The post Can a golf ball ‘private club’ work? Inside The Underground appeared first on Golf.

The post Can a golf ball ‘private club’ work? Inside The Underground appeared first on Golf.

In the gear world, we talk a lot about “disruption.” Usually, that’s just marketing-speak for a new paint job or a slightly thinner face. But every once in a while, something comes around that sounds crazy on its face but ends up really surprising you when you actually test the product. I can think of two off the top of my head, PXG and LAB Golf. I heard the story, had my early opinions, proceeded to test said product and was thoroughly impressed. Now both companies have seen success, grown, evolved and are as much a part of the industry as anything else.

Enter The Underground

If you haven’t heard the whispers yet, don’t feel bad. That’s by design. While the rest of the industry is shouting from the rooftops of retail stores, The Underground is operating in the shadows — and that’s exactly why the gear junkies, devout club players and, yes, Tour pros are starting to get excited.

I caught up with the minds behind the movement: Hollywood icon and certified stick Mark Wahlberg, industry veteran Garry Singer and retail titan/philanthropist Doug Meijer. They aren’t just trying to sell you a golf ball; they’re trying to change the way you think about what’s in your bag…and how you get it.

The ethos of the “un-retail” ball

For Mark Wahlberg, it wasn’t about anything grandiose — it was about the making zero compromises. Mark lives the game, and for him, The Underground isn’t for everyone, and that’s the point.

“It’s a unique and exclusive club for golfers who want the best, like being different, and are committed to using the best products they can get.” It’s funny when I think of anything Mark Wahlberg participates in it harkens back to a brilliant quote he delivered in the movie Deep Water Horizon (“Hope, is not a strategy”) that actually applies here. It’s the idea that best intentions and a good idea won’t get you all the way home. You not only need to have the conviction and belief in the idea, but, ultimately, you gotta have a product that ain’t afraid of a fight. No one involved here needs this to work; they believe in it and know it works. And it’s not just these boys: a collection of athletes, entertainers, etc., are getting into this as well. Some may roll their eyes at the idea of all that but, again, Wahlberg, Meijer and Singer aren’t speaking to the masses here. Just that golfer that loves this kinda stuff. They exist, trust me, I know a bunch of them.

That “different” factor is huge. In a world where every foursome is playing the same three balls, there’s a psychological edge to teeing up something that the guy in the cart next to you literally cannot buy.

Tour Validation: Sergio and Stenson

It’s one thing for a celebrity to back a ball; it’s another for a major champion to put his career on the line with it. The Underground has already achieved what most startup brands never do: actual, week-in, week-out Tour validation.

Both Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson have moved away from the lifelong mainstream equipment contracts to create opportunities like this. Neither one is paid but they’ve invested in the platform, and it gives both the ability to make prompt tweaks on the fly which ain’t that easy in the mainstream.

For the record they both play the “club” ball currently… yes, the one the rest of the members play. BUT if they wanted something else, its’ a way easier activation due to the size of the company. Think of these pivots as turning a speed boat around vs. an aircraft carrier. Make sense?

For Sergio — one of the greatest drivers and ball-strikers of his generation — the switch wasn’t about a check. It was about finding a ball that reacted precisely how he wanted it to through the wind.

Garry Singer, who has spent decades obsessed with ball chemistry (he started CLEAR Golf a few years back), sees this as the ultimate competitive advantage. For him, the goal isn’t “sales volume” — it’s “performance volume and pivoting at will.”

“It’s an exclusive club for golfers who know, appreciate,and strive to use a product that performs at a Tour-player level,” Singer explained.

The society of the fairway

Doug Meijer looks at the landscape and sees a lot of golfers following the leader. He sees The Underground as a refuge for the person who values precision over popularity.

“I would define The Underground as a society of golfers who do not follow the crowd,” Meijer says. “People like to feel special in just about all their endeavors; The Underground gives them a chance to do that in golf. They can play an ultra-high precision product that is quite unique.”

But let’s talk about the gatekeeping — because there is some. You don’t just walk into a big-box store and grab a dozen. Membership is by invitation only. If you’re lucky enough to get the call, the buy-in is $2,800. That covers your first 12 dozen balls and a haul of exclusive merch that makes it clear you’re part of the inner circle. It’s a steep price tag, but it’s a filter. It’s for the player who spends $400 on a round (or is a member at a private club) and doesn’t want their gear to be the weak link. There’s something about having that thing that not everyone can get, I always found it interesting with “Tour Issue” gear. Whether it was right for everyone didn’t really matter, it was the “hard to get” thing that made it fun.

The hidden advantage: No red tape

As a gear guy, this is the part that gets me fired up. Usually, when a designer says, “I want to try this material,” the accountants say, “That’ll add $4 to the cost of the box, we can’t do it.”

At The Underground, the accountants don’t have a seat at the table.

“With regard to our advantage on the ball development and production side: We have no cost restrictions, no investor pressure and an incredibly deep team that possesses many, many years of experience,” Meijer added. “We have one simple goal: to create the best golf ball we can.”

Think about that for a second. Imagine a R&D team with infinite runway and zero pressure to “ship by spring.” That’s a fun way to get breakthroughs. That’s how you get a ball that feels softer, with speed and that stays in the air longer.

My testing:

It’s a really good ball. Period. End of story. Is it for me? No. It doesn’t spin enough, but it’s really fast, feels amazing off the face, launches high and gives the player all the green side control you would want.

Here was a snap shot of the 7-iron shots I hit on Trackman.

