of these irons shallower (shorter) and thinner to make them faster. The result is elite ball speed. With this set, you don’t have to choose between length and consistency: you can have both.
That high end ball speed pairs with mid launch and mid/low spin to produce very long carry distances. As a lower launching player, I found the stock ball flight to be penetrating with just enough stopping power in the mid and short irons. My shots with the 4I and 5I ran out a bit, but that’s pretty typical for me. If you need more height on your shots, you can opt for the Retro Spec Lofts.
While everything I’ve noted so far is praise-worthy, it was what I expected based on my previous experiences. However, two things about the PING G440 irons surprised me. First is how good they are at shaping shots. I attribute this to their smaller size. I find it harder to maneuver a big, bulky iron and to trust it to hit a little cut or draw. With the PING G440, I get an iron that feels nimble but can reel me in if my swing gets off path. That’s a pretty great combination.
The other thing that really got my attention with the G440 4I. Despite its strong loft – 19* – I was launching it as high or higher than most other 4 irons but with more ball speed and enough spin to give it enormous carry distances. PING has made the longer irons – 4, 5, and 6 – 1/8″ longer than in G430 to promote better distance gapping, and it definitely worked for me.
I tested the PING G440 irons with the AWT 3.0 shaft. AWT stands for Ascending Weight Technology, meaning that the long iron shafts are lighter than the short iron shafts. This is done to promote more speed in the long irons and more control in the short irons. These shafts feel very smooth, and the AWT design likely contributed to my aforementioned success with the 4I.
Finally, PING continues to lead the industry when it comes to custom fitting and providing golfers with plenty of options. They offer eleven stock shaft options, ranging from sub-40 gram graphite to Dynamic Gold at over 120 grams. PING continues to make their irons available with “Retro” and “Power” Spec Lofts for players that want higher flight or more distance, respectively. There’s also a G440 High Launch iron set which uses a lighter shaft, grip, and weights to help slower-swinging players create more distance.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for one of the longest irons in golf, check out the PING G440 irons. If you want one of the most consistent, forgiving irons in golf, try the PING G440 irons. With elite performance and ton of great customization options, these are extremely hard to beat in the game improvement category.
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Editor In Chief at Plugged In Golf
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.