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.

Picture: Lyle Slovik -Twitter

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.