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GuidesArticles on deciding how many clubs to carry, and which ones, by the numbers
If the rankings answer “which one to buy,” these articles answer “what to carry, and how many.” Club numbers and labels have no common standard across manufacturers, so I gather numbers like loft and weight from official manufacturer materials and compare them.
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ZXi5 vs P790: The Long Irons Decide It The 7-irons are 31° and 30°, and both PWs are 44°. The differences between these two similar irons come down to the long irons, the construction and the price. Published Oct 5, 2026
Titleist New Irons 2026: Only a Limited Oil Can Finish All that came out in 2026 was a limited-edition finish. The four current models cost the same, ¥178,200 for a 6-club set, so choose by 7-iron loft. Published Oct 5, 2026
SPEEDER BOOST BLACK vs. Standard: The Difference Is 1 g The limited black version is just 1 g lighter than the standard one. What matters more: the BOOST 60S is as soft as the NX GOLD 40R. Published Oct 3, 2026
Low-Launch, High-Spin Iron Shafts Ranked | 5 Picked From 34 Tested Makers classify it as "low launch = low spin." Yet in testing, a shaft in that class had the most spin of all 34. Published Oct 2, 2026
Best Irons for a Penetrating Flight | 5 Picked on Measured Data It launches at 18.7° and climbs to twice its height with no air. I lined up five irons that posted numbers like that. Published Oct 1, 2026
How to Hit a Penetrating Iron Flight | Launch Low, Let Spin Lift It A tour pro's 7-iron launches at 16 degrees and climbs to 31 m. Without air, that ball would top out at 12 m. I wrote up what makes the difference. Published Oct 1, 2026
New Models 2026
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New Golf Clubs 2026 Release Calendar | Prices by Month 75 new releases from January to September, plus 3 scheduled for October onward. Release dates and prices listed month by month, updated monthly.
2026 Driver Review | 8 Models Scored on 6 Criteria 8 models scored on 6 criteria. My pick is the QUANTUM ◆◆◆, then the GTS2 and the ZXi RKT.
TaylorMade Qi4D Driver Review | 4 Models Scored Street price is about 40% off list. Weak points: measurements “on par with the previous model” and a lineup that's hard to choose from.
Callaway QUANTUM Review | Is the Price Drop a Buying Chance? My No. 1 is the ◆◆◆: a 450cc pear shape that lets you work the ball. For forgiveness, take the MAX, now about 40% off MSRP.
Titleist GTS Driver Review: GTS2 vs. GTS3 Distance stays consistent even off the center. The GTS2 and GTS3 are future classics. The only catch is the sound on off-center hits.
Srixon ZXi RKT Review | 6 Criteria Scored At ¥89,100, among the cheapest from the major brands. Weak points: forgiveness doesn't stand out, and opinions split on sound and draw bias.
PING G440 K Driver Review | Is It Worth the Extra Cost? The most stable of 21 models. But some golfers may barely feel a difference from the G440 MAX.
Mizuno JPX ONE Review | The Weak Point Is Spin The ONE spins on the high side; the SELECT is unforgiving off-center. Opinions on feel are split, too.
PRGR RS / RS MAX Review | All-In on Distance Among this year's longest. But even the RS MAX is, inside, “the equivalent of other brands' LS models.”
Bridgestone BX TOUR Review | Few Places to Try One A serious, no-compromise build. But the ★★TOUR comes only in 9.0° loft, and places to buy it are limited.
New Drivers 2026: A Gear Nerd's Top 3 and Release Dates The Srixon ZXi RKT, released Sept. 12, is the newest you can buy at regular retailers. The Bridgestone BX is custom-order only, out Sept. 18 and Oct. 9.
Do You Need a 3-Wood? | At 40 m/s Head Speed, a 5-Wood Goes 11 Yards Farther Measured data for 3-woods and 5-woods, and how to think about what to carry instead.
New Fairway Woods 2026: The One a Gear Nerd Would Pick The Srixon ZXi RKT (Sep 12) is the newest and, at ¥55,000, the cheapest new model from a major brand. 3-wood volume ranges from 162 to 200 cc.
Best Hybrids 2026 | 3 Picked on Dispersion I ranked the longest hybrid No. 3. No. 1 is the one whose dispersion area was about 30% smaller.
How to Choose a Hybrid | A “4” Is 20–23° How to choose by loft instead of number, and how to decide between wood-type and iron-type.
New Hybrids 2026: A Gear Nerd's Top Pick Even the same “4” ranges from 20 to 23° in loft and from 101 to 130 cc in volume. The newest is the Srixon ZXi RKT (Sep 12).
Best Fairway Woods 2026 | 3 Picked on Distance and Dispersion The longest one was the lowest of the three for forgiveness. I explain with numbers why I still ranked it No. 1.
