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Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show
TOUR ISSUE: Matt Fitzpatrick Defeats Scottie Scheffler In Playoff To Seal RBC Heritage Win
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Thank you again to our sponsors, Fujikura. After the Masters last Sunday, that is now 5 major wins in a row for Fujikura! Fujikura's streak of major championship winners trusting a VENTUS shaft in their driver continues. All 4 major champions last year won with a Fujikura VENTUS shaft in their driver - the first time ANY company has done this. Today, is the first day the completely new VENTUS TR shaft collection is available (in Red, Blue and Black profiles) - and we have already seen the new TR Blue and Black on tour with a handful of players making an immediate switch. The new VENTUS TR collection has been upgraded with VeloCore+ technology, offering enhanced feel and stability. Now there are even more options to get the perfect with the tour- trusted VENTUS shafts. Head over to fujikuragolf.com to find a fitting location near you to try the new TR VENTUS collection and most trusted driver and wood shaft on tour for yourself.
In this week's episode, Dan and Baz discuss Matt Fitzpatrick's impressive RBC Heritage playoff victory over Scottie Scheffler, the 'sneaky' form of Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland's turbulence, the state of play with LIV Golf and look ahead towards the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
This episode will be the last Tour Issue hosted on the Kick Point show, with an exciting rebrand coming from Monday 27th March with the launch of Golf Monthly Tour Issue. Don't worry though, it's not all change. Baz will be co-hosting the new show in partnership with our incredibly knowledgable news team - discussing everything you need to know about professional golf with Elliott Heath, Jonny Leighfield or Matt Cradock every single Monday.
For those of you who love tour golf, have opinions on the happenings each weekend and want to hear the thoughts of an expert panel on the best bets for any given week - head over to Golf Monthly Tour Issue... Baz will see you there!
Watch us in FULL on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf
Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com
Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter
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How Is Golf's #1 Product Actually Made? Behind The Scenes At The Titleist Pro V1 & Pro V1x Factory!
53:44|Another Kick Point special for you this week from our summer trip across the pod to the United States. This week, it's the small task of seeing just how the single most important piece of equipment (and the single most popular model within that category) is made. Join Sam and Dan from Titleist's ball-fitting centre and the spiritual home of Manchester Lane, Massachusetts, as they delve into the very beginnings of Titleist as a brand, discuss the most interesting parts of the ball-creation process from their time snooping in all of Titleist's facilities in the Massachusetts area, and talk through the merits of a ball fitting.Can Wilson Golf Make A Comeback? Behind The Scenes At Wilson Golf In Chicago!
45:20|A very special episode for you this week sees us head to the great city of Chicago for a behind-the-scenes look at everything at Wilson Golf. How does the golf division work alongside the larger legacy sports like tennis, football and baseball? Are any significant new Tour signings on the horizon? And, can the brand get back to the very top of the game by attracting the latest generation of golfers into the equipment?What's In The Bag Of A Full Time Equipment Tester (Joe's 2026 WITB)? Plus, Designing Our Own Retro Clubs, The 2-Iron Urge & What Happened To Signature Player Irons?