30 Shot Average using a Cobra 3DP Tour iron, 32 loft, Nippon 120X shaft:

Chrome Tour X
Ball Speed 122.8 (Max speed 125.2)
Spin: 6497 RPM
Peak Height: 109 Feet
Descent: 48.2

The Underground
Ball Speed 123.1 (Max speed 126.4)
Spin: 5679 RPM
Peak Height: 118 Feet
Descent: 49.3

If I were to compare it to other balls, I’d say Callaway Triple Diamond or Titleist Left Dash would be just that. Is this one better than those? That’s up to the player honestly, but what I will call out is the feel of this ball. It has that HEAVY hit feeling off the face that I find quite attractive. I’d really love to see what a spinner ball from the Underground looks like. That would really pique my interest.

The verdict: Is it for you?

Look, most golfers are fine with what’s on the shelf at the local big-box store. And that’s okay. But there’s a subset of golfers — the ones with the means to participate and aren’t necessarily concerned what the rest of the world is doing. They want something unique, exclusive, something that piques curiosity. That’s what this Underground platform really nails on in my opinion.

I honestly think this idea has some legs, but will it take over the world? No. And that’s not what they are trying to do. This is for the that player that wants “the best”, loves the word exclusive and has the dough to make it a reality. I love that actually. This player does exist, there’s a bunch of them and The Underground is speaking to them.

This should get fun I reckon.

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The post How my wedges became the most trusted clubs in my bag | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post How my wedges became the most trusted clubs in my bag | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Fit 2026, GOLF’s new platform for providing you with real-golfer insights into what 2026 gear might be best suited for your game. To this end, we assembled six GOLF content creators of varying abilities and ran them through the gauntlet of six full-bag fittings (driver to putter!) at six major club manufacturers in Phoenix and Carlsbad, Calif. Our hope: that you might see shades of your own game in one of our panelists’ and take some learnings and inspiration from their fitting experiences. In this installment (below), Maddi MacClurg details the one club she can’t live without from Fully Fit 2026, her Vokey SM11 wedges. You may browse each of our panelists’ full 2026 dream bags here:

Jake Morrow (0 handicap) | Johnny Wunder (2) | Wadeh Maroun (2) | Jack Hirsh (2.4) | Maddi MacClurg (5.6) | Sean Zak (7.8)

MORE FULLY FIT: Fully Fit hub page | Why we’re ‘testing’ golf clubs differently this year | Inside 6 days of fittings and testing | Browse 2026 drivers | Browse 2026 irons | How 5 days of club fittings changed my mind on golf equipment

I’ve never been one to chase gains through endless equipment tweaks or obsess over specs. My instinct has always leaned on a familiar expression you’ve probably heard on the range or during a friendly match: a poor craftsman blames his tools.

More often than not, that philosophy worked for me — until one day, it didn’t.

I’ve always understood the importance of getting fit and playing equipment tailored to your game, yet I still assumed most of my shortcomings were purely skill-based—a gap I could close with enough reps.

That belief shifted during a wedge fitting at the Titleist Performance Institute. It wasn’t one club in particular that stood out to me. Rather, I was surprised by how much I’d been leaving on the table by relying on “off-the-rack” wedges. I’d been fit before for basics — shaft, length, loft, lie — but I hadn’t experienced a true wedge fitting. For me, the difference was significant.

After testing the full range of grinds in the SM11, I settled on an F-Grind for my 52-degree, a D-Grind for my 56, and an S-Grind for my 60. For context, I had previously played more standard, one-size-fits-all wedge grinds that weren’t truly matched to how I use each club around the green. With this change, the improvement was immediate — especially with spin and distance control, which had been a challenge for me.

Wedge breakdown

The first piece of my wedge setup felt comfortably familiar. My 52-degree — used primarily for full swings rather than touch shots — stayed in an F-grind, maintaining a sense of continuity. It’s one of the most predictable clubs in my bag, producing a consistent flight and dependable yardages without much need for manipulation. If anything, that reliability has become more noticeable. Time and again, it’s the club I lean on for short approach shots because it just does what I expect it to do.

Where things really started to shift was with the 56-degree D-grind, which brought a clear step forward in both versatility and forgiveness. The added bounce and sole relief made an immediate difference on softer lies and in the sand — especially compared to my previous, more standard grind setup. Just as important, I saw a noticeable increase in spin. Shots that once released unpredictably were now checking with intent, stopping quicker and doing so with more consistency, even from less-than-ideal lies.

Titleist Vokey SM11 Tour Chrome Custom Wedge

$199.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Then came the 60-degree (S-grind), and with it, my short game really opened up. It’s quickly become the most versatile wedge in my bag. Designed for players who like to create shots from a variety of lies and conditions, the S-grind gave me the freedom to be more imaginative around the greens without sacrificing stability. Like my 56-degree, it also produced noticeably more spin, bringing a new level of predictability to both landing spots and rollout. I’m no longer choosing between creativity and control—now, the two work together. With this club in hand, I feel confident over every greenside shot, even under pressure.

What stood out most after putting these into play wasn’t just how each wedge performed on its own, but how naturally they began to work together. I still have a go-to club around the green, but now there’s a clear structure to the set.

With that structure came clarity. There’s less hesitation or second-guessing around the greens now—just a clear picture of the shot I want to hit. What I once saw as a purely skill-driven part of the game now feels like a blend of skill and setup, where the right tools don’t replace practice, but allow it to show up more reliably when it matters.

In the end, it’s not about chasing equipment for the sake of it. It’s about recognizing when the setup is starting to limit you and being willing to adjust.

Ready to overhaul your bag in 2026 like our Fully Fit panelists? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post How my wedges became the most trusted clubs in my bag | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post What I learned hitting Cobra’s secret 3D-printed Tour prototypes appeared first on Golf.

The post What I learned hitting Cobra’s secret 3D-printed Tour prototypes appeared first on Golf.

While visiting Cobra HQ to film our 3DP feature, I was able to spend some time hitting prototype irons built for a few different Cobra staff players on the PGA and LPGA Tours.

