News

The Wedge Guy: Musings on the golf ball rollback

Published

2 years ago

Dec 14, 2023

By now, you have likely read and heard endless anguish and musings about the recent decision by the USGA and R&A to tweak the testing for golf ball distance conformity in an effort to roll back golf ball performance for the game’s elite players. Whether you think this is a good idea or not is beside the point, as it appears to be a “done deal.” So, I’d like to offer some musings from my perspective as a 40-year veteran of the golf equipment industry and over 60 years of playing this game at a reasonably serious level.

My perspective covers a lot of ground as I have personally experienced the technology of our industry as an accomplished scratch or near-scratch player. I’ve seen most all of it in those six decades. From learning and developing my game into my 30s with persimmon drivers, pure muscle-back blades and balata balls . . . to what I find in my bag today. I’ve seen the quantum leaps in driving distance for golfers of all levels with each new development, with huge leaps in performance delivered by the first metal woods (thanks TaylorMade), then to the Big Bertha and all its copies and on to the continuing advancements in size, COR, shafts and other driver performance technologies.

You simply cannot discuss distance and focus only on the golf ball, when you have this amazing run of technology in the driver category. And besides those advancements in head designs, driver shafts also made great strides in both weight and performance. I can share that the driver in my bag today is right at 30-percent lighter than the overall weight of my steel-shafted persimmon drivers from back then. I’m sure my clubhead speed at 71 years old is likely close to what I had in my 30s and 40s because of that.

And because of the great strides in driver technologies and the forgiveness of off-center hits, golfers began to get bigger and fitter in pursuit of swinging ever faster. I agree with Adam Scott’s assessment that the distance gains are much more about driver technologies than the golf ball. In case you didn’t experience real “woods,” with these big drivers, a perfect strike is much less important than it was in the days of persimmon or even early oversized metal drivers.

But let’s get back to the golf ball and what I think is going to happen over the next five to seven years . . .
Up until the mid-1990s, the “state of the art” was that old rubber-band-wound and balata-covered ball that spun like crazy but went out of round if you looked at it wrong. While many give Titleist and its Pro V1 franchise credit for the revolution to multi-piece ball construction and technologies, history shows that Spalding was ahead of them in this area with their early work with the Top Flite and Tour Edition lines. But it was Mark O’Meara winning both the Masters and U.S. Open in 1998 playing the revolutionary Strata ball that triggered the entire ball industry to abandon the old rubber band ball and pursue these new multi-piece technologies.

Since then, there is no question that continual strides have been made in golf ball technologies, as these rocket scientist engineers explore and optimize every element of the ball, from core properties to cover properties to dimple aerodynamics. I’ll be the first to admit that the most brilliant and technologically advanced engineers are plying their craft in the ball segment of the industry.

That’s why I believe what we’ll see come out of this next half-decade of research and development is an approach to golf ball performance that will surprise us all. It seems totally realistic that these brainiacs will figure out how to make golf balls that optimize distance performance at various clubhead speeds. I have complete confidence they can figure out how to make a ball that meets the new standards at the highest swing speeds, while not causing the 90-95 mph clubhead player to lose even a yard.

In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the ball brands come up with a fitting matrix to fit the golf ball to your exact swing speed, so that instead of the average golfers losing distance, we would actually gain some. Those major brands’ line-ups could be as thorough in fitting the exact ball to your swing speed as we find the fitting bays doing so with shafts.

It will be fun and interesting to watch, that’s for sure.

News

Most birdies without breaking par – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is wondering how many birdies other players have had in a round while still failing to break par. @Lalan45, unfortunately, asked the question after a unique experience of their own.

They wrote:

“Today I managed 8 birdies but still shot even par, could have been a round to remember! What’s the most birdies you’ve made in a round and still didn’t break par?”

Our members in the forum shared their own experiences with successful rounds that still resulted in a score over par. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

kwcsports: “I’ve had 5 a few times, still shot 80+ haha.”
jda: “I played a course for the first time, had 8 birdies, 9 doubles and an eagle. The infamous no-par round. I kept the scorecard. Every shot had a creek that I did not know about, or I was within 8-10 feet for a birdie look. To this day, I have no idea if I should be really jacked up or mad about that performance.”
jvincent: “I think my record is either 5 or 6. Probably shot 75.”
Instron4204: “3 birdies and shot a 92…man I suck!”

Entire Thread: “Most Birdies Without Breaking Par.”

News

Best current stock shaft 2026 – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user is asking for thoughts on the best stock shafts offered in 2026. Stock shafts are the shafts included with a club when it’s purchased from retailers or OEMs.

@DTorres asked:

The last couple years has seen a lot of updates and additions to no upcharge stock shafts, which do you think is the best offering in 2026?

