Golf Gear: Highlights from 2023

Competition and innovation in the golf equipment industry continue to create a continuous flow of high-quality gear

By Tony Dear

The most important golf equipment story of 2023 – no, not the one about Costco’s new Kirkland Signature irons, but one that will affect every single golfer alive to some degree or other – came late in the year.

In December the USGA and R&A changed the speed of the clubhead that results in a 317-yard drive (with a three-yard tolerance, and with an 11-degree launch angle and 2,200 rpm of spin) from 120mph to 125 mph. This effectively rolls back the distance a conforming ball can travel.

The immediate reaction from a large section of the golfing population was horror, outrage, and anger. And while the initial boiling-point furor has eased to a hard-stifled simmer for most, some still seem prepared to march on USGA headquarters with pitch-forks raised.

The news came nine months after the governing bodies had proposed a Model Local Rule that would have bifurcated equipment rules – one set for professionals and other elite players, another for amateurs. The MLR would have allowed tournament committees to stipulate the use of certain balls, or even a tournament ball, that had been ”tested under modified launch conditions” and which “addressed the impacts of hitting distance.” That idea was rejected by manufacturers, the PGA Tour and PGA of America, however, resulting in the universal rollback.

Before that, there was the usual flow of highly-innovative product releases with manufacturers claiming each new club, ball, shoe, etc. was the best they’d ever made. The ‘Best we’ve ever made” line has now become stale and predictable, but, with such rigorous testing methods now available, there’s little doubt it’s true more often than not.

The use of Artificial Intelligence still seems a little ‘sci-fi’ to many, but it really isn’t news anymore as it’s been employed by the biggest equipment-makers for some years now. As the technology continues to improve so will the products. And, as it becomes less and less of a story and its use evermore widespread, you’d assume/hope prices will begin to drop. A number of our favorite equipment items this year were built using AI, but not all of them.

Here are the dozen most visited, talked about, commented on, and buzz-worthy product stories we posted this year:

Callaway Paradym Driver
The Triaxial and Forged Carbon chassis (45% lighter than a typical titanium body) caused quite a stir early in the year and remained popular throughout 2023.

 

Callaway Apex irons  
A taster for next year’s ever-popular Apex iron which has a 455 Steel face and, in the short irons (6-AW), a forged 1025 carbon-steel body and, for he first time, urethane microspheres.

Cleveland RTX 6 Zipcore

The sixth generation of Cleveland’s famous RTX (rough, milled Rotex face) wedges positioned the Center of Gravity (CG) directly behind the impact zone and featured new technologies to create backspin and promote excellent performance in wet conditions – HydraZip and UltiZip.

Cobra Aerojet 
Designed to reduce drag and thus improve aerodynamics and increase clubhead speed, the AeroJet was the latest in a line of highly-innovative products from impressively adventurous Cobra.

 

Kirkland Signature Irons
Yes, the story of a non-golf manufacturer releasing a set of irons generated significant interest. The ‘K-Sig’ irons sold out online in a few hours leaving people wondering when they might be back in stock.

Mizuno 241/243/245 irons
The arrival of Mizuno irons is always a news-worthy story so we were eager to post this taster for the 241, 243, and 245s. Made with either Grain Flow Forged 1025E mild carbon steel or Grain Flow Forged 4120 Chromaly, the new clubs look, and feel, sensational.

Odyssey Ai One Putter
The back of the Ai-One putterhead features an AI-generated surface of bumps and depressions designed to minimize variation in the speed of putts from various points on the face. The AI tech was visible through a transparent, automotive-grade polymer called Panlite. The face featured a White-Hot polyurethane insert.

PXG Xtreme Ball
It was a solid year for Bob Parsons’s equipment company with the introduction of the 0311 Gen 6 irons (April 5^th) and 0317 ST irons (October 5^th), but the company made the most noise with the release of its first-ever ball – a three-piece, urethane-covered ball that sold for just $35 a dozen.

Shot Scope X5
We were blown away by the number of capabilities and sophisticated looks of the X5 which confirmed the Scottish firm’s position as one of the best golf-tech companies operating today.

Sunday Golf Loma
Golfers heading out for a quick nine on a Sunday afternoon traditionally took a few irons out of their bag to lighten the load. Even that wasn’t unnecessary though. All you really needed was enough space for your most-used clubs, plus a pocket or two for balls and tees. San Diego, CA-based Sunday Golf came through with four attractive and appropriate designs for the Sunday nine.

Titleist T100, T150, T200, T350 irons
Doesn’t matter if you’re an elite golfer, good club golfer, or someone looking for assistance in getting the ball airborne and flying high, Titleist’s new T-Series of irons had something for you.

Tour Edge Wingman Wedge
Coming on the back of the well-received Wingman putter, Tour Edge’s Wingman wedge has proved similarly appealing to golfers wanting a quality, well-made product at an attractive price. Inspired by Bernhard Langer whose wedges featured a little offset back in his heyday when he was winning two Masters titles, the Wingman’s clubface is offset and also features Vibrcor pockets to dampen vibration, a milled face, and adjustable weighting.

 

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Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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