This is probably the most unique feature of Cobra’s 3DP process. They can make one-of-one sets for Tour players in just weeks, rather than retooling a head for a new forging, which would take months. This turnaround ability has vaulted Cobra to the top of the list for free agents seeking a new set of irons, and it’s likely we’ll start seeing more players on major tours switch to their own 3DP customs.

Let’s break down my favorites from testing at HQ.

Max Homa’s solid MBs

Max Homa signing with Cobra was big news, and Max has repeatedly said that the process of building his own 3DP iron was one of the reasons he was so excited to sign with Cobra. He was a big fan of the standard King MB forged irons that Cobra was making, and a lot of what he did with his 3DP.MH irons (which you have also seen in some images as the 3DP.MB.s) were to emulate the feeling he got from those, while adding a bit of forgiveness thanks to the increased mass properties of the 3DP heads. He also adds a touch of offset to his set compared to the standard forged offerings. The biggest difference for Max? He doesn’t have an internal lattice system with his irons. He chose to create his set as a solid-printed set that gives him the feel he’s been looking for, matching the irons he’s played most of his life. The advantage for him? He still gets the shape, visual package and performance he’s after to his exact specifications.

Rickie Fowler’s 3DP King Tour Love

Rickie Fowler has an interesting equipment story on tour. He’s an unabashed golfer who wants to use the best tools for his game, and over the last several years, he has made a few changes you might not expect from a Tour player. He started playing AeroTech graphite iron shafts and a “player’s distance” iron in the Cobra King Tours. The combination has been great for Rickie, and he’s been nothing but complimentary of the more forgiving build. When Cobra introduced him to the 3DP program, he really didn’t want to change much from the King Tour heads. So the 3DP.RF (which you’ll also see in photos as the 3DP.KT for King Tour) is based heavily on the King Tour, but again, with better mass properties that increase the MOI of the head. His irons are a combination of the King Tour and the 3DP Tour. Offset from the King Tour, MOI from the 3DP Tour, a touch higher toe height compared to the 3DP Tour and the coolest part of his build is they didn’t add any tungsten to Rickie’s 3DP irons. They achieved a higher MOI design with just the internal lattice structure. The combination of which allows them to hit Rickie’s preferred launch properties.

The toughest switch: Lexi Thompson

Lexi Thompson likes the weirdest iron ever — the Cobra S2 Forged. This is an iron that came out over a decade ago, and she has been so in love with it that she still has them in the bag. The problem? Cobra doesn’t make the iron anymore, and they don’t even have a stash. But there’s a simple fix: 3D printing. I actually think this is where Cobra’s 3D-printing ability really shines. They can take a player like Lexi Thompson and give her the exact iron shape and visual that she wants with more performance. In very simple terms, they can scan the old S2 Forged, then take that model into their new software and create an internal lattice structure that gives her a higher MOI design with a bit more ball speed, while keeping the exact offset, sole and loft package she has desired for years.

You can watch our full Cobra 3DP Feature on YouTube!

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The post Here’s how a driver’s shape can influence a player’s swing | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Here’s how a driver’s shape can influence a player’s swing | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

Figuring out how the looks of a golf club impact how a player swings is a big part of fitting, but some traits are more obvious than others.

While you might not think to give more loft to a player who adds lots of loft at impact — like this writer — being able to see loft can actually make a player lean the shaft more at impact to compensate.

But on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, co-hosts Johnny Wunder and Jake Morrow explained how head shape can also influence how a player will swing.

“So when I was doing the driver testing with Charles Howell III, for example, from the TaylorMade LS to the Callaway Triple Diamond, the deeper the face gets, the steeper he gets, which is a little counterintuitive,” Wunder said. “That sits off the ground, instinctively, he wants to beat down on it, and his angle of attack starts going down, and for him, his launch numbers get all over the place.”

LS heads are typically deeper faced, so they can be shorter from heel-to-toe and front-to-back to move the CG closer to the face, thus lowering spin.

Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond Max Custom Driver

$699.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore, Callaway

But if someone reacts to that like Howell does and gets steeper, then it will have the opposite effect, and players will spin the ball more. He also swings slower.

“That’s really, really in the weeds, but again, it’s stuff that matters to every player,” Wunder said. “It’s not just the guys that hit it good, it’s every single player, because the one thing that a 35 handicap can do and a tour player can do, they have relatively the same action.

“If you swipe across it, you’re going to swipe across it a lot.”

For more from Wunder and Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to find the best driver for your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Here’s how a driver’s shape can influence a player’s swing | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Cobra’s R&D was asked to think outside the box. Now they’re 3D printing golf clubs appeared first on Golf.

The post Cobra’s R&D was asked to think outside the box. Now they’re 3D printing golf clubs appeared first on Golf.

For several years now, the No. 1 golf equipment story I have been obsessed with is Cobra’s 3D printing. Dig deep and you’ll find their process is the culmination of a decade’s-worth of work by a team who was challenged to think outside the box. Not only did this year find something new, they charged down a path of innovation that could be the greatest stride in golf equipment I will ever cover in my career.

The Fully Equipped team dove in on this story and spent two days with the Cobra team to discuss how they’ve gotten the project to where it currently sits, the trials they went through, the problem-solving they needed, special programs they use, and a glimpse into the future of what 3D printing means for the consumer customer. Here are my 3 biggest takeaways from our feature piece.

It almost didn’t happen… at several stages

Irons

The very first question I asked when we sat down to begin discussing the project was, “Who will raise their hand and take credit for being in a board room years ago and proposing such a wild idea?” Turns out that, as Director of R&D Doug Roberts pointed out, that man was Ryan Roach. Roach leads the Innovation Team at Cobra Golf and his job, in a nutshell, is to dream. There’s some pressure attached to those dreams, of course; in actuality it’s Roach’s job to justify his dreams. And that’s exactly what Roach saw in 3D printing: A dream.

