50 Words or Less
The PING G430 irons are absolutely elite at dealing with mishits. Maybe the single best set available for players who use the whole face. Huge distance on center.
Introduction
Golf is a game of misses. The better your misses are, the better your score is going to be, and I’m not sure I’ve ever tested an iron that’s better at dealing with misses than the PING G430 irons. If you prize forgiveness in your iron set, read on, then book a fitting with your local PING fitter.
Looks
The PING G430 irons are known to be some of the most forgiving in golf, but they’re not even close to the largest. In fact, for the last few generations, PING has been steadily working to make them more compact. The G430 has a medium heel-to-toe length and moderate, well-shaped offset. While not razor thin, the top line is modest and very rounded to further slim it. As you can see below, the sole and cavity are just slightly visible in the long irons.
In the bag, the G430 irons have the tiniest spec of yellow – the “Pur” in “PurFlex”. The cavity is otherwise black and silver, just like the G425 irons [review HERE]. Rather than color, PING uses the geometry of the cavity to create visual interest, though the cavity looks more purpose-built than decorative.
Sound & Feel
By any standard, the PING G430 irons provide very strong audio feedback on strike quality. On center, these irons produce a medium-loud “snap.” On the edges of the face, the sound is a dull “thud.” Shots in between get a blend of those two sounds.
Through the hands, impact is firm with a little explosive pop. Good strikes feel like they’ll be very long. Feedback through the hands matches the audio in that it’s precise. You’ll have no issue distinguishing misses on the toe from those on the heel or thin.
Performance
If I were reviewing the PING G430 irons in June, I might lead with their impressive distance. However, I received these irons in February, so what stands out most in my notes is the way they deal with mishits. And while distance sells, forgiveness has always been the hallmark of PING’s G irons, and I think it remains their best trait.
Many irons do a great job retaining ball speed on mishits, and the PING G430 irons are certainly in that group. The new PurFlex Technology is critical to making a wider range of the face fast, but where the G430 irons separate themselves is in dispersion. Thanks to tungsten weights in the toe and shaft tip, these irons are incredibly stable. There were sessions where I felt like I never found the sweet spot, but there wasn’t a single unplayable result. I can’t recall an iron that wrings such good results out of miserable strikes.
Find even more forgiveness in the PING G730 irons HERE
All that said, these irons do have immense distance potential, too. PING lowered the CG with the PurFlex Technology and a shorter hosel. They also strengthened the lofts – and shrunk the loft gaps – compared to the G425 irons, particularly in the shorter irons. In the G425 irons there were 4.5 or 5 degrees between clubs. In the G430 irons that’s down to 4 degrees, with one exception.
The upshot of all this is that the G430 irons can hang with any of today’s longest irons on pure strikes. And, despite the stronger lofts, my testing showed descent angles over 45 degrees through the mid irons. That means your shots will still hold the green. My one note of warning is that, unless you’re a high launch or spin player, the G430 4I fires bullets. It’s consistent, but it’s not going to launch towering shots for you.
Finally, it’s important to discuss all of PING’s fitting options. As always, they have a wealth of stock shaft options. Additionally, there are three loft configurations – standard, Power Spec (stronger), and Retro Spec (weaker) – for players who want higher or lower ball flight throughout the set. New for G430 is the High Launch build – G430 HL. This includes a lighter shaft, lighter grip, and lighter weights in the head, all for the purpose of helping golfers create more swing speed and distance.
Conclusion
With the PING G430 irons and the i230 irons [review HERE], PING has two of the most impressive sets in golf. For the good or improving player, the i230’s consistency may be impossible to beat. For the golfers who want a little more help, the G430 irons are an easy choice. Get fit for the right shaft and specs and let painful misses be a thing of the past.
Visit PING HERE
PING G430 Irons Price & Specs
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.
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49 Comments
Another insightful review, nice job. I would also add that the G430 and i230 irons, if put together correctly (overlapping irons and lofts to be addressed), should make a terrific combo set with G at the top and i in the scoring irons. Considering this make up myself. My only complaint is that the entire Ping lineup is very expensive – something that was never the case before.
Great review Matt. I’ve hit these a couple of times and they feel great and super forgiving. Contemplating replacing my PXG 0211’s with these.
Why would you change? I just ordered a set of 0211 last week? I was also looking at the G430
PXG irons do not have the spring effect…switching my Gen 3 irons to the Ping 430’s irons myself.
Hey Matt,
Another great review. When going to review the 430 LST?
Joe,
March 21.
-Matt
Good review. Thanks
Thanks for the review-how do these fit in with the 525s? I see the note about the i230s but thought these would be more comparable to the 5s in terms of graduating skill levels.
Cameron,
We have a full review of the i525 irons here: https://pluggedingolf.com/ping-i525-irons-review/
-Matt
I’m playing with G700 irons now and was wondering what I could expect in distance and mishits if I switch to G430 irons. I play reg graphite shafts with my irons and senior shafts with my woods. I’m 72 and do not swing like I use to.
Lynn,
Unfortunately there’s no way for me to say definitively. My advice would be to test the G430 against your current clubs in a fitting.
