Ping Rapture Driver

Reviewed by: blackhullpirate ,  Shoots in the 90s

Model Reviewed:
Ping Rapture V2 10.5 degree driver

Summary:
I picked this gem up at Dan's Discount Golf in Gearhart Oregon for $179! What a steal. Well, it took me 2 rounds to get the hang of this bad boy and let me tell you, OH WOW! I went from a Taylor Made R580 XD 460 to this. I played a new course 3 times last week with this club for the first time. I got it with the Aldila stiff shaft and on the third round I finally got the hang of it. As a normal joe golfer who plays in 90's territory, this thing has straightened out my tee shots really well. All I had to do was focus on taking a nice easy swing and let this baby rip. My drives launched higher with less sidespin and were consistently 25-30 yards longer than with my trusty old Taylor Made. I love this club. My golf buddy hit it for the first time and launched it over the back of the driving range. The first time I played it, I improved my round by 12 strokes, no lie. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:
Taylor Made R580XD, Taylor Made R7 425, Ping G5

Reviewed by: samarati ,  Shoots in the 80s

Model Reviewed:
Ping Rapture V2 Driver

Summary:
I just spent 2 hours at my loal course on PING demo day. I smacked several buckets of balls with the PING Rapture and the G10 series. I tried just about all the shaft combinations that the Ping guy had out for trials.

The G-10 drivers & irons were not to my liking. They felt heavy & stiff. Though I did hit the ball reasonably well with them.

I must admit that I hit the various flavors of the Rapture V2 drivers quite well. There was an assortment of 10 face-shaft combinations to try.

I'm 58 years old, I can hit consistent draw drives 245 yards. The Rapture with a Stiff shaft and 9* face got me even farther than that down the range.

The crack of the ball on the face was a solid sound. Not as professional sounding as a Titleist, but certainly much more pleasing than the horrible aluminum anvil TING! of a Callaway Ft-i.

The club feels well made. If the components are made in China, they are a cut above the norm that I'm seeing from other manufacturers. The Fit & finish of the Rapture V2 was faultless.

After this model ages another year or 2 and I can purchase a like new one for under $100, I'll purchase it.

Customer Service:
My local golf pro shop is a Ping dealer. I've never used Ping Headquarters in Arizona.

Similar Products Used:
I've bought, tried, & played just about every brand of golf club ever made, old & new. I currently own and am very happy with my Calllaway VFT woods and Callaway X-12 irons.

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Reviewed by: jklyons ,  Shoots in the 80s

Model Reviewed:
Rapture 10.5* speeder 757

Summary:
I'm a middle aged guy playing to about a 15 handicap who plays once, maybe twice a week. Average swing speed in the low 90s (not sure I believe all the guys in these reviews with 15 handicaps that say their swing speed is 105+ and hit the ball 300). Anyway, this review is as much about shaft options than the Rapture driver.

I'm a big Ping fan. Play G5 irons (which I think play less clunking than G10s). Been searching for the right driver for a while and tried most of them. Settled on a Bobby Jones Workshop Edition that I've been playing for about 8 months. Have had good luck with it and love the sweet feel of the Russian titanium and max forgiveness. Most forgiving driver I've ever played. But the shape and size of the head can be a bit challenging. I think it can cause problems if you get off plain and -- as Adams seemed to confirm in testing for the Speedline -- can lead to slower swing speeds. So decided to go back to my old standby G5 driver. Great basic driver that you can get for a steal on eBay now.

Had been wanting to try an original Rapture and came across one with an R-flex Speeder 757 shaft (which I'd heard about.) Paid $150. List on a Speeder757 shaft is $250 and original list on Rapture was $499 I think, so not a bad deal. Did some research on the shaft and although I feared it might be too much of a players shaft and too much for my game and swing speed, I decided I'd give it a try.

Played with it for the first time yesterday -- and ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!! Missed one fairway due to a bad swing (though still got good distance). The round before this on a similar course using my Bobby Jones, I'm not sure I even hit a fairway. Right now anything in the mid 80s is acceptable for me. Only had time for 9 holes. Shot a 38 (though a fairly easy course and didn't putt that well). Only two boggies were on par 3s where I just missed the green, left the chip short and two putted (so nothing to do with the driver). Had a match going with a friend who's typically a little better player and we were both 2-over heading into #9. He was one down on #6 par 3 and lipped out a tee shot!! Almost hole in one. He tapped in for birdie to tie it up.

So feeling confident with the Rapture ...absolutely smoked one on a wire down the middle on #9. Barely missed the 12 foot sharply breaking downhill birdie putt. Tap in par. He boggied. I won by one. I had not shot in the 30's in months.

The 757 is the most stable, solid feeling shaft I've ever hit. Previous favorite was a red Diamana but this thing may top it ...and in regular flex would suit any game. Matches very well I thought with the Rapture head for balance and feel. I've always felt composite drivers really help average games (if you can afford it) and this proves it. Great feel, weight, launch angle, sound. And I like that it has a bit more of a classic shape that G5 driver which is a tad more rounded. With the current state of my game, I don't really try to move the ball much. Maybe a slight fade but a draw is not in my game. This thing goes where you aim it and very straight. Can't speak to ability to move the ball with it.

Bottom line is I'm ever a bigger Ping fan now. Rapture is a step up and even easier to hit than the G5. An extremely well built, solid club. Some might prefer G10 (which I tried and didn't see much difference from the G5) but I've had best luck with composite/titanium drivers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Customer Service:
n/a

Similar Products Used:
R7 Superquad, Nike Sumo, Titleist D2, Bobby Jones Workshop Edition, Diablo, Burner, G10