Review On Some Overlooked Golf Clubs

Golf Monthly

In this video, gear experts Joe and Joel run through the 3 clubs that they believe are the most underrated golf clubs from last year!  Every year there are always some clubs that sneak under the radar but actually perform comparably well to the mainstream launches from the big four manufacturers in Ping, TaylorMade, Callaway and Titleist. Joe and Joel between them have tested almost everything and picked out three that provide excellent performance and the most bang for your buck.

Transcript

00:00Now when it comes to golf equipment, it's fair to say that the big four brands often

00:04steal the headlines when it comes to new drivers, irons, etc. But actually, there is an awful

00:09lot of other products out there that we feel doesn't get the recognition it deserves. And

00:14in this video, we're going to touch on the three most underrated golf clubs of 2024.

00:19Joe, how would you define underrated when it comes to golf clubs in particular?

00:23Tough one, isn't it? But I think for me, it would be clubs that I've tested and that

00:28I've used that I know are really, really good that maybe I don't see in as many bags

00:32as I might expect to. Would that make sense?

00:34Yeah, that's fair. I mean, you've tested a lot of clubs down the years, and I think in

00:37this video, we're going to highlight some absolute crackers that might more save you a few quid,

00:42but also will give you a little bit more choice if you're looking to upgrade certain areas

00:45of your bag.

00:47Right, Joe, first club in the most underrated clubs video of 2024. We're all excited to see

00:55what you've gone for. What is it?

00:57Well, I've gone with the driver. And yeah, this is comfortably my most underrated driver

01:02of 2024. It's the PXG 0311 Black Ops driver. This is a standard model. There is a tour model,

01:08which we might talk about in a minute as well. But I actually went down to be fitted for this

01:13at the PXG London South store, isn't it?

01:16And it was a great experience. So the main tech story here is about what they call their

01:20AMF face technology, which they claim increases deflection, increases launch, and just gives you

01:27that little bit more ball speed and control, spin a bit better. And I have to say it performed really

01:31well. But the thing I noticed most about it in all of my testing is the sound and the feel. They did

01:36loads of work on this. They got in some real acoustic experts from other industries to work on

01:41things like pitch and frequency, and they've absolutely nailed it. I wondered when I had the

01:45fitting, whether it was just because I was indoor and the acoustics were great, but you get it outside,

01:49and it actually sounds great as well. Shall I show you?

01:51You've talked the talk. Let's hear one.

01:53Yeah. So I mean, when you put it in behind the ball, the head shape's great as well,

01:56which I'll talk about. But in terms of the audio there, just a really nice sort of,

02:04it's not too high pitch. It's not too dull. And it's pretty quick. I mean, that's good for me.

02:09That's a clever speed of 118 and a bit, nearly 173 miles an hour of ball speed. That spin number's

02:15something I see a little bit. That's just a fraction on the high side for me at about 2800,

02:19which is why the Tour model works a little bit better for me. But for a lot of people,

02:23you maybe don't swing it at 118, just that little bit of extra spin can be really, really useful.

02:28And that's why I love it. I think it's great.

02:29Yeah, it's got a real presence. I mean, hit another one for us.

02:31Sure.

02:32Yeah, because you turn that one over a little bit. You can definitely sense, you know, when you hit it,

02:36it's got a real powerful oomph to it, which I love. I love the look of it as well. Really clean.

02:41A bit of graphics on the top, but not too much.

02:43Yeah, just the head profile as well is great. I mean, it's quite busy. There's like a

02:47multi-material crown going on, so you can see scenes and lines and stuff. But

02:51in terms of just a pure head profile, it's lovely and rounded. It's not too deep,

02:55not too shallow.

02:56Let's see another one then.

02:57Yeah, let's get one out there, shall we?

02:59A little bit more like it.

03:04Let's try.

03:04I mean, how does it compare with the major driver launches of 202224 in terms of numbers?

03:09Well, should we be getting around about sort of 173 ball speed here?

03:13Yeah, very comparable with anything. Like I say, you know, it's my job. I've tested all these

03:17drivers, your TaylorMage, your Callaway, your Ping, everything. And that's a really comparable

03:21ball speed number there for me, about 173 miles per hour. That's pretty much where I live. Like I said,

03:26again, very consistent on spin as well. It's always just a little bit above that 2500 number

03:32for me. That was a better one. I got more launch on that, so it's basically carried 300 yards.

