Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show

Happy Friday, Happy Kick Point Day. With the leaderboard at the PGA Championship looking more like a Sunday at the 3M Open than one of professional golf's premier weekends, hopefully, we can act as an area of respite from the less-than-exciting leaderboard in Charlotte.  First up this week, Joe's got something he needs to get off his chest- why is there such little consensus in golf equipment? Where one fitter might tell you swing weight is the most important aspect of a club fitting, another might tell you it's swing weight. Why is there no standardisation in measuring shaft torque? Or in shaft flex? Why, after all these years, is the so much disagreement in the equipment industry? We try our hardest to figure out why and offer a solution.... The Cool Board see rope caps, 7-woods and animal headcovers in the limelight - where will these three pieces of golf paraphernalia find their way onto the board? Finally, we're off to the kitchen to investigate the tools of Chef Min Woo Lee. A Callaway ambassador, Min Woo has some of the most tour-exclusive equipment Callaway has to offer, as well as potentially the grippiest grips that have ever gripped!  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters:  0:00:00 Intro and new sponsor! 0:06:08 Joe's rant - Why is there no consensus in the equipment industry? 0:27:44 The Cool Board - rope caps, 7-woods & animal headcovers 0:41:26 Min Woo Lee's What's In The Bag

Happy Friday! We've got another bumper episode for you this week, so thanks for downloading.  Ask The Pod this week wants to know what the best and worst club builds and purchases we've made are, and The Cool Board is back for a second week, too. Heading somewhere on the board this week are black irons, 14-way dividers on stand bags and bag tags. Finally, with the PGA Championship starting next Thursday, we thought we'd take a trip down memory lane to 2015 to take a look at what Jason Day had in the bag for his first (and only) Major championship victory. Day was repping a full bag of TaylorMade equipment in 2015, an era where TaylorMade had some mixed results with its hardware and golf balls. So, what did Day use to conquer Whistling Straits ten years ago?  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

It's Friday, it's Kick Point, you know the drill. Thanks for downloading this week's episode. We really do appreciate you supporting and enjoying the show! As always, there's plenty of waffle to start this week, including Joe's Easter adventures in a renovated bus, Dan's trip to HobbyCraft and some of your correspondence on which golf equipment best suits which brand of car.  Onto the actual equipment chat, we've got a review of the latest mini driver to hit shelves, the TaylorMade R7 Quad mini. Does it do much to move the category on from last year's Brnr Copper Mini or is it just a nice excuse for TaylorMade to wheel out some good old-fashioned nostalgia?  We're also introducing a shiny new segment to the show, the Cool Board. Those of you who watched Top Gear may recognise what we've done here, but we must stress that the Cool Board is an entirely different and unrelated premise to Top Gear's Cool Wall. Each week, we'll place a few pieces of golf equipment and brands into one of five categories on our newly designed Cool Board. You'll hear the full rules on the show, but we want you as involved as possible in this, so listen out for how you can get involved.  Finally, we get stuck into the Grand Slam-winning bag of Rory McIlroy. The story this year has been more about what hasn't changed in Rory's bag than what has, so we dive into why he hasn't switched into Qi35 woods and how the chance decision to change golf balls may have been the key to his stunning 2025 so far.  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro, waffling and your correspondence  0:13:55 TaylorMade R7 Quad mini driver review 0:23:40 Introducing 'The Cool Board' 0:30:55 The Cool Board: L.A.B. putters, Malbon and more... 0:54:13 Rory McIlroy What's In The Bag

Happy Friday, and thanks for downloading the show! Settle in for a bumper episode. After Joe's #banthebutler campaign was picked up by No Laying Up last month, we thought it would be fun to think of more special, one-off events that could be run on the PGA Tour. What would happen if players had to play an event using a persimmon driver, 3-SW blade irons and a ballata ball? Who would fare best, and who would fare worst? Joe also answers whether shaft weight or shaft flex is more important in a club fitting. While the answer is (spoiler alert) overwhelmingly shaft weight, he explains why this aspect is so important to get right so your equipment works better for you.  Finally, we welcome short game guru Dan Grieve onto the show for a what's in the bag special. He delves into his newfound love for 7-woods and mallet putters while also detailing exactly why he picks the wedges he uses to chip and pitch so beautifully around the greens. 

Little did we know when we recorded this episode at the end of March that we'd be sitting here right now with Rory McIlroy as a Grand Slam winner. Yes, we filmed this many weeks before the Masters, so we are clueless to Rory's triumph, hence the complete lack of reference to one of the biggest moments in our sport's history!  Back to matters of equipment. This week, Dan has a rant about driving range etiquette and people's obsession with how far they're hitting the ball, Joe has an explainer all about torque in shafts, and this week's Ask The Pod wants to know what our dream equipment and apparel sponsors would be. Later, we're joined by Northern Ireland's second-best golfer (sorry, Tom), gear nerd and equipment aficionado Tom McKibbin, for an in-depth look into his bag for the 2025 season.  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters: 0:00:00 Hello! 0:04:05 Joe was on No Laying Up (sort of) 0:09:05 A driving range rant - stop worrying about yardage!  0:22:53 What is torque in shafts? 0:42:06 Ask The Pod - what equipment brand would we like to be sponsored by? 0:54:29 Tom McKibbin What's In The Bag special! 

