Some of the questions we, as gear writers, get asked the most are “Who makes the best driver?”; “Who makes the best irons?”; “Who makes the best putters?”, etc.
It’s a question that’s usually met with a disappointing response, because, now, more than ever before, there truly is no “best,” because every OEM is making outstanding gear. The trick is just finding what works best for you and your golf swing.
This is something our new director of gear, Johnny Wunder, is experiencing firsthand. Wunder just joined GOLF after four years at Callaway.
I tested Srixon’s ZXi irons. Here’s what impressed me most
Now he’s testing gear from every manufacturer and seeing quickly just how good everything on the market really is.
“I need to preface it by saying this; Everybody makes good stuff,” Wunder told GOLF’s Fully Equipped co-hosts Kris McCormack and Wadeh Maroun on this week’s episode. “So what I’m noticing is that the separation between good versus not good is not really there anymore. It’s all a different kind of good. So everybody’s got their different idea of what makes something fast and forgiving. This is for irons, drivers, for everything.”
Wunder added that it’s harder than ever before to pick gear and it really comes down to the nuances of what you like best and what you like looking at.
OEMs are also so much better top to bottom, meaning you could pick one to play every club in the bag with, and not be losing anything because one brand doesn’t make great wedges or one doesn’t make great fairway woods, etc. You’re not giving up anything by playing one brand.
Wunder brought up testing the new Srixon ZXi drivers (he’s been loving the Srixon ZXi irons) because he remembered not being impressed by the company’s big sticks previously. Not anymore.
“I just hit their driver the other day and I’m like, this thing’s awesome,” Wunder said.
Srixon ZXi Custom Driver
$549.99
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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Dunlop Sports
This is one of the reasons McCormack said he loves taking people to Carlsbad, where most of the OEMs call home, for the first time. He did this in December, taking Maroun and myself there for the first time, visiting Titleist, KBS, Cobra, Fujikura, Callaway and TaylorMade. Wunder is there now, visiting several OEMs.
“I love taking guys there for the first time and letting them kind of go through the process,” McCormack said. “Like you give a good fitter [from the OEMs] enough time and enough resources and they can pretty much beat anything.”
For more from Wunder, McCormack and Maroun, listen to the full episode of Fully Equipped here or watch it below.
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