Cobra Aerojet Fairway Woods Review 2023

“Are you trying to attack more long approaches in 2023?”

Then you will likely need a lot of help from your woods. And if you’re still playing your dad’s woods this season then it’s time for an upgrade.

Ping is always a solid company to shop because they have been known for making incredibly long and great-sounding fairway woods. They are also known for their game improvement clubs so today, we want to help you get familiar with one of their newest fairway wood offerings, the Ping G430.

The Ping G430 fairway woods come in SFT and MAX editions. In the following review, we will be telling you about both as well as our experience testing them.

The Ping G430 Fairway Wood Family

“Both of the entries into the new Ping G430 fairway wood family have been designed to help mid to high handicap players land the green in fewer shots.”

The Ping G430 SFT Fairway Wood

• 3W, 5W and 7W available
• Sliding weight

If you are familiar with Ping clubs, then you probably already know that SFT stands for Straight Flight Technology. In the case of the Ping G430, SFT refers to a sliding weight that offers left-to-right shot correction and shaping capability – a good choice to fix your big miss.

The Ping G430 MAX Fairway Wood

• 3W, 5W, 7W and 9W available
• Custom shafts available

The Ping G430 MAX fairway wood does not have a sliding weight but an extra 9W is available for those players who are really struggling with distance. Other than that, both of the Ping G430 fairway wood editions have the same features which we discuss in the following section.

Key Features

Carbon Composite Crown 

It seems that everyone is incorporating carbon fiber into their golf clubs these days. Carbon fiber is a very light and very strong material and in the case of the Ping G430 fairway woods, it is used to cut down on weight which is then repositioned low and deep into the club head.

Maraging Steel Face

The Ping G430 fairway woods also feature high-strength C300 maraging steel faces. This material gives the Ping G430 fairway woods an incredible feel and sound at impact. Ping also used Facewrap technology so that the maraging steel seamlessly bleeds into the crown and sole. The result is improved forgiveness on vertical mis-hits.

Adjustable Hosel Sleeve 

Like many quality Ping woods, the Ping G430 fairway woods feature adjustable hosel sleeves. This feature allows you to tune the loft up or down by 1.5°.

Are They Good for High Handicappers?

“The Ping G430 fairway woods are an excellent choice for high handicappers.”

The Facewrap technology really has an impact on your shot. What our testers were really impressed with was the fact that even low face shots were maintaining high ball speeds. Side spin rates were kept down on mis-hits as well. Both the SFT and MAX models have a very nice look for high handicappers. The footprint is nice and wide and you get good distance even on thin strikes.

The Ping G430 SFT will definitely be a good choice for high handicappers who are having trouble with a slice. The Ping G430 fairway woods would also be a good choice for mid handicappers who are trying for more birdies because the low spin and long distance will help you land the green.

Available Shafts

• ALTA CB Black
• Ping Tour 2.0
• ALTA Quick
• HZRDUS Smoke Red
• Kai’li 60S

Is the Ping G430 Fairway Wood Worth it?

“Our testers certainly seem to think so. They spoke of the forgiveness and distance of these fairway woods.”

The only thing we can see being a problem for some players is the turf interaction. The Ping G430 fairway woods played a bit chunky off the deck. The leading edge of the Ping G430 fairway wood is a bit abrupt so you really have to be careful not to dig in on your swings.

Other than that though, this is really a nice club. The C300 maraging steel face gives it a premium feel and the Facewrap technology make it a viable option for mid to high handicappers.