As I seem to say every time a new G iron comes out, Ping has one of the best selling and forgiving irons in the market, so how are they going to improve on it?
With the Ping G410 iron they have focused on improving the looks to create less of a game improvement feel to what is still a very forgiving iron.
The back of the head has been modified with the Custom Tuning Port (CTP) removed to allow the cavity and the top rail undercut to work together and get the face to hinge and flex more.
This works in conjunction with the variable face thickness Cor-Eye face to increase ball speeds.
The CTP was there to manage the sound and feel and this is now done by a Co-Molded Cavity Badge.
This is made from Aluminium and an elastomer called Santoprene to modify vibrations so that you go, 'that irons sounds and feels good', which it does.
The other main technical change is the introduction of tungsten weights in the hosel and toe of the club.
By adding weight on either side of the face it reduces the twisting of the face on off centre hits, resulting in an increase of 8% in MOI over the previous G400 iron.
The G410 lofts are the same as the G400, but through Ping custom fitting there is also the option to go for the 'Power Spec' where the 4 to 7-irons have their lofts increased by 1.5°, the 8 and 9 irons by 1° and the wedges 0.5°.
What you will visually notice the most is the better looks of the G410 that I mentioned earlier both from address and on the back.
The heads are 3% shorter with 10% less offset in order to create a look that should attract more mid to low handicappers.
If you are familiar with the shape of the G400 heads, then the rest of the design will be familiar. They are all a lovely, confidence inspiring set right down to the wedge, which starts to look a little square from above.
The sole has the now familiar extra width towards the toe that helps to increase that MOI.
Ping G410 Irons Verdict
The Ping G410 irons are taking game improvement irons where better player irons have gone recently. As more compact irons like the Ping i500 have built game improvement tech into smaller heads, then 'real' game improvement irons can do likewise.
What Ping has done with the G410 is take it back towards the style of a mid handicap iron, but keep the forgiveness that their G irons are renowned for.
The reduced offset and more medium top line are going to appeal more to high single figure players and teen handicaps, whilst also giving higher handicaps a better looking product to look down on.
Comparing the G410 to the G400 irons on GC2 revealed the differences in new shape. The distance was about the same, but it got there in different ways. The new hinge design of the face did launch it 2° higher with a touch less spin for me, so despite the smaller offset, these are still very forgiving irons.
As a low single figure handicap I play with irons that have less offset, so I am more used to the type of offset on the G410 irons than the G400. You can see this in the numbers as the greater offset on the G400 meant that the face closed more at impact and my offline average was 5 yards left of G410.
Closing the face will also drop the spin and increase the distance of the G400 shots, so all things being equal, I would say that the G410 is straighter and probably slightly longer. This means that the G410 could have wider appeal and some lower handicappers might even consider adding the G410 4-iron to one of the other Ping sets.
The feel from the G410 irons was better than G400 right the way through the set with a lighter, more solid sound, thanks to that new Co-Molded Cavity Badge.
Game improvement irons are Ping's bread and butter, so the quality of the G410 is no surprise. The G410 improves on G400 and has the potential to go down as one of the more significant iterations of their iron franchise.