Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show

Thanks to KBS for supporting this video! Check out Joe playing with a full set of KBS shafts and his favourite golf clubs from his childhood in our recent video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFRZm3BXfB0&t=711s

Welcome back to another jam-packed episode of the Kick Point Golf Show! This week, we are diving deep into the tech behind your clubs to see what actually drives distance and control. Joe puts a hollow-bodied iron (specifically the TaylorMade P790) head-to-head against a solid forged blade in the shape of the TaylorMade P7TW at identical lofts to answer a burning question: is face flexing actually delivering extra ball speed, or is it all just lower lofts? Would you be able to hit the And should more of us be using blades to make ourselves better ball strikers?

Later, we are also joined by one of Ping's chief engineers, Travis Milleman. In our interview, he breaks down how clubs are developed years in advance, how material choices unlock structural innovation, and how their team balances player feedback with robot data. Plus, Joe presents his DIY prototype driver to Travis, and we answer your listener questions in Ask the Pod - enjoy!

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

04:53 Strong fairway woods and unbranded gear

0:07:38 Callaway Tour equipment insights with Kellen Watson

0:21:20 Hollow body vs. blade iron testing at the same loft (P790 vs. P7TW)

0:33:16 Ask the Pod: Secondhand gear and bent adapter sleeves

0:44:25 Interview: Designing Ping clubs with Travis Milleman

01:08:08 Presenting the DIY driver prototype to Ping

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

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Happy Friday and thanks for downloading this week's classically jam-packed episode. This week, we discuss the latest equipment releases, starting with the new Srixon ZXi irons and ZXi RKT driver family. Are Srixon's new technologies (and subsequent lack of change from the last generation) proof that we're finally at the end of history when it comes to drivers delvoped under the current equipment rules? After that, we also explore the future of golf retail, exploring custom 3D-printed irons and we dive into the mailbag in Ask the Pod, covering topics like ball fitting, the debate on lake balls versus winter balls, and gap management for game-improvement irons. Finally, stick around for an exclusive interview with three-time Major champion Pádraig Harrington, who shares his ever-insightful and considered views on the proposed golf ball rollback, his setup quirks, and stories from his career - enjoy!

This week we're proudly sponsored by Golf GameBook, the app that can help improve your game and makes it 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 round. Download now; available for free on iOS and Android devices.

Chapters:

0:00:00 Intro and our new favourite golf app

0:05:41 The fate of the Callaway Full Toe SP wedge and other bad wedge releases

0:13:36 What is the future of golf retail & custom 3D printing

0:24:03 Srixon ZXi RKT driver reviews

0:32:35 Srixon ZXi7, ZXi5 & ZXi5+ review

0:39:31 Ask The Pod - Winter balls vs summer balls

0:51:01 Ask The Pod - Game-improvement iron gapping dilemma

0:57:00 Padraig Harrington interview on his equipment through the years and golf's distance debate

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-up

0:03:50 - Will blade putters make a comeback?

0:09:23 - Technique, unorthodox swings & UK vs. US coaching

0:15:07 - Trottie’s custom tour build service

0:18:11 - What is the best game improvement iron of 2026?

0:38:25 - Ask The Pod: listener mailbag & gear nostalgia

0:46:11 - Collin Morikawa: What's In The Bag interview

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 strategy

0:03:14 Equipment bifurcation and course setup

0:22:50 Tour stories

0:30:50 Gear worth the money

0:32:53 Mizuno Pro S4 irons

0:41:14 Accra shafts breakdown

0:52:46 Viewer comments and feedback

01:00:58 Testing forgiving clubs

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-MQ

Later, 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 Introduction

01:38 Recapping our Saunton one club challenge

13:39 Joe's minimalist wedge design with National Custom Works

17:03 New RTZ2 and Hi-Toe wedge releases

21:29 Debunking the shaft industry's marketing woes

36:51 How you can evaluate your clubs ahead of the off-season

52:46 Ask the pod, your best Vibesman bags and live bag roast

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

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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 - Introduction

00:43 - The Rory Challenge: Nine-Shot Lead Over Nine Holes

03:47 - Polarising Internet Reaction to Vokey AI Iron Designs

07:51 - Are Hollow-Body Iron Ball Speed Claims a Marketing Myth?

15:43 - Golf Gear Actually Worth Your Hard-Earned Money

24:21 - Titleist GT300 Mini Driver Deep Dive Review

28:40 - Ask The Pod: Building a 10-Club Setup

37:43 - Ask The Pod: Does Sharpie Ink Unbalance Your Golf Ball?

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Introduction

0:01:00 Are other golf games too confusing?

0:05:58 Channel updates and new series

0:08:07 PRG x Guinness collaboration

0:10:16 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 quest

0:23:56 The future of 3D printing in golf

0:34:20 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 nostalgia

0:57:48 What is the ultimate bargain golf club?

01:02:42 Equipment optimisation vs. player technique

01:08:39 Mini drivers and driver strategy

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Introduction

0:03:32 The golf rulebook rant

0:21:20 Mastering your 100-yard and in-wedge game

0:36:33 Ask The Pod - your questions and comments

0:42:07 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 tees

0:59:40 The creation of Odyssey putters

01:03:14 The greatest invention in modern golf tech, according to Sir Nick

01:11:27 Sir Nick Faldo's all-time ideal 14-club bag

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 irons

0:05:50 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

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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: [email protected]

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.