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Budget-friendly gear that won’t go out of style

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Golf is full of passing trends — sliding weights, white belts, flat brims, etc. What is here today is often long gone tomorrow. More specifically, what is in your bag in May often doesn’t make it to Thanksgiving before being doomed to back-of-the-closet golf purgatory.

It’s only natural: that sick new driver comes out and you’ve gotta have it. You thought you could pull off red pants and you clearly cannot. This putter won’t putt anymore. Replace, replace, replace.

This is the revolving door of golf gear in your life, which is all well and good — new gear feeds the soul. But how about something with a little staying power? You need a few timeless, rugged and unique golf goods that will be with you for the long haul. And for less than $100, you may have them.

Whether it’s the permanent cool of a classic shirt, or the leather good that takes on more life with every round and season, this budget-friendly gear will stick around through the fads and trends. Unlike your long game, it will stand the test of time.

1. Dagwood Golf “Wilson” leather scorecard wallet €69.00 (www.dagwoodgolf.com)

graphic designer | photographer

The Wilson scorecard wallet from bespoke house Dagwood Golf is that rarest type of golf accessory: one you might someday hand down instead of throw out. Let’s face it — most golf gear doesn’t fall into the heirloom category. “Son, I’d like you to have my 1991 Footjoys,” is not happening (even though that was probably a pretty good shoe). The simple fact is that the shine starts to come off most new gear pretty quickly, as obsolescence looms and newer stuff lurks.

Compare that with the timelessness of the Wilson scorecard wallet. The first thing to do when taking possession of said item is to hold it to your nose and inhale the incredible life-giving scent of vegetable-tanned Italian leather. You’re welcome. Now turn the wallet over in your hands a few times, undo the clasp and open it. That simple act will never get old, even if you’re opening it to mark down a snowman.

Inside is a notebook (the stat-tracking system of 100 years ago), an elastic band and four flaps to hold a scorecard in place. Measuring 15×11 centimeters, with a pencil holder underneath the clasp, the Wilson is perfect back-pocket size. The design typifies Dagwood’s aesthetic. Based in Berlin, this boutique company produces gear that is at once traditional and modern, and with a heavy dose of history. Call it progressive nostalgia. In a golf world that is increasingly digital, Dagwood is defiantly — and brilliantly — analog. And like anything anachronistic and beautiful, the Wilson scorecard wallet is one of those things you can’t stop touching. This old friend is going to be with you for a long, long time.

2. Seamus Golf Wool Headcover $75 (www.seamusgolf.com)

seamus

As makers of hand-crafted, custom woolen headcovers, Seamus Golf was founded on a simple idea: different is better. Golf is an individual sport, after all. It is also a lifestyle. So why should everyone’s gear look the same — a homogeneous sea of big company names and logos? Lame.

Your bag should be your own, and your headcovers should reflect your personal style and taste. This is the gospel according to Seamus. Now, if your personal style is expressed by having a stuffed donkey for a headcover (which is cool), Seamus is not the place for you. If, however, you’re into classic Scottish and European tartans and tweeds, then Seamus is the promised land.

Using highly durable wool sourced from mills in the Pacific Northwest and the UK, Seamus designs, hand cuts and sews everything in its Oregon shop. These are headcovers that would be at home in the hallowed clubs of the British Isles, where, as we all know, they keep it real.

Take the Stewart Blue Dress headcover, named after a family descended from the 4th High Steward of Scotland. Featuring white, blue, brown and green, this tasteful tartan will set your bag apart from the crowd and be a sharp looking part of your gear for years. As drivers come and go, this will stay.

Not a fan of the 4th High Steward of Scotland? No problem! Seamus’ selection is huge, and even includes a “Mahalo” line of Hawaiian patterns, if that’s your thing. And if you can’t find something you like in their vast inventory of designs, they’ll sew you up a custom job. That vinyl atrocity of a headcover that came with your driver doesn’t stand a chance.

3. Linksoul End-On-End Striped Knit Shirt $72 (www.linksoul.com)

linksoul

Admit it: that Rory McIllroy neon yellow-and-black shirt you bought last year is already starting to look like a bad idea. (Here’s to hoping you didn’t go all-in on the yellow belt too.) A golf shirt should stand the test of time — both fashion time and actual time — and too often the shirt that shines twice as bright, you wear only half as long. You need a classic.

Linksoul, an Oceanside, Calif., golf lifestyle brand, blends an easy SoCal surfer vibe with heritage links style and feel — classic looks with a modern twist. There are no garish colors or patterns here that you’ll eventually regret or outgrow, just a less-is-more aesthetic that will last.