In theory, the idea was simple. Create the ability to make a 1-of-1 golf club for anybody who wants to order. Even 10 years ago, this was possible; it just cost a significant amount of money. You’d have to build the tooling for a set of irons, test those irons, make changes, invest in more tooling, create a new set, and repeat until you had the clubs you wanted. A single set made for a tour pro for example could cost tens of thousands of dollars. That may be worth it when you’re playing for millions on the PGA Tour, but not when you’re trying to win $5 off your buddies on the weekends. So the dream added an asterisk. Create the ability to make a 1 of 1 golf club for anybody who wants to order *and* at an accessible price point.

Their first hurdle? Nobody knew how to do it and nobody knew where to start — until Roach brought the idea of 3D printing forward. It had been used in other industries, and the technology was rapidly improving, but the idea of bringing the technology to golf was unheard of. From what we’ve been told, those discussions alone were almost enough to stop the project from happening. Become an industry leader would take resources, people, and most terrifying of all: time.

The second hurdle? Tour adoption. This concept wasn’t going to work if it didn’t work in the hands of the best players. This mean that the made-from-powdered-metal, stainless steel, lattice filled irons would have to perform, feel, and sound just like the forged options that players have been using for years. Any sacrifice in any category would halt the project.

Gear

Thankfully Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Matti Schmid, Lexi Thompson, and others have all settled in very nicely to their new 3DP irons, all of which are personal builds.

Finding the digital speed to keep up with the analog speed

One of the most interesting things that came up during our interviews for the feature was their use of nTop. nTop is a computational design software that is a significant reason for the entire project’s success. Why it’s so interesting is because, in a weird turn of chance for the year 2026, the analog side of the 3D printing process was outrunning the digital side. Once a design was sent to the printer, it could be done in days, depending on the urgency. The issue was that the experimentation to actually design the clubs, particularly the internal lattice, was tedious and time consuming.

Cobra’s Bryce Hobbs, R&D Team Leader, speaks in the feature about their research into mass properties. Mass properties are essentially the determination of how the weight in the head is going to be distributed depending on the performance outcome they are trying to achieve. If we take a look at the retail line of 3DP.MB, 3DP Tour, and 3DP.x you can see mass properties shift. The MB has its weight more central in the blade for better control and a higher overall center of gravity. The 3DP Tour uses over 100 grams of tungsten that’s set out towards the perimeter of the blade with a wider sole for increased forgiveness, and a lower, deeper CG placement. The 3DP.x takes that even further to spread the mass out towards the perimeter and create Cobra’s most forgiving 3DP platform design. And that’s all decided by how the internal lattice is constructed.

I’m not incredibly versed in computational design programs, but from what I got out of it was that nTop allowed them to speed up their digital design process by 10x; specifically in the way they design the internal lattice structures. The reason the internal lattice structure is so crucial to the irons is that it controls the performance characteristics of that design. Depending on the characteristics desired by the designer and the eventual player, tungsten weight needs to be moved around inside the head. With nTop, they’re able to prototype, design, and test different internal structures, shapes, and even materials with no delay in their overall manufacturing process. The digital design process can support the timelines of the analog manufacturing times, helping to speed up the overall process but also taking steps to learn faster. This is where the genius of the club design and the 3D printing engine really starts to hit home, and gives us a glimpse into what the future may actually look like in pursuit of the *accessible* 1-of-1 dream.

What ACTUALLY comes next?

It’s hard to know exactly what comes next, but we’ve now been given plenty of hints as to what is possible. It’s just a matter of what the Cobra team decides to do in the space, and how quickly they want to do it. Let’s recap what we know, and what we can infer for the future based off the available facts.

1. Tour pros are getting custom 1-of-1 irons.

For Cobra’s Tour staff and select others, there is nothing off limits. They can choose every aspect of their iron build that they want down to the head weight. CG placement, top-line thickness, sole shape, offset, speed, even the material the iron is made out? Everything is in play for those at the highest level of the game. They even converted longtime Cobra S2 Forged player Lexi Thompson into a new set of 3DP irons. How’d they do it? They printed her a set that visually retains the crazy offset those irons had and the interesting blade shape and sole, with an internal structure that gave her more speed and more forgiveness on off-center strikes. Mind you, Cobra’s S2 Forged came out 15 years ago. This is a pretty big deal.

So you’d have to imagine that in pursuit of an *accessible* 1-of-1 irons program, that would all be up for grabs with the consumer in some way. I have no idea, they were very careful about not leaking that info. But I’m just telling you what we know is currently possible.

2.) The lattice is the key.

I would encourage you to watch the nTop portion of the feature over again and really pay attention to what Ben says. The lattice is the key to this entire thing. By being able to structurally achieved different mass properties, they can give players options that nobody else can. You love your MBs but you want that CG pushed a little bit lower? No problem. Massive performance change, zero visual change. Do you love the 3DP Tour but wish it had a bit less offset and spun a bit more? No sweat. Massive performance change, zero visual change. All by adapting the way the lattice is built and the weight inside the head is manipulated. And it’s all at the finger tips of Ben and his co-workers. It’s hard to even fully wrap a thought process around understanding the potential that that unlocks.

3.) Cobra WANTS us to be the beneficiaries of their dream

You hear it at the end from Caitlin Farley. Doug Roberts mentions the excitement they had for 3DP Tour to hit retail for the first time. Ryan Roach mentions his confidence in the project several times. Bryce Hobbs and Ben Lemery are both focused on the “light” at the end of the tunnel. That’s their dream. 1 of 1 sets for consumers. Cobra wants this. This project isn’t meant to stay a Tour-only thing. It’s meant to give every single player an accessible chance at creating whatever set of irons they need to shoot the best scores. The levels of this are hard to comprehend. If they can scan and print Lexi’s S2 Forged irons with 2026 performance inside, what’s to stop them from scanning any other iron?