03:36But like I said, with two models in this family, one that really brings that spin down,

03:40CG is a little bit more forward and really takes the spin off that Tour 1 model. I just think as a

03:45family of drivers, the looks, the feel and the performance, they're really, really underrated.

03:51There you go. So that's our first choice. I think it's hard to argue with Joe's argument there. If

03:54you're looking for a driver that sneaks under the radar, the PXG Black Ops could be the one.

04:02So before we move on to the next underrated club, I just want to ask,

04:05have you subscribed to the Golf Monthly YouTube channel?

04:07Of course I have. The content is brilliant, it's free, and I'm on it.

04:11So am I.

04:11Have you?

04:12Right, so that's the driver polished off. Now, Joe, I can see we're talking about irons. You can

04:17try and hide it, but I have seen it. But I don't know exactly what iron you're going to talk about.

04:21So what is your most underrated iron of 2024, please?

04:24I've gone a little bit maybe family, actually. So it's the Wilson staff model family. That includes

04:30this blade, the staff model blade, and the staff model CB. And if you're looking for any justification,

04:36well, look no further. Just look at it. It is absolutely beautiful.

04:40Yeah, I love the look of it. It's awesome.

04:41I don't know if I've seen a better looking iron than that. It's got beautiful nods of old with these

04:45sort of extended ferrules and a bit of gnarling around the hosel. There's some real nods

04:51to the old history of Wilson, but there's also some more modern branding and the high gloss

04:55chrome just looks fantastic. Down behind the ball, the head shakes are just absolutely beautiful.

05:02In blades, you don't often get much tech and that's pretty much the case here as well,

05:06but there is a little bit inbuilt here. So Wilson has been quite clever and realized that the blade

05:11market is going to be sort of geared toward maybe the better player. And the predominant better player

05:16mixed with irons tends to be a little bit left. So they've actually put a little bit more

05:20weighting in the toe side of this club internally to stop that toe rotating over and take left out

05:26of play a little bit. So it's actually a blade this one with a little bit of assistance, which is

05:31absolutely great. Also, from a finance point of view, we're all thinking about money nowadays.

05:37They're actually a little bit cheaper than some of the major stuff. So seven irons just over a thousand

05:42pounds and quite often you're pushing the 12, 13, 14 hundred quid mark with some of the other brands.

05:47So there is some real value to be had here, as well as the quality. And in terms of feel and

05:52workability, it's just yeah. Well, let's hit one away so everyone can sort of experience what it

05:58feels like. Oh yeah, very nice. It's just flush out the middle of the club. There's not many better

06:05feelings than a really pure forged blade like that. The numbers all stack up as well. That's pretty much

06:10bang on where I need to carry my seven iron. 175, 176. Spin rate's good. I find them really workable.

06:17Knocking them down, moving it around. They're just beautiful irons. And if you're one of those people

06:22who want something that maybe not everyone's got in the bag, you want to stand out a bit,

06:26this is a real statement piece, I think. Yeah, it's great to have those two options

06:29for the better play. Obviously, you've got this one, which is a pure blade gives you that ultimate

06:33workability. But if you want that super soft feel with some playability, you've got that CB. I think

06:38that's going to give you a little bit more insurance for those low handicap golfers. You want to play an

06:41iron like this, it's a really good option, isn't it? It really is. And you're not compromising on

06:46looks at all. When you put the CB down in the playing position alongside the blade, you couldn't

06:50tell them apart. The same blade length, similar top line. So you're not compromising on the look at all.

06:55You're maybe just getting a bit more perimeter weight in. But I think I'm a little bit in love with

06:59this one. I'm going to put you under pressure now. Let's see a draw and a fade. You've talked about

07:02the creativity and the workability you can use with these irons. I think better players like to

07:06shake the ball into certain pins, certain shots. So let's hit a draw first of all.

07:13Yep, that's a beautiful ball fly curving right back over the pin.

07:18Yeah, that's pretty much what you want.

07:19So it's doing what you're saying it's going to do.

