News

Club Junkies!

Published

19 years ago

Aug 28, 2007

Humans are naturally acquisitive creatures. We all have an inbuilt urge to collect things. Back in the dim and distant past, this was probably a smart survival strategy to get us through lean times. If you have all this ‘stuff’ then when it all goes pear shaped, you’ll be alright. If it breaks, you have a backup. If it stops working, you have a new one to hand. It simply makes sense to us, whether it’s food or building materials or anything else. Whatever we can own, two is always better than one.

Men in particular also have a fascination with the minutiae of things. If it’s not stamps (and for your sanity I hope it’s not!) then it’s cars or sports or stereo equipment or something where knowledge of the technical details marks you out as an expert – or a dangerous obsessive! A friend who says that he didn’t do well at school is still nevertheless able to remember the exact engine size the BMW M3, the effective frequency range of Bang & Olufsen speakers and the result of every football match involving Sheffield Wednesday since 1982 (this last one is easy for him as all they seem to do is lose). Why we find trivia like this fascinating is unknown but it seems to hold pretty much true for all men of all ages in all walks of life.

There is also the more general appreciation of well made and finely crafted object. Things are no longer just things when they have been made with such elegance that they become works of art, where just looking at them is an act of pleasure.

Now, wouldn’t it be terrible if there were a sport where the technical specifications of the equipment combined with the quality of construction had an almost direct effect on your performance. Where these pieces of equipment have been loving shaped and formed, forged and milled by craftsmen of the highest order into objects that almost demand to be cosseted and revered. To be displayed in cabinets (or in photo galleries on the web) almost the exclusion of their original mundane sporting purpose.

Golfers have the curse and blessing of playing a sport where all these urges and desires combine. Added to the fact that golfers tend to have a little bit more discretionary income than your average sports fan it leaves us pray to one of the great temptations of any man: the collective urge to ‘ho’. Women golfers seem to be a little less at risk of this condition, possibly due to their being distracted by shoes and handbags – but more probably because they are not quite so stupid.

Golf needn’t be an expensive sport. Perfectly good equipment can be had at a reasonable price, either in sales or second hand, and their durability means that years could go by without them needing replacement. Yet some people change their equipment with such regularity you could mistake the money they spend for the budget of a Forumula One racing team.

These people are club junkies. Also known more commonly as ‘club ho’s’

There are two main types of club ho’s. The first are the collectors. Their motto is ‘He who has the most toys wins!’ – providing that said toys are expensive, have limited availability, are preferably tour or prototype only and cost as much as a small house. Fanatics follows certain brands – most commonly putter manufacturers like Scotty Cameron or Bettinardi, and try to amass the definitive collection of that brand. These are people for whom golf equipment has passed from the everyday piece of sports kit and into the realm of art. For them, these creations are as valuable as any Damien Hirst or Banksy

Sometimes the anticipation of getting something can be greater than actually getting it. This is what drives the second type of club junkie, the one who believes in the dream that a particular new club will straighten their drives or improve their wedge play. These dreams are of course dashed when they actually buy it and they realise that what stops them being a great golfer is them and not the equipment. How else can you explain the unloading of almost brand new equipment on the BST boards so soon after a product launch?

‘To much club for me’, ‘Looking for something different’, ‘Clearout sale’, or even the honest ‘Bored with this’. These are the code words for someone who has let their dreams open their wallet and bought something (or more likely several things) that is either no better than what they already have or just wildly inappropriate for their ability or swing.

You even see people who admit to admiring a set of irons/driver on the BST boards which they consider buying until they realise that they have already bought and sold them before! While not madness, it must be maddening to those around them. There is even a thread on this site devoted to reforming/celebrating club ho’s – the GEAK (Golf Equipment Addicts Kounseling) Group. The posts in GEAK are a slightly tongue-in-cheek mix of acknowledgement that they spend too much money on golf equipment, a chance to tell others what’s in the bag (while promising not to buy anything else really!) and a sympathetic ear for those looking for justification of their purchases and their bizarre habit of spending more time on ebay than on the golf course.

No golfer is immune; we are all at risk of this urge. I first succumbed to it when a manufacturer offered to send me something after we had been chatting online (where else would this happen but golfwrx!). What it would be was not mentioned. All I knew was that this manufacturer only made top end kit so it was going to be something that you find in major winners bags, not just some ‘Joe Golfer’ improvement shovel. For about 3 weeks I was as giddy as a schoolgirl: waiting by the front door for the courier to arrive and drop off this gift, anticipating the moment I could rip open the box and find out what is so great about their equipment. That they turned out to be even better than I imagined seemed to trigger my inner ‘ho’. Suddenly it seemed that whenever I was able to, I sneaked a peak to see what was out there that would be an improvement on my setup. Loft, lies, COGs, MOIs, torque, carbon versus stainless, kickpoints, weights, flexes, compositions, 2 piece versus 3 piece, urethane/surlyn/rabalon, I could suddenly hold conversations that would normally be reserved for people who worked in the golf manufacturing industry. Friends would either be wary of bringing up the topic of golf equipment around me for fear of being bored to death or would actively ask my opinion as they realised that it was cheaper than buying a handful of magazines to find out what the latest and greatest on the market was. I would scour ebay and the BST boards of various forums looking for a bargain or that special something to make me a better golfer. Fortunately the urge to actually play golf rather than ‘buy golf’ reared its head strongly enough that I spend far more time on the course than looking for new equipment. At least for now…

Ultimately, as long as you are not spending the rent money on buying new equipment, the urge to ho is a harmless one, providing satisfaction and enjoyment even when not on the course. But remember, the most flaw-ridden, imperfect and unreliable thing in the game of golf is the person holding the club and if you really want to improve your game, minimize ebay, step away from the presentation case of putters, avert your eyes from the BST board and go and get some lesssons!

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

15 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

3 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

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WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

3 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping Max G440
Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
Wedges
Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

A party on the green!

Alvaro’s time comes in Raleigh with his first win @UNCHealthChamp ? pic.twitter.com/2dmtZdbSzk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 31, 2026

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase