Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show

Joe's on a crusade again this week, folks. He looks at the game of golf like no man on earth. Caddies? Why do we have them? Loft on drivers? Why is it always incorrect? Now, alignment aids on golf balls are in the firing line. Why do we allow golfers to mark precise lines on their golf balls to help them aim? Surely this is part of the skill? We debate this, and much, much more, this week. After that, we've got some of your recent comments and Ask The Pods and to round off this week, we've got another cracking interview, looking in depth at the equipment of Min Woo Lee. We welcome back now friend of the show, Kellen Watson, Callaway Tour Rep and fitter for Min Woo Lee. Much like the Jon Rahm interview two weeks ago, expect an in-depth analysis of the chef's love of the Callaway Apex UW and why he uses Kangaroo leather grips. Enjoy!

Another jam-packed episode this week, if a little shorter than last week's feature-length chow down. Firstly, we're putting the latest players' distance iron to hit the shelves up against the GOAT of the category. Can the Ping i540 come close to knocking the TaylorMade P790 off its perch? We've got some of your excellent questions to get through too, as one listener wants to know if he can raw his own irons by taking the protective coating off. Based on Joe's answer, let's hope he hasn't pulled the trigger on that process yet...After all of that, we're welcoming (for the second time) one of our favourite people in the industry, Christina Kim, onto the show. After she popped up for a quick Ask The Pod in an episode a few weeks ago, we thought it best to sit her down for a proper interview. It's a wide-ranging chat where we take a quick peek at her equipment, compare the equipment used by female professionals to that of male amateurs, analyse dropping the equipment ego, and dive into the reasons why she thinks both men's and women's European teams have created better atmospheres at Ryder and Solheim Cups in recent years. Expect plenty of innuendo and plenty of bleeping...Enjoy!Take part in our GolfClub4Cash questionnaire for a chance to win a £1000 GolfClubs4Cash voucher: https://futurenet.questionpro.eu/GMxGolfClubs4Cash?custom1=KickpointCheck out Under Armour's new GLF Trip collection as seen on this week's episode: https://www.scottsdalegolf.co.uk/shop/under-armour

Thanks to this week's sponsor, Fujikura. For those seeking measurable improvements in consistency, ball speed, and overall club efficiency, the VENTUS TR Blue with VeloCore+ and the rest of the VENTUS line is available at Fujikura Charter Dealers. Visit fujikuragolf.com to learn more & find your local Fujikura dealer.Cameron Young, take a bow! The American battled bravely to claim the biggest win of his career so far at The Players Championship 2026 and, as a result, a well-earned place in the history books. His performance down the closing stretch was not only sublime but also record-breaking as he hit a whopping 375-yard drive, the longest on record in the Shot Link era on that hole. In this episode, we cover Ludvig Aberg's 'hard to watch' capitulation at the turn, Matt Fitzpatrick's gutsy charge in the final round and discuss why we love the challenge posed by the 6th tee at TPC Sawgrass.We also have some really interesting gear insights from Joe, who analyses aspects of Cameron Young's bag, plus also looking ahead to the coming weeks for the biggest names in the game like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. With the Valspar Championship coming next, both Baz and Joe make their predictions for who will win at the treacherously tough Copperhead Course and offer insights into what it will take to contend on the PGA Tour this week.

Take part in our GolfClub4Cash questionnaire for a chance to win a £1000 GolfClubs4Cash voucher: https://futurenet.questionpro.eu/GMxGolfClubs4Cash?custom1=KickpointCheck out Under Armour's new GLF Trip collection as seen on this week's episode: https://www.scottsdalegolf.co.uk/shop/under-armourIt's a long boy this week! Feel free to enjoy in stages. Before our Big Interview, we've got some thoughts on McLaren announcing its sudden appearance in the golf equipment space, PXG's stunning-looking Stick'em Forged wedges, and a look at the new Under Armour 'GLF Trip' apparel range. We've got a couple of Ask The Pods to get through before the bulk of this week's episode sees us chat in depth with Jon Rahm's club fitter and Callaway Tour Rep, Kellen Watson.Chapters:0:00:00 Intro and waffling on0:05:57 McLaren is making golf equipment! Will it be a serious contender?0:15:41 PXG's new Stick'em Forged wedge - so close to perfection0:20:34 Ask The Pod - Does grip thickness really matter, and how can I test what I prefer? 0:35:45 Jon Rahm 2026 What's In The Bag interview with Kellen Watson

