I Am A Golf Gear Nerd… And Here Are My Equipment Dreams

I am an equipment nerd, there I said it! I love golf equipment and find myself spending a totally unreasonable amount of time thinking about it, testing it and even building it. Whilst there is an abundance of amazing equipment out on the market, there are still a few things that I would love to see within the equipment space. So now, I am going to drift off to sleep and let you into my 2024 equipment dreams…

Odyssey to offer any face insert in any model

Odyssey putters are great. From the first time I laid eyes on one watching Nick Faldo vanquish Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters with his Rossie in hand, I have always had a soft spot. I have played various models over the years, from the 2-Ball, the #7, all the way to my current gamer the Toe Up 9, but I have always longed for one thing... Odyssey, please let us choose our favourite face insert for our favourite model. 

Image 1 of 3

So many times I have picked up one of the Odyssey range and loved the shape and style of a particular head but been disappointed to look down and not see my favourite white hot insert looking back at me. It may be different for you, you might prefer the micro hinge or even the DFX face, but whatever your preference, wouldn’t it be great if you could have it in whichever model you desired? 

I would do some despicable things to get a white hot insert in my Toe Up 9. Come on Odyssey, you do this for Xander and the rest of the tour staff and they don’t even buy your clubs! 

More raw clubs

For many years now, manufacturers have been offering their wedge range in a raw finish. 

For those who don’t know what this means, essentially they leave off the final coating, such as chrome, to leave the wedge in a raw state which allows it to rust. 

However, this trend has been spreading further across the bag and I for one love it! In recent times, some manufacturers have offered a particular model of their irons in a raw finish, such as Callaway with their Apex MB raw or Wilson with their V6 Tour, but it is still something of a rarity. 

One of the coolest new raw trends I have seen is the raw PLD putters from Ping. Viktor Hovland has been sinking putts for fun with his. Billy Horschel has recently added one to his bag, and Sam Bennett took the 2023 Masters by storm as an amateur with a really unique rusty flat stick, but to the best of my knowledge, these are still a tour only offering. 

Please Ping (and everyone else!), share the love. Think about it, it's actually saving you money on the coating process! 

Clean, minimalist wedges

This is one that has bugged me for years! Whilst undoubtedly the best wedges on the market are extremely strong performers and a lot of money goes into their research, development and design, for me the modern wedge is just too fussy! 

In my mind the wedge is more of a fine craft tool than a flashy tech-filled machine like the best drivers. I don’t want to see every piece of technical information stamped all over the back. I don’t want to see more company logos than your average Nascar vehicle. I don’t even particularly want to see any color. 

In an era where the minimalist revolution is gathering pace, I long for clean, unspoiled aesthetics that scream class. 

I honestly believe if one of the major OEM’s released a raw or brushed chrome wedge with one simple, small logo and nothing else, it would be a complete home run for them!

Low lofted Callaway Apex UWs

This one is very personal to me, but this is my dream so I will have what I want! The Callaway Apex UW has been an absolute revelation for me. In that really difficult area of the bag to fill between 3 wood and irons, the minimal, compact head of the UW offered me everything I wanted. The appearance and feel of a fairway wood with the performance and versatility of a hybrid (without the draw bias!). Brilliant, unfortunately, I have become greedy! I love it so much, I want more. 

Currently the Apex UW is only available in 17, 19 and 21 degrees of loft but I recently spied a tour only prototype at 15 degrees which got me very excited. Callaway, please tell me there are plans to bring this to retail, and why stop there… some of us would pay good money for a 13.5 too!

Nike to build clubs again

For any equipment nerd, this is a no brainer! From the cleanest blades you will ever see, to some of the coolest colored fairway woods ever. Driving irons that you will still find in the bag of Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau… 

I miss seeing that swoosh in pro shops across the land. If you could nudge Anthony Kim out of retirement too when you are firing up the machinery again, I would very much appreciate that also!