2025 Holiday Gift Guide: Don’t let the Grinch play through!

In last year’s Holiday Gift Guide, I fretted about prices increasing. According to The Budget Lab at Yale University, the concern was warranted. The lab’s research shows that leather products, wearing apparel, and metal products – categories central to the golf industry – are three of the top four that have been hit hardest byContinue reading “2025 Holiday Gift Guide: Don’t let the Grinch play through!”

L.A.B. Putters – “Feels like I’m cheating!”

I’ve been writing about golf equipment for almost 30 years. In that time, I have tested and reviewed close to 100 putters, ranging from household name brands to boutique start-ups. Many – by which I mean most – new putter companies fail within a few years. But every now and then, one of these pluckyContinue reading “L.A.B. Putters – “Feels like I’m cheating!””

Sub70 JB Sugar Skull Wedges: Scary-good

If you’ve never heard of Sub70 Golf, you’re in for a treat. This boutique clubmaker based in Sycamore, Illinois, has been producing clubs that are of the highest quality, but at a very reasonable price-point. As I detailed in the profile linked above, the philosophy at Sub70 is “If it isn’t better, don’t release it.”Continue reading “Sub70 JB Sugar Skull Wedges: Scary-good”

Hot Summer Golf Gifts

It’s been a hot summer, but my golf game has been hot and cold. Those of us doggedly pursuing lower scores through the heat and humidity deserve some treats in these waning dogdays, don’t you think? I’ve rounded up some of my favorite golf gift ideas to help pull you out of the doldrums, celebrateContinue reading “Hot Summer Golf Gifts”

2025 Season Opener Gift Guide

For golf fanatics, The Masters counts as a holiday. Like, a MAJOR holiday (pun intended). And for golfers who live in northernly climes, it also marks the start of the golf season. Or close to it anyway, depending on how far north you live. Given this auspicious time of year, when hope for lowered handicaps,Continue reading “2025 Season Opener Gift Guide”

Cleveland Golf HALO XL Hy-Woods: Blurring the lines, filling the gaps

Twenty-five years ago, I could really bomb my fairway woods. I didn’t know where they were going, but I knew they were going far in some direction. The rare occasions they went straight were the rare occasions I scored well. Then something happened. Slowly, sort of like how you gain weight. Doesn’t seem bad atContinue reading “Cleveland Golf HALO XL Hy-Woods: Blurring the lines, filling the gaps”

Cleveland Golf ZipCoreXL Irons: Make Forgiveness Sexy Again

Over 3.5 years ago, I reviewed my first set of “players distance” irons. I admitted in that review that I had reached a certain age when I needed a little assistance from club-making engineers to maintain distance and accuracy, even on mis-hits, while preserving some semblance of shot-making control. I have been playing with thoseContinue reading “Cleveland Golf ZipCoreXL Irons: Make Forgiveness Sexy Again”

Sub70 Golf: Boutique golf clubs without the boutique price tags

In 1835, Carlos Lattin built the first log cabin in the town that came to be known as Sycamore, Illinois. Today, on that same site, is the fitting center of Sub70 Golf, one of the fastest-growing direct-to-consumer boutique golf club companies since 2018. The recipe for this success is a combination of the highest qualityContinue reading “Sub70 Golf: Boutique golf clubs without the boutique price tags”

Cleveland HB SOFT Milled Putters: Sink putts, not your budget

Your putter is the only club you use on every hole. This intense familiarity tends to breed a manic relationship between golfers and their flatsticks. One type of player largely ignores their putters – they’ve played the same one for 20 years, and the grip is glassy smooth, the head is dented, the shaft mightContinue reading “Cleveland HB SOFT Milled Putters: Sink putts, not your budget”

Srixon ZX MK II Drivers: Consistency breeds confidence

It feels like just yesterday that I first received a dozen Srixon golf balls to review, despite it being nearly 20 years ago. I called them “The best balls whose name you can’t pronounce.” Srixon golf balls continue to be some of the best balls for the money at every price point. Moreover, Srixon hasContinue reading “Srixon ZX MK II Drivers: Consistency breeds confidence”