Last year was full of surprises when it came down to equipment. We even saw players winning majors without having a contract with golf club manufacturers. Will this trend continue in the future? The simple answer is no.

Let me tell you why.

It doesn’t happen very often that a big equipment player like Nike leaves the stage. Due to this sudden exit, lots of players were “forced” to find a new sponsoring contract for financial reasons, since having a club contract generates income. Therefore, it’s only natural that many players switched to new equipment sooner rather than later. Whether these players really needed the extra pocket money or not is a different story to be told.

Of course, there are always certain players who don’t seem impressed by the big bucks sponsorships generate. However, you shouldn’t compare a Robert Rock or Ollie Schniederjans to one of the current major winners.

Whether you like those players or not, all three major winners of 2018 are top notch players. Yes, even Patrick Reed. Would I invite him for a brewski? Probably not. Would I bet money on him to win the Masters after rounds of 69, 66, 67? Hell yeah!

I don’t know if the general dislike of Patrick Reed is the main reason why he hasn’t had a big equipment contract in a while. What I do know is that golf brands, like every other sports brand, are not only looking for good athletes. What they need are outstanding brand ambassadors everybody loves. If this isn’t the case, they won’t let someone onto their payroll simply because bad press is a killer in today’s world of social media. Whether Patrick Reed, aka Captain America, ticks all the necessary boxes in order to be such an ambassador is something you can decide for yourself.

The remaining two major winners were both signed by Nike and must have had some pretty sweet deals. As a consequence, Francesco Molinari and Brooks Koepka won’t be cheap to sign. Whether one of the manufactures will allocate the appropriate money and sign one of them is something the future will tell us.

In this connection, it shouldn’t be forgotten that due to their recent achievements, neither of these players are currently in a financial predicament. Each and every one of them proved themselves to belong to the best golf players in the world. Therefore, it would be a very foolish move to change the winning formula: “I play whatever tickles my fancy.”

Last but not least, it is only fair to say that Nike must have made some pretty good irons. Although I never liked them, there is nothing more to say if one of today’s best ball strikers is desperately looking for certain irons from Nike. Now, before you say something, we’re not talking about Paul Casey or a set of Slingshots!

Instead of debating any further what will or will not happen in the future, we should better enjoy this very unique moment in time and watch what some of the best players in the world believe are the best clubs for them based on performance. At some point soon this will be over again for sure.