Clubs
Drivers, irons, wedges and putters — what actually adds distance, dials in your approach play and holes more putts.
Is a milled putter worth it? What the milling actually buys you
Milling buys you feel, sound, tolerance and a putter that will outlive you. It does not buy you accuracy, and the 2026 data points somewhere else entirely.
By Ross Hamilton
TaylorMade R7 Quad Mini vs Callaway Ai Smoke Ti 340: which club are you actually replacing?
Mini drivers have gone from curiosity to a permanent slot in the range. These are the two most credible ways in, and they solve two completely different problems.
By Jordan Hale
Tour Bags Are Now a Year Ahead of the Shop, and That Is the Point
Ryan Fox won the Open with a driver you cannot buy, at any price, on any date. Days later Srixon put more unreleased gear into play. The gap between the tour truck and the pro shop has stopped being an accident.
By Dan Mercer
The 200-yard 7-iron just landed, and it's the most overrated number in golf
Across 81 irons tested this year, one 7-iron carried 202.2 yards and finished about 10 yards clear of the field. That is a marketing triumph and a scoring problem, and the reason is stamped on the sole.
By Jordan Hale
Wedge Spin Rate Is the Worst Number to Buy a Wedge On
A 20-wedge spin test separated third place from tenth by about 200 RPM, and put two brands most golfers have never heard of above the entire major-brand field. Here is what to shop on instead.
By Ross Hamilton
TaylorMade Qi4D vs PING G440 Max: the 2026 driver decision most golfers get backwards
Two of the year's biggest drivers, cross-shopped in every fitting bay — and most players walk in chasing the wrong thing. One wins the robot test outright; the other quietly saves more rounds. Here's which head actually belongs in your bag, and why the answer probably isn't the one you'd guess.
By Jordan Hale
You're playing the wrong driver loft — and it's costing you the easiest distance in golf
Most amateurs play too little loft, chasing tour spin numbers they physically can't produce, and leave yards on the tee for it. The launch data says the opposite of the range-buddy wisdom: the average golfer needs more loft than they think — and firm summer fairways move the target again.
By Jordan Hale
The Open starts today — and it'll be won with the club you practise least
By Sunday, Royal Birkdale's trophy won't go to whoever bombs it furthest. It'll go to whoever controls the ball on and around firm, wind-scoured greens. Links golf is a short-game championship — and it's a live rebuke to every amateur grinding the driving range.
By Ross Hamilton
New, last year's, or used: how to buy golf gear smart in 2026
With a flood of new launches this year, here is a money-savvy framework for when full price is worth it and when it absolutely isn't.
By Dan Mercer
The mid-handicapper's gear guide: what actually helps, and what's a waste
For the 10-to-20 handicap improver, here is where new equipment genuinely lowers scores and where the money quietly disappears.
By Jordan Hale
Women's golf gear grew up in 2026 — here's what's actually worth it
This year brought a real expansion of women's lineups, but the gear that genuinely helps a smoother swing has less to do with the label than the spec.
By Ross Hamilton
One round, three budgets: a full golf setup for less, for more, and no limits
Three coherent setups at three very different spending levels, and the honest case for stopping at the first one.
By Tom Whitaker
What the 'longest driver of 2026' number won't tell you
Every year a chart crowns one driver the longest, and every year thousands of golfers buy the wrong club because of it.
By Dan Mercer
Five gear trends that defined golf in 2026 (and which deserve your money)
Mini drivers, zero-torque putters, sub-grand launch monitors — the shifts that actually reached your bag this year, ranked by whether they're worth it.
By Jordan Hale
L.A.B. DF3 review: the putter the tour keeps switching to
The zero-torque putter that won a US Open and rewrote the category. We score the most talked-about flat stick in golf — and tell you who should skip it.
By Ross Hamilton
The most overrated gear in golf (and what to buy instead)
Golf is spectacularly good at selling you the wrong thing. Here's where the money quietly leaks out of your bag — and the unglamorous stuff that actually drops shots.
By Dan Mercer
A slower swing isn't a problem — it's a spec sheet most golfers get wrong
If your driver speed is under 90 mph, almost everything golf marketing sells you is built for someone else. Four cheap, counterintuitive changes hand back the yards you thought you'd lost for good.
By Ross Hamilton
How long do golf clubs actually last? Longer than the marketing wants you to think
Drivers and irons stay competitive for years. Wedge grooves are the real wear item, and grips are the cheap refresh almost everyone neglects. Here's the honest timeline.
By Jordan Hale
Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond review: distance for the faster swing
A low-spin head built for golfers with the speed to use it — not the forgiving all-rounder, and it's not pretending to be.
By Ross Hamilton
TaylorMade Spider ZT review: the zero-torque putter for Spider loyalists
The first zero-torque mallet from a major brand, with a Tour win already on the board. Is it the most natural way into 2026's biggest putting trend?
By Ross Hamilton
Odyssey Ai-ONE Jailbird review: the value pick of the zero-torque boom
Reviewers keep calling it the most stable zero-torque putter they have tested — at roughly half the price of the big names. Is it the smart buy?
By Jordan Hale
What shaft flex do you actually need? Most golfers play too stiff
If your driver swing is under about 95 mph, you almost certainly want regular, not stiff — and playing stiff is quietly costing you distance and height.
By Jordan Hale
A fitting won't add 20 yards — and that's exactly why it's worth it
The marketing sells fittings as free distance. The honest case is better: it's the one golf spend that reliably pays for itself by stopping you buying the wrong club. Here's who gains, and who's wasting their money.
By Jordan Hale
Your 60-degree wedge is costing you shots
The club you grab to look like a tour pro is quietly wrecking your short game. For most golfers it should rarely leave the bag.