Everything is on the table. We don’t know when. We still don’t quite know exactly how. And we don’t even know if they’ll stop at irons. What we do know is that this continues to be the coolest story in golf equipment innovation, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have a front-row seat to follow along and see the eventual impact it’s going to leave on our industry. Everything we know right now is truly the lead up, the Part 1 of this entire story. Part 2 has seemingly just started, and the introduction is already astonishing.

It’s like watching a sequel for a great movie and the first 60 seconds of the sequel have already made you forget the original. We’re watching that sequel in real time.

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The post Why we may start seeing fewer driver models | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Why we may start seeing fewer driver models | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s’ episode of the Fully Equipped Podcast with Johnny Wunder, we talked about the prospect of the LS model being on its way out and the questions that its potential exit raises. Let’s explore the theory and the implications.

There’s a few things at play here.

1.) The death of the LS driver

Johnny and I talked about this last week as well. Jack also did a good write-up on the topic that you can read here. The idea is that we’re starting to see less use of LS-style drivers such as the TaylorMade Qi4D LS, Cobra OPTM LS, and Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond. Players are opting instead for Qi4D Core, Cobra OPTM X, or Callaway Triple Diamond Max profiles.

The main reason is that ‘core’ style heads, those that sit in the middle of a woods lineup, have gotten so versatile. With any of the ‘core’ style heads I have mentioned, I have been able to fit them into the same numbers I would get out of their LS counterparts but with far more forgiveness. The looks have also been significantly improved as well. The idea of playing smaller, pear-shaped LS-style heads was never especially appealing, but that’s not as much of a factor as it used to be. In fact, many LS style heads are getting bigger to boost forgiveness, like the Cobra OPTM LS. The new Titleist GTS 4 is also rumored to be a bit bigger than it has been traditionally.

The one category I believe is being overlooked, though, is the high-spin slice golfer. This is the golfer who traditionally steer clear of the LS head models because they worry about a lack of forgiveness. But with the modern heads that’s not such a problem anymore. I’ve fit quite a few higher handicap golfers into more forgiving LS models, like the OPTM LS or the Wilson DYNAPWR LS models, and it’s gone quite well. The big advantage is to take a 9-degree head and turn it all the way up on the sleeve to add loft and, even more importantly, close the face. A closed face with lower spin results in a much more friendly ball flight.

Is the LS head dead? No. Could it possibly be on its way out, or find itself in an increasingly niche market? I think it already has.

2.) The spawn of the Triple Diamond Max

A big reason why the lines between driver models are starting to get blurred was the emergence of the Callaway Triple Diamond Max model driver, which started in 2024 with the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max. As a special release item, the Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max gave players a Triple-Diamond feel and flight bias but with a larger head for more forgiveness, a touch of added spin to complement the low-spin tendencies of the standard Triple Diamond head, and an easier time turning the ball over. It did all of that without losing the speed that the Triple Diamond is known for. The setup was the same as it was for the Triple Diamond: one weight forward in the head, and one weight in the rear of the head. This helps to control not only spin and launch, but also start line.

Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond Max Custom Driver

$699.99 from Fairway Jockey

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The normal in-line Triple Diamond head has always had a right-start bias with a tendency to support a fade for a right-handed golfer. By adding more weight to the front of the head, that feeling was intensified, and by adding weight back, start lines would get a bit more neutral and the face was easier to close so the player could manufacture a draw. Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max was a monster. Non-contract athletes like Justin Rose and Sepp Straka won multiple times with the model. Fast forward to the new Quantum Triple Diamond Max, and many golf writers and equipment reviewers are wondering why the other heads in the Callaway lineup even need to exist. I said the same in my own launch video. I don’t think there’s a reason for fitters to take a second look at the Triple Diamond or the standard Max heads. Just go straight to the Triple Diamond Max for nine out of 10 players. That’s my opinion.

Gear

What makes the Triple Diamond Max so good is its versatility. You can add front weight or back weight, the head starts neutral and can be useful for players work work the ball either way, and spin is incredibly manageable on mis-hits across the face. If you look at the market over the last three years, you can see the response to the success of the Triple Diamond Max. TaylorMade’s new Qi4D core head shares lots of similarities. The OPTM X is a wonderful head that can change characteristics when you move the weights and play around with the FF33 adapter settings. There have been others. Wilson released its DYNAPWR MAX+ as a direct competitor to the Triple Diamond Max, and Ping’s new G440 K came into the fray as the new 900-pound gorilla in the room. All of these designs had the same goal: Make the platform as versatile and “fittable” as possible without sacrificing an ounce of forgiveness. Each company also happened to do this without sacrificing speed. Which was one of the original wins that we claimed for the new G440 K when we first tested the product.

Right now, we’re living in the best imaginable driver market for consumers. Having categories or types of heads that overlap or blur lines only means more chances for an incredibly detailed fitting. Each one is going to do something different, and because no two swings are the same, that can only be a good thing. Do I think that we are going to start seeing models taken out of lineups? No. But I do think the models are going to get more specific. There’s going to be a ‘core’ style head in each lineup that will work for 90% of golfers, something that wasn’t true even five years ago. And then you’ll have niche heads specific to golfer needs in specific areas. Which is nothing but fun, useful, and encouraging for the future of golf equipment.

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The post Why you don’t need a 9-wood | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Why you don’t need a 9-wood | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s Fully Equipped podcast with Johnny Wunder, we talked about Tommy Fleetwood’s 9-wood in the bag for the Masters. Fleetwood has said the addition of the 9-wood is to make sure the ball is getting high enough and landing steep enough to battle the increasingly tough greens at Augusta. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should run out to buy a 9-wood. I’ve already gotten roasted in our YouTube comments, but I stand by my explanation of where I feel the club category falls.

My argument is that the 9-wood is great for either the player who has tons of control, or the player who needs all the help they can get to launch the ball. It’s the group in the middle that may have a hard time finding ultimate success with a 9-wood. I fall into this bucket. I am also a big fan of hybrids, so I don’t really ever have moments where I wish I had a 9-wood or a 7-wood in the bag. So let’s talk about the two sides of the game for a second.

First, we’ve got the tour-level guys who are putting high-lofted fairways in the bag. Fleetwood’s got one, Scottie Scheffler has messed around with it, and Dustin Johnson is the original high-speed 9-wood player. The reason they choose to put a 9-wood in the bag has been to make sure that they are getting enough height on the club at the distance they need with their stock shot. And that’s an important designation. The stock shot. By starting with a club that’s going to launch higher than any other alternative, these pros and their elite ball-striking can figure out how to bring flight down or add spin when they need to. These 9-wood builds going in their bag have a bit of versatility, but they are really meant to do a specific job. And that job is to get high up in the air with little effort and enough spin to fall softly onto firm greens just like this week at Augusta.

The reason tour pros and other high-skill golfers can get away with this, though, is because it’s situational and they treat it as such. It’s a tool in the bag to do a job. When a situation comes up for that distance, but the tool can’t fulfill the outcome with a stock shot, they are able to manipulate that offering to do what they need it to do. The best example, of course, would be into the wind. For an amateur, any amount of wind in the face would normally take the fairway wood out of the hands. It’s simply too high and produced with too much spin for the ball to fly properly. It is quite fun to watch a high-lofted fairway get hit into the wind because it’s almost an exaggerated penalty, but again, not useful. And this is where the middle ground of players begin to falter. Fleetwood has no problem controlling the flight and spin of his 9-wood. He may find a situation where he chooses to go with another option for the shot he needs to create, but it’s not out of the question for him to flight the 9-wood to a more reasonable peak height window if he’s battling some mild elements. For the average 10 handicap though? Likely not an option. They’re better off with a large, driving-iron style club in that area of the bag, or my choice: a hybrid.

That brings us to the other side of the spectrum — the golfer who just needs launch help.

This is the golfer that I think SHOULD buy a high-lofted, forgiving fairway wood, and as many as they see necessary to play well. I’m talking 11-woods, heaven woods, spinners, all of it. Whatever you need to get that ball up in the air. The beauty of this category, which usually coincides with slower players as well, is that the high-lofted fairway woods are just so easy to hit. There’s no fear of getting steep on the ball, the more shallow face makes it easier to pick off the turf, and the size of the heads gives plenty of confidence if you’re in a sticky situation like long rough, pine straw, debris or even in a fairway bunker. For slow swing speed players, the speed benefits that a fairway wood will get you over an iron replacement or a hybrid are going to be pretty extreme. In most cases, you’ll see a 2-to-3 mile per hour difference between the groups, with the fairway wood leading the way. Because of the size, shape and center of gravity of the club head, you’ll also see a strong increase in forgiveness over other options of the same loft. Really, the only argument for the slower swing speed or lower-skilled category to not play a high-lofted fairway is if they just absolutely hate how it looks behind the ball.

The group in the middle and the group that I do not think needs a 9-wood is the largest group on the bell curve. Fleetwood even mentions in the above video that a 9-wood isn’t built for speed or distance, and it’s also not particularly built for tee shots. With the shots that are left to play at that point, I just don’t see the value in a 9-wood as a 4-iron style replacement for many golfers. The range I’m talking about here is a five-to-12(ish) handicap range. They’re good enough players to hit a more forgiving iron-replacement style club, or choose the flight characteristic benefits of a hybrid. Now, if those players really hate the look of the hybrid, or maybe have zero confidence in the iron, sure, spring for the high-lofted fairway wood that makes you more confident with that longer distance shot. That decision, though, will come with drawbacks, mainly a lack of versatility and a club eliminated when playing in the wind.

As always, my opinion on any club is that if it works for your bag and you’re fitted for the club with an understanding of the role it plays in your bag, then add it to the bag. Nothing is off limits. That’s the beauty of the game that stresses us all out. There’s endless options. Sometimes that can be overwhelming and create some stress to decide, but work with a fitter and find out what you NEED for your bag. If it’s a 9-wood, then I hope it ends up being the best club in your bag.

If you’re curious about getting into a 9-wood or figuring out if it’s the right option for your game, visit your local True Spec fitter to get dialed.

The post Why you don’t need a 9-wood | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Why companies go for one- or two-year release cycles | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Why companies go for one- or two-year release cycles | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

For companies like Callaway, Cobra and TaylorMade, you know you are getting a new driver each January. It’s like clockwork.

For Srixon and Ping, they also release drivers in January, but they only release a new line every two years, but again, it’s like clockwork.

Then there’s Titleist, which also follows a two-year release cycle for its metal woods lines. The company just started teasing its upcoming GTS metalwood line with a Tour launch two weeks ago at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. That’s earlier than the typical summer launch they’ve employed in their last couple of cycles.

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, co-hosts Johnny Wunder and Jake Morrow broke down why it makes sense for some companies to go for a two-year product cycle and others a one-year cycle.

While many people on the internet always claim there aren’t meaningful performance gains for companies that release a driver every year, Morrow pushed back on that common criticism.

“I think some of the companies going every year is smart, because I think those companies churn out iterations faster,” he said. “And there’s a reason for all those launches.
There’s always that one thing that they needed to release. And a lot of times it’s because that thing leads to the next thing, but they can’t get there unless that’s actually out in the public.”

But on the other side of the coin is Titleist, which sits back and can react to the market with its more flexible release cadence.