07:22Again, from a numbers point of view, that's what I'd expect. It's gone up a few yards in carry,

07:25so 179 and the spins dropped off a little bit because I've hooded the face a little bit. So

07:29they just always do what they're supposed to do, these irons. So a little bit of a hold off fade now.

07:33Let's see it. Oh yeah. A little bit lower on the face, that actually. That was interesting.

07:39Yeah, but it had the shape to it that you were trying to hit, didn't it? So it's sort of done

07:43what you've asked it to do. It did. It dropped off a little bit and the spin went up with the fade.

07:47So yeah, that's pretty much what I wanted. It's workable. It looks beautiful. It's not that expensive.

07:52It's just really good and really underrated. There you have it. Wilson really pack a punch in the iron

07:56market. And these two models, the staff models, the CB and the Blade, definitely worth considering.

08:03Right, Joel. That's my two choices, Dan, and I'm quite pleased with those. Now we've come to the

08:08putting green. We've got a family of putters. What is it? Yeah, it's a family of putters,

08:14and it's by the brand Cleveland, which a lot of golfers associate with wedges. Obviously,

08:19they make some very good wedges. But I think these putters, in particular, this new range,

08:23the HB Soft II range, is really underrated. There's a few reasons why. The first is the price. So these

08:30come in at £139 retail. You can get them for cheaper than that, around about £120, which is

08:35you know, a good half the price of the majority of the mainstream putter brands out there.

08:39You get a comprehensive choice, so nine different models. And what I like about these putters in

08:45particular is how they feel. So I think a lot of golfers in the shopping in the sort of mid to

08:50high handicap bracket tend to play a distance-orientated golf ball, quite a firm golf ball. I think that would

08:55marry up really well with the soft feel you get from these putters. As the name suggests,

09:00HB Soft II. These are probably one of the softer-feeling putters you'll get on the market.

09:04Now, I'll demonstrate this number one model, which is a really nice...

09:08Can you do a lot? Yes, please.

09:09That's a really nice answer-shaped style putter. Love the grip on it. A really tacky

09:15texture to it. Nice long blade-length heel-to-tail on this putter.

09:20And you'll see, I've just pushed it slightly, but a really crisp feel. And what I also like

09:25about what Cleveland done with this putter is you've got some grooves on the face here,

09:29which are progressive. So there's sort of more grooves in the center of the face. It disperses

09:33wider to slightly less grooves. So essentially taking grooves or material out of the face,

09:38the center of the face, and essentially slowing down the center hits, speeding up the off-center

09:43hits to make it more consistent wherever you hit the ball on the face. And for the testing I've done

09:47long-range putting, I found that the rollout to be really consistent on those mid and long-range

09:52putts. So I really enjoyed the feel and also the consistency of them as well.

09:56Sometimes with putters in this sort of price bracket, you lack choice. Are there any sort

10:00of customisation options with this? Yeah. So as I said, there's nine different

10:03shapes. Let me just swap over here for you now, because this is a 35-inch option here in the

10:07Retrieve model, which is the mallet shape I also really like. And because it's all the models that

10:12are 35 inches or longer, you get a 20-gram counterbalance weight in the top. So that just gives you

10:18slightly more of a pendulum-style stroke. I think maybe if you struggle to release the putter,

10:23this is going to give you a bit more encouragement to do that. And from the testing I've done,

10:27that sort of feeling of the shaft and the way it's been balanced just gives you a little bit

10:30more ability to square it up a bit more naturally. So this is a shape I really like. Hopefully I'll be

10:35able to demonstrate one that goes in the center of the hole, because there is an added benefit of this

10:40particular model, which requires me to hole the putt. So there we go. Stroke it in the middle,

10:47and then with this Retrieve model, you can even use it to retrieve, as the name suggests, the ball

10:54out of the hole. So a multi-faceted putter, loads of benefits. If you don't like bending down

10:59to pick your ball out of your putter, if you've got a bad back, that's a really good option to have.

11:03But generally speaking, this particular model, really soft feeling, nice and forgiving, and it's

11:08not going to break the bank coming in under £140. So hopefully you enjoyed that video shining a

11:13spotlight on some of the clubs that have snuck under the radar this year. But that's all from

11:17us here at Centurion Golf Club. We'll see you next time.

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