Golfing News & Blog Articles

This is one I didn’t see coming and I’m still a little shocked TaylorMade actually created this iron. But shocked in a good way—like when your teenager chooses to study for the SATs on a Friday night.

The TaylorMade Stealth HD irons broach new territory for a demographic that TaylorMade has historically underserved. Often referred to as “super game-improvement” equipment for the higher handicaps, the new designation is “max game-improvement.” It turns out that struggling golfers don’t enjoy being reminded of just how much room for improvement they have. In that case, there are a couple of kids from high school I should probably go back and reclassify as “Max seniors.” My apologies.

Nevertheless, the Stealth HD irons are engineered explicitly for the segment of golfers that relies the most on technology to help them enjoy the game. And perhaps most importantly for TaylorMade, it now has a complete line of irons to address the needs of every player’s swing speed and ability level.

Stealth HD Origin Story

Maybe the chief benefit of this product development cycle is that TaylorMade started with far more questions than answers. Because Stealth HD was entirely new, engineers could begin without any preconceived notion of what the final product should be—or how it should perform or look.

Callaway has announced its next-generation Supersoft golf ball.The new ball preserves the soft feel that golfers love.The 2023 Supersoft is faster and spins more around the green than the previous model.Retail price is $24.99 per dozen.

The product one-liner for the Callaway Supersoft golf ball is “super long, super straight, super soft” to which I reply, “Nope, probably, and, yeah, you got me there.”

If by some chance you’re not already at least a little familiar with the Supersoft, the one thing to know is that it’s the softest golf ball in the Callaway lineup. While compression values typically move a little from one release to the next, Callaway says compression hasn’t changed from the prior model.

If that’s true (and it would be a silly thing to lie about), you can be all but certain the 2023 Callaway Supersoft will be among the very softest balls on the market this season. I’d wager it will prove to be the softest ball made by a manufacturer you’ve heard of.

TaylorMade has announced the Stealth 2 fairway woods and hybrids.Three models for each including Plus, Standard and HDRetail price is $449.99 (Stealth 2 Plus fairway), $349.99 (Stealth 2, Stealth 2 HD fairway), $299.99 (Stealth 2 Plus hybrid), $279.99 (Stealth, Stealth HD hybrid)Pre-sale starts Jan. 10 with full retail availability Feb. 17.

The Stealth driver franchise centers around an unmistakable red carbon face. It’s a material change to how TaylorMade believes it can advance the driver category. (Pun intended.)

But for all the Carbonwood talk, you won’t see a carbon face on a fairway wood or hybrid any time soon. Simply, the faces don’t have the requisite surface area to warrant a different material.

Stealth 2 Fairway Woods

If we excuse Aeroburner from the conversation, it’s hard to think of many TaylorMade fairway woods that haven’t done reasonably well in testing, on the PGA TOUR or at retail. In fact, the converse is substantially more accurate.

With that, the most impressive bit of engineering in the entire Stealth 2 line belongs to the Stealth 2 Plus fairway wood. More on that in a bit.

TaylorMade has announced the Stealth 2 driver family.The Stealth 2 Plus, Standard, HD are more forgiving than their predecessors.Retail price is — for the Stealth 2 Plus and — for the Standard and HD models.Pre-sale starts immediately with full retail availability on February 17th.

Let’s start our TayorMade Stealth 2 driver story by rewinding a year.

Last season’s Stealth driver was not TaylorMade’s first carbon driver but it did represent a significant milestone in what TaylorMade called the “20-year journey.” A year later—whether you want to look at that as a one-year journey or a 21-year journey—none of us should reasonably expect the advancements made between Year 20 and Year 21 to be nearly as significant as those from Years 1 to 20.

So, like Stage 2 of the RocketBallz franchise, you’d expect Stealth 2 to be a bit Stealth-ier than the original and I suppose it is. I might even argue there’s enough here to suggest that what we’re getting is a bit more than a Stealth 2.0. I’d be inclined to say it’s akin to a Stealth 2.25 or Stealth 2.5.

