Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show

Big news this week: Joe got a haircut AND gave up sugary drinks, all in one week. Turning to golf, we discuss whether traditional blade putters will ever make a comeback after the recent dominance of high-MOI mallets on professional tours, and we examine how driver head size affects swing speed and aerodynamics. We've brought head-to-head to head-to-head back this week as we look at four of the top game (shot) improvement irons: the Titleist T350, Cobra 3DPX, Srixon ZXiR, and Ping G440. Which will come out as Joe's overall favourite as he rates them over categories such as aesthetics, centre and off-centre feel, forgiveness, and peak height?We then wrap up this week with a What's In The Bag interview with PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa. Morikawa shares details about his shoe testing with Adidas, his long-term relationship with a TaylorMade SIM 3-wood, his reaction to Qi4D woods rolling over into 2027 and the story behind stealing his current Spider X putter from Kurt Kitayama's caddie - enjoy!0:00:00 - Intro & weekly catch-up0:03:50 - Will blade putters make a comeback?0:09:23 - Technique, unorthodox swings & UK vs. US coaching0:15:07 - Trottie’s custom tour build service0:18:11 - What is the best game improvement iron of 2026?0:38:25 - Ask The Pod: listener mailbag & gear nostalgia0:46:11 - Collin Morikawa: What's In The Bag interview

This week, Joe returns from his holiday with a fresh haircut, and we dive into a packed slate of an hour (or more) of golf chat. We begin by discussing the response to our One Club Challenge and start laying down the strategy for a rematch. From there, we examine Rory McIlroy’s latest comments on equipment regulation and bifurcation, dive into tour stories involving Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Angel Ayora, and review the Mizuno Pro S4 irons. We also break down Accra's custom-fitting philosophy, DiMatch engineering, and their Tour Z and iSteel shaft lines. Finally, we respond to audience comments on gear worth the money and discuss how golf media tests forgiving clubs.Special thanks to Under Armour for outfitting us with its new Autumn/Winter 26 apparel - check out their latest range here: https://www.underarmour.co.uk/en-gb/c/sports/golf/0:00:00 Joe's new hair & our one club rematch strategy0:03:14 Equipment bifurcation and course setup0:22:50 Tour stories0:30:50 Gear worth the money0:32:53 Mizuno Pro S4 irons0:41:14 Accra shafts breakdown0:52:46 Viewer comments and feedback01:00:58 Testing forgiving clubs

This week we're back with a full hour (or more) of golf equipment chat after our more abridged episode last Friday. First and foremost, we couldn't help but chat about our most recent YouTube video, our one-club vs 14-club challenge that is now live! Spoiler alert: if you haven't watched the video already, we cover the trials and tribulations of our challenge in some detail this week. You can watch it here if you want to see the epic match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9jJHt17-MQLater, we showcase a beautiful new collaboration between Joe Ferguson's very own mind and the team at National Custom Works, who have collaborated to design what Joe thinks might be the perfect wedge. Speaking of wedges, we've got our opinion on two of the latest wedges to hit the market and the contrasting styles of the traditional Roger Cleveland legacy drop and the performance-optimised layout of the new TaylorMade Hi-Toe 5 wedges. Our main debate this week centres on Mitsubishi's aim to debunk the industry's issue with marketing golf shafts. Has shaft marketing been wrong this whole time? Finally, we take a look at some of your best Vibesman bags in a Vibesman special of Ask The Pod - enjoy! 00:00 Introduction01:38 Recapping our Saunton one club challenge13:39 Joe's minimalist wedge design with National Custom Works17:03 New RTZ2 and Hi-Toe wedge releases21:29 Debunking the shaft industry's marketing woes36:51 How you can evaluate your clubs ahead of the off-season52:46 Ask the pod, your best Vibesman bags and live bag roast

Welcome back to an hour (or actually less this time) of golf equipment chat! We (Dan) accidentally broke a product embargo this week, which is why our runtime was slightly shorter than usual after it was cut. The product in question has already won a Major championship this year, but rules are rules, so you'll hear about that in a few weeks. This week, we kick off with a viral social media debate: could an average handicap golfer fend off Rory McIlroy over nine holes with a nine-stroke gross lead? Joe also addresses the polarising internet reaction to his recent experiments with AI-generated iron designs, specifically a concept set from Bob Vokey. Moving from AI to real-world physics, Joe then shares his thoughts on the hollow-body iron market, questioning whether the advertised ball speed gains are a marketing myth driven primarily by jacked lofts. We've also got a deep-dive review of Titleist's classy new addition to the market, the GTS300 mini driver. Finally, we rip open the mailbag for Ask the Pod to share our ideal setups for a hypothetical 10-club limit and investigate whether marking your golf balls with ink can actually cause them to become unbalanced - enjoy! Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:43 - The Rory Challenge: Nine-Shot Lead Over Nine Holes03:47 - Polarising Internet Reaction to Vokey AI Iron Designs07:51 - Are Hollow-Body Iron Ball Speed Claims a Marketing Myth?15:43 - Golf Gear Actually Worth Your Hard-Earned Money24:21 - Titleist GT300 Mini Driver Deep Dive Review28:40 - Ask The Pod: Building a 10-Club Setup37:43 - Ask The Pod: Does Sharpie Ink Unbalance Your Golf Ball?