Best Wedges 2026 | 3 Picked on Wet Spin Only one wedge out of 15 models lost not a single rpm of spin when wet.
Best Putters 2026 | 3 Picked on Holing Numbers The top-tested putter was a ¥60,000 zero-torque model. One that costs about ¥130,000 was 12th in the same test.
Latest Irons 2026 | Compared by Release Date and 7-Iron Loft September brings the Srixon ZXi and Bridgestone B-FORGED. 7-iron lofts run from 28° to 33°, a 5° spread.
How to Hit a Penetrating Iron Flight | Launch Low, Let Spin Lift It A tour pro's 7-iron launches at 16 degrees and climbs to 31 m. Without air, that ball would top out at 12 m. I wrote up what makes the difference.
Best Irons for a Penetrating Flight | 5 Picked on Measured Data It launches at 18.7° and climbs to twice its height with no air. I lined up five irons that posted numbers like that.
Srixon ZXi5 vs ZXi7 | A 3.5° Bounce Difference The 7-iron lofts differ by just 1°, but bounce differs by 3.5°. Line up the official specs and your buying criteria change.
ZXi5 vs P790: The Long Irons Decide It The 7-irons are 31° and 30°, and both PWs are 44°. The differences between these two similar irons come down to the long irons, the construction and the price.
B-FORGED 100CB vs 200CB+ Released Sep 4. The 7-iron is 32° on the 100CB and 31° on the 200CB+; from the 8-iron down the lofts are the same. Lofts are unchanged from the previous model, and the set price rose ¥13,200.
Titleist New Irons 2026: Only a Limited Oil Can Finish All that came out in 2026 was a limited-edition finish. The four current models cost the same, ¥178,200 for a 6-club set, so choose by 7-iron loft.
T100 Irons: 2023 vs 2025 Model Every loft got 1° stronger. The 3 changes, who should upgrade, and how to tell them apart on the used market.
How Many Wedges to Carry | Check Your PW Loft First PW lofts range from 41° to 47° depending on the model. Lofts for 18 major models, and when to replace them.
New Wedges 2026: The One a Gear Nerd Picked 2026 saw a surge in forged soft-carbon-steel wedges. September brings the Bridgestone BITING SPIN 2, Hi-Toe 5 and RTZ 2.
Chunked Chips and Bounce | The More You Press Your Hands Forward, the More Bounce You Lose The more you push your hands forward out of fear of chunking, the more you take your wedge's bounce out of play.
Lynx Slide Sole Master 56° Review: Who Is 1° of Bounce For? A 56° wedge with 1° of bounce. That is at least 7° less than a normal 56°. Whose side is it on?
Vokey SM11 vs SM10 | 5% More Groove Volume, a 44° Loft Added, Price Up ¥2,200 Lofts shift from 46–62° to 44–60°. Groove volume is 5% larger, and the price is ¥2,200 higher at ¥29,700. For some golfers the SM10 is enough.
Hi-Toe 5 vs MG5 | Compared by Loft, Weight and Price The Hi-Toe 5 comes only in 56–60°, the MG5 in 46–60°. With the same shaft, the Hi-Toe 5 is 2–7 g heavier and ¥2,200 more. I also cover how to combine them.
Are Zero-Torque Putters Actually Good? | Your Misses Tell You If You Need One All they remove is twisting during the stroke. They don't help distance-control misses. Count how you miss over 20 putts and you'll know whether you need one.
New Putters 2026: A Gear Nerd's Top Pick Isn't Zero Torque In 2026, “zero torque” spread across brands. Prices run from ¥41,800 for the SYSTM2 to ¥129,800 for the DF3i.
How to Choose a Putter | The Trouble with Makers Not Publishing Head Weight How to choose length, weight and shape, and what 5 major brands disclose.
Missing Short Putts | What Grip Thickness Can and Can't Fix The thinner grip is heavier. Side by side, the official numbers show thickness and weight don't track each other.
New Golf Rangefinders 2026: A Gear Nerd Picks 3 by Weight 5 new models in 2026: from the 130 g Laser FIT2 to the PRECIS LM, which also measures your swing, and the GPS-equipped Tour Hybrid.
Bushnell Rangefinders Compared | 4 Current Models by Weight All 4 range 5–1300 yards and are legal for tournament use. They differ in weight (139–340 g), how far they can range a flag, waterproofing and power.
Voice Caddie Laser FIT2 Specs and Price 130 g, ¥37,400. Range the ball, then the flag, and it shows the distance from the ball to the flag.
New Golf Shoes 2026: A Gear Nerd Picks 3 by the Numbers The lightest is the Mizuno NEXLITE ENERZY II at about 280 g. Only 2 Mizuno models come in wide 4E.