That said, for the sake of not muddying the waters (or confusing the search engines), we’ll round down and refer to it as Stealth 2.

COBRA’s newest speed and distance game-improvement ironsPWR-Bridge weighting is the key technology story.Thinner top line and more streamlined in the playing positionOffered in variable and ONE Length setups

Seeing the word “Jet” linked to any line of golf products (remember TaylorMade’s JetSpeed?) takes me back to McCartney’s Band on the Run album and that anthem-like single I loved to crank on my stereo: “Jet, with the wind in your hair of a thousand laces, climb on the back and we’ll go for a ride in the sky.”

COBRA is angling for a much different “ride in the sky” with AEROJET.

Evolving from last year’s LTDx irons, COBRA’s latest game-improvement offering pushes the speed and distance narrative for that category.

Let’s face it: the majority of golfers who play for fun are transfixed on more distance with the driver.

Counterpoint: Additional distance from seven clubs, not just one, provides the same kind of fun but with undeniable game-improvement benefits.

The COBRA Aerojet driver family includes three models.The platform seeks to increase clubhead speed through aerodynamics.The LS is low spin. The MAX offers maximum forgiveness.Retail price is $549. Available Feb. 10.

What’s in a name? With the COBRA Aerojet driver, you might think it’s the amalgamation of two drivers TaylorMade might prefer you forget.

Aerojet also sounds like the airline you fly when you only have $70 and you absolutely have to be to Tallahassee by 5 p.m.

Jokes aside, the “Aerojet” name is pretty on the nose insomuch as it conveys exactly what COBRA’s new drivers bring to the table: Speed (jets are really fast) through aerodynamics.

The tagline is “longest in the world” and that’s what you’d expect based on fact that Bryson Dechambeau and Kyle Berkshire are COBRA staffers. As two of the top World Long Drive competitors, they’re constantly looking for more speed and, as it happens, aerodynamics is one of the levers COBRA pulls to help them find it.

Cleveland RTX 6 Zipcore Wedges – Key Takeaways

Sixth-generation RTX gets second-generation ZipCore technology.New HydraZip face for improved wet condition performanceNew Low+ Sole Grind for better sand performance$169.99 each. At retail Jan. 20

Say this for the new Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore wedges: they pack a lot of zip.

Three degrees of zip, to be precise.

While this is the sixth installment of Cleveland’s signature RTX wedge family, we are getting the second generation of Cleveland’s unique ZipCore technology. Then there are the updated UltiZip grooves and something new called HydraZip. HydraZip is supposed to do what it sounds like it’s supposed to do but we’ll unpack a bit more on that later.

The previous generation, simply called RTX ZipCore, was released in the summer of 2020. If you’re a calendar cop, you could say these new wedges are a tad overdue but, hey, there was that COVID thing, after all. But Cleveland always has some interesting and useful technology in each wedge release and those 2020 RTX ZipCores represented a major leap for Cleveland.

Can these new wedges maintain that momentum? And can HydraZip do what the name suggests? There’s lots to unzip here so let’s zip to it.

COBRA launches new AEROJET fairway woods (three models) and hybrids.The platform seeks to increase forgiveness and boost ball speeds.Key technologies:  PWR-Bridge, PWRSHELL H.O.T. FACE,Retail price is $349 (fairway), $279 (hybrid). Available Feb. 10.

I’m not sold on the COBRA AEROJET fairway woods and hybrids.

Correction: I’m not sold on the name. The product, however, is a different story.

COBRA is arguably the most underrated mainline manufacturer. It might not have the gaudy sales figures of other large brands but plenty of industry R&D folks respect the metalwood line COBRA engineers bring to market every cycle.

Fairway woods and hybrids often get pushed to the perimeter of product launches. Second fiddle. Slightly off-Broadway. Just off the podium. That sort of thing.

But what COBRA learned from previous launches (Radspeed and LTDX) is ultimately what makes AEROJET compelling.