This week we're proudly sponsored by Golf GameBook, the app that can help improve your golf game and makes golf even more fun and social. Live leaderboards, loads of different game types and a built-in GPS system make Golf GameBook a one-stop shop for your next social round. Download now; available for free on iOS and Android. We're back in the studio again this week with a jam-packed discussion covering brand new golf equipment and the silly, silly world of golf marketing. This week, we dive into Joe’s latest side quest - his brand new 3D printer and his journey creating custom CNC-milled irons to his exact specifications. We also discuss the summer release wave from Callaway, highlighting the highly anticipated MB raw blades and the unique design principles behind the new mini spinner fairway wood. Plus, introducing 'Wofcom, ' our new agency aimed at calling out the industry's most ridiculous marketing stories and subcategories. Finally, we answer your questions and comments in this week's Ask the Pod, covering topics like ultimate bargain golf clubs, game strategy, and the human side of club fitting.0:00:00 Introduction0:01:00 Are other golf games too confusing?0:05:58 Channel updates and new series0:08:07 PRG x Guinness collaboration0:10:16 Why are people buying Cam Young's actual shirt?0:13:13 Is Scottie Scheffler’s driver actually a Qi4D?0:16:15 Joe's 3D printer and iron-building side quest0:23:56 The future of 3D printing in golf0:34:20 Are Callaway's new MB Raw blades the best-looking blades ever?0:41:02 Callaway mini spinner fairway wood - what exactly is it?0:48:32 Have golf equipment subcategories got out of control?0:53:59 Ask the Pod - retro golf nostalgia0:57:48 What is the ultimate bargain golf club?01:02:42 Equipment optimisation vs. player technique01:08:39 Mini drivers and driver strategy

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.In this week's episode, we're back in the studio tackling a mix of gear dilemmas, rules rants, and bringing you more equipment insights for Sir Nick Faldo. Joe kicks things off with a detailed rulebook rant, diving into the quirks of golf regulations, from equipment restrictions like putter grip shapes to ball replacement limits and the 14-club limit. Following up on a frustrating performance at the club championships, Joe shares some critical, practical advice on improving your short game and properly practising your 100-yard pitching strategy. Ask The Pod covers the risks of lead tape, finding classic C-groove putter faces, and the real feel impact of graphite putter shafts.To wrap it all up, Sir Nick Faldo returns for part two of his interview, discussing his campaign to ban long tees, the evolution of driver technology, and building his ultimate all-time 14-club bag - enjoy!Chapters:0:00:00 Introduction0:03:32 The golf rulebook rant0:21:20 Mastering your 100-yard and in-wedge game0:36:33 Ask The Pod - your questions and comments0:42:07 What are the pitfalls of using lead tape?0:45:11 Do graphite putter Shafts Change Feel?0:49:17 Sir Nick Faldo interview (part 2): Banning long tees0:59:40 The creation of Odyssey putters01:03:14 The greatest invention in modern golf tech, according to Sir Nick01:11:27 Sir Nick Faldo's all-time ideal 14-club bag

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.Normal service is resumed this week, and we are back in our Winnersh studio with a jam-packed episode of equipment nonsense. Firstly: castle tees. With Aaron Rai and Wyndham Clark securing Majors this year using the humble castle tee, we think the stock. Stock is rising on the castle tee, and it has led to a wider conversation: if we were investing in a stock market for golf equipment categories, what would we be buying, holding, and selling? Rounding off this week, Joe is joined by England's greatest-ever golfer and serious equipment aficionado, Sir Nick Faldo, for a wide-ranging interview. Part one of their chat this week covers Sir Nick's favourite equipment of his career, and some of his wider thoughts on the modern world of golf equipment. All of that, plus your Ask The Pods, including one listener who wants to know whether too many of us are overinvesting in irons by buying full sets instead of half. Chapters:0:00:00 Intro & Phil Mickelson's specialist Titleist irons0:05:50 The castle tee renaissance 0:11:08 What are we buying, holding and selling in our golf stock market?0:31:06 Ask The Pod - your recent comments 0:37:02 Should more amateur golfers get fit for half sets?0:40:33 Sir Nick Faldo interview part 1

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.

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?