Another exciting Sunday on the PGA Tour and another exciting episode of Tour Issue for you this week. Dan and Baz reflect on Akshay Bhatia's stunning Sunday back nine to pip Daniel Berger to the post at Bay Hill, and look ahead to this week's Players Championship - does TPC Sawgrass provide the best final three-hole stretch in all of golf? All of this, plus a reflection on Rory McIlroy's fitness heading to Sawgrass and a chat about the merits of AimPoint (when used correctly).

Massive thanks to Stromberg for supporting this week's episode. The new LaunchPad Pro and LaunchPad Pro SL golf shoes are available in the UK from American Golf from today, March 6th, at www.americangolf.co.uk. TGIF, amirite? Happy Friday, folks. For those listening in the UK, we sincerely hope you can take advantage of this small dry weather window to enjoy some golf this weekend! This week, we dive into the bag of Rory McIlroy for the 2026 season. Funnily enough, we recorded this before he switched back into his Rors Proto irons a few weeks ago, BUT, with Joe being The Oracle, he had already predicted on February 6th (when we filmed this) that he'd have switched out of the P7CB irons he was using on filming date. Make sense? No? Fine. Anyway, consider this WITB fully up to date as we ponder why Rory has been switching irons and what about the Qi4D family has allowed him to switch so seamlessly into the new woods. Your brilliant questions and comments take up the rest of this week's pod as we cover advice on the best use of driving range balls, investing in lessons or equipment (or both), and clarifying what amount of spin with the driver is the right amount. All of that, plus plenty of drivel and nonsense in between, enjoy!

Shane, what have you done?! After looking like he was going to cruise to victory at the Cognizant Classic yesterday, two water balls on the 16th and 17th holes saw Shane Lowry throw away a four-shot lead in Florida and see a 4th PGA Tour win slip through his fingertips. Despite the mess he made, we're here to tell you it's not all bad for Shane and that sometimes, sh*t happens! We also dive into the very interesting equipment of the beneficiary of Lowry's catastrophe, Nico Echavarria, who has bagged another win for a TaylorMade classic and some of our favourite wedges in the game right now. Also, Joe has some insight into Casey Jarvis's back-to-back winning bag, who has now won the Kenyan and South African Opens in consecutive weeks. Jarvis' driver shaft snapped in transit to his home Open last week, and we've got the down low on just how TaylorMade got his gamer back up to running spec in such a short time. Though away this week, Baz also has his top tips ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational next week. Enjoy!

Happy Friday, everyone. We've got a jam-packed show for you this week! Joe purchased a new 3-wood (with his own money), we play a new game called 'Golf Club Name Or Not Golf Club Name', and we've dug deeper into the science of Cobra's new 3D printed irons, why they cost so much and why Joe is immediately putting them in his bag. As well as loads of your excellent recent questions and comments, we also welcome the founder of Avoda Golf, Tom Bailey, onto the show. He dives into the tech behind the company's curved face irons, his relationship with Bryson DeChambeau that saw him put Avoda irons into play at the 2024 Masters, as well as his ongoing relationship with Jason Day.

Thanks to this week's sponsor, Fujikura. For those seeking measurable improvements in consistency, ball speed, and overall club efficiency, the VENTUS TR Blue with VeloCore+ and the rest of the VENTUS line is available at Fujikura Charter Dealers. Visit fujikuragolf.com to learn more & find your local Fujikura dealer. It's our first Monday three-way for Kick Point: Tour Issue with Joe returning from his well-deserved break to bring the team back to its full quota. This week, we digest everything that happened at The Genesis Invitational, come to terms with the fact that TaylorMade has shifted the sands to become the dominant putter brand on Tour, and debate whether Tiger Woods can, will, and should make his long-awaited return at the Masters this April. And, completely away from the Tour, Joe asks why nobody is getting any better at golf despite all of the technological advancements we've had over the last 20 years.