“A cult-classic driver - the G400 Max is one of the most forgiving heads ever, a true forever rung-1 club. LST is the low-spin subtype gated to fast swings.”
The 2017 G400 is the driver many golfers still call one of Ping's best. Ping shrank the head to 445cc (Max variant 460cc) to sharpen aerodynamics, then used its first forged driver face (T9S+) — stronger, so thinner and hotter across the whole face — plus a dense tungsten back weight and Dragonfly crown to push combined MOI past 9,000, among the highest in golf at the time. The result was a smaller-looking head that was both faster and extraordinarily stable. The family covered Max (max forgiveness/distance), SFT (heel weight, draw bias) and LST (about 300 rpm lower spin for faster swings). It cleaned up in independent testing and built a reputation for value that survives on the used market today.
A sleeper that punched above its badge and still does: it topped MyGolfSpy testing (LST #1 overall, Max #1 dispersion), owners routinely call it 'the best driver I've ever played,' and it remains a go-to used-market value recommendation years after replacement. It never had scarcity, but its enduring 'still buy it used' status sets it apart from ordinary superseded drivers.
Broad fit for mid-to-high handicaps and average swing speeds wanting stability and straightness (Max), slicers needing a draw bias (SFT), or faster swings (95+ mph) wanting lower spin without losing forgiveness (LST). Still a smart, cheap used pick for a golfer who values dispersion over the newest tech. Players wanting a large 460cc footprint or the latest adjustability may prefer the Max/G425.
Launched against TaylorMade M2 (2017), Callaway Epic and Titleist 917 in the spring-face/low-CG arms race. Its forged face and sub-460cc aero shape were the differentiators. It followed the 2016 Ping G and was succeeded by the movable-weight G410 (2019); its blend of speed and MOI is widely seen as the moment the G-series peaked on value.
Legitimately one of the most forgiving drivers of its generation: combined MOI over 9,000 with the lowest, most rearward CG Ping had built to that point means off-center strikes barely lose ball speed or line, and the Max variant led dispersion testing. A 9 places it near the top of the catalog, just under the record-MOI G425 Max, and it earns it on measured data rather than reputation alone.
Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.
Holds value unusually well for an 8-year-old driver because it's still actively recommended: reconditioned-retail listings run around $200-250, but realistic 2026 private-party value is roughly $120-180 (Max/LST and premium shafts at the top). That premium-over-peers is the sleeper tax — flag reconditioned-retail figures as store prices, not private-party. An MSRP of $400 is in line with its launch pricing.
The Legends Rack
Ask a gear forum for the best driver of the last decade and G400 answers keep coming. Dense, thudding impact feel, dragonfly crown, and stability that borders on boring — in the best way. Who'll love it: everyone; this is the Budget King most likely to out-hit someone's current gamer.
Who it suitsAll
Reading is one thing — hitting is another. Book a bay and see the numbers for yourself before you buy anywhere.
