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Are you a high handicap golfer looking to upgrade certain areas of your bag but are unsure as to which clubs you should choose? Well in this video, equipment tester Joe Ferguson runs through every category from driver down to putter and even golf ball and selects his personal favorites to help you really narrow down your search!
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00:00In front of me here, I've created my ultimate bag for high handicap players.
00:05I've got drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, and I'm even going
00:09to talk about balls.
00:11But for now, let's get on with it and let's look at driver.
00:15Right, we're going to start with the big dog, it's drivers.
00:20Now for high handicappers, there's a few things I'd recommend thinking about, three factors
00:24to consider when you're thinking of a new driver.
00:27So we want something we can launch a little bit easily.
00:30Generally speaking, high handicappers might have a slower swing speed, so ease of launch
00:34is something you want to have.
00:36Guys who are not playing, or girls who are not playing an awful lot of golf, might miss
00:39the centre of the face, so we need forgiveness across that face.
00:43A lot more high handicappers tend to miss the ball with a slice, so some of that flight correction
00:47technology can be really, really useful.
00:49So before I get to my winner, I've got a couple of honourable mentions.
00:53The first of which is this Mizuno ST Max driver.
00:56Now a big story around driver technology in 2024 was all about MOI, and this driver personifies
01:02that completely.
01:03What they've done is they've squashed the head down a little shallower so they can push
01:07some more mass sideways and backwards, which really increases that MOI number.
01:12What else increases that MOI number is a massive 54 gram weight at the back of this, which
01:17really stabilises the head.
01:18I don't always associate Mizuno with the game improvement market, but they've made some great
01:23strides there, and this is a really, really good driver to think about.
01:27My second honourable mention is the flagship product of the tailor-made driver range this
01:32year, the Qi10 Max.
01:33Now this is the driver, the whole range was named after the Qi10 Quest for Inertia 10,
01:38and this is the driver that made it.
01:40So again, it's a very similar principle.
01:42Squashed down head, pushed more mass wide, fixed weight at the back to again increase that
01:47stability number.
01:48What I really liked about this was the improved aesthetic over Stealth 2.
01:52Much prefer the dark blue face, much prefer the rounder profile.
01:56My winner of my ultimate game improvement driver for 2024 for high handicappers is the
02:07Callaway Paradigm AI Smoke Max-D.
02:10Now the tech behind it was the AI smart face.
02:14So Callaway took real data from thousands and thousands of players with different deliveries
02:19and different impacts, and the AI computer spat out a really efficient face, which does
02:24an incredible job.
02:25And not only does it do a really good job with correcting your off-sensor hits, it sounds
02:30and feels brilliant too.
02:31So the acoustic is a really nice kind of dull thud.
02:37Really kind of nice muted dull hit there, and a real deep sensation at impact.
02:41I love the feel of this driver.
02:44And what I love more about it is the fact that it's just so difficult to hit to the right.
02:48It launches so, so high, but the centre of gravity and the work they've done with the
02:53internal weight on the head just makes it so easy for me to turn it over.
02:57And if you're someone who struggles with that big right miss, everything about this driver
03:01is screaming, help to get it up in the air and help to turn it over.
03:05And as I said, when you see that, and you see that ball not wanting to go off to the right,
03:12you can really get some confidence to start releasing it down the line.
03:15You've got a really good solid driver, easy to hit, wrapped up in a beautiful package,
03:19and that's why it's my ultimate driver for high handicappers of 2024.
03:27On to fairway woods.
03:28Now, fairway woods are a particularly interesting category for high handicappers because they
03:32need to do a lot of different things.
03:33For example, if you're a high handicapper who struggles with swing speed, you might end
03:37up with a lot of long second shots, certainly into par fives, but even into par fours, so
03:42you're going to need it to perform well from the deck and be a really easy to launch club.
03:47If you happen to be a high handicapper who just struggles with driver, maybe dispersion
03:51a little bit, you might want it to perform well off the tee as a strong alternative that
03:55can keep you in play a little bit more.
03:58So we need it to do a lot of things.
03:59So without further ado, my first honorable mention is the Ping G430 Max.
04:04Now this is a beautiful looking fairway wood, extremely user friendly with a very, very shallow
04:10depth of face.
04:11So it's really easy to get under the ball and launch it.
04:14And like I said, very, very user friendly in that regard.
04:17We've got some good adjustability with the hosel so you can change the loft and face angle
04:20to suit your particular characteristics.
04:23And our fairway wood tester, Sam Diath, really liked how this performed out the rough.
04:26He found it very easy to get out of some tricky lies.
04:29So that's something to think about too when selecting your fairway wood.
04:32My second honorable mention is the TaylorMade QI10 Max.
04:36Now what I love about this one is the large footprint.
04:40So again, similar to the driver, they squashed it down, they've created a very shallow head,
04:44which again helps you launch the ball.
04:45But they push that weight back and they push the mass and the real estate to give you a really
04:49large footprint and really confidence inspiring down there at address.
04:54And with that MOI being so far back, it's super stable and super forgiving.
04:58So this is one of the straightest that I've seen.
05:01But that said, my winner in this category is the Cobra Darkspeed Max.
05:08Now this absolutely blew us away, the Cobra Darkspeed Max.
05:11In fact, the whole range was really, really impressive.
05:13Firstly, just the aesthetics, really stealthy.
05:16I love this whole blacked out look that actually translates to the head cover as well.
05:20One of the coolest head covers in the game.
05:22But from a performance point of view, this stacks up with anything else on the market
05:26and actually comes in a fraction cheaper than some of the major manufacturers,
05:30which is always a plus point.
05:32Now, again, performance wise, we've got tons of adjustability here.
05:35We've got the adjustable hosel where we can change the loft and change the face angle.
05:39But not only that, we've got these additional weights on the sole,
05:42where we can make it more or less draw bias, pull some more MOI back,
05:46and change it about to really fine tune the characteristics.
05:49Now, it's slightly deeper face than some of the others I've mentioned.
05:53So it doesn't necessarily look any more intimidating behind the ball,
05:57but I've picked this because I want it to do both things.
06:00I want to have a really good fairway wood option off the deck,
06:02and I want it to give me a little bit more off the tee as well.
06:05I love the feel of this off the face.
06:09Slightly more high pitched than some of the other things,
06:11but it's just a really solid feeling club.
06:14And all the numbers I get with this, it doesn't spin off the charts,
06:17but it gives you enough to make sure the ball is going to stay in the air.
06:20So all round performance wise, adjustability, looks and price.
06:25This is a brilliant fairway wood option, and that's why it's my choice.
06:28Okay, on to hybrids.
06:33Now, hybrids are generally very, very important for high handicap players
06:37because as we start to go up the irons into the longer areas,
06:41they become more and more difficult to hit and more and more difficult to launch in the air.
06:45So hybrids are really, really good long iron replacement for those who struggle with launch.
06:50Now, because of that, they're replacing irons.
06:52It's really important to think about how many hybrids you might want in your set
06:56and what those loft increments will be to match in not only with your irons,
06:59but blend you seamlessly through into your fairway wood.
07:02So that's something to really consider.
07:04So without further ado, my first honorable mention is the Ping G430 Hybrid.
07:10Now, there's a lot to love about this.
07:12It's one of the most forgiving that I've tried, particularly on low strikes.
07:16When you hit it a little bit low on the face, a little bit thin,
07:18the spin retained really, really well.
07:21So it still launches nice and high and very, very forgiving this one.
07:24Adjustability, again, great.
07:26So we've got the adjustable hosel here so you can fine tune your lofts and your distances
07:30and your face angles a bit to suit your specific requirements.
07:33A really, really strong hybrid from Ping.
07:36Now, my second honorable mention, and I make no apologies for having another TaylorMade QI10 Max product.
07:41They've done a great job with this range, particularly for high handicappers.
07:46Love how easy this is to launch.
07:48It goes straight up in the air, plenty of spin on it.
07:50Really, really user friendly.
07:52One of the other things I love about it is the alignment help.
07:55There's a little silver strip on the top edge, which contrasts really well.
07:59You've got a black face and a black crown.
08:01So having that little white strip makes it a little bit easier to line up.
08:05And like I said, incredibly easy to launch and one of the most user friendly on the market.
08:09But my favorite hybrid and my choice for the ultimate hybrid for high handicappers this year is the Wilson Dynapower.
08:15Now, this is slept on, to coin a phrase.
08:18We don't think about Wilson much in this regard, but it's just such a wonderful hybrid for, again, a fraction of the price of some of the other major manufacturers.
08:27It's got a slightly deeper face.
08:28And for those of you who missed the ball right a little bit, having a little bit more offset, which this does have, gives you a little bit more time to get the face to square up and avoid that right hit.
08:38It's a little bit firmer than some, which some might like, some might not.
08:42I actually really enjoy how robust this feels.
08:44And again, like most of these other hybrids, incredibly easy to launch.
08:48I really like that in behind the ball.
08:50And when you hit it, like I said, it's a little bit tinny, a little bit firmer than most.
08:56I love that. It feels robust.
08:58Then if you picked that up, that's straight up my nose, really easy to launch.
09:01And one of my favorite hybrids, hence why it is my ultimate hybrid for high handicappers of 2024.
09:07Irons.
09:12So there is no point having a brilliant driver, fairwayward hybrid, if we do all those great shots and we get down here and we're duffing our iron shots down the fairway.
09:19So crucial for high handicap players to have the right irons.
09:22With that in mind, my first honorable mention is the Cleveland Zipcore XL.
09:28When I first pulled it out, I didn't know quite what to make of it because it really is very unique looking.
09:32Down behind the ball, heel to toe.
09:34It's so, so long, but I love that for confidence.
09:37It just feels like you've got so much face to play with.
09:40And when we're in the high handicap market, the more we can do to improve that confidence and give you the feel you're going to succeed, the better.
09:47The feel off the face is very, very robust.
09:49Like I say, you just don't feel like you're going to miss the middle because there's just so much mass there for you.
09:57And I just love the whole aesthetic.
10:00It takes a little bit of getting used to that heel to toe length, but when you do, it's really, really beneficial.
10:05Now, my second honorable mention is the Cobra Dark Speed Iron.
10:09Now, these were one of the first game improvement irons I tried this year and they blew me away.
10:14The first thing I love was the really dark finish.
10:16So despite the fact it's quite an oversized head with a little bit of offset, because of that dark finish, it's a little bit slimming.
10:22It makes it feel a little bit more compact than it actually is, which is great.
10:26The reason maybe it didn't win is it's possibly a little bit niche.
10:30They're so strong in loft.
10:31So if you're someone who's struggling for distance and you need that power boost, then this might well be your choice because they are absolute rocket launchers.
10:38A little bit more high pitched in terms of the noise, but just so very, very powerful.
10:45Just such a strong, strong forward flight.
10:48So if you're struggling for distance and you don't mind a more penetrating ball flight, this could very well be the choice for you.
10:55But my winner of the best iron for high handicappers of 2024 in my ultimate bag setup is the Ping G730.
11:04This was released a little bit later than those other two irons.
11:07It was a bit late to the party, but what a great addition.
11:10Now, tech wise, it's been heat treated, which increases the face flex and gives it a slightly lower CG and it performs really well.
11:17It's really, really powerful.
11:18And I love the Ping Hydro Pearl finish.
11:21So even when you're playing in the rain or dewy conditions, it still spins and still launches really, really well.
11:26One of the other things I like about this, other than the feel and the lovely profile behind the ball.
11:31And I'll tell you that after I just tickle this one away, is I just love how it comes in three loft specs as well.
11:39Ping do their standard loft, their retro spec, which is a little bit weaker.
11:43So if you need a little bit more launch, you can get that or their power spec, which is again, de-lofted a bit.
11:48So you can really fine tune in your preferences.
11:50We've got a great look.
11:51We've got a lot of tech and we've got a lot of options in this Ping G730.
11:55Hence why it's my ultimate game improvement iron for high handicappers of 2024.
12:00So anyone who knows anything about golf will tell you so many of your shots, such a large proportion are played from within a hundred yards of the green.
12:11So having the right wedges for your game is absolutely crucial.
12:14And one of the big growth markets in golf is game improvement wedges, where we're using cavity backs, perimeter weighting to make them more forgiving.
12:21And I pulled out one of my favorites here.
12:23So I've got three that I'm going to talk about.
12:25My first honorable mention is the Cobra SBX.
12:27First thing I love about this, it's got a really nice teardrop shaped sole, which really helps with turf interaction.
12:33A nice oversized head and we've got these full face grooves.
12:36So everything about this screams, you can hit it anywhere on the face and it's still going to perform.
12:40It's a really, really nice, friendly option in a wedge.
12:44So that wasn't a great strike and that's still got out there nicely, gripped up nicely.
12:49And I've got a really good putt for par there.
12:52So my second option here, my second honorable mention, I've got the Cleveland CBX4.
12:58Now this is one of, it's got a really high performance groove in this.
13:01This is one of the spinnier wedges that we've tried.
13:03Again, a nice oversized offering, a really heavy cavity there.
13:06So on the fuller shots, this is really, really good.
13:08And I think sometimes we forget that.
13:10We're always picking wedges that are going to be good for the intricate shots around the green.
13:13But don't forget, we're going to hit a lot of fuller pitch shots with this.
13:16So this sort of heavy cavity really gives you that assurance that you're going to have a decent chance of getting the fuller shots close.
13:23That's a 52, so it's come out a bit lower.
13:25But again, nice little grab on the second bounce there.
13:28Really like the grooves of the Cleveland.
13:30But my winner in the game improvement or high handicap wedge category is the Callaway CB.
13:36Now, this has got a very, very oversized head, which gives me great confidence down behind the ball.
13:42And it's got a really nice thick sole, which I found in, whether it's a tight fairway, whether it's thick rough or in the bunker,
13:48it's a really, really versatile wedge that gets you through all sorts of situations.
13:52Now, one other thing that I've been banging on about all year is full face grooves.
13:56This has it again.
13:57So everything about this screams user friendly and it just takes a bit, excuse me, a bit of the stress out of the short game there.
14:05Again, as soon as I put that down behind the ball, it's like a nice chrome finish.
14:09There's a bit more gloss to it.
14:10It just looks forgiving.
14:11Again, I've hit that a little bit heavy, but the sole, the thickness of that sole helped it glide through the turf.
14:18And I've got really acceptable results.
14:20Arguably, I've not played any of those fantastically and I've got really good looks to get those up and down.
14:25So that's why I love this Callaway wedge, really forgiving and versatile.
14:29And that's why it would be in my bag if I was a high handicapper this year.
14:36The putter.
14:37Now, what do we need in a putter for high handicapper?
14:39So if you're not playing an awful lot or you struggle on the greens, we want something that's easy to use.
14:43So something with a bit of forgiveness and a bit of stability is important,
14:47but also something that's very, very easy to line up is critical.
14:50So bearing that in mind, my first choice is the Teardrop TD5 putter.
14:55Now, this is one of the most easy to align putters I've ever seen.
14:58We've got two bright white contrasting lines with a black finish,
15:01one coming off the flange to line the ball up with,
15:03and a corresponding one with a leading edge, which makes it very easy to put that leading edge square.
15:08It's a multi-material putter, which gives it a really interesting feel.
15:12And it's kind of a curved face with some grooves in, which really helps roll.
15:17So if you're someone who steps out of your putts and hits it a bit low on the face,
15:20you're going to get the ball rolling a bit quicker.
15:22So like I said, very easy to line up squarely to the hole.
15:26And even if you hit it a little bit high on the ball,
15:28you've got a nice option that gets it rolling aggressively towards the hole.
15:32And that's a really good putt.
15:33So that's a nice option for you.
15:35My second honourable mention is from Wilson, and it's the Infinite Bucktown.
15:40Now this will be a familiar shape to a lot of you.
15:42It's, dare I say it, that Odyssey Fang, Odyssey No. 7 shape.
15:46But that's a wonderful shape.
15:47It gives us loads of MOI, loads of pyramidal weighting.
15:51And there's a few things I really like about this putter.
15:53The matte black finish is really premium looking.
15:56It's one you need to be careful with and make sure you use your head cover,
15:59because they can chip a little bit these.
16:00But if you're someone who's careful with it,
16:02you can preserve this finish and it looks great.
16:04Now to contrast that with a very sort of dark matte black finish,
16:07we've got these bright white alignment aids, three of them on the top edge.
16:11So again, very easy to line up.
16:13One final thing, the grip is excellent on this.
16:15It's no taper, so it's the same thickness all the way down.
16:18So if you're someone who's a bit handsy on the putt,
16:20or is prone to the odd, dare I say it, yip,
16:23this is a grip that can really help with that kind of stuff.
16:25It does feel a little bit firmer than some,
16:27but again, if that's a problem to you,
16:29you can counteract that with a softer ball.
16:31So that's no real issue.
16:33Exceptionally easy to line up.
16:36Like I said, a little bit firmer off the face.
16:38That was audibly a little bit more higher pitch,
16:40but I actually quite like the feel of that.
16:42But my winner in this category is a Cleveland putter,
16:45and it is the Cleveland HB Soft 2,
16:47and this is the Retrieve model.
16:49And the one thing I like about this model,
16:50if you're lazy like me and you play gimmies,
16:52or even if it goes in the hole actually,
16:54and you just want to pick your ball up,
16:55just jab it and you don't even have to bend down.
16:57So that's one for the real lazy people amongst you,
16:59which I like a lot.
17:01Now there is a bit of tech around this putter
17:03other than just being able to pick the ball up with it.
17:05It's got progressive face milling.
17:07So the milling gets a bit tighter in the centre of the face
17:09and is a bit further spread when you come to the heel and the toe.
17:13So that increases the speed if you hit it off the heel and toe,
17:16which would generally reduce the speed.
17:18So that matches up and it will help you hit your distances a little bit easier.
17:22Now that deep milling helps it feel very, very soft as well.
17:25Comfortable alignment aids.
17:27And yeah, like I said, with the name HB Soft,
17:29you'd expect a soft feel.
17:31If it's too soft for you,
17:32you can then afford to go for a more distance orientated firmer ball.
17:35So you've got some options there as well.
17:37Love the alignment aids on this.
17:39Love the feel.
17:40It's got a very premium grip as well,
17:41which I really like.
17:42And for that reason,
17:43and because of that lovely putt,
17:48that is my favourite putter in the ultimate bag for high handicappers.
17:57That's all the club's done,
17:58but let's not forget about the golf ball.
18:00It's the one piece of equipment used on every single shot.
18:03Now, as high handicappers, let's face it,
18:06you might be prone to losing more golf balls than lower handicap players.
18:09So price is often at the forefront of any purchasing decision
18:13when it comes to golf balls.
18:14So three of the favourite sort of price conscious balls that I've tested
18:17would be the Titleist Truffield.
18:19That's a really good all round ball,
18:20good levels of spin,
18:21good level of distance and very durable.
18:24Another one of my favourites is the Srixon AD333.
18:27That's a bit firmer.
18:28I find I get a little bit more distance out of that.
18:30So if you're struggling for distance or using a very soft putter,
18:32as we discussed,
18:33that might be a nice ball to match up.
18:35And my final choice is the TaylorMade Speedsoft.
18:38Now there's loads of choices.
18:39They've gone big into visual technology.
18:41It's a really, really soft feeling ball
18:44and you can do a lot to personalise it with different colours and all sorts.
18:47So really fun, very affordable and a really good performing golf ball.
18:51Okay, so I hope you found that helpful.
18:53I hope it's given you a good starting point
18:55if you are looking for some more clubs in the high handicap market.
18:59If you've enjoyed this video,
19:00don't forget to hit the like button and do subscribe to the channel.
19:03It really does help us.
19:05And get in those comments down below.
19:06If I've missed anything
19:07or you think there's something that everyone should be playing,
19:09let us know about it.
19:10We'd love to hear about it.
19:11See you next time.
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