Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show

While we remain in the equipment Twilight Zone, Joe has decided once again to get all philosophical about golf equipment. He's questioning everything about how the golf bag is set up. Why don't we carry two drivers? Why do we use so many irons?  This week, he gives some out-of-the-box suggestions for how we should think about making the most of all 14 clubs in the bag. 

This week's Ask The Pod is seeking buying advice. As a 10 handicapper looking to get down into single figures, what are the best irons on the market right now? Joe offers up some options to help whittle down the search. Finally, though we're in equipment purgatory, we're confident that Billy Horschel's clubs will be locked in place for at least the next few months, so we thought it would be a good time to investigate the goings-on in his equipment. Broadly a Titleist man, he switched to the new GT driver at the end of the summer - but what else lurks in the former Florida Gator's bag? 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected]   

Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint

Further reading: 

We’ve got something a little different for you on this week’s episode - our first retro WITB. As we’re entering a period with new equipment being seeded into players' bags (which we can't talk about until embargoes lift), we thought we’d pause the modern WITBs and dive into some retro ones - and where better to start than with Tiger Woods? Joe focuses specifically on the clubs he used to win the 1997 Masters, a tournament he won by 12 shots with no less than four different manufacturers in the bag. 

We're also popping Tested This Week on the back burner for the next few episodes as we can’t quite reveal to you what we’re currently testing, so Joe decided to lead a history lesson on some of the best and worst equipment switches in modern history. Think Justin Rose's move to Honma, the Pro V1's first every victory and Mickelson's pre-Ryder Cup club switch. Finally, this week's Ask The Pod seeks advice on trying different grip sizes and types and Joe thinks he has the solution...

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected]  

Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

We’ve got something a little different for you on this week’s episode, a retro WITB. As we’re entering a period with new equipment being seeded into players' bags (which we can't talk about until embargoes lift), we thought we’d pause the modern WITBs and dive into some retro ones - and where better to start than with Tiger Woods? Joe focuses specifically on the clubs he used to win the 1997 Masters, a tournament he won by 12 shots with no less than four different manufacturers in the bag. 

We're also popping Tested This Week on the back burner for the next few episodes as we can’t quite reveal to you what we’re currently testing, so Joe decided to lead a history lesson on some of the best and worst equipment switches in modern history. Think Justin Rose's move to Honma, the Pro V1's first every victory and Mickelson's pre-Ryder Cup club switch. Finally, this week's Ask The Pod seeks advice on trying different grip sizes and types and Joe thinks he has the solution...

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

It's a mega episode for you this week as we dive into Adam Scott's bag. Though he's now known for being one of the biggest tinkerers in the game, there was a time when he didn't change a single club in the bag for years at a time. Joe examines each club in the Australian's bag (at the time of recording) and the story of when and why he finally started to change clubs. 

Before all of that, we've got an explainer on compression in golf balls while the Tested This Week looks at PXG's latest Xtreme range of golf balls, a new bag from Big Max and a golf shoe described by Joe as the lovechild of a Nike Air Force 1 and a Croc. Finally, this week's Ask The Pod features some of our favourite products of the year that aren't golf clubs, including rangefinders, shoes and apparel we've been enjoying in 2024. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Further reading:

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

After seeing the Cobra Limit3d irons secure their first win on Tour in the bag of Angel Hidalgo, we start this week's episode with a slightly unplanned chat about innovation in golf club manufacturing. With the emergence of the PXG Allan zero torque putter and multiple manufacturers launching 10k MOI drivers at the start of 2024 we ask, is it okay that golf club manufacturers end up going down the same path of innovation whether they came up with the idea or not? 

Meanwhile, Joe's been testing Fujikura's latest invention. It's a potential 'difficult second album' for a product that has been almost universally well-received and Joe gives his verdict on the sequel. He then gets stuck into this week's explainer, which is all about putter necks and what each style does to a putter's characteristics. 

Finally, Joe dives into the bag of Lydia Ko, current AIG Women's Open champion and Olympic Gold Medalist. After we chatted about the differences between professional men's and women's club specs last week, we thought it would be a good idea to take a proper look inside the bag of one of the best golfers in the game. 

Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

Another busy episode this week, thanks for joining us! To start, Dan has a James Bond-themed show-and-tell from a recent trip to Stoke Park. The name's Pride, Golf Pride...

Meanwhile, Joe's been testing a viral training aid called 'The Butter Blade' and explains how using something that makes practice harder could be the key to better golf out on the course. This week's explainer focuses on the difference between professional men's and women's clubs. Having both watched the AIG Women's Open and Solheim Cup over the end of the summer, we wanted to discuss the key differences between the specs of men's and women's clubs and how most amateur golfers might be better served looking in the bags of LPGA Tour players for an ideal set up and spec sheet. 

Our Ask The Pod this week comes from Matthew, who wants to know how he can be sure he's getting a good fitting service next time he buys a new club. Joe gives him some easy questions you can ask to make sure the fitter you're going to knows what they're doing. Finally, our WITB deep dive this week looks into Sahith Theegala's bag. The charismatic American has only been on the Tour for two years, yet he's felt like something of a regular atop leaderboards on the PGA Tour. He also has two 8-irons in this bag, what's that all about? 

Further reading: 

www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/golf-tech-and-training-aids/could-this-miniature-training-aid-be-the-key-to-improving-your-iron-play 

You thought our run of interviews was over. We thought our run of interviews was over. That was until Matt Fitzpatrick invited us for an in-depth chat about his golf clubs at a recent Skechers event in London. While Joe covered his clubs extensively in an episode a few months ago, his in-person chat with Matt allowed him to ask some of the questions left unanswered by his research while also diving into the equipment changes he's made over the late summer. 

Also this week, Joe explains exactly what CG is in a golf club and how it affects ball flight, Dan has a new GPS watch that might have too much data and our best Ask The Pod to date asks us, 'What should I invest in first - lessons to get my swing in good shape before buying new clubs, or new clubs so I can make sure I'm learning with the correct equipment?' There's also a guest appearance from Ozzy Osbourne, sort of... 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

Further reading: 

Did you really think our series of What's In The Bag interviews was over? In what can only be described as a scheduling error on Dan's part, we (Dan) forgot to publish this episode we recorded in late August featuring our interview with Martin Kaymer - so here it is! 

Not only do you have a deep dive into the two-time Major winner's bag to enjoy, but Joe also explains why he thinks the new PuttOut AirBreak putting mat is a revolutionary new product for at-home putting practice. Finally, in an explainer that should've probably come a lot earlier to the podcast, we take a look atswing weight, what is effects and how to better understand which swing weight best suits your game. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

Further reading: 

This week, Joe gives us his insight into how to build your very own club workshop, we explain what the data you see on a launch monitor actually means, Dan tests the new Adidas Codechaos shoes AND Louis Oosthuizen joins us for a what's in the bag special. It's another jam-packed episode, hope you enjoy it! 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

Further reading: 

This week, Joe has yet another iron family to review, this time from PXG. As well as the game improvement PXG Black Ops irons (the first ever true game improvement iron from PXG), he's also recently tested the 0311 P & XP Gen 7 irons. Despite the complex naming system that PXG continues to employ with some of its franchises, Joe gives his full verdict on these fresh offerings in the iron market to see if they can compete alongside the more established brands. 

The explainer this week may sound a little simple, but stick with us. The tee is a part of equipment that isn't given enough time in our opinion, so we thought it was only right to spend some time on the topic. Do you think about what tee you use and why? Stick around as Joe dives into this surprisingly interesting equipment sub-category and reveals the results of some tee testing (yes, really) he's recently conducted. 

Finally, the 2017 Masters Champion and the most decorated European in Ryder Cup history Sergio Garcia joins us for an in-depth look at his equipment. Now an uncontracted player, Sergio's bag comes with a few surprises and a real mixture of equipment brands. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email [email protected] 

Further reading: