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

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.

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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.

I have played golf for 35 years and have hit a lot of drivers over the years but this one is hard to beat. 10.5 degree loft, stock stiff shaft and all in all a real nice club. With a swing speed around 86 I need all the help I can get, and this club does it for me.

Customer Service

Not Needed

Similar Products Used:

Cobra, Taylor Made, Adams, Callaway

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

I have been playing a ping G2 driver for 5 years.
During that time I tried many other drivers but went right back to the G2.
Recently I tested a demo ping Rapture Driver with an Aldila Proto shaft and was pleasantly surprised.
I purchased it for $ 150 and have played 2 rounds of golf with it.
I am really impressed with this club. It is longer ( distance wise) than all the clubs I have tested previously and very controllable.

Customer Service

Did not require customer service.

Similar Products Used:

Ping G2, Nike Sasquatch, Titleist D2,Callaway Hyper X, Taylor Made-various

I just went through the Ping fitting day at my club with their Ping computer and fitting analysis. The Rapture V2 with the Diamana Blue shaft dropped my spin rate an avg of 600rpms to the 2,600rpm range and I gained 10 yards with a very tight disbursement. Apparently the Diamana Blue shaft is a 63 gram weight shaft with a higher kick point which gives the ball a more boring flight. I was impressed and it drove the point home that getting fitted makes a huge difference. The Rapture V2 has a traditional look, which I prefer, and a great sound at impact. $400.00 is about the price. The Diamana Blue shaft is a standard shaft selection for Ping. The ball rockets off the face. I wasn't anticipating buying a driver, but I am now...

Customer Service

I've been a Mizuno fan for a long time, but Ping's cust service is legendary.

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Mizuno MX560...

I recently got the original PING rapture driver and g5 irons. This was my first brand name set and i love the clubs, but the driver really stands out. I USED to hit about 200 on average with an offbrand driver, but now im at least clearing 220 on each drive. This club is also great for shaping shots. I can shape the ball any way i want with a lot of control. This club is great and i have only used it once. Thanks PING!!!

This replaced my Callaway FT-3 (Aldila NVS stiff) Tour 9.5 after five range balls. I love the square face. The extra 3/4 inch on the shaft is great. I carry the ball about 230 with the FT-3 and with the Rapture I'm at 240+. The face is very forgiving and the ball seems to rocket off from it. I hit it much higher with the Rapture than the FT-3 even though the launch angle is supposed to be lower. Workability is minimal, but that's ok with me. I don't really need to hit draws or fades on courses I play. Like another reviewer, I got this club from tgw.com for $200 and the shaft alone is listed at at least $120 everywhere. It's a great deal! If you're thinking of the Rapture V2, get the original and spend the other $200 on lessons or gear!

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

Callaway FT-3 Tour

The Ping Rapture driver is an impressive club that will stay in my bag for a long time and eventually end up in my casket.

I recently ordered this club, thanks to TGW's drop in price, paying $199.00 for it. I tracked this club for months and never saw it priced below $400.00 in a LH version. I read the reviews of this model along with the new V2 model and saw consistently higher ratings for the original Rapture. That told me something about Ping's first public offering.

I ordered my 9-degree lofted driver with Aldila's VS Proto 65 and put it in the bag immediately replacing my old reliable Taylor Made R7-425. Within two swings on the driving range, I felt the club performed exceedingly well. I proceed to jump on the course playing from the tips with the utmost in confidence.

On a typical round, I spot my friend 5 a side and he plays up one tee. My drives with the TM R7-425 usually kept up with his. This round I blew by him by 10-30yds, with a 20-yard tee differential and I am still abuzz a day later with my one-putt eagle on the par-5 17th. This driver is absolutely the best club I have ever hit.

Yes, the Rapture is everything I read about and then some, but the shaft really is the story here considering I have been a Graffalloy proto 65-player for years and have that shaft in my TM R7-425. Aldila made my return to their shaft a very easy transition, and when I looked up the shaft’s $166.00 price on Golfsmith’s website, well, I could not beat getting the entire club for $199.00.

So golf fans, I have achieved Nirvana and my wife is wondering why I have this goofy smile on my face all day. Buy this club! Gunga galunga...gunga, gunga-galunga!

Customer Service

TGW is great, Ping has not come into play yet. However, the club is registered with Ping.

Similar Products Used:

Taylor Made Drivers pretty much my entire playing career. Sorry Taylor Made! My main problem with TM is their LH drivers rarely (or cheaply) come in less than 9.5 lofts.

I got the original Rapture 9 deg. with aldila VS By You shaft R flex.I went from205-220 max yds. with a Cobra ld 10.5 deg. to 220-245+ with the Rapture.The shaft is a little longer,which forced me to make a slightly more demanding longer backswing,but the payoff is huge. The 9 degrees of loft provides very good run on my drives. I am having so much more fun now,especially on the longer courses.The Rapture gives me a chance to hang with the longer hitters. This club has a square face which allows you to work shots.