01:10:47|Thanks to Callaway for sponsoring this week's episode. To check out the full Quantum range of drivers, fairways, hybrids and irons for yourself, visit https://eu.callaway.comHappy Open Friday! Thanks for including us in your golf #content consumption for the weekend. This week, Joe's got a variety of equipment-based rants to get stuck into. What happened to signature lines of golf clubs? Why does every pro feel the urge to get a 2-iron in their bag as soon as they set foot on UK soil? Why can't more brands get retro designs right? Also, we're introducing a new section this week: Joe's Weekly WITB. Now he's given up trying really hard to win tournaments, he's now - what are his thoughts on the latest equipment from Titleist, TaylorMade, Ben Hogan and Callaway that he's got in the bag? All of that, plus some of your brilliant recent comments and questions in Ask The Pod - enjoy!Chapters:0:00:00 Joe's new haircut...0:06:04 Joe's club championship roster0:11:39 Teasing Kick Point Golf Club (again)0:12:48 Joe's A.I. golf club creations 0:17:10 What happened to 'signature' iron sets?0:25:20 The UK's 2-iron urge0:30:26 What happened to sock headcovers?0:33:36 Joe's 2026 WITB 0:50:44 Ask The PodThe 5 Old Irons That Modern Technology Still Can't Beat! Plus, Our Fantasy Equipment Line Up For 2026 & Your Reaction To TaylorMade's Big Equipment News
01:05:19|Who said we were short of ideas? Not us! We've done old drivers, and we've done old fairways, so it's time for Joe to dig back into the archive of irons to find five examples of irons that haven't aged a day. We've got some classic blades and some more 'game improvement' options on the table. As well as that, Joe's conjured up a game of fantasy golf equipment - what bag of tricks would we like to play, selecting from all of the men's and women's Major winners so far? We've got that, Ask The Pod and plenty more nonsense in between - enjoy!Thanks to this week's sponsor, PXG. PXG has fitting locations across the country, so if you’re ready to take a more serious approach to your game, head to PXG.com, check out their latest deals and book a fitting near you.Thanks to this week's sponsor, PXG. PXG has fitting locations across the country, so if you’re ready to take a more serious approach to your game, head to PXG.com, check out their latest deals and book a fitting near you.Chapters:0:00:00 Coming up this week...0:05:53 The Ore Golf iron & TaylorMade's Tag Heuer collab0:09:42 Picking our fantasy lineup of equipment from the 2026 Major winners0:33:03 Kick Point Golf Club...0:37:52 5 older irons that modern tech can't beat0:52:05 Ask The Pod - your reactions to TaylorMade's two-year release cycleWe Measured The Loft And Lie Of Every 2026 Driver! Are Manufacturers Deliberately Strengthening Lofts? Plus, Pros & Cons Of Each Method Of Adding Weight To Your Golf Club
01:08:16|Big thanks to our friends at GolfClubs4Cash for sponsoring this week's episode. You can visit them in store now at its locations in Edinburgh, Warrington, Milton Keynes and Southampton or head to www.golfclubs4cash.co.uk to browse the more than 50,000 items in stock.Joe's been doing some real-life actual journalism this week. It's often quiet down in North Devon, so a few weeks ago spent an afternoon measuring the true loft, lie angle and face angle of every driver he's been sent to test this year. Which brands' measurements are closest to what they claim? And are we seeing a new trend in driver face angles? Joe reveals all from his exhausting display of measuring in his workshop.Also this week, we've had loads of questions about the best ways to add weight to your golf club, and to help, Joe has put together a cheat sheet of the pros and cons of each method. Whether it's lead tape, hot melt or screws, we've got you covered for your next tinkering job. All of that, plus some analysis on Wyndham Clark's new putter, Bryson's prototype TaylorMade driver and, of course, some time for your comments and questions in Ask The Pod - enjoy!Chapters:0:00:00 Coming up this week...0:03:43 The story behind Bryson's new proto TaylorMade driver0:07:51 What's so special about Wyndham Clark's new putter?0:11:36 The pros and cons of each method of adding weight to a club0:12:28 Using manufacturer's weights 0:15:35 Lead tape0:18:26 Tip weights0:21:27 Hot melt0:26:12 We measured every 2026 driver! Here are the results...0:27:24 Face angle...0:36:08 Lofts...0:40:19 Lie angles...0:48:48 Ask The Pod!Grading Every Equipment Manufacturer's Year (So Far)! Plus, Joe Tells All About His Open Qualifying Experience!