“Titleist is like the tiger that’s sitting under the shade, just waiting to see what’s happening in front of it until they decide it’s ready for their food, right?” Morrow said. ““And that’s why people are like, why did Titleist switch to a release schedule this year? Because they f****** can. Like, because they sat back, they were like, okay, we’ve got this, we’re going to do this, we’ve tested this, here’s the update to our thing, how it compares to others. We’re just going to sit here and wait until we think it’s ready for the market and people are going to actually see benefit from it and then we’ll release it.

Drivers

“Turns out this year, it looks like, it appears like it’s going to be a little bit early.”

We still don’t know any technical details behind the new lineup, but there were 34 GTS drivers in play at the Valero Texas Open, making for an impressive two-week conversion rate.

Morrow guessed that Titleist is probably bullish on the new GTSs, leading to the earlier launch.

But there’s also good pressure on the R&D teams of companies with one-year cycles to constantly innovate.

“You don’t get a sit back for six months,” Wunder said. “Not that any of these companies, even the two-year launch cycle people, don’t sit back. But when you are constantly thinking about next year, next year, next year, next year, next year, I know for a fact that Callaway, TaylorMade, all those guys, I guarantee they’re all 75% cooked on the one for 2027 already. Because this is kind of when— we’re in April, so if I go back in time, we’d be seeing unpainted prototype heads on the truck kind of around now.

“It wouldn’t have a name on it. It would be a project name, and you’d see it wouldn’t have any paint on it, but you’d see it and you’d be able to hit it.”

For more from Wunder and Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to find the best driver for your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Why companies go for one- or two-year release cycles | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Is the type of driver head dying a slow death? We explain | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Is the type of driver head dying a slow death? We explain | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

With Gary Woodland winning in Houston using a prototype Cobra OPTM Max-K driver, the days of LS heads dominating the PGA Tour are surely over.

Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a fast player like Woodland, who leads the PGA Tour in clubhead speed this season, to consider anything other than a compact low-spin style driver.

But thanks to modern technology, more and more players are opting for more forgiveness-minded drivers, while still getting plenty of speed.

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, co-hosts Johnny Wunder and Jake Morrow debated the death of the “LS” driver.

Woodland said earlier this year that he opted for the OPTM Max LS-K, a prototype version of Cobra’s high-MOI Max-K driver that would still be considered a more forgiving head with a deep and low CG, because he realized he drives it best when the weight is deep.

Wunder realized that when he was at Callaway, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele also drove it well with the weight in their drivers more neutral instead of forward, the characteristic of LS drivers.

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“None of those guys were frontloaded weights and they all drove it well when they played,” Wunder said. “The only time that they had a ton of weight up front is if they played with a lot of loft. So what I’m seeing is that these core heads, for example, if we’re going to talk about Callaway, the reason why the TD Max works so well, is that you can make it super low spin or you can make it super fast and super forgiving. [TaylorMade] Qi4D is like that. That’s why you’re seeing so many Ping players go from 440 LST into 440K. Because you can go down in loft.”

Because adjustability has come so far in modern drivers, companies are able to take more forgiving shapes and make them low spin by neutralizing the CG and lowering the loft. The only issue there is struggling to see the loft, which can be fixed with minor optical tricks like drawing lines on the face or brighter faces.

Morrow pointed out that the line between a company’s core model driver and the LS driver has blurred over the years, thanks to that adjustability. But that also means LS heads have gained forgiveness, which makes them great tools for players who fight a slice.

“I have put a lot of slicey people into a low lofted LS head that’s lofted up because it closes the face and it eliminates a lot of spin,” Morrow said. “They’re like, ‘Well, I’m supposed to be playing this because this is for the fast guy.’ Well, no, no, no. It’s just a spin thing.”

So is the LS driver ready to die? Probably not, but the use cases for them are definitely changing.

For more from Wunder and Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to find the best driver for your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Is the type of driver head dying a slow death? We explain | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post This is why on-course ball testing is so important | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post This is why on-course ball testing is so important | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

On this week’s pod, I went in-depth on my on-course ball testing with Daniel Bladen of Callaway Golf. I learned a lot, shared a lot, and somehow walked away with more questions than I had going in. But first, let’s recap my chat with Johnny Wunder.

First, let’s start with a little bit of backstory, as I mentioned on the podcast. I’ve been a huge fan of the Wilson Staff Model X (2024) golf ball. I played it from the end of 2024 through the beginning of 2026, when I started testing the 2026 version. With the new model, I was told they’d lowered spin slightly in the long end of the bag while maintaining the 8-iron-and-down performance I loved — especially around the greens. On paper, and in indoor simulator testing, it sounded perfect. It would drop my driver spin from about 2600 rpms to 2300 rpms and flatten out the 5-iron a bit — great in theory. Until it wasn’t.

That’s where my testing session with Daniel really changed things for me — and my golf bag.

It started at the end of last year when we visited Callaway Golf to test their new gear, including the 2026 Chrome Tour family of golf balls. One stop was Omni La Costa, where we did some on-course testing with the Callaway team, including Daniel. I was surprised by what we saw. At that point, I didn’t know Wilson would be releasing a 2026 ball, so I was still comparing everything to my 2024 Model X. Ball speeds were similar, flight windows looked similar, and overall performance was strong. We didn’t spend enough time side-by-side to justify a switch, but it definitely caught my attention.

Callaway 2026 Chrome Tour X Golf Balls

SPEED TECHNOLOGY Revolutionary new Tour Fast Mantle that increases distance through an optimized core/layer system. ADVANCED SEAMLESS TOUR AERO® Incredible distance and flight consistency on every shot.   PRECISION TOUR URETHANE COVER   Incredible feel and wedge control.     PRECISION TECHNOLOGY  Provides the ultimate in consistency. Every detail in the design, manufacture, and testing of the Chrome Tour X ball has been engineered to ensure maximized performance throughout your game.

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Fast forward a few weeks. After a rough performance at Battle at the Beach, I was frustrated and looking for answers. A couple of shots really stuck with me — in a bad way. Fortunately, just days later, I had the chance to work on-course with Daniel at The Yards during the Callaway Golf Ambassador shoot. This time, I brought the Wilson Staff Model X (2026) for a true head-to-head comparison.

What we found really came down to three key moments.

1.) The wiggle

We started by hitting hybrids and 5-woods—two of the most reliable clubs in my bag. If I’m testing variables, I want to eliminate as much doubt as possible. Early on, everything looked fine. Carry distances were similar between the Chrome Tour X (2026) [CTX] and the Wilson Staff Model X (2026) [WSX], but the Wilson was clearly rolling out more, with a noticeable drop in spin on the Foresight GC Quad.

Nothing alarming yet.

Then we moved to the last hole at The Yards to hit driver. It’s wide open (hard to lose a ball) which was perfect given my lack of confidence off the tee. The first few swings didn’t show much difference. Ball speeds and launch were nearly identical, with the Wilson again spinning a bit less.

Then on about the third WSX shot, we saw it.

A small “wiggle” at peak height.

Daniel spotted it first, and once you saw it, you couldn’t unsee it. We hit about five more balls with each, and while the launch monitor numbers stayed close, the ball flights started to look very different. We hit driver on a few more holes and saw the same thing. That little wiggle made the back half of the flight — especially the descent — unpredictable.

Which led us to the next moment.

2.) 8-iron predictability

There’s a par-3 at The Yards with a bunker in the middle of the green. That day, it was playing 167 yards. A perfect stock 8-iron for me. We had about a 10 mph wind in our face, but both balls are designed to handle that well. Slightly downhill too, which helped.

We wanted to see two things: would the wiggle show up with an 8-iron, and where would the balls land versus finish?

Sure enough, there it was again. The Wilson climbed to peak height, gave a little shimmy, and dropped. All the shots landed around pin-high, confirming solid wind performance, but all three Wilson shots ended up in the bunker, about six yards long. Not ideal.

The Chrome Tour X shots landed about 3 yards shorter but finished roughly a yard past the flag. No wiggle, just a clean, stable flight that held its line. That’s when the conversation shifted toward spin degradation during flight, but first, one more shot sealed it.

3.) The 5-wood tells all

My 5-wood is one of my favorite clubs right now. It’s reliable off the tee and a go-to into long par 5s, basically my safety blanket. It was also one of the few clubs that didn’t let me down at Battle at the Beach.

Off the tee, nothing seemed off. But we finished testing by hitting it off the deck — 245 yards into a strong left-to-right wind.

I hit three shots with each ball, alternating. The first two looked nearly identical early in flight, both slightly pushed right, with the wind neutralizing my usual draw. But at peak height, the Wilson wiggled and then fell hard to the right. The Callaway reached its peak, interacted with the wind, and then descended straight.

I adjusted my aim left and hit both again. Same story. Similar launch, similar speed, but the Wilson drifted right and came in hotter. The Callaway held its structure and fell straight again.

When we got to the green, the difference was obvious. The Wilson had actually carried past the flag, but ended up on the back of the green, about 40 feet away. Roughly a 10–12 yard rollout. The Callaway carried just over the bunker and stopped about two yards past the pin, with maybe six yards of rollout.

That’s when Daniel really broke it down.

The author’s choice for a “safety blanket” fairway wood

TaylorMade Qi4D Custom Fairway Wood

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Spin degradation through the course of the golf ball’s flight

The key concept Daniel explained was that a golf ball loses spin and speed throughout its flight, especially in the first half as it climbs to peak height. There’s roughly an eight-yard window at the top of the flight that determines how the ball finishes.

For me, the lower top-end spin of the new Wilson was the issue. I wasn’t launching it with enough spin, so by the time it reached peak height, it was essentially out of backspin. That’s what caused the visible “wiggle.” It’s also why the ball wasn’t stopping on greens.

Rolling out a 5-wood from 245 yards is one thing, but an 8-iron from 167 into the wind? That’s a problem.

It also explained two frustrating shots from Battle at the Beach.

Twice, I had 115 yards into the wind, a comfortable, stress-free 56-degree pitch. A shot I’ve hit a thousand times. Both times, downwind, both shots came up short. I was furious, and so was my partner.

Turns out, the ball wasn’t spinning enough. The wind was getting over the top of it and pushing it down, instead of the ball having enough spin for the wind to work underneath it. The same reason those 8-irons ended up in the bunker.

So, is the Wilson ball bad? No. Not at all. It’s just not right for me.

Since this test, I’ve gone back and re-tested everything — Wilson, Callaway, and others. I even revisited the Wilson Staff Model X (2024). That ball didn’t show the same issues. In fact, it performed almost identically to the Chrome Tour X (2026), which explains why I wasn’t initially sold on switching at La Costa.

Unfortunately, the updated spin and aerodynamics of the 2026 Model X took away what worked for me. I already sit on the low-spin edge, so I need as much spin and height as I can get. That’s where I’m comfortable. The moment I lose spin, things unravel quickly. I’m basically Tiger Woods in that sense.

I’d still absolutely recommend testing the Wilson Staff Model and Model X. For mid-spin players looking to add a bit of short-game spin while maintaining speed and flight off the top end, it’s an excellent, durable golf ball.

For me? The search is on. Right now, the Chrome Tour X (2026) is leading in the clubhouse, but it’s got a real fight on its hands.

To hear the entire story and listen to Johnny and I talk about AI fittings, listen to the full podcast on Spotify, or watch below.

The post This is why on-course ball testing is so important | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.