My goal as GOLF’s new equipment lead: make you love gear as much as I do
We have big plans for GOLF's equipment coverage, with Johnny Wunder (left) leading the charge.
Johnny Wunder
Hello!
My name is Johnny Wunder (yes, that’s my real name), and I am GOLF’s new director of equipment. If you’re into golf gear — or just love golf, period — you’re going to be hearing and seeing a lot from me on GOLF’s many amazing platforms, so I thought I’d introduce myself.
First and foremost, I’m a golf club junkie of the highest order. When I took up the game at 16, equipment immediately intrigued me. Clubs, shafts, grooves, balls, bags, tees, all of it. It started with a trip I took with my dad to the Ernst Championship (hosted by Fred Couples), in Seattle, in 1994. That’s where I was introduced to lead tape, staff deals, custom clubs and, most important, a flashy young pro named Phil Mickelson.
Everything about Phil’s Yonex bag caught my eye: his forged Tour irons, gold graphite shafts, Arnold Palmer “The Original” putter with the tan leather grip and, of course, the main event…the Ping Eye 2 Lob Wedge that Phil turned into a surgeon’s tool around the greens.
I was all in.
Soon enough, my Christmas presents weren’t video games — they were shiny black-and-gold cases of Titleist Tour balatas. Cleveland 588s became my obsession, and the contents of my favorite players’ bags was vital information for me to know.
In the years since, my appetite for equipment intel has not waned. But how I find that information has changed dramatically.
When I started out, unearthing what Tiger Woods had in his bag sometimes led me to obscure Japanese websites in search of coveted in-hand pics. The only other path to enlightenment was attending a PGA Tour event to see Tiger’s clubs for myself.
Over time, golf magazines and websites became go-to sources for breaking gear news. Then came social media. Today, many gearheads find their scoops on Instagram, X and YouTube, which is where you’ll find much of my work.
Without this shift, I’d probably still be hacking my way through the film business, praying for the next miracle to happen. Instead, I found my way into the golf industry, first at GolfWRX and most recently at Callaway Golf, where I served as tour content manager.
And now I’m here at what in my humble opinion is the pinnacle: GOLF.com.
I didn’t arrive here by traditional methods — no journalism school, or fancy degrees or literary awards. I’m just a guy from Seattle who lives and breathes golf and the tools required to play it.
We have big plans for GOLF’s equipment coverage, which, in large part, means meeting you and your gear needs wherever you consume your content. Think tour coverage in a deeper form. Videos out on the road with golfers or golf-loving athletes. A new podcast, weekly video updates and a new way of looking at club testing that I’ve been wanting to do for years. I’ll also make it a point to give new equipment creators a much-needed megaphone to show their talents.
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