Ping G Le3 vs TaylorMade Kalea Premier Women's Driver: Read Our Head-To-Head Verdict

We pit two of the best 2023 women's drivers against each other to see which is going to be best for your game

Ping G Le3 vs TaylorMade Kalea Premier Women's Driver
(Image credit: Golf Monthly)

Ping G Le3 vs TaylorMade Kalea Premier Women's Driver

To test the Ping G Le3 and TaylorMade Kalea Premier driver for review, we looked at many features for the intended player, including the materials used to make the club and, of course, what kind of performance you can expect. Things to consider when buying a driver include the shaft, the loft on the clubhead, the sound it makes, the forgiveness, and last but not least, the distance it goes. 

While this head-to-head tested two off-the-shelf models, both Ping and TaylorMade highly recommend that you get custom fit for your new driver. This service will ensure that the club is perfectly suited to your individual build and swing style, maximizing the performance and the enjoyment you’ll get from the club.

Looks

The TaylorMade Kalea Premier has a more stretched, triangular shaped head than the Ping G Le3 which is a little more rounded. There are a series of crown ridges on the Ping driver that look quite unusual but add to its aerodynamic quality. However, some women may prefer the simplicity of the Kalea Premier’s smooth honeycomb effect carbon fibre crown finish, in a luxurious deep blue sheen, that’s very easy on the eye. It contrasts sharply with a silver face line to highlight face angle and make alignment easy. The Kalea Premier also looks more cutting edge as it has a large (22gram) rear weight port that adds to the bigger footprint.

Ping G Le 3 driver

Ping G Le 3 driver

(Image credit: Carly Frost)

Feel And Sound

We found the TaylorMade Kalea Premier to be noticeably louder than the Ping G Le3 at impact, which not everyone will enjoy. The ball left the face with a fiery feel quality that makes you think, “wow” this driver is going far and dispersion results were excellent. It’s a really forgiving club.

The Ping G Le3, in contrast, made a much more subtle yet solid impact sound, which we preferred over the TaylorMade. The auditory quality of this club is spot-on. The sound and feel also stayed consistent from heel to toe, so even mishits were impressive. It also felt very stable through the hitting area.

Performance

The extra degree of loft on the TaylorMade Kalea Premier added spin, which made our drives launch noticeably higher. While that hurt us a fraction in terms of overall carry distance, it will most definitely suit the majority of women with slower swing speeds who need a helping hand to achieve that desirable high launch and rainbow ball flight.

The Ping G Le3 in contrast instantly offered us the perfect ball flight, high-launching yet long and penetrating. The Lite 250 shaft made it feel effortlessly easy to swing and gave an overall boost to our clubhead speed, so much so that it out-hit the TaylorMade Kalea Premier a fraction in terms of distance.

TaylorMade Kalea Premier driver

TaylorMade Kalea Premier driver

(Image credit: Carly Frost)

Forgiveness

The TaylorMade Kalea Premier is arguably the most technologically advanced and forgiving women’s driver on the market. It’s incredibly user-friendly, with bad mishits staying well within the fairway parameters, even when you think that they are destined for the rough!

The Ping G Le3 was not quite as forgiving on mishits but was still a very playable driver, especially compared with the previous G Le2. Ping keep on pushing the boundaries and improving on this with every generation of the popular G Le line. It produced exceptional carry distance without sacrificing control. A win-win.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose the Ping G Le3 if…

- Budget is not your concern when seeking off-the-tee performance 
- You want a club that is stylish and sits nicely behind the ball
- You’re looking for a really easy-to-hit driver

Choose the TaylorMade Kalea Premier if…

- The technology behind the club performance matters and you like fancy features
- The more stylish and beautiful the better
- You're looking to upgrade from a basic, no thrills driver, to something a bit flashier

TOPICS
Carly Cummins
Golf Monthly Contributor

Carly Frost is one of the golf industry’s best-known female writers, having worked for golf magazines for over 20 years. As a consistent three-handicapper who plays competitive club golf at Parkstone and the Isle of Purbeck courses in Dorset every week, Carly is well-versed in what lady golfers love. Her passion for golf and skill at writing combine to give her an unbeatable insight into the ladies game.  

Carly’s role at Golf Monthly is to help deliver thorough and accurate ladies equipment reviews, buying advice and comparisons to help you find exactly what you are looking for. So whether it’s the latest driver, set of irons, golf ball, pair of shoes or even an outfit, Carly will help you decide what to buy. Over the years she has been fortunate to play some of the greatest courses in the world, ranking Sea Island, Georgia, USA, among her favourite golf resorts. Carly's aptly-named son Hogan is already hitting the ball as far as mum and will undoubtedly be a name to watch out for in the future. Carly is a keen competitor and her list of golfing achievements are vast. She is a former winner of the South West of England Ladies Intermediate Championship, a three-time winner of the European Media Masters and she once beat an entire start-sheet of men to the title of Times Corporate World Golf Champion. She has played for both the Dorset and Surrey County Ladies first teams and is known for her excellent track record at matchplay.

Carly holds the ladies course record (68) at her home club Parkstone and her lowest competition round (seven-under-par 65) was carded in the pro-am of the Irish Ladies Open at Killeen Castle, playing alongside Solheim Cup superstar Anna Nordqvist. Although her current handicap index has crept up to 3.7 since Covid she has her sights firmly set on achieving that elusive scratch handicap and hopefully playing for her country when she’s 50.

Carly’s current What's In The Bag? 

Driver: Callaway Epic Max, 10.5° 

Fairway wood: TaylorMade SIM2, 15° 

Hybrids: Titleist TS2, 19°, 21°, 24° 

Irons: Mizuno JPX900, 5-PW 

Wedges: Cleveland RTX, 52°, 56° and 58° 

Putter: Scotty Cameron Futura X5

Ball: 2021 Callaway Ladies SuperSoft