Equipment Debrief: New Tour Edge Clubs And Putter Changes For