The 9 Oldest Clubs The Golf Monthly Team Still Use Today
We all love modern technology, but there are some GM team members who haven't been able to replace certain trusty clubs...
Golf manufacturers promise increased distance, accuracy, a better roll and increased turf interaction when they release the best golf clubs each year, but it's often hard to replace something you've grown very fond of.
So, with that in mind, I wanted to find out what the oldest club in the bag of my Golf Monthly colleagues was. We see tour players continue to use (and win with) old clubs, and it turns out it's the same with the GM team.
Some of us are lucky to test out all of the newest gear each year and, on the whole, we all do make good use of the most up-to-date technology. Just not in all 14 clubs, as I discovered.
From drivers and fairway woods we've grown to trust to irons we simply don't think can be beaten and perhaps a couple of older models that might be on their way out soon, here's a look inside our golf bags at the particular section we haven't upgraded in a long time.
And let us know what your oldest club in the bag is in the comments section below...
What's the oldest golf club still in your bag today?
Oldest club: Titleist Vokey SM7 wedge (2018)
My oldest club is my Titleist Vokey SM7 58˚.
I went through a wedge fitting for the first time a few years ago and was blown away by the difference the correct grind made in my short game.
This one has a V grind which is an option through the Vokey WedgeWorks platform.
It is now a few years old and, in truth, the grooves are past their best, but having struggled with my wedge game for so long, this was a real game-changer.
We've reached the point where there's almost an element of superstition about keeping it in the bag!
Oldest club: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 3-wood (2013)
The oldest club in my golf bag is the TaylorMade RocketBallz Stage 2 3-wood from 2013, and if I'm lucky I'll still be using it in 2033.
It's without question the sweetest club I've ever struck and, as the name suggests, it goes a country mile when you catch it out of the screws.
I've hit some modern fairway woods and none of them stack up to the RBZ 3-wood in my opinion.
I also love the white colour scheme with the grey and yellow accents on the crown - they all combine to frame the ball beautifully and offer contrast to the black face.
It's a trusty fairway finder and I'm so confident with it off the deck, too. I'm not a particularly long hitter, but I can carry it 220 yards if I really catch it, which brings many par 5 greens into play.
It's not in the best condition anymore, with chipped paintwork, various scratches and elements of rust, but it'll continue having pride of place in my bag until it completely gives up on me.
Oldest club: Ping i230 irons (2022)
Technically the oldest club in my bag right now is a 2012 TaylorMade RBZ 3-wood, but that's very new to me as I only bought it second hand this summer, so I'm not counting it.
The oldest and longest standing clubs in my bag right now are my Ping i230 irons, which I've had since late 2022.
Being positioned where I am in the industry, I get to test a lot of irons, but none have ticked all the boxes quite like these i230s for me.
As an 8-handicap golfer, they offer the perfect blend of 'player' looks without being too intimidating, a soft feel that still has a bit of pop to it that gives me a sense of power, and enough forgiveness off centre to not overly punish my poor strikes.
I've long admired Ping irons. They're cultured, hold their value well, and the i230 (or other irons in that lineage like the i210 and i240) have some tour validation too, which is always nice.
They age wonderfully thanks to the timeless design language they use and now I've paired them with Fujikura Axiom graphite shafts, I believe I found an iron head and shaft combination that will last me a long while yet.
Oldest club: Ping G400 Max driver (2018)
Finding the Ping G400 Max seemed to coincide with me working out how to properly drive the ball and my game really improved about that time.
Driving is now the strongest part of my game and it feels that change of driver played a major part.
I recently asked GM gear guru Joe Ferguson whether I should upgrade and he told me the G400 is still one of his favourite models from over the last 10 years.
I see no reason to tinker with the one part of the bag I can rely on!
Oldest club: Nike VRS Covert 2.0 Tour 5-wood (2014)
I don’t see myself ever getting rid of this golf club.
I know, some people hated the red and white finish on the head when it first came out back in 2014, but I love it.
It's especially good when playing in the sun as the red really pops without being distracting.
It is also my go-to club off the tee when fairways get narrow, it works when hitting into par 5s, and despite being a 5-wood it doesn’t fly too high for my liking.
Oldest club: Odyssey White Hot Tour #2 putter (2008)
My bag is fairly new throughout due to a brilliant custom fitting experience that I had in April and a set of new wedges that graced my bag in May, but there is still an old faithful that often sneaks its way in.
When my TaylorMade Tour Spider X putter misbehaves, which is fairly frequently, then I substitute in the veteran: my Odyssey White Hot Tour #2.
Some may wince at my flagrant switching between blade and mallet, but I've made peace with it.
Sometimes I roll it well with the newer model, and sometimes I feel empowered by the White Hot magic.
Oldest club: Srixon ZX 3-wood (2021)
My oldest club currently is a Srixon ZX 3-wood that I acquired at a GM test day in 2021.
The 3-wood is always a difficult club to nail down and this one has remained because I like the head size and face depth and feel equally comfortable hitting it off the tee and fairway.
Oldest club: Titleist TSR4 driver (2022)
My previous driver was too spinny and I was giving up yardage, so the Titleist TSR4 has been a true game-changer for me. I would comfortably say it is the best driver I have ever owned.
I've previously suffered with the driver 'yips' and my Titleist has turned driving from a weakness into a real strength.
It dramatically increased my distance thanks to the lower spin it produces, and the Tensei AV shaft it's fitted with works very well for my swing. It wasn't custom fit, so I have definitely been lucky.
Whether it's the swing weight or just the combination of the shaft weight and flex, while paired with the TSR4 head it is a driver I can trust that has become very predictable. It feels fantastic and, due to the smaller head size, it is also workable and easy to hit draws and fades.
I was custom fit for a new driver this year and it only managed five or six rounds before being replaced. It was very good at times, but on the whole it felt much harder to square up than my TSR4 that feels like it is made for me. If something works, keep it in the bag and my driver definitely does that.
Oldest club: Nike Method Converge S2-12 putter (2015)
The oldest club in my bag is my putter! The Nike Method Converge S2-12.
I bought it a few months after it was released in 2015 for my 21st birthday and I've used it ever since. I only bought it because I thought it looked cool!
At the time, I had very little to no idea about how different putters suited different people, but I may have accidentally stumbled across my ideal club.
Having said that, my putting 'ability' has slowly eroded over time, so maybe it wasn't so perfect after all!
What's the oldest club in your bag? Join the conversation below...