Equipment
The top “outside-the-box” equipment ideas in golf
There is no shortage of ideas, or products, introduced to help make the game of golf easier. Some are revolutionary and others lived for only a few brief moments in the sun.
In reality, this list could be a mile, long but we decided to focus on some of the biggest winners as well as some of more fringe, no pun intended, product ideas in recent memory.
Here’s our list.
One-length irons
If there was ever a set or style of clubs most tied to an individual golfer, it’s one-length clubs and Bryson DeChambeau. He burst on the scene winning the U.S. Amateur using a set of custom one-length irons from Edel Golf, based in Texas, and after turning professional took an endorsement contract with Cobra and built a one-length set around his game. The thing is, Bryson wasn’t the first, in fact, we can look back 90 years to see Bobby Jones’ set consisted of mostly one length clubs.
The first mainstream marketed set was the Tommy Armour EQLs, introduced in 1989. They sold well out of the gate, but many customers had issues with distance, and trajectory control. Not long after a short run with just average sales, Tommy Armour dropped the set from its line up, because of the number of unsatisfied customers returning them.
Of all the modern iterations, Cobra seems to have figured out the secret sauce to ball speed, trajectory, and control, and if we had to give them the proverbial thumbs up or down, this is an idea that can help a lot of golfers play better.
Reverse-taper grips
Grips are a fun thing to experiment with, because compared to the other required components to build a club, they are inexpensive and can be easily switched out. Putter grips still get the majority of the attention but at times there have been grips designed for full swing clubs that have certainly tried to flip the industry on their head.
The release grip was first introduced and marketed by Feel Golf and featured a reverse taper design where the largest part of the grip was in the bottom hand – completely opposite of the traditional taper grip. It went through a number of variations including a multi-material rubber cord version, but eventually, the final version was a 2 piece soft polymer grip. Unfortunately, if you are looking to try these out you are going to have to find old stock because the company is no longer around.
Graphite/steel shafts
Similar to one-length irons, the steel X graphite combo shaft can be identified by one man—Bubba Watson and his True Temper BiMatrix Prototype. The shaft design is getting close to 20 years old and even though it has seen some changes through the years the construction has remained mostly unchanged.
Graphite/steel shafts aren’t exclusive to woods either. Adams did a “tour set” in the late ’90s that featured the same bimatrix technology in a set of irons but reversed the steel and graphite, with the graphite section in the tip getting longer in the longer irons to help boost launch and spin – it was a clever idea. Wison also did a steel/graphite shaft in a set of game improvement clubs around 10 years ago, and although the concept worked, it was never a big seller.
The most modern iteration is the Binary shaft set from True Temper that features a mixed set of 100 percent graphite and steel shafts that can be mixed and matched through the set for players that need extra launch. The shafts are not intended for players at the higher end of the swing speed spectrum but get but a big help for golfers needing extra launch in lower lofted clubs. This one gets a big thumbs up from me since graphite shaft technology and adoption rates continue to climb for players of all abilities and with the greater design flexibility with graphite, we should continue to see this technology evolve.
Flight-correcting golf balls
Let’s be very clear—this golf ball and its asymmetrical dimple pattern is 100 percent non-conforming, and its the only non-conforming product on this list. Its meant for recreational golfers just looking to hit straighter shots and have more fun by being less frustrated on the course. Polara balls launched into the market around a decade ago and were a really big hit for a new product, but over time, maybe because golfers weren’t losing as many (wink), sales really leveled out.
The golf ball market is driven by tour performance and value, and a ball designed for a niche market will never be a big seller, but you can still find these available today and yes they do really work. You have to line them up fof every shot meaning you have to break more rules adjusting your lie around the course, but once again if you are a golfer just looking to hit a few more fairways, why not?
You’d never be found using one of these, but I’m still going to give it a thumbs up for making the game more enjoyable.
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Equipment
Spotted: Chris Kirk’s Callaway Opus wedges
Gear junkies have been waiting patiently for Callaway to release new wedges. We may have gotten a sneak peek at what’s coming after seeing something new in Chris Kirk’s bag at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge. Spotted were a few different wedges, but the Callaway Opus caught our eye.
The term opus can mean, “any artistic work, especially one on a large scale. With iconic wedge designer Roger Cleveland now working with Terra Forza golf, could this have been his last creation for Callaway?
We don’t have any official word from Callaway on these wedges, but the main focal point seems to be the extra mass in the center of the club. This added material could be used to adjust the center of gravity on the wedge in order for it to launch and spin a specific way. It can also be used to enhance the feel and sound of the club with more material behind the impact location.
The shaping of the head looks to be a little more on the rounded side compared to the current Jaws Raw wedges. The topline on the wedge looks to be fairly thin and the leading edge is pretty straight with just a little bit of a radius to it. The color looks to be an antique brown and it will be interesting to see if that is a plating on the club or some kind of oilcan finish that will wear away and rust.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
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Equipment
Callaway launches Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max driver
Give me a Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond driver but make it Max. Callaway engineers have taken the tour staple triple diamond head and boosted its size from 450 to 460cc’s. “By doing that we’ve created a more forgiving head while still keeping the same great shape that’s beloved on tour,” said Callaway’s advanced R&D manager Nick Yontz. The driver offers more spin than Triple Diamond standard — and thus more workability and forgiveness.
In contrast to the standard Triple Diamond, which features 14 and two-gram weights. The Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max is equipped with 10-gram and four-gram interchangeable weights, which contributes to greater overall stability. According to Callaway, the driver plays more neutral than the neutral-to-fade-bias Triple Diamond.
Discussing testing on tour, Nick Yontz, advanced R&D manager, said:
“We first brought this head out for Tour testing in November last year. Players would step up and we had it matched up to their gamer driver specs. They would swing, and we saw consistently good ball flights – very stable. It was the word ‘stable’ that continued to be used by players.”
“They would continue to split the fairway and what that caused them to do was to start swinging faster. They had this excitement that, ‘This thing doesn’t go offline. I can keep swinging harder and harder and it maintains that straight flight’”
“We were seeing players. that would have small gains in ball speed from just the driver head alone, but then the swing speed would increase the more and more swings they made. By the end of it, they really saw meaningful gains in ball speed and distance.”
As a refresher on the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke driver family — which now includes Paradym Ai Smoke Max, Paradym Ai Smoke Max D, Paradym Smoke Max Fast, Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond, and Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max — check out our launch piece.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max: Pricing, specs, availability
Price: $599.99
Loft options: 9, 10.5 degrees
Stock shaft: Project X Denali Blue
At retail: June 7
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Equipment
Photos from the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
GolfWRX is live this week at Colonial Country Club for the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Custom Camerons and some “super” new grips from SuperStroke are filling our galleries early in the week as well as WITBs — including the always interesting “Cashmere Keith” Mitchell.
Check out links to our photos below, which we’ll continue to update throughout the week.
And while you’re making your way through our photos, be sure to check out last year’s incredible gallery of prototype and personal Ben Hogan golf clubs.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Keith Mitchell – WITB – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Rafa Campos – WITB – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- R Squared – WITB – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Martin Laird – WITB – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Paul Haley – WITB – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Tyler Duncan – WITB – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
Pullout Albums
- Eric Cole’s newest custom Cameron putter – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- New Super Stroke Marvel comic themed grips – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Ben Taylor’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Tyler Duncan’s Axis 1 putter – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Cameron putters – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
- Chris Kirk’s new Callaway Opus wedges – 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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