The End-on-End Stripe Knit Shirt is a great example. Made with alternating light and dark threads and exposed stitching, this all-cotton shirt has a subtle texture and casual feel that says “I don’t care if I sink this birdie putt or not.” It also says, “I may or may not surf,” and “I may or may not drive a killer old-school Land Rover.” These are all very positive things. Available in 10 solid color options, you can wear this shirt with anything, anywhere. Better, you can wear it whether you’re 20 years old or 70. There’s no guaranteeing it will last 50 years, but hey, you never know. Either way, your style game just got permanently upped.

4. Jones Classic Shoe Bag $44.95 (www.jonesgolfbags.com)

jones

Everything old is new again. Before the golf manufacturing world came to be dominated by the modern-day behemoths we all know, there was the Jones Sports Co., makers of the golf bag your dad had in the 70s. You know the one — skinny, single strap, looked like something Danny Noonan would carry on caddy day at Bushwood. Then the 70s ended, and the Jones name push-faded into obscurity. Now it’s back, and here to stay.

Relaunched in recent years, Jones stands as a retro-minimalist answer to the modern equipment landscape, and now offers an expanded line of gear. Ergo, the Jones Classic Shoe Bag, an ode to simplicity and effortless cool.

First off, you need a shoe bag. Whether you’re wearing Nebulonis or Nikes, you shouldn’t be tossing your golf shoes into the trunk with the jumper cables, or manhandling them into the rain gear pocket of your bag. A shoe bag is essential! The Jones Classic is big enough for your size 13s, and features the Jones signature twist handle, a zippered storage pocket, velour lining and dual vents. It also comes with a monogram option in five different fonts (suggestion: “Noonan” in Brush Script). Above all, this utilitarian 70s masterpiece comes with a lifetime supply of throwback hipness. Dig it.

5. Kentwool Tour Profile Socks $19.95 (www.kentwool.com)

kentwool socks

If you’re going to call your sock “The World’s Best Golf Sock,” you’d better have something to back it up. Luckily, Kentwool does. The family-owned South Carolina company has been in the textile business for more than 170 years, but only began making golf socks in 2008. They may have found their true calling.

Using a proprietary blend of hypoallergenic fine Merino wool and other fibers, the company employs what it calls WINDspun technology to construct a sock that all but does away with abrasion and significantly reduces foot fatigue. And while most golf socks offer less support than Phil Mickelson after a Ryder Cup loss, Kentwools create a surprisingly stable feel around your foot, all while serving up extra helpings of cushiony wonderfulness, moisture wicking, and odor control. Compared to those thin cotton numbers you’ve been disrespecting your feet with for years, the Kentwool Tour Profile will be a revelation. A number of Tour pros have seen the light, including Bubba Watson (and if a sock can get on that guy’s good side, it must be doing something right).

Above all, Kentwools are made to last, and come with a Lifetime Blister-Free Guarantee. Even better, they come in an array of awesome color choices, including a new “Game Day” collection and a “Bubba Green,” named after the man himself. Whoever said socks can’t be cool never put on a pair of Kentwools.

6. Sundog “Default” sunglasses with True Blue lens $69.99 (www.sundogeyewear.com)

sundog

The definitive guide for purchasing sunglasses is rightly credited to Texas blues-rock titans ZZ Top, who in its 1980 hit “Cheap Sunglasses” advised those in the market for tinted eyewear to “go out and get yourself some thick black frames, with the glass so dark they won’t even know your name.” The band also clearly emphasized that such glasses should be affordable. This remains solid advice, and Sundog Eyewear is here to help you take it.

As makers of affordable sports sunglasses, the company’s golf line checks all the boxes for players who want durable, quality glasses, but don’t want to blow half a year’s golf gear budget on them. Sundog also offers more than just the “I’m cycling in the Tour de France” sport look. The “Default” model, for one, is a refreshing throwback style fit for golfers interested in a more casual lifestyle vibe. But make no mistake — the Defaults are made for play. They stay snuggly and comfortably in place.

But the secret weapon of these shades are their True Blue lens — a techy new lens specifically designed to filter blue light, something most lens don’t do. Traditionally, ultraviolet (UV) light has gotten a bad rap when it comes to damaging your eyes, hence polarized sunglasses. In recent years, however, studies have shown that blue light — which is visible light that appears blue — is just as damaging to your eyes over time.

True Blue lenses use a combination of melanin and something called Ocular Lens Pigment to mimic and enhance the body’s own defense mechanisms against blue light damage. On the course, this translates into reduced glare, enhanced definition and lessened visual strain. It’s a cool view. On the downside, these sunglasses will take away the “too much blue light” excuse when you three putt. Small price to pay.