Im a bit of a shaft nerd and recently during my Members Testing with the Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond I found the updated Project X Denali Frost Black to be a fantastic stock shaft. I absolutely did not mesh well with the original Denali. Just curious what other people think are the current best Stock shaft offerings out with new models and stock Ventus options and LinQ options popping up here and there.

We were given the option for any stock shafts for our members review. I went with the 70g Black Frost 6.5 because it’s a shaft I don’t have, it’s an updated version of the original Denali and hear little about. I typically use a Diamana WB, GD VF or a HOF Raptor. I’m not saying it was neck and neck with any of those but it was a pleasant surprise I’m not accustomed to in stock shaft offerings.

Our members in the forum have been offering up their own thoughts on the best stock shafts available in 2026. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

rsballer10: “IMO – MCA Ka’ili White Darkwave, Tensei 1k Black/white, UST Lin-Q White. People are free to spend their money however they see fit, but for me personally the shaft catalogs these days have enough options that I don’t see the value of a $400 upcharge. I have never had a problem finding a no upcharge shaft that fits the bend profile and weight that I need. Whether the paint job is good enough or not is above my pay scale.”
bcflyguy1: “Project X Titan Black. I’ve had one in 60TX in my Quantum TD Max for several weeks now. Have to give Titlieist their flowers for finding a way to make it available as a featured option; very shrewd bit of business and one that I suspect will be duplicated by the other companies. TT/PX have a certified banger on their hands with Titan.”
CTG77: “Undoubtedly, it’s the Tensei 1K RIP shafts from Titleist. The Tensei line gives about 98% of the performance of a Ventus VeloCore+ shaft at a tiny fraction of the cost if you’re looking for a blue or red profile. The white is not an exact match for Ventus Black, but it’s closer to it than the non-VeloCore+ Ventus shafts that come from Callaway or formerly came from TaylorMade.”

Entire Thread: “Best current stock shaft 2026.”

News

GolfWRX’s Father’s Day Gift Guide (2026)

Published

2 days ago

Jun 9, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

A reminder from your friends at GolfWRX: Father’s Day is June 21. And as we do every year, we’re rounding up the best gifts for dad.

As we say every year, there’s no better golf-related Father’s Day gift than a round of golf with pops. Be it a country club or your favorite muni, take the time to get together to play 18 if you can.

Let’s get to the gifts.

Ghost Golf Qualifier Diamond Polo

We like the new polos that Ghost is offering, as the fabric and fit are so good. These new Qualifier Collection polos breathe well, are lightweight, stretch with your swing, and of course look great. You can wear them on the course, in the office, or just out at a casual event and they will fit right in.

Buy here.

STR8-Strip Grip Tape Remover

If your dad is an equipment aficionado and tinkers with his clubs, this tool works wonders. Removing grip tape has never been easier, just put a little head on the tape and the STR8-Strip peals it right off the shaft without any damage.

Buy here.

Why Golf: Putting Thing

When it comes to practice, it is good to have a purpose. This “Putting Thing” sure does it. We know from personal experience how challenging it can be and how rewarding it is on the practice green. This also provides some competition for your kiddo to see who will unload the dishwasher or do the next chore around the house.

Buy here.

OluKai Lae‘ahi Men’s Breathable Slip-On Shoes

Riding to and from the course in style and comfort is always a good thing. If you’re in a hurry, it’s a nice feature to slide into your shoes and get to the tee time. For the post-game shoe, at your locker or while putting your clubs away in the car. Nice to slide into a shoe that looks good anywhere. Pair that with meeting the family for dinner, no need to change!

Buy here.

Therabody Theragun Relief

A little wellness goes a long way. Keeping loose is a good way to go when it comes to the weekend game or treatment during the week. If there is a little ache or pain, the Theragun is there to help out. Help loosen up the back for a pre-game warm-up or cool-down.

Buy here.

World Cup golf apparel

Something for the soccer dads. Embrace the World Cup fever this summer on the course with custom gear to support the nation of your choice.

Buy here.

FootJoy Pro SL spikeless golf shoes

Give the old man a break and save his feet with the Footjoy Pro SL Men’s Spikeless Golf Shoes for some added comfort on the course.

Buy here.

Bushnell Wingman 2 GPS speaker

Combine all the hits as well as some game improvement with the Wingman 2 Golf GPS Speaker by getting audible distance readings from 38,000+ courses worldwide through the Wingman 2 remote or speaker.

Buy here.

Personalized Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

The No. 1 ball in golf is a safe bet, and the Pro V1 fits the largest chunk of the bell curve if you don’t know what ball pops plays. Add personalization for a, well, personal touch!

Buy here.