The game of golf is full of moments, and 2025 had no shortage of them. Rory won his Masters, the ‘zero torque’ putter category continued to surge, and everyone and their dog seems to have bought a high-lofted fairway wood. The question then becomes, was it worth it? Well for Rory, it sure was, although I will admit I was rooting for Justin Rose. But as far as gear trends go in 2025, I’m more than happy to leave a few behind.
1.) ‘Zero Torque’ Putters
Before you shoot the messenger, let me just say that there is nothing wrong with the putters themselves. If it works for you, it works for you, and I should not stop you from using a piece of gear that makes you play better golf. The latest putter I’ve gotten and probably the coolest in the bunch is the new Toulon Golf Concept 59 Roswell; a very futuristic, linear shaped putter that tries to continue to solve the problems that inherently come along with the ‘zero torque’ category. It’s a wonderful putter that’s a bit edgy, gives golfers a refreshed option for the category, and performs very well. But, it’s still a CoG-shafted mallet that’s meant for a very linear stroke. Next to the Toulon Formula 45, which was another attempt at solving a problem in the ‘zero torque’ space, it’s probably one of my favorites, with the AiOne Max Stripe and its drama thrown in there as well. But even that’s not enough to keep me interested.
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So that being said, I’m over it. I was taking stock of some content samples the other day and I realized that the last 10, YES TEN, putters that I have received for review have been ‘zero torque’ models. What happened to a great looking blade, or a new mallet shape? What about the introduction of a new milling pattern or a new material? I wasn’t a fan of the carbon fiber LA GOLF putters but hey, at least they were trying to be different. Maybe the fact that I’m not a great candidate for a ‘zero torque’ option is part of why I have some angst in this category, but that’s definitely not the entirety of my attitude. I’ve told several ‘zero-torque’ industry leaders that the best customer for this category is somebody who’s never used a putter before, and none of them have disagreed. But that just furthers the idea that there’s a huge group of golfers that feel left behind. Golfers who want to have stroke in their putting arc. Golfers who like the idea of a smaller package. Golfers who don’t want a 380-400g putter head. At the risk of sounding like a lefty… we’re out here, and we’d like some new offerings.
The other issue, which I’ll probably cover in its own article, is that the ‘zero torque’ category has basically ruined putter fittings. I was talking with a fitter friend about this. This category can’t really be “fit.” You just decide what length and lie sets up best for the way you stand over the ball, and out you go. There’s no art to it, there’s no excitement in discovery, there’s not even a chance to figure out if that putter isn’t the right option for you. It’s very transactional, and that seems to take a lot of fun away from the fitting bay.
Also, they aren’t actually zero torque. Don’t get me started on that. Don’t worry, I’ll continue to cover new offerings in the category, and like I said, the putters themselves are great. They help a lot of golfers, and the probably making starting golf a bit easier on some players. Just don’t expect to see one end up in my bag unless somebody shows me some irrefutable data.
2.) High-lofted fairway woods
This one’s tricky, so let me explain. I think there’s a huge market for higher-lofted fairway woods, but that market has gotten really muddy because some big names on Tour threw one in the bag. As I have stated many times before in other content, just because a Tour player (aka a player with more control over a golf ball than you have over your vehicle on the way to work) puts something in their bag doesn’t mean you have to. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I have been on-course with better players who have a high-lofted fairway wood in their bag and they NEVER use it. Why? Because it’s a one-trick pony. I know this, because I have also tried it. Is it fun to put a 9-wood in the bag and hit the ball 150 feet in the air with a big draw time and time again? Yes. Of course it is. But is that shot something I need 99 percent of the time? Absolutely not. I don’t disagree that there are circumstances that would suggest a higher-lofted option to be the better tool, but I’m also super team hybrid. I think people ignore the category far too much, and 2026 is going to be about making hybrids great again.
Now, I won’t leave you on a cliff. I did say there is a bucket of players who could benefit from a higher-lofted fairway being a tool in their bag. Those players are typically lower-skilled, or lower-speed players who need an iron replacement at the top end of the bag. Fairway woods are typically a bit shallower, specifically ones that would be good for this market, and that shallowness will make it easier to launch the ball with less effort. These players aren’t worried about getting caught up in the wind or spinning the ball too much. In this case, the higher-lofted option is a great tool for the bag because the success metric is simply to get the ball up in the air with ease. If this is you, rock on. Put an 11-wood in the bag if you need it.
3.) Combo or ‘flow’ sets
This is the one where I am probably going to get the most heat, and I’ll probably end up being a huge hypocrite. First, my beef with combo sets isn’t really in the actual use of them but rather in the very messy definition. When I am talking about a TRUE combo set, there has to be at least two irons of the same model, or more than two models total. Putting a more forgiving 4-iron in the bag does not mean that you are playing a combo set. It means you’re playing your set from the 5-iron down and you’re using a specific tool for the 4-iron slot in the bag. A real combo set would be something like a 4-6-iron option in one model of club and a 7-PW option in another. A true break in the set. Or maybe you get really spicy and you go 4, 5 in model A, 6, 7 in model B, and 8-PW in model C. Now you’re really just doing it because you can.
Secondly, I’m still on the fence about the actual use case of a combo set. For three years I played nothing but combo sets. Mostly because it’s an easier way to get samples from the OEMs when I am reviewing gear (I don’t have to ask for multiple sets), but it also started to grow on me. As a matter of fact, my favorite iron set from this year is a combo set from Bettinardi, with their CB in the top and the MB in the bottom. I love that set. I got a hole-in-one with a combo set from Cobra. I shot par at my home course for the first time with a combo set from Mizuno. But I’m still not convinced. Should I play the Bettinardi or Cobra or Mizuno CB offering through the entire set?
Yeah. Probably. When they are created to be combo’d it usually means the loft package is the same and you’ll see just a bit more forgiveness and ball speed from the larger package. Why wouldn’t I want that? Again, most of the time, I don’t actually have the full set of each. I have the combo set, so that’s just what I play. But I’ll never stop wondering about that green I missed on the 18th hole from 152 yards that stopped me from breaking par for the first time. If that was a CB instead of an MB, would I not have been short? It keeps me up at night.
2026 product is about to drop! Make sure to get your fitting on the calendar at your local True Spec.
