Originally, Project X was known for low-spin steel iron shafts. However, the company might now be known for wood shafts. Denali is the newest line of graphite shafts from Project X. With the Denali line, the company focuses on feel as well as performance.

There are two profiles in the Denali line, Blue and Black, to fit different launch windows. Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin profile for players who are looking for a little added launch and Denali Black is designed for low-launch and low-spin. Both models are going to offer you a smooth feel and accuracy.

For a full in-depth review check out the Club Junkie podcast on all podcast streaming platforms and on YouTube.

Project X Denali Blue

I typically fit better into mid-launch shafts, as I don’t hit a very high ball so the Denali Blue was the model I was more excited to try. Out of the box, the shaft looks great and from a distance, it is almost hard to tell the dark blue from the Denali Black. With a logo down install of the shaft, you don’t have anything to distract your eyes, just a clean look with the transition from the white and silver handle section to the dark navy mid and tip.

Out on the course, the Blue offers a very smooth feel that gives you a good kick at impact. The shaft loads easily and you can feel the slightly softer handle section compared to the HZRDUS lineup. This gives the shaft a really good feel of it loading on the transition to the downswing, and as your hands get to impact, the Denali Blue keeps going for a nice, strong kick.

Denali Blue is easy to square up at impact and even turn over to hit it straight or just little draws and most of the flex of the shaft feels like it happens right around where the paint changes from silver to blue. The Blue launches easily and produces what I consider a true mid-flight with the driver. While it is listed as mid-spin, I never noticed any type of rise in my drives. Drives that I didn’t hit perfectly were met with good stability and a ball that stayed online well.

Project X Denali Black

When you hold the Denali Black in your hands you can tell it is a more stout shaft compared to its Blue sibling by just trying to bend it. While the handle feels close to the Blue in terms of stiffness, you can tell the tip is much stiffer when you swing it.

Denali Black definitely takes a little more power to load it but the shaft is still smooth and doesn’t give you any harsh vibrations. Where the Blue kicks hard at impact, the Black holds on a little and feels like keeps you in control even on swings that you try and put a little extra effort into. The stiff tip section also makes it a little harder to square up at impact and for some players could take away a little of the draw from their shot.

Launch is lower and more penetrating compared to the Blue and produces a boring, flat trajectory. Shots into the wind don’t rise or spin up, proving that the spin stays down. Like its mid-launch sibling, the Black is very stable and mishits and keeps the ball on a straighter line. Shots low off the face don’t get very high up in the air, but the low spin properties get the ball out there farther than you would expect. For being such a stout shaft, the feel is very good, and the Denali Black does keep harsh vibrations from your hands.

Overall the Project X Denali Blue and Black are great additions to the line of popular wood shafts. If you are looking for good feel and solid performance the Denali line is worth trying out with your swing. Choose Blue for mid-launch and mid-spin or Black for lower launch and low spin.

Bettinardi has long been known as one of the best putter manufacturers in golf. The BB line is considered the company’s flagship. This year, Bettinardi took more input from the tour in order to optimize CG placements and refine the feel in the lineup. To optimize the CG and ensure that the sweet sport is in the correct location, Bettinardi engineers reshaped the shoulders and bumpers on the back of the head for better weight placement. The face also features a brand new Perpetual Flymill milling that enhances feel and feedback as well as gets the ball rolling more consistently. You can check out all of the details on the 2024 Bettinardi BB line of putters in our launch report. For a full review check out the Club Junkie podcast on all platforms or on YouTube below.

I have been using a Bettinardi BB8 Wide for the past two years, both previous generations, and really loved those putters. They were the first blade putters I have actually gamed in well over 10 years, so you know I was excited to see the 2024 BB lineup.

The BB1 Wide jumped out to me immediately, because it is similar to the BB8 Wide, just a little softer and with more rounded edges. Out of the box, the BB1 Wide looks great, and I think the new Black Pearl PVD finish has a slight shine to it that looks a little nicer and more high quality than the matte grey from the last generation. The gloss black stepless shaft and bright blue Lamkin grip are solid editions to the whole package and give the putter a little glitz that doesn’t distract. Finally, Bettinardi updated the BB covers to magnetic closure, and I am way too happy about that!

Out on the green, the BB1 Wide frames the ball well and you can easily see that it has a shorter heel-to-toe measurement than the BB8 Wide. From face to back the putter is wide, but I think the stubbiness of the head makes it look a touch wider than it really is. The look from address also greets you with a softer and more rounded look from the bumpers and overall shape of the head. As you would expect the flange is longer and includes a single site line for alignment. I like this setup as a single, longer, site line tends to be what I line up the best. A thicker topline is slightly rolled for a softer and thinner look that blends in well with the profile of this putter head. If you like the larger mallets that have been trending lately then I think you will enjoy looking down at the BB1 Wide.

On the course and the putting green, the Bettinardi BB1 Wide offers a great soft feel at impact, softer to me than last year’s BB8 Wide. Bettinardi’s Perpetual Fly Mill face has deeper grooves that provide this softer feel while still putting a nice roll on the ball. The greens up here in the north are still long and bumpy, but the BB1 Wide provided as smooth of a roll as it could under the conditions. Some playing partners were dealing with big hops and jumps in the first foot of their putts, but I never had that problem with the BB1 Wide. The initial roll limited the hop and skip more than I expected, and I felt like it started the ball on line very well. Aiming the putter was simple and easy as I had the same single site line on my previous putter.

The sole of the BB1 Wide is a little unique as it has a sound slot that runs the length of the cavity from heel to toe. We don’t see a lot of sound slots on retail putters but they are used to fine-tune the sound of a putter at impact. The use of the sound slot on the BB1 Wide definitely increases the audible sound at impact and gives it a slightly more metallic sound. I was a little worried that the sound would have too much “ting” to it or be offensively loud, but I was impressed that it was much more dialed down. Feel off the face was soft, definitely softer than the previous BB line. Now while that softer face is great, it does reduce a little of the feedback on where you struck the shot. You can tell the misses are there but they are a little softer than you would expect from a fully milled putter.

Forgivness with this putter is pretty good, and it will allow you to get away with less-than-perfect strokes. The amount of mass out on the toe and heel make the putter much more stable than a lot of blades. While it isn’t high mallet MOI stable the putter will show you that shots off the toe or heel will stay online well and come to rest right next to the hole. Distance control is precise and you won’t be stunned by a ball that jumps off the face with too much speed or the opposite. Putts on the putting green from the same spot just consistently toll to the same finish line, if they don’t drop into the cup.

Ultimately, a new finish, face milling, and design keep things fresh and high-performance but in a very classic package. Bettinardi did a great job mixing those things to keep the traditionalist and the gear junkies both happy. While the lineup doesn’t feature a massive amount of head shapes, it nails some core designs and should be a big hit for Bettinardi.

Ping’s new S159 wedges have been widely discussed in the GolfWRX forums since we spotted them on tour late last year. I was fortunate enough to get two of the newest S159 grinds out on the course to put them through their paces around the green. I will admit that some of Ping’s previous wedge offerings never really suited my eye, but that definitely changed with these S159 wedges.

For a more in-depth discussion and a full review, please check out the Club Junkie podcast on all podcast platforms and YouTube below.

Out of the box, I like the clean and simple look that Ping went with. From address, the wedges have had some of the offset removed and the line from the hosel into the leading edge is straight. A lot of wedges with a little offset have a curve, or “hook,” from the hosel to leading edge that I just don’t love. Ping, however, did away with most of that.

Speaking of the leading edge, Ping has gone a little straighter with it as you see very little curve on the lower lofts (like the 52 degree) and just slightly more radius as you get into the lob wedge. I like the simple look with minimal branding on these wedges and the Hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish looks nice while still reducing glare.

Ping added some new grinds and grind options to the S159 line and if you need a place to start with what wedge fits your game the best, Ping’s WebFit app is a quick way to get some suggestions.

I have been hitting the 56 H grind and 60 B grind. The wedges are cast from 8620 carbon steel and have a nice soft feel to them. When you do miss the center, you will get a little more vibration to your hands as well as a more audible click at impact. My miss with a wedge is typically low heel and definitely noticed a firmer feel and louder sound.

Spin on the S159 was very good, and Ping’s use of smaller grooves on the face produced shots that checked up hard from any distance on the green. Now the smaller grooves are a little hard to clean, so I suggest investing in a nice plastic bristled brush. Playing this early in Metro Detroit does not offer you tight, manicured fairway lies, and the S159 wedges were still allowing me to spin the ball back on fuller shots. Shots out of the rough still spun well and were met with very predictable, although shorter, release. I went a little long on a green and had very little green to work with, so I hit a little chip that just landed beyond the fringe and stopped after about one foot, leaving me well short. I didn’t think the wedge could get enough friction on the ball from that deeper rough, but the S159 proved me wrong.

Ball flight is a little higher than the Vokey SM10 wedges on standard shots for me, but you can still flight the ball down easily for a penetrating shot with a lot of spin. Ping states the S159’s shape is tour-inspired, but they do offer some good forgiveness when you don’t hit it perfectly. As I mentioned earlier I tend to miss low heel with my wedges and the S159 would still give me decent launch and spin, producing a solid shot.

Ping S159 56-10 H Grind

I was a little intimidated by this one, as I haven’t played a sand wedge with this little bounce in a long time. I am a steeper swinger and play in soft conditions, so most of my wedges are in the teens when it comes to bounce. However, Ping does describe the H as “A shot-saving option for players with steeper angles of attack who like to manipulate the handle and play with versatility,” so I didn’t need to be so cautious.

The H grind offers good turf interaction on full shots as the course was soft from a few rainy days, but the wedge got through quickly. Divots were just a touch deeper than some of the higher-bounce wedges I have used, but the H got through and out of the turf pretty quickly.

Around the green, the H grind was versatile and allowed you to open the face while the leading edge stayed close to the turf. I don’t open a 56 up a ton, but it was easy to open it slightly and hit a higher-lofted pitch or chip shot around the green. When you went wide open with the H grind in the bunker, it offered good float and slide through firm sand easily and quickly.

Ping S159 60-8 B Grind

This grind was the one I was most excited to try, but I was a little taken aback when I saw how wide the sole was. Now I am light years away from a tour player who can play flop shots off concrete lies, but I like to open the face a little bit. The B grind is wide and only has a little bit of heel and trailing edge relief. As Ping says, the grind is “For a shallow angle of attack and neutral face delivery. Low-bounce design sits low on the turf on square-face shots.” 

Now the B grind does have a nice bevel from the leading edge to the sole that is subtle but allows the wedge to be “thumped” into the turf without worrying about digging while playing it square. As Ping says, square shots are great and you have a bit of forgivness if you hit just slightly behind the ball as the B will glide effortlessly across the turf. You can still open the face a little in some more lush and softer conditions. Shots hit very high on the face don’t carry a ton and lose some spin compared to some of the high-toe style wedges.

Bunkers with softer and fluffy sand are where the B grind will thrive as well; the wedge just floats like a pontoon boat through it. I am usually a 56-degree wedge player out of the bunker unless I am short-sided, but I could see myself using the B grind more and more, as it is just easy and consistent.

My final thoughts on Ping’s S159 wedges: They are very versatile and playable for a wide range of golfers. If you are looking for ultimate shotmaking or just some consistent wedges that spin well, these can be both. And now that Ping added some grinds and grind options to the lineup, you should be able to find a two, three, or four-wedge setup that complements your wedge game, swing, and course conditions.