Your 2022 picks: Golfweek’s top 10 golf equipment stories of the year
For the final days of 2022, we’re offering up snapshots of the top 10 stories from each of Golfweek’s most popular sections, including the PGA and LPGA tours, travel, instruction and fitness. Here’s what we’ve already counted down.
Now it’s time to put our top equipment features in the spotlight.
Here’s a look at the top 10 golf gear stories, as clicked on by you, during 2022:
Irons
Game-Improvement irons for 2022. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
When it comes to irons, there are more options than ever before, ranging from muscleback blades for elite players who want to maximize their ability to curve the ball and shape shots to distance-enhancing irons to clubs that look and perform like miniature hybrids.
The best way to discover which set of irons is best for you is to work with a good custom fitter and try as many different combinations of heads and shafts as possible. The irons listed below can act as a great starting point on your journey to finding your next perfect set.
Golf balls
Golf balls for 2022. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In a game filled with misconceptions and contradictions, one of the most prevailing is for the average player, golf balls are all the same. The thinking goes that if your swing is inconsistent and if you tend to lose a few balls every time you play, the specific type of ball that you play really doesn’t matter, so you should play the cheapest one you can find.
The best way to determine your ideal golf ball is to buy a few three-packs and try them. Hit a series of short chip shots and pitch shots first, paying close attention to how quickly the balls stop and how they react coming off your wedges. Then, try them on longer approach shots, iron shots and eventually hit each ball with your driver. When you are done, consider your priorities, how each ball performed and its price.
Drivers
Slices, hooks, moonballs and tops are a part of the game for golfers who struggle to break 80, 90 and 100.
Taking lessons and developing a reliable, efficient swing is important, but so is finding a driver that can not only deliver superior performance on your best swing but also help to compensate for your shortcomings on mishits.
But the best way to find the ideal driver for your game is to work with an experienced custom fitter who has a launch monitor so you can try combinations of heads, shafts, lofts and weight settings.
Putters used by the pros
Putters for 2022
Improvements in manufacturing techniques, the ability to use multiple materials and advancements in the study of how balls react off a putter’s face as they travel toward the hole have helped equipment companies make clubs that perform better. Putter fitting techniques also have improved, helping ensure that golfers have a putter ideally suited to their swing style and not just pleasing to their eyes.
See which PGA Tour pros rank the highest in strokes gained putting and with the putters they are using right here.
Wedges
Lots of research goes into wedges, with new groove designs and head shapes constantly being tested. However, while several companies come out with updated wedge models every year, other companies run wedges on two-year product cycles.
It is also common for brands to introduce a new wedge family but keep the previous generation of wedges available for a second season.