-Matt
Lynn,
I have a PING G10 set that I had purchased about 12 years ago. I can’t complain, they have provided me some great moments. Only being able to play once a month I racked up a 14 handicap. I recently retired and hoping to play at least 3 to 4 times a week. How could these PING G430 help improve my game. By the way great review on the G430 set.
Ping 430 AWT 2 vision I had 425 same I hit these on the toe a lot but still straight ?
I just got fit for the G430 last week and I was also contemplating the G710s. The fitter showed me the profile of the 430 vs the 710 (and 425), and I really couldn’t see much difference, except the 430 looks better from the top at address, less chunky. Overall about the same size though. He also explained that the technology in the 430 was superior and that ping is looking to ditch the 710 line as the 430 is just THAT GOOD. I’m coming from Ping Zings, and from the very first shot, I was sold. Caught it fat, and still went 20 yards further than a perfect swing with the zings, and dead nuts straight! Chunked the next 4, all 5 first hits were dead straight and 165 yards with a very calm 76mph CHS. Once I figured out the offset and placed the ball slightly further forward, straight clean hits were carrying 175 with a 7 iron, according to the trackman. I’ll be ordering a full set in the coming weeks.
Do you have any frame of reference for how the Crossovers would blend into a set of G430 in terms of trajectory and distance?
Matt,
That’s going to depend on the player’s speed and also the shafts they choose for the G430 irons and Crossovers.
Best,
Matt
I live in neosho, mo. Where is closest place to be fitted in newer Ping irons? Have been playing with G20’s for several years.
Richard,
There are Club Champion locations in Kansas City and St. Louis. I would expect there are golf clubs or smaller golf shops that fit PING, too.
-Matt
I believe you’d need to go to Rodgers or Fayetteville AR. Ping just sent me a link to a Ping fitter and I typed in your zip code. Nothing in the Springfield area.
Ping just sent me the link to Ping fitters closet to my zip code. I types in Neosho, MO and Rodgers or Fayetteville Arkansas appear to be the closet to you.
Thx. I ‘ve heard nothing but great comments about the i230 and G430 irons.. Pondering one of these, probably the i230 for a golfer who usually is near the center of the face. Then the issue is what makes the set – go power loft and 6-Gap since the 6i is an easier 5i… lol
Yeah great clubs if tou can get shafts for them.
These ping g430 HL irons , I am 82 yrs old, been playing golf for over 60 yrs, these are the best irons I have ever hit, , I feel20 yrs younger thanks to ping
Nice review, Matt. I especially appreciate the detailed description of design features. Noting the stronger lofts, while sticking with 4* gaps, I see the SW comes in at 50*. Did you test this in sand at all? (Seems like a sand trap might be a place where 55-ish loft would trump lower-weighting. )
Mark,
No, I did not test these in the sand.
-Matt
I had ping 701 have found big difference for the ping 430 is in carry distance and sitting of ball on green not as much run so holds green better due to angle of release .
I hit the G430 when they first came out, didn’t really like the feel of them. I actually preferred the G425 TBH. I also liked the i230 feel, but
they don’t have enough forgiveness for me. Great review as always.
Nice review. If it wasn’t for the pictures I wouldn’t believe you that the irons don’t look huge, but the 7i looks midsize to me. Maybe I am getting de-sensitized to large SGI clubs.
I can understand the 4i hitting bullets. Even a large iron with a low CoG is probably still not enough help for only 19* of loft. Without enough speed even a 18-19* hybrid is hard to elevate; the 5 or 7 wood is probably a better club for most of us. I could probably start with a 7i for this set!
Would like a set of 7+SW+GW steel shaft regular in 430……..plus graphite shaft 18-19 hybrid and a newly released 430 driver 9.degree ..all regular very good graphite shaft .I am a red dot ping user
and my height is 5 ft 7.5 ins I look for a very good price to be shipped to Seychelles
Eddie,
You would need to talk to a PING retailer. We don’t sell clubs.
-Matt
Hi Matt – how do the 20/22 degree Crossover utilities compare to the G430 4 and 5 irons? Will the Crossovers provide more ball speed and height?
Lee,
It depends on the shaft that you put in the Crossover. With the same shaft, I think they’d be pretty close.
-Matt
Excellent review I agree with your findings. I had my Ping fitting at the Desert Willow Golf Academy in SoCalif. in Feb. & picked up my new G430’s on March 11th. Ping built them with my desired shafts the UST Recoil ES 780 F4 Stiff, +1/2”, 1 up Blue dot, D2 s/w with the Tour Velvet Align Midsize grips. I admit they do look a little chunky & busy compared to my Titilest 718 AP2’s. Nevertheless, they’re real easy to launch, nice high ball flight that go long/straight or a slight draw with one bounce & stop on greens. Broke 80 on my first round, these are amazing clubs, anyone looking at upgrading your irons, get fit for the right shaft and give the G430’s a try.
I just received a new set of G430’s. I had only hit a 7 iron in a local big box store simulator. However, having played with G5’s for the past 17 years, I knew I wanted to stay with Ping. My main interest was getting into some graphite shafts, due to my age (66) and back condition. No store fitting cart seemed to have the stock graphite shafts (CB Alta) available. So, I used the Ping Webfit tool and came up with new G430 driver, 3w, 7w in regular flex stock Chrome shafts. Easily adapted to those with great results on the course. Webfit put me in the stiff CB Altas for irons. With them having just arrived, only a trip to the range yesterday possible. I can tell it will be more of an adjustment coming from steel. Will have to groove my swing and get used to them. Looking forward to getting them on the course.
Just got to play first 9 with the new G430 irons. Wow! I love ‘em.
Having played the G5s for 17 years with the CS Lite 105 gram steel shafts: The new combination of the CB Alta graphite shafts and the G430 irons was: longer, straighter, more forgiving, good height and descent, and much better feel.
I especially like the way all of the above pluses were done in a more body-pleasing shock-reducing package. And I think the Ping Webfit was spot-on for my 90 mph driver swing speed: regular flex Chrome 2.0 shafts in the G430 Max driver and 3w, and stiff flex in the Alta CB graphite iron shafts.
If you are a long time Ping player looking to upgrade, you might be able to benefit like I think I will be experiencing.
Excellent review, These clubs are great for those of us who do not hit the ball in the sweet spot on a consistent basis. The ball goes straight, not much distance lost on mishits. Mid- high handicap players can really enjoy the game with these Ping G430 irons The most forgiving irons I have owned yet. These irons are certainly for the person who is looking to make the game of golf easier and fun. Again excellent review Matt.
How would you compare the ping G410 to the G430
Rudy,
Matt Meeker reviewed the G410 irons here: https://pluggedingolf.com/ping-g410-irons-review/
Best,
Matt
I noticed that the G430’s 6 iron is the same loft as my current set’s 5 iron. The 5 iron is the last I have in the bag before I go to hybrids (3 & 4). I like this setup as my 5 iron being my longest and even then I have some troulbe with it some times.
Given that, would you recommend going with G430s up to a 6 iron and then get a 4 & 5 hybrid? Or is the G430 5 iron easy enough to hit that it’s better to stay with it in iron form vs. hybrid?
Ryan,
I don’t know what your current set is, so I can’t offer much of an educated guess, but ultimately my answer would be to get fit and see how many of the irons are playable for you. The G430 irons are very easy to hit, but everyone hits a point of diminishing returns with loft.
Best,
Matt
I’m 6′ tall with shoes on, wrist to floor is 35″, I have already purchased a set of G430 irons, green dot, are these irons a good fit for me?
Steve,
Did you get fit before you bought them?
-Matt
Matt,
At a big box fitting the recommendation was G430 vs the competition. I’m replacing Cleveland Launchers. For the exact same specs graphite green dot etc – I can get G425s at a 25% savings compared to the 430s. I am a 64 year old 20-21 handicap trying to get down to a 15. In your opinion will the forgiveness and distance improvement (in the jacked up 430s) I’ll likely see between the 430 and 425 really justify the cost for a player like me? For instance on Trackman I hit my 7 137yds. I hit the 430 148 yards with much less dispersion. Can I expect very similar results from the 435s?
I assume you meant 425s in that last sentence John. That was quite a jump from your Launchers. The G425s would likely be a bit less in distance, forgiveness, dispersion, etc. than the latest G430s – but not drastically. The latest v last model dilemma is a rabbit hole most golfers face when they shop. If you’ll feel more comfortable spending less, go that route. If you want the best available – confirmed with a fitting – sleep soundly by getting the G430s.
– Meeks (Saternus is on vacation)
Just purchased a set of Ping 430 irons… red dot…c/b shaft…really enjoy playing with them…I’ve always been a Ping player for years…very forgiving and it goes far.
One of the best irons…I have owned…the looks are spot on…
RH K.
Yesterday my second club head just flew off my PW G425. 3 weeks ago, my 9 Iron G425 club head flew off almost hitting another golfer. Clubs are flawed….poor quality.
Update from my March 25/26 review: I have been playing with the G430 irons (and woods) for several months now. Everything I hoped in purchasing this set after many years of playing with my Ping G5s has come true. Having aged into my late 60’s, I needed to switch to lighter graphite shafts as well as reap the benefits of better technology. Early this year I was struggling to get into the 80’s consistently. After adjusting to the new clubs in the spring, I have now had 9 consecutive rounds there, with a 79 on my last outing. Consistency, gapping, forgiveness, ball flight….all improved. Fun!
Well I am 64 this year and have just come back to golf after 20 years away and using the g20’s i am torn with the choice of staying with the g20s and living with my not so long strikes now or chasing the 430s to give me the extra distance i miss through lack of club head speed.
My local ping supplier seems to think I should change ? But is this just a sales pitch or do i really need to. I’m playing off around the 18 HC mark were as before i stopped i was playing off around the 8.6/9 HC, decisions decisions
Rob,
Did you get a fitting? How much performance difference was there between your G20 and the G430?
Best,
Matt