I had the opportunity to participate in a Ping demo day last week and got a chance to hit a half a bucket of balls with the new Ping G10 driver. I instantly fell in love with it. Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the sticker shock. $300 for a driver was not in my budget, and yet I really wanted a new driver and the G10 was the best one I had tried.

So what I did was I scoured the internet for the best Ping G10 driver clones I could find. I found several choices, but two stood out from the crowd. One was offered at my favorite alternative club site, GigaGolf and the other at Redwing Golf. Both are custom golf club sites that use quality components which they assemble in the United States to your exact specifications. They will add loft or lie based upon your height and arm length. They suggest grip and shaft components to fit your game based upon how far you hit the ball. This is all accomplished through easy online fitting systems.

What it means for you is that you will have a golf club that is fit to YOU. A custom fit golf club helps you make a better swing, hit the ball more consistently long and straight, and ultimately lowers your score and makes the game more fun to play. Before you go searching for a used G10 driver or any other used name-brand driver, be sure to check out either GigaGolf or Redwing Golf. They are reputable companies that offer great clubs at a great price and have excellent return policies.

I have played with clubs from GigaGolf for many years and from Redwing over the last couple years. Both offer quality clubs at affordable prices. You save money because they don't pay touring pros and they don't spend huge amounts of money advertising in magazines and TV. Instead they pass all that savings along to you.

The Z Force Z-10 Ping G10 Clone from Redwing Golf

Redwing Golf offers the Z Force Z-10 Driver as a Ping G10 replacement clone. Although it wasn't quite as long as the G10 I hit at the Ping demo day, it was very acceptable. (See my review of the Ping G10 driver for more specifics on that).

If your current driver is more than 2 or 3 years old, the Z-10 will add lots of length and accuracy to your game and be a great addition to your bag. It starts at only $79, but please don't buy it in the base configuration. One of the biggest improvements you can make is to get a premium shaft. When you are saving this much money, please don't skimp on the shaft. If you do, you won't get all the benefits. You don't need to get the most expensive shaft, but I would suggest at least upgrading to the UST Competition 75 (add $13 - this is what I tested) or the Graffaloy Pro Custom (add $14). You won't be sorry!

The P2 Ti - a Ping G10 Clone from GigaGolf

Gigagolf

The P2 Ti has a very solid feel and the launch trajectory was similar to the Ping G10 - medium trajectory with a boring flight pattern and plenty of rollout. Unlike the G10, I was able to fade the P2 Ti, and as that is my normal ball flight, I guess I shouldn't complain, but the G10 had me hitting it so straight that I guess I got spoiled. Nevertheless, my testing with the P2 Ti was nearly identical to the G10 in distance, so that was a big bonus. Off center hits still felt solid and hardly lost any distance or direction. This is a great driver and with the custom fitting you get at GigaGolf, plus the wide variety of premium shafts, you can configure yourself a really smoking custom Driver for just over $100. Any great feature is that shipping is free from GigaGolf on orders over $99, so with just the base configuration you will get free shipping (Red Wing requires a $190 order to get free shipping, so factor that into your cost).

The Verdict

While I loved the new Ping G10 driver, unfortunately I just couldn't afford it. So I ended up getting the GigaGolf P2 Ti driver. I actually liked the Z Force Z-10 a little better for its looks, but my iron set is from GigaGolf and I liked the fact that they had the shaft and grip selections that would match my current iron set. Both clubs feel great and hit the ball long and straight. In fact, when I was testing the Z-10 on the driving range, an elderly couple sat ont he bench behind me and watched me consistently sail my drives over the 250 yard sign. When I finished, the man asked if he could buy me another bucket of balls. I was a little confused, but he said they enjoyed watching someone able to consistently hit the ball so long and straight. It was a little weird, but it also felt pretty good to get the accolades.

I can't guarantee that you will hit the ball over the 250 yard marker (unless you are already a long hitter), but I know you will hit the ball a lot farther and straighter than you do now. And that, of course, makes the game a lot more fun!

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