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James Caldwell is a so-so golf writer and holder of a standard day job. Notable golf accomplishments include a five-putt, three lost balls on one hole, and leaving a banana in his golf bag for an entire month. Hates water chestnuts. New York City.

14 Comments

14 Comments

  1. Bill

    Nov 10, 2015 at 1:03 pm

    My comment was deleted but the 113 shank votes remain

  2. ron

    Nov 10, 2015 at 10:23 am

    this article was originally slated to be published April 1

  3. SirShives

    Nov 9, 2015 at 7:23 pm

    I don’t know about the other stuff, but sunglasses from Sundog are fantastic. Most of their styles aren’t quite as pricey as the ones with the True Blue lens. Sundog sells mostly through their website but I have found select styles at Golfsmith. I’ve owned 3 or 4 pairs and I have found them to be durable and fit well.

  4. DatSliceDoe

    Nov 9, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    Next time the author should include a Circle T headcover for $300. Budget friendly. o_O

  5. Carlos Danger

    Nov 9, 2015 at 11:14 am

    This would have been a sweet article if you would have just left the “budget friendly” part out of it. It should have been titled, “Cool expensive stuff”

    All of this stuff is cool but is all really expensive. There is nothing “budget friendly” about a $75 headcover hahahahahahaha

  6. Poppa

    Nov 9, 2015 at 4:04 am

    I own all of this stuff already. I’m a compulsive Golfwrx hoarder… Duh

  7. SouthbayZ

    Nov 9, 2015 at 2:18 am

    LinkSoul is Ashworth’s new marketing scheme, their contact address is in Georgia. Was really hoping for a beach meets golf brand. Darn it anyhow.

  8. Alex

    Nov 8, 2015 at 5:35 pm

    What budget are we on here? In that case, Porsche’s are budget-friendly compared to a Lamborghini. Let’s write that article next!

    20 bucks for socks? 75 bucks for a single head cover? Come on…

  9. johnnylongballz

    Nov 8, 2015 at 12:15 am

    Not Budget Friendly, but I know that that scorecard wallet just got added to my Christmas list.

  10. Desmond

    Nov 7, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    Budget in the sense that you won’t need to get rid of it — value.

  11. RH

    Nov 7, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    Seamus is far from budget! Might as well put iliac in the article.

  12. Golf addict

    Nov 7, 2015 at 12:45 pm

    I guess budget friendly is a relative term. But I’m cool with paying a modest premium for a quality product. Thanks for the article.

  13. Milo

    Nov 7, 2015 at 11:45 am

    I’m sorry but none of this is budget lol

  14. Rob

    Nov 7, 2015 at 11:19 am

    “Budget friendly” LOL

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Whats in the Bag

Patrick Reed WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G400 (8.5 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 70 Tour X

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125MSI 80 Tour X

Hybrid: Callaway Apex Pro (18 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila RIP Phenom Hybrid 100 TX

Irons: Titleist 716 TMB (2), Grindworks PR-202 (4), Grindworks PR-101A (5-PW)
Shafts:  True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50-10 Mid), Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (56-08M @55), SM10 (60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot RX Pt Customs No. 2

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

More photos of Patrick Reed’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

John Daly’s $750 custom irons and 10 must-see gear photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

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Welcome to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

In the last two PGA Championships held at Valhalla, Tiger Woods won in 2000 – when he famously pointed his golf ball into the hole during the historic duel with Bob May – and Rory McIlroy won the 2014 event, basically in the dark on the final hole.

The point is, history shows that Valhalla tends to produce top-tier champions and plenty of drama.

This week at the 2024 PGA Championship, GolfWRX got its first up-close look at what some of the LIV Tour players have in their bags in 2024. We also caught back up with a few PGA Championship legends, such as Rich Beem and John Daly, and we dove into the bags of PGA Sectional qualifiers, too.

In total, we captured 47 different photo galleries this week, including 32 individual What’s In The Bag (WITB) forum threads. Click here to see all of our photos from the event, or continue reading to see my 10 equipment highlights from Valhalla.

1) Brooks Koepka’s new putter

Koepka was previously using a Scotty Cameron T5.5 putter with a slant neck, which he used to win at the beginning of the month in Singapore on the LIV tour. This week, however, he tried a T5.5 with a plumbers neck instead of the slant neck, and it’s immediately going in the bag. According to Scotty Cameron Tour rep Drew Page, Koepka already loved the head, and now finds the plumbers neck a bit more familiar to the blade-style putters he’s used throughout most of his career.