By Jordan Hale
Buy last year's driver — it's the smartest club purchase in golf
The new flagship is a few yards and a big premium away from the one it replaced. Let someone else pay for the newness.
By Dan Mercer
Steel vs graphite iron shafts: which one is actually for you
The old 'steel for good players, graphite for everyone else' rule is dead. Here's the honest way to choose.
By Jordan Hale
TaylorMade MG5 review: the wedge that keeps spinning when it matters
Fresh grooves bite hard out of the box — but the real win is how long that spin survives the wet, the rough and the range.
By Ross Hamilton
PING i240 review: forgiveness you can feel, feedback you can trust
A compact cavity-back that flatters mishits without numbing the good ones — the set most mid-handicaps should actually be playing.
By Jordan Hale
What is a mini driver — and do you actually need one?
Suddenly they're everywhere on tour. Here's what a mini driver really is, who it genuinely helps, and why most amateurs are better served by a club they already understand.
By Ross Hamilton
You don't need a new driver. You need a fitting.
Every January the longest driver ever arrives — again. The dirty secret is that the gains are tiny and the real distance is in a fitting bay, not a new badge.
By Dan Mercer
Zero-torque putters: golf's fastest-spreading idea
Tour bags are quietly being rebuilt around a putter that won't twist. Here's why — and where it started.
By Ross Hamilton
Vokey's SM11 wedges rethink how spin gets made
Titleist's flagship wedge gets a standardised centre of gravity and a new three-part 'Spin System' — the short-game launch of the year.
By Ross Hamilton
TaylorMade is ditching the annual driver — and that's good news for your wallet
The biggest name in drivers is moving to a two-year release cycle, with no new model in 2027. The end of the yearly upgrade treadmill is overdue.
By Jordan Hale
TaylorMade Qi4D driver review: forgiveness you can feel, speed you have to earn
The driver TaylorMade is keeping in the bag through 2027 — the first time since 2001 they've skipped an annual release. Here's whether it's the one to settle on.
By Jordan Hale
Titleist takes the wraps off its GTS driver range
Three heads — GTS2, GTS3 and GTS4 — span from forgiving and high-launching to a low-spin head built for the fast-swing brigade.
By Jordan Hale
Spider ZT vs Odyssey Jailbird: two routes into zero-torque
The big brands' answers to the zero-torque craze, head to head — and which one suits how you actually putt.
By Ross Hamilton
What actually adds driver distance (and what doesn't)
Spin, speed, strike and fit — the four things that move the needle, and the marketing claims that don't. In plain English.
By Tom Whitaker
Zero-torque putters have officially taken over
What started as one cult brand's idea is now in every major manufacturer's range. Here's why the most stubborn club in the bag is suddenly changing.
By Ross Hamilton
Wedge bounce and grind, explained
The two numbers that decide whether your wedge digs, glides or skips — in plain English, with how to pick yours.
By Ross Hamilton
Zero-torque putters: hype or help? (And the cheaper alternatives)
Golf's hottest putter category, decoded. It's genuinely useful if your short putts miss left and right — and you no longer have to spend L.A.B. money to get it.
By Dan Mercer
PING G440 Max review: the forgiveness benchmark, quietly brilliant
If you slice, spray it, or just want to stop losing balls off the tee, this is the 2026 driver to buy — the most forgiving big-stick going, and a genuine buy-once club.
By Jordan Hale
Takomo 101 MKII review: the irons quietly embarrassing the big brands
Half the price of a name-brand set, and good enough that you'll feel a bit silly for not trying them sooner. The direct-to-consumer irons reviewed.
By Jordan Hale
Blades vs cavity-back irons: which should you actually play?
One looks the part; the other saves your scores. The honest guide to picking the right iron for your game, not your ego.
By Jordan Hale
Mallet vs blade putter: which suits your stroke?
It's not about looks — it's about how your stroke moves and where you miss. The plain-English guide to choosing the right head.
By Ross Hamilton
Scotty Cameron Phantom review: the mallet that justifies the obsession
The most coveted putter brand in golf, in its most forgiving form. Is the Phantom worth the premium, or are you paying for the script on the sole?
By Ross Hamilton
Direct-to-consumer irons are the smartest buy in golf right now
You're paying a brand tax on irons and the independent data has finally called the bluff. Here's the case for buying DTC — and the one catch to manage.
By Dan Mercer
Titleist GT2 driver review: the easy-launching all-rounder most golfers should hit
The forgiving heart of Titleist's GT range. Here's who it's really for.
By Jordan Hale
Titleist Vokey SM11 review: the wedge that wins scorecards
The most-played wedge in golf gets a consistency-first redesign. Here's why getting it fitted matters more than the badge.
By Ross Hamilton
How many wedges do you actually need? (Wedge gapping made simple)
Three? Four? And what lofts? The simple way to set up your scoring clubs so there are no awkward in-between yardages.
By Ross Hamilton
You're not good enough for blades — and that's completely fine
Blades look incredible in the bag and cost you shots on the course. A loving intervention for the ego-buyer.
By Dan Mercer
Takomo vs PING: are direct-to-consumer irons really as good?
A value upstart against an iron-making institution. The honest verdict on whether skipping the big brand costs you anything.
By Jordan Hale
Adjustable drivers: what all those settings actually do
Loft sleeves, movable weights, lie adjustments — most golfers never touch them, and the few who fiddle often make things worse. The plain guide.
By Jordan Hale
Get a putter fitting before you get a driver fitting
You use it on nearly half your shots and almost nobody fits it. The most neglected, highest-value fitting in golf.
By Dan Mercer