Jon Rahm came from seven shots behind to win the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Sunday as Collin Morikawa lost a 7-shot lead in the final round.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said Sunday of LIV Golf: "What they have is very different from what we have. We're going down our path, and they're going down theirs."

Collin Morikawa sank four birdies over his final five holes Saturday for an 8-under 65 and a six-shot lead in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Collin Morikawa was dialed in with his irons early and took advantage of some of the scoring holes late in his second round Friday for a 7-under 66 that gave him a 2-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler and J.J. Spaun in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Xander Schauffele was 1 over for his round when he withdrew in Kapalua, later saying he couldn't swing at full speed and will have an MRI to see what's wrong with his back.

The new Vessel Carbon Fiber Collection are limited-edition golf bags that are really, really cool.

But five will get you 10 those bags are going to make you really, really mad.

They shouldn’t but odds are they will. Here’s why.

The Carbon Fiber Collection features a stand bag and cart bag for $1,595. The Staff bag goes for $1,695. And there’s also a driver head cover that’s a relative bargain at $245.

Vessel is quite upfront in saying it really doesn’t know who the customer will be. It just knows there won’t be a lot of them. That’s the whole point behind a limited edition, after all.

Sub 70 699 and 699 Pro V2 Irons – Key Takeaways

Performance upgrade to the three-year-old 699 Player’s Distance ironsLower CGs and stronger lofts than the previous modelsAvailable in Satin Chrome and Black DLC$110/stick in chrome; $120/stick in blackAvailable to order now

The new Sub 70 699 and 699 Pro V2 irons are the living embodiment of a very old TV commercial.

If you’re of a certain age, you can remember Orson Welles assuring us that Paul Masson would sell no wine before it’s time. Sub 70 owner Jason Hiland has consistently taken the same approach with new club releases.

“I’m only going to bring out a new club if we have better technology,” Hiland tells MyGolfSpy. “It has to be enough of an upgrade that you if you grab both and hit them side by side, you’ll see a performance difference. If I can’t do that, I won’t bring out a new club.”

The three-year-old Sub 70 699 and 699 Pro have been very successful for Hiland. But to satisfy the boss’s line in the sand, Sub 70 had to basically erase all the 699 files, grab a blank sheet of paper and start from scratch.

The end result is the new 699 and 699 Pro V2 irons. Cosmetically, at least, Sub 70 is giving you a very different piece of equipment. And according to Hiland, the performance upgrade is more than enough to get your attention.

Jon Rahm birdied three of his last four holes for a 9-under 64 and shared the lead Thursday at the Sentry Tournament of Champions with Collin Morikawa and J.J. Spaun.

Gordon Sargent and Kazuki Higa have accepted invitations to compete in this year's Masters, the Augusta National Golf Club announced Thursday.

Wilson Staff DUO Soft Golf Balls – Key Takeaways

New update for Wilson’s softest ball“Specially formulated core” for more distance$22.99 a dozen. Available now

The Wilson Staff DUO Soft golf ball may have a better claim to being “the ball that changed the ball” than the original Callaway Chrome Soft ever did.

Not this one, mind you. The original DUO debuted in 2011 as a low-compression ball. In 2014, it broke new ground in soft with a damn-near Charmin-esque 29 compression. One can make a compelling case that the DUO jump-started the whole “soft feel” movement. The DUO has become Wilson’s signature ball franchise and is a favorite among the slow to moderate swing speed crowd.

And, not for nothing, hitting the damned thing is addictive.

Now called the DUO Soft, the ball is getting the requisite update for 2023. While we don’t know much, we do know some. Let’s get under the hood and see what’s what.

Wilson Staff DUO Soft: Not As Soft As Before

The DUO franchise is your basic two-piece ionomer-covered ball designed to move in the $20-per-dozen range. What started as the DUO has had several incarnations and variations. The DUO morphed into the DUO Soft and then the DUO Soft+. We’ve also had the DUO Spin, the underrated DUO Professional and your ball of many colors, the DUO Optix.

The first event of the 2023 PGA Tour is the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Kapalua, Hawaii. Here's how you can watch the action.