See Koepka’s full WITB here 

2) The lead tape king returns, with putting goggles

Phil Mickelson has always been one of the GOATs when it comes to lead tape usage, so it was no surprise to see his 64-degree custom Callaway wedge slathered with slabs of lead tape on the back.

The big surprise was that lefty was spotted using ProAim putting training goggles on Wednesday during his warm-up session.

The ProAim goggles are helpful to find center lines and ensure proper alignment to the target.

See Phil Mickelson’s full WITB from the 2024 PGA Championship

3) Dobyns’ old-school gamer setup

Speaking of lead tape, check out Matt Dobyn’s old Titleist 718 T-MB irons, which are so loaded with lead tape that the club is nearly unrecognizable.

Respect.

The head professional at Meadow Brook Club is making his sixth start in a PGA Championship, and he’s using a throwback Callaway GBB Epic driver with MOI-boosting lead tape and adjustable weight placements.

As GolfWRX Forum user “InTheBag” pointed out in our Matt Dobyns’ WITB thread, he has the type of setup that makes you want to hide your wallet: “I don’t know Mr. Dobyns, but one look at that bag tells me he can take your money,” writes InTheBag.

Spot on.

4) John Daly’s custom Sub70 irons and wedges

We first saw John Daly using $750 direct-to-consumer Sub70 659-CB irons and TAIII wedges at the 2023 PNC Championship, and he still has them in the bag, but he’s since stepped up the customization on the Sub70 clubs.

Does Daly ever NOT keep things entertaining?

 

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

A true showman.

See Daly’s full WITB

5) DJ’s custom putter

Dustin Johnson has always been one to test multiple putters week-to-week, and he has a keen eye for different alignment lines and crowns. This week, he’s opting for a completely gray TaylorMade Spider Tour “T3.0” prototype with a short slant neck.

See the rest of DJ’s WITB from the week here

6) Patrick Reed still rocking GrindWorks irons

Patrick Reed knows his stuff when it comes to equipment, and he’s a prolific tester. Still, however, the GrindWorks PR-101A irons are squarely in the bag after his departure to the LIV tour.

The most notable new addition to Reed’s bag is this Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond 3-wood.

Click here to see Reed’s full WITB from this week

7) Beem’s Scratch set

Rich Beem, who won the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National, came to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla with a bag full of Scratch Golf irons, which are loaded with lead tape and equipped with some of the coolest custom ferrules in professional golf.

See Rich Beem’s full WITB here

8) Jon Rahm’s 10-iron

Before going to LIV, Rahm was using a Callaway Apex TCB pitching wedge.

Now, he’s using a Callaway Apex TCB “10 iron.”

He’s also since upgraded to three Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke metalwoods, and fresh stampings on his Jaws Raw wedges. Click here to see Rahm’s full WITB from the 2024 PGA Championship.

9) “Why so serious?”

Tyrrell Hatton, another LIV player in the 2024 PGA Championship field, channels his inner Joker to ask everyone, “Why so serious?

See Hatton’s full WITB here

10) Block’s “Proto” iron, from address

As you probably know by now, Block switched out of his old TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC 2014 irons, and into a full set of TaylorMade’s new “Proto” irons. We’ve already seen the Proto 4-iron in the bags of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa, but this is our first look at the higher-lofted irons in the set.

Here’s a look at the 7-iron from address:

See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Proto irons in our Forums

And, with that, we say goodbye to Louisville, and the second major championship of the 2024 season. We’ll see you next week at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas after a champion has been crowned.

Until then, don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week at the 2024 PGA Championship!

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Whats in the Bag

Club Junkie WITB, league night week 5: Another L.A.B. putter arises

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We will be one quarter of the way through Thursday night men’s league season after this week. BK played much better last week, so he is hoping to continue that success and post another good score.

Here are the 14 clubs that will hopefully win him some skins!

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops (9 degrees, neutral setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X (2024)

3-wood: Cobra Dark Speed LS Titanium (14.5 degrees, set +1)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD IZ-7x

Fairway: Callaway Apex UW (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura ATMOS Tour Spec Blue 8 X

Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops 4h (22 degrees, Flat Setting)
Shaft: KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype 85 S

Irons: TaylorMade P770 Phantom Black (5-PW)
Shaft: KBS Tour 120 Stiff

Wedge: PXG Sugar Daddy II (50-13 BP)
Shaft: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 Stiff

Wedge: PXG Sugar Daddy II (56-13 BP)
Shaft: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 Stiff

Wedge: PXG Sugar Daddy II (60-13 BP)
Shaft: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 Stiff

Putter: L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max
Shaft: Accra x L.A.B. White

Ball: Titleist ProV1 Enhanced Alignment

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