Mizuno NEO IMPACT Compared | 5 Models by Weight The 5 NEO IMPACT models differ in 3 ways: width, upper material and closure. The sole is shared. I also explain why to pick the NEXLITE ENERZY II if light weight is your priority.
New Shafts 2026: The One a Gear Nerd Would Pick In September, the SPEEDER NX WHITE, TOUR AD EK and ATTAS RX PURE BLUE launched around the same time. Within a series, the lighter the shaft, the higher the torque.
SPEEDER BOOST BLACK vs. Standard: The Difference Is 1 g The limited black version is just 1 g lighter than the standard one. What matters more: the BOOST 60S is as soft as the NX GOLD 40R.
Low-Launch, High-Spin Iron Shafts Ranked | 5 Picked From 34 Tested Makers classify it as "low launch = low spin." Yet in testing, a shaft in that class had the most spin of all 34.
Shaft Flex S vs R | 47–82 g Within the Same S Even within the same “S”, weights range from 47 g to 82 g. Flex labels have no common standard. Here's a step-by-step way to choose by the numbers.
AutoFlex Shafts Compared: 4 Series and Who Each Fits Pick AutoFlex by the head-speed column, not the model name. Why a soft shaft doesn't have to cost ball speed, and how the 4 series differ.
Best Driver Shafts 2026 | 5 Ranked on Test Data Same head, same hitter. Only the shaft changed, and total distance moved by about 10 yards. I line up five on measured data.
Is Your Club Causing the Duck Hook? | Lie Angle, Weight and Adjustable Hosel Making the lie angle 0.75° more upright sends the ball about 2 yards left. A duck hook that misses 30 yards left is 15 times that.
Does More Loft Reduce a Slice? | Spin Axis vs. Adjustable Hosel Drop to 9° chasing distance and the slice only gets bigger. How loft relates to spin axis, and the order to fix things in.
9° or 10.5° Driver? Attack Angle Decides Whether you need 9° or 10.5° comes down to attack angle, not head speed. If you can't measure it, buy 10.5° and turn it down with the sleeve.
Lessons or New Clubs First? Decide by How Much You Curve It Fixing a ball that lands 30 yards right with equipment alone would mean bending the lie angle 21°. Here's the number I'd like you to measure before buying clubs.
How to Choose a Golf School | 4 Numbers to Measure Before You Enroll Even with the same “S”, weights run from 47 g to 82 g. Start lessons without knowing that gap and you'll get less out of your fees. The 4 numbers to measure before you enroll.
Golf School Prices Compared | Private, Beginner and Indoor Lessons Trial lessons alone range from ¥2,000 to ¥11,000. I converted three schools' official prices to a per-lesson cost and also listed who may not need lessons at all.
How to Sell Golf Clubs for More | 3 Things to Record Before a Trade-In and How to Read Market Prices Some buyers lower their quote by ¥1,000–3,000 just for missing accessories. The 3 things to record before selling, and how to gauge market value from used selling prices.
TENSEI RIP+ vs VENTUS TR BLACK Both are ¥55,000. Compared in the 60 g range, they differ by 5.5 g in weight and 0.5° in torque. Whether an R flex is offered also splits who they suit.
2026 D1 Ball vs Previous Model | Price and Distance Compared The maker says the new D1 goes 5.4 yards farther than the previous model. But the maker's direct price per dozen rose from ¥1,300 to ¥2,750.
T//WORLD for the Queen: Rating and How to Choose Driver about 256 g, 12.5°. The 7W and 4U are both 22°. I explain with numbers why the 7W is the one to pick if you choose just one.
Best Beginner Drivers 2026 | The Case for Not Buying the Newest Used prices for previous models, plus guidelines for loft, weight and shaft.
Best Used Drivers Are 1–2 Generations Old | 5 Models Compared by the Numbers The rules cap how forgiving a driver can be. Some models two generations old already reach that cap, but fakes and hidden damage are worries only used clubs bring.
Best Used Irons | 5 Ranked on Distance and Accuracy An iron that won a comparison test two years running can be found used. I lined up five by the numbers and separated the praise from the weak spots.
Best Used Fairway Woods | 5 Ranked on Test Data A one-generation-old 3-wood carries 6 yards past a current top-ranked model. I lined up five by their distance and dispersion numbers.
How to Read a Golf Club Spec Sheet: The 3 Numbers to Check First Same 200g head, same 460cc. Yet the total weight differs by 32g. The numbers that matter for choosing sit outside the big print in the catalog.
Are the Clubs in Your Bag Really Right? Free Check Two of your 14 clubs cover the same distance, leaving a 20-yard gap. Just enter your lofts to find out.
The Gear Nerd's Pick: Shafts | 5 Criteria, and the 4 That Met Them I publish the 5 criteria a shaft must meet to be my pick. Applied to the official spec sheets, 4 shafts met them as of September 2026. I also explain why one didn't make the cut.
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