Big Equipment News Leading up to PGA Show

This time next week, over 30,000 golf industry professionals will be walking the main hall and corridors of the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando buying, selling, and reporting on the countless new products and services offered in 2025 by 1,000+ brands.

Many people will have seen these exotic, tempting, hi-tech clubs/gadgets at the Demo Day on Tuesday (21st) a day before the core exhibition begins.

At the same time as the masses are filling the 1,104,000 square feet of exhibition space, numerous education seminars, floor shows, high-level negotiations, and symposiums featuring VIP panels will be happening in rooms throughout the West Building all to make this $102 billion business continue to purr.

Most, not all but most, of the big manufacturers will be there showing off the exciting new releases they’ve made in recent weeks. Here are some of the most newsworthy.
Last week, Titleist announced the introduction of the new Pro-V1 and Pro-V1x. Halfway through its third decade, the Pro-V1 continues to be the best-selling ball in the game and was introduced to the PGA Tour last October at the Shriners Children’s Open. Within five weeks, 40 PGA Tour players were teeing it up and the number of worldwide wins is already approaching double figures. The main difference in the 2025 model is the faster high-gradient core which boosts speed and lowers spin off the tee. A spherically-tiled 388 tetrahedral dimple design, and a casing layer beneath the cover that reduces long-game spin, therefore preventing the ball from rising sharply, also help to increase distance. Meanwhile, the soft, cast urethane elastomer cover provides excellent greenside spin.

The new Pro-V1 and Pro-V1x are priced at $55 and will be available on January 25th in White and Optic Yellow (titleist.com).

It’s been a busy month for the Dunlop stable with both Srixon and Cleveland making notable new gear announcements.

Srixon released its new ZXi woods and irons and the Z-STAR Series. The irons feature i-FORGED Technology, the woods i-FLEX Technology. i-FORGED, which stands for ‘Impact Forged’, is a new forging process that enabled Srixon to select specific steels for each of the four new models – ZXi4, ZXi5, ZXi7, and ZXiU. Srixon employed the softest steel it’s ever used in creating the Player’s ZXi7, calling on a proprietary process called ‘Condensed Forging’ to strengthen specific sections of the clubhead. Condensed Forging was also used in making the ZXi5 and ZXiU irons.

Though durable, the ZXi7 is 7% softer than its predecessor – the ZX Mk II – (ZXiU and ZXi5 face material is 14% softer than the prior generation) thanks also to the long oven tempering it receives. The ZXi7 has Tour-preferred looks and is designed to enable better players to work the ball with precision. An expanded PureFrame reduces impact vibrations enhancing feel.

Third-generation MainFrame Technology is present in the ZXi4, ZXi5, and ZXiU irons which feature the variable thickness network of grooves, channels, and notches milled onto the backside of each iron to maximize flex at impact for more efficient energy transfer.

A wider toe-side channel allowed engineers to reposition up to two grams of mass for a lower Center of Gravity (CG) and higher Moment of Inertia (MOI). As with past ZX clubs, the ZXi models look similar to each other and have nearly identical top lines to allow for blended sets.

“We’re seeing more people choose combination sets with our irons,” says Dustin Brekke, Srixon’s Designer of Engineering. “We typically have three specific duos that are most popular among players – the ZXiU and ZXi7 is the most used among our Tour staff, pairing forgiving long Irons with highly workable short Irons. The ZXi5 and ZXi7 are for people wanting powerful distance and workability. And we have the ZXi4 and ZXi5 combination that pairs cavity back short Irons with hollow long Irons for maximum forgiveness.”

The ZXi7, ZXi5 and ZXi4 Irons will cost $1,300 for a seven-piece set with steel shafts. The ZXiU are $240 per club (18˚, 20˚, and 23˚). Available January 24th.
For its ZXi woods, Srixon developed i-FLEX Technology which creates a completely redesigned face thickness pattern designed to optimize energy transfer from the club to the ball. The company utilized an all-new titanium – Ti72S that is not only extremely strong but also light and durable. A thin center surrounded by thicker areas on the heel and toe forms i-FLEX’s unique shape.  

The ZXi Driver line-up consists of three models. The standard ZXi combines speed with high MOI, the ZXi LS is the low-spin version that players who want to keep the ball low on a flat trajectory will prefer, and the ZXi MAX offers Srixon’s highest-ever driver MOI. This club is all about forgiveness and is ideal for those with slower swing speeds.

With various weight-port locations, all three feature advanced adjustability options. An all-new 1.5-degree hosel sleeve gives you 12 possible configurations for lie, loft and face angle. The clubface’s new Laser Face Milling pattern helps stabilize spin and increase forgiveness in wet conditions.

The fairway woods and hybrids benefit from the same foundational technology as the driver and, for the first time, feature advanced adjustability which Srixon admits has been a long time coming.

Stepped, carbon crowns feature complex latticework known as ‘Star Frame’ which creates the structural integrity necessary to support the thin, ultralight titanium crown. And so light a crown lowers the CG helping you to get the ball up and carrying further. The familiar Rebound Frame amplifies energy transfer, maximizing flex across the face. The hybrids are larger than previous Srixon hybrids boosting forgiveness.

The ZXi drivers (ZXi – 9˚, 10.5˚; LS – 8˚, 9˚, and 10.5˚; ZXi MAX – 9˚, 10.5˚, and 12˚) are priced at $550. The fairway woods (13.5˚, 15˚, 18˚, and 21˚) are $330 each, and the Hybrids (17˚, 19˚, 22˚, 25˚, and 28˚) are $280 each. Irons and woods are available on January 24th. (us.dunlopsports.com/srixon).

Srixon’s new Z-Star ball which Hideki Matsuyama enjoyed some success with at Kapalua features a new extra thin urethane cover made with Biomass, a durable, plant-derived material requiring fewer carbon emissions to manufacture. Jeff Bruski, Srixon’s Vice President of Research and Development, says the company’s approach to the latest generation of the Z-STAR Series produces a more durable ball without compromising performance, adding “The stronger urethane cover and Spin Skin coating (increases friction and, therefore, greenside spin) help improve the spin performance, while our team has improved distance and control to provide golfers purer performance from tee to green.”

The three models of the new Z-Star Series – Z-STAR, Z-STAR XV, and Z-STAR DIAMOND – all feature the newly formulated FastLayer DG Core 2.0 which is soft(er) at the center and gets increasingly firm as you move out. Each ball has its own formula – the Z-STAR has reduced compression at its already soft which minimizes driver spin, while the cover maximizes greenside spin, the maximum distance Z-STAR XV features added firmness partway through the core boosting ball speed, and the 100-compression Z-STAR DIAMOND has a slightly firmer center and delivers great iron spin.

The Z-STAR and Z-STAR XV also come in a Divide version. All balls are $50/dozen and come in White and Optic Yellow with the Divide incorporating both colors. Like the new ZXi clubs, the Z-STAR Series will be available on January 24th.

Cleveland Golf introduces its new RTZ wedge on Friday (17th). A new low-density, steel formula called Z-Alloy gives the company much scope in the club’s design. Patrick Ripp, Cleveland’s Tour Engineering Manager, says the new metal gives a pure feel, a clean aesthetic, and greater consistency. Testing shows RTZ Wedges are 10% softer than the RTX 6 ZipCore and, to optimize feel and performance, six additional grams of discretionary mass were moved into more optimal areas of the clubhead. The weight change shifts the CG towards the center of the clubhead, improving feel and consistency.

Z-Alloy won’t rust which means its performance will remain unchanged for longer than a club whose head will rust. Indeed, Cleveland confirms a groove on an RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack Raw clubhead will deteriorate 87% quicker than a Z-Alloy groove. Additionally, RTZ Tour Rack Wedges retain up to 15% more spin over time, meaning you get the same Tour-preferred benefits but with more consistent, longer-lasting performance.

RTZ wedges come in four grinds which isn’t excessive, certainly, but gives a reasonable amount of versatility. The RTZ ADAPT Grind is new and features full-face grooves and a leading edge chamfer with additional bounce for players who love to open the face. The other grinds are LOW, MID, and FULL. And, Ripp says, for the first time each RTZ leading edge is milled for the most accurate and consistent edge possible. HydraZip face blasts and laser-milled lines maximize spin in wet conditions, low-density ZipCore in the heel positions the CG in the center of the face while reducing vibration and deep UltiZip grooves are sharp and make space for sand, grass, water, and dirt thus creating consistent spin no matter where on the course you are, and the dual-pass pattern of Rotex Milling increases friction and spin. The True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shaft has been specifically chosen for its feel and precision.

Available in three finishes – Tour Satin ($170 per club), Black Satin ($170), and Tour Rack Raw ($190). 46˚ through 64˚ of loft, and 6˚-12˚ of bounce.

Ben Hogan will be introducing its PTx Max and PTx LST (Low spin) drivers, PTx Max fairway woods and hybrids, and four gorgeous new irons designed by former Adams clubmaker, Gavin Wallin – the FT Worth MB and CB, M50-01, and the incredibly handsome new Legend irons whose heads are filled with vibration-dampening foam, built using AI, and have forged faces. All four models will be available both as finished clubs and as components through leading retailers and premium club builders (benhogangolf.com).