01:28:49|Big thanks to our friends at GolfClubs4Cash for sponsoring this week's episode. You can visit them in store now at its locations in Edinburgh, Warrington, Milton Keynes and Southampton or head to www.golfclubs4cash.co.uk to browse the more than 50,000 items in stock.Happy midsummer! It's that time of year again, when we take stock of all of the main equipment manufacturers' years so far, and send them home with a summer report for 2026. Which brand is going home with an A to happy parents, and which brand has plenty to work on going into the next phase of equipment releases? Before all of that, Joe finds his favourite driver on the GolfClubs4Cash website for under £200, we discuss the rollback on the golf ball rollback, and Joe tells us the good, the bad, and the ugly from his experience at regional qualifying for the Open Championship. Enjoy!Chapters:0:00:00 Coming up this week...0:02:26 How would Joe spend £200 on a second-hand driver?0:06:14 Joe tells all about his Open Qualifying experience0:22:22 The golf ball rollback, rollback - our opinions!0:32:34 Grading every equipment brand's year so far!0:34:32 Titleist0:41:55 TaylorMade0:51:23 Callaway 1:00:08 Ping 1:04:29 Cobra 1:06:53 PXG1:13:02 Mizuno1:17:00 Srixon1:21:05 WilsonJustin Thomas' 2026 What's In The Bag, Bernhard Langer's Unique Equipment History & Why Are All Wedge Lofts Even Numbers?
01:15:05|Massive thanks to Titleist, the number one ball in golf, for sponsoring this week's episode. Titleist is the most played ball at the U.S. Open for 78 straight years and still counting. Visit titleist.com to find out which Titleist golf ball is best for your game.We were a camera crew down this week, so please forgive our slightly worse audio quality! Despite the chaos, we've got a great episode for you this week. Joe rants about pretty much everything in the equipment world that annoys him (Why are fairway woods odd numbers? Why are flagsticks different from club to club? Why are wedge lofts all even numbers? You get the idea...), we investigate the decorated and quirky equipment history of Berhard Langer, and Justin Thomas is the subject of this week's What's In The Bag! All of that, plus your questions and comments for another hour (or more) of golf equipment chat - enjoy!Chapters:0:00:00 Coming up this week0:02:46 Titleist's unbelievable US Open statistic...0:05:20 Joe's new iron loft theory0:09:25 Takomo's driver recall0:14:14 Weird things we do in golf for no apparent reason...0:20:02 Bernhard Langer's equipment deep dive0:39:03 Ask The Pod - your recent comments and questions0:52:12 Justin Thomas 2026 What's In The Bag!The 5 Old Fairway Woods That Modern Technology Can't Beat! Plus, Shane Lowry's What's In The Bag & Could Joe Beat Dan With Just A 7-Iron?
01:09:24|Thanks to this week's sponsor, Srixon. Go to eu.dunlopsports.com/srixon to find out more. You seemed to enjoy us talking about old-ish drivers the other week, so we've done it again for fairway woods! How far back do you have to go before modern technology comfortably beats older fairway woods, and which is the best fairway wood of the last decade (or more)? After that, we discuss the equipment bag of Irishman and Ryder Cup hero Shane Lowry, get stuck into some of your recent comments and questions and engage in a passionate debate about whether Joe could beat Dan at golf just using his 7-iron...Cam Young's 2026 What's In The Bag! Is His New Golf Ball The Secret To His Recent Success? Plus, The Secret Underworld Of Bespoke Golf Equipment & Our Second Hand Fitting Tips!
01:13:38|Massive thanks to Titleist and the new GTS drivers for sponsoring this week's episode.Another jam-packed episode for you this week as Joe takes us on a journey into the secret underworld of high-end, bespoke golf club fittings from some of the most exclusive golf brands in the world that you have never heard of. When the time is right, you will know...We've got your Ask The Pods too, where we help one of you get fit for second-hand equipment, advise on cutting down counterbalanced putters and quell any rumours about 10k drivers being slower than other models. After all of that, we dive into the bag of in-form Cam Young. How much has his high-profile switch to a golf ball earlier this year forced changes throughout his bag?Chapters:0:00:00 Coming up this week...0:01:53 Titleist's new GTS driver0:05:33 Would you rather? Golf tournaments edition...0:09:55 The secret world of bespoke, underground golf equipment brands0:32:39 Ask The Pod - Is driver ball speed lower on 10k driver?0:40:22 Ask The Pod - Should I get fitted for clubs even though I'm a higher handicapper?0:44:48 Ask The Pod - Can I cut down a counterbalanced putter?0:48:48 Cam Young 2026 What's In The Bag?