Equipment

Forum Thread of the Day: “Most overrated/underrated equipment in golf”

Published

7 years ago

Jun 28, 2019

Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from orangeology who asks fellow members to share what they feel are the most underrated and overrated pieces of equipment currently in the sport. Our members divulge, with word one representing overrated, and word two underrated.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire thread and have your say at the link below.

cliffhanger: “Forgiveness / Having high lofted wedges.
Christen_The_Sloop: “Practice / Play. Bridgestone golf equipment – that stuff is underrated
Bubb: “Scotty Cameron putters / Titleist TS2 drivers and fairway woods.
smithy23: “Major OEMs / Srixon Irons”
Kevinz: “Most underrated is the motorised caddies, saves at least two shots per round. Most overrated is the driver shaft, not a whole lot of difference distance wise.”

Entire Thread: “Most overrated/underrated equipment in golf”

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected]

39 Comments

Tully

Jul 23, 2019 at 10:14 pm

Overrated Tiger Woods

Overrated Taylor Made

Underrated – Everything else…

Reply Report comment
- Hank Haney
  
  Jul 24, 2019 at 2:21 pm
  
  Your ignorance is overwhelming.
  
  Reply Report comment
s

Jul 13, 2019 at 5:52 pm

Over – $300+ shafts
Under – MP-37

Reply Report comment
Alfredo Smith

Jul 10, 2019 at 4:42 pm

UnderRated, PXG

OverRated PXG criticism and all the hate, LOL

Reply Report comment
- kevin moran
  
  Jul 15, 2019 at 9:32 pm
  
  Very True. Spot on. Expensive? Yep. Excellent? Yep. I cannot afford a Ferrari, but I can appreciate the excellence of the vehicle. I don’t hate the company for making a premium product.
  
  Reply Report comment
N D Boondocks

Jul 8, 2019 at 2:38 pm

Most over-rated – how far guys claim they can hit their driver

Most under-rated – how far most guys claim the other guy hits his driver

Reply Report comment
Yomomma

Jul 5, 2019 at 9:18 am

Vokey/the umbrella.

Reply Report comment
Eric Grafton

Jul 4, 2019 at 7:28 am

Overrated, most instructors. They all “think” they know what they’re doing..but only teach what worked for THEM at ONE moment in time. Go to 10 different instructors, and you’ll get 9 different ways of doing the same thing. They don’t take into consideration all physical limitations and physical differences of everyone they’re teaching.

These instructors also include those “fitting” someone into a $500 driver. PLEASE!!….they are doing this sport and industry a disservice. Nothing is funnier than watching a guy in our league FINALLY get a hold of one at 280+, (with his $500 driver) and proceed to duff the next shot, or turn a great drive into a triple bogie because he doesn’t know how to USE HIS WEDGE or PUTT.

All they do by selling that driver is ultimately frustrate people into not wanting to play and spend more on golf, because that driver didn’t turn them into a 9 from playing off a 25.

Reply Report comment
- d
  
  Jul 8, 2019 at 12:52 pm
  
  nobody forces anyone to buy anything…..fitting is nothing more than intelligently reducing the possibilities while testing to what you hit best….you can fit yourself if you had more time and all the equipment possibilities laying around. but you dont…
  
  if someone wants to hit 280 with their one good drive instead of 250 then so be it….
  i think fitting on irons as or more important than driver…
  
  Reply Report comment
geohogan

Jul 1, 2019 at 10:59 am

Alignment sticks so overrated.
We stand on our legs…legs are attached to the heels of our feet, so why
do golf instructors lay alignment stick across our toes?

Our alignment is to the quadrant of the ball we intend to impact, not the target line. So why do golf instructors have alignment sticks along target line
as if we intend to impact the back of the ball. its no wonder 95 of golfers slice the ball.

We sweep the inside quadrant of the ball with the heel of the clubface. The design of the golf club ensures the clubface squares to the ball.
Never will happen as long as we misuse alignment sticks

Reply Report comment
Alex

Jun 30, 2019 at 12:23 pm

I think pure shafts make a ton of sense. At very least it gives you less to worry about/ be upset about when you aren’t hitting it well.

Reply Report comment
- geohogan
  
  Jul 1, 2019 at 11:08 am
  
  Golf shafts, off the shelf are worth about $10.
  Imperfect is an understatement. Very overrated.
  
  Pureing a cheap shaft is like, “lipstick on a pig”.
  
  There are shafts that are mostly perfectly round and symmetrical due to
  the manufacturing process. eg Nunchuk Xi at $50
  
  Reply Report comment
Dan

Jun 30, 2019 at 4:04 am

Overrated-PXG, Jumbo Maxx grips, anything that promises distance for seniors and ladies, low compression balls for everyone, chippers, pro-v 1’s price, and most of all puring shafts. No real players do it. Look at all the pro’s , all the shaft logos are down in the same spot, not 1 pured. Huge scam to add cost. You trust the $200+ shafts preformance but not how they want it installed? Plus the shaft doesn’t flex in a straight line anyway. It goes toe up and back to toe down and through. Most amateurs can’t make the same swing twice anyway and the ones that can don’t pure them. If you adjust the driver weighting it affects the way the cluhead releases which if it worked you’d need the shaft repured after every adjustment. Totall BS scam.

Reply Report comment
James Awad

Jun 29, 2019 at 6:59 pm

Titleist & Cameron. Most over rated everything

Underrated? FOURTEEN, Brigestone irons, Srixon irons, Tour Edge proline Wilson proline & Mizuno metal woods – even the hardcore Miz guys won’t even demon them ‘gotta have Titleist driver’????????????

Reply Report comment
John

Jun 29, 2019 at 5:19 pm

See More putters are so underrated. Such quality !!!
Srixon Irons… or is the word out now?

Reply Report comment
- 2putttom
  
  Aug 5, 2019 at 12:19 pm
  
  yep, SRIXON quality words out.
  
  Reply Report comment
joro

Jun 29, 2019 at 4:53 pm

Under rated, Wilson Golf, quality and lower cost. Over rated, all those that have to spend Millions to convince us that their product is the best and in many cases it is nothing but Bull+++T. And included in the Over Rated krap is those self promoting “GURU Teachers. Does the teacher make the player or does the player make the teacher.

Equipment and teachers are both over rated.

Reply Report comment
THETadersalad

Jun 29, 2019 at 8:08 am

Over rated – variable length irons
under rated – single length irons

Reply Report comment
T

Jun 29, 2019 at 2:27 am

460 cc drivers. Complexly under rated and misunderstood.
Who wants to go back to 150cc Persimmons?

Reply Report comment
Rich

Jun 28, 2019 at 10:04 pm

Overrated? Any irons that promise more distance. That’s jive. They offer more distance by strengthening lofts, making the shafts longer, and keeping the number the same. You don’t want more distance. You want predictable distance and precise gapping.

Any woods that promise anything other than more accuracy. Woods are already limited in length, size, MOI and COR. You simply cannot make a wood hit it farther. But you CAN continue to use exotic materials to move weight out to the perimeter to make them more forgiving, and you CAN make them wonderfully adjustable so they can be fit with precision.

PXG? Maybe. Forget price; are they better clubs? If so, then “overrated” isn’t the right adjective. They may not be worth the price, but if they’re really better, they’re not overrated. But are they really better? If not, they’re overrated.

Blades. Sorry, but those are about ego, not performance. They don’t perform better. But people who play this game for a living can it the sweet spot so precisely that perimeter weighting wouldn’t help them anyway. But for the vast majority of golfers, they’re a detriment to their games.

Anything that creates a distinction without a different. The TM SLDR driver, for example. Or the Twist Face–does it really make a difference?

I hit a driver about 245 carry. I carry an 8-iron about 160. If you offer me more distance than that, I’ll pass. (It probably comes from tricks with trade-offs anyway.) But if you offer me more accurate clubs–even if they’re shorter–I’m listening.

Reply Report comment
- geohogan
  
  Jul 4, 2019 at 7:48 am
  
  @ Rich
  Heavier clubheads, with mass further from centerline of the shaft(flywheel)
  will increase forces that cause droop, kick and twisting. These are all causes of less consistency and loss of accuracy.
  ie larger clubheads are often over rated as more accurate, if and when paired with cheap off the shelf golf shafts, that cannot withstand increased forces causing droop, kick and twisting.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Simms
    
    Jul 12, 2019 at 2:47 am
    
    Do think for one minute a major OEM is going to spend up words of $300,000 to develop a driver head and then put it on a shaft it will not work with, even if the shaft cost $10 it will work with the driver head….sure the highest level player is looking at inches and a high end shaft maybe be 5 yards longer of 3% more on line, but by far the average player maybe a 10 or more is going to be fine with tne OEM standard shaft.
    
    Reply Report comment
- JC
  
  Jul 4, 2019 at 7:55 am
  
  You should be carrying your driver 280+ if you carry 8 iron 160.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Michael Constantine
    
    Jul 6, 2019 at 8:43 am
    
    I carry my driver 275 plus and my 8 iron 155 at most. I don’t think driver and iron swings equate in some amateurs such as myself. I’m a fairly strong guy who played baseball all my life. Swinging a driver is like riding a bike for me. Swinging anything less than a 6 iron feels awkward to me and I struggle the further I go down the line from 8-Lob on full shots. So to say if you carry an 8 iron 160 means you carry a driver 280 isn’t always the case.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Bob Johnson
    
    Jul 8, 2019 at 3:58 pm
    
    JC – I could not agree more…
    
    Reply Report comment
  - Rich
    
    Jul 8, 2019 at 6:00 pm
    
    I might be conservative with the driver carry estimate. But I definitely don’t carry it 280.
    
    Reply Report comment
  - RP
    
    Jul 9, 2019 at 4:44 pm
    
    Why? Do you know his driver and iron specs?
    
    Reply Report comment
    - RGL
      
      Jul 25, 2019 at 1:02 am
      
      RP….It points to a lack of efficiency with the driver. A lot of people struggle with that…myself included but am working on it. Typically with amateurs the gapping narrows and efficiency drops as you move to your long irons and woods. Driver carry average for me is 250 which is up from 235. My driver was only about 10yds longer than my 3 wood at that time. 3 wood carry is at 235 now and 8 iron carry is stable at 150. Ideal goal for me is 265-270 carry with a driver. Confident I’ll be there by end of the year as I usually get 2 or 3 out there at that distance in a round now.
      
      Reply Report comment
Madeline Morgan

Jun 28, 2019 at 8:47 pm

Scotty Cameron/Evnroll

Reply Report comment
Distance Compression Dude

Jun 28, 2019 at 12:48 pm

GX7 Hot Metal, Vixa V12, Square Strike Wedge, C3i Wedge, Hammer Driver

All overrated and hot garbage.

Reply Report comment
- MIKE
  
  Jul 9, 2019 at 3:12 pm
  
  You have to yell when you hit the Hammer driver or else it doesn’t perform well. Just like the infomercial. LOL
  
  Reply Report comment
dj

Jun 28, 2019 at 11:49 am

Pured shafts! Overrated!

Reply Report comment
- James Awad
  
  Jun 29, 2019 at 6:54 pm
  
  No. Proven a thousand times on Trackman & high speed HD video at our place. We don’t build any high end irons or install a driver shaft without doing it. It absolutely works
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Dan
    
    Jul 2, 2019 at 9:43 pm
    
    I’ve heard Puring is a must and it’s complete BS. I understand each shaft has a spine and the concept makes perfect sense but people who know a lot more than me don’t think it matters.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Dan W
      
      Jul 25, 2019 at 3:44 am
      
      Look up how high end graphite shafts are made. They don’t have spines. The layers are overlapping. And btw spining shafts find a strong and weak side of the shaft. Either way puring shaft is total BS. I don’t care what someone proves the preformance says otherwise.
      
      Reply Report comment
David Lehmann

Jun 28, 2019 at 11:21 am

PXG!! PXG!!! PXG!!!

Reply Report comment
- David Lehmann
  
  Jun 28, 2019 at 11:22 am
  
  Sorry Overrated!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - David Lehmann
    
    Jun 28, 2019 at 2:20 pm
    
    And Way overpriced!!
    
    Reply Report comment
    - 2putttom
      
      Aug 5, 2019 at 12:20 pm
      
      same sales philosophy as Cameron
      
      Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

1 hour ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.