Happy Masters Friday! We hope you're enjoying the tournament, and thank you for spending some time with us when there are plenty of other exciting things happening in the world of golf. After a suspiciously L.A.B Golf DF3-shaped Odyssey putter appeared on Tour last month, we ask if copying in the golf equipment industry is a problem or just fair game. Elsewhere, Joe's been playing around with his putter (again) and has changed the shaft in his trusty blade for the first time. Should we all be thinking about our putter shafts in as much detail as driver and iron shafts?  Ask The Pod this week wants to know how long ball manufacturers make old models of golf balls for its Tour pros. We then discuss whether something is going on with Rory's TP5 golf ball after he was caught on a hot mic during TGL last month... We are also thrilled to welcome Rick Shiels onto the show this week. Joe met golf's biggest YouTuber in Singapore last month to chat all things equipment and equipment testing. Has he always been an equipment geek? What are his favorite things to test? How would he make the game easier for amateurs through equipment? All of this and more is answered in our chat.  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters: 0:00:00 Hello!  0:03:35 Equipment copycats! Fair game or blatant cheating?  0:12:43 Joe's testing new putter shafts... 0:22:38 Ask The Pod - When do ball manufacturers stop making old golf balls? 0:36:34 Rick Shiels interview!

Sit back, relax, and get a drink in your hand; it's nearly Masters week! To celebrate, we're heading back to 2019 to take a deep dive into the winning bag of Tiger Woods. Can you call 2019 retro? Either way our popular retro WITB series is back. Thanks to this week's partner GolfClubs4Cash, we have examples of Tiger's clubs with us on set this week. We must stress these aren't Tiger's actual clubs (that would've been some coup), but it's a wonderful addition to Joe's detailed What's In The Bag.  Also this week, Joe catches us all up with his adventures at LIV Golf Singapore. From bumping into Rick Shiels in a 7-Eleven at midnight to embarrassing himself in from of Bryson DeChambeau (again) he's got plenty of Tour gossip and exciting equipment stories to share. Listen out for our exciting Golf Pride Honorary Starter grip set giveaway at the start of the episode, and head over to our Instagram (@kickpointgolf) to get yourself entered before the competition closes on Monday.  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro  0:02:41 Golf Pride giveaway!  0:08:17 Joe's stories from Singapore  0:12:54 When Joe met Bryson 0:18:24 DJ's and Phil's clubs 0:21:32 Tour-only equipment finds & crazy Singapore golf shops 0:26:58 Bumping into Rick Sheils 0:31:01 Our new newsletter! 0:34:23 Some correspondence... 0:38:41 Tiger Woods 2019 What's In The Bag

Joe's got something he wants to get off his chest this week. He thinks the new PXG Wildcat driver has been criminally under-spoken about and wants to give what he thinks is an emerging new driver sub-category the time of day. How can this shortened, lighter, loftier 460cc head driver benefit slower swing speed golfers? The explainer this week focuses on whether the shafts we can also use the shafts Tour pros use. Of course, you can, in theory, but the real question is, should you? Ask The Pod wants to know about Joe's wildest 3D printing dreams (strap in for that segment), while the WITB this week looks at Aaron Rai. The Englishman has been steadily making his way up the world golf rankings and is known for a handful of equipment quirks. We check out his old TaylorMade driver, orange castle tees, double winter gloves and much more.  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters: 00:00 Intro  02:10 PXG Wildcat driver review  09:23 Can I use the same shafts as Tour pros?  21:08 Ask The Pod - What clubs would we design with a 3D printer? 36:55 Aaron Rai WITB

Joe's in storytelling mode this week with two belters about the time he met Rory McIlroy at Celtic Manor and a little-known piece of insight into Tiger Woods' rudimentary equipment secret. We're also bringing back the explainer this week to talk about (get your giggles out of the way now) shaft length. It is a vital and often misunderstood part of the fitting process that has an impact on pretty much everything from distance to consistency - Joe is here to explain exactly how to get it right for your game.  Finally, this week's What's In The Bag is on Tommy Fleetwood. Joe has a direct line to Tommy Fleetwood's actual fitter at TaylorMade HQ, so we've got plenty of insights to share about the Englishman's 2025 set-up.  Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters: 0:00:00 Hello! 0:01:45 Our golfing goals for the year 0:08:10 What we want to see in pro golf this year 0:10:52 When Joe met Rory! Rory's disgraceful grips  0:17:59 Explainer: Does shaft length matter? 0:30:30 Tiger's unique and rudimentary equipment trick 0:42:29 Tommy Fleetwood What's In The Bag

It was a hell of a performance from our relief pitcher (and equipment expert) Sam De'Ath, but he exits stage left to a rapturous reception as Joe retakes his throne on the Kick Point set this week. Not only is he back, but he's also providing a hot take about caddies - 'Why do we have them?'. Given that a few members of the Golf Monthly team are former caddies, his answer certainly ruffled some feathers within the office... As for the rest of the show, we have a Kick Point first - we talk about a club we've BOTH reviewed! Yes, I've taken a break from shoes and bags and been thrown in the deep end to discuss the PXG Secret Weapon Mini Driver - are mini drivers worth it or simply a bit of a marketing gimmick? We discuss. We discuss club gapping on this week's 'Ask The Pod' as we answer listener questions before diving into our latest What's In The Bag and taking a closer look into the equipment used by Ryder Cup star Max Homa following his move to Cobra for the 2025 season. Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: [email protected] Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter  Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint    Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro  0:02:52 Joe's revelation about caddies 0:08:27 PXG Secret Weapon mini-driver review 0:26:17 'Ask The Pod' - Helping with gapping 0:40:07 Max Homa's What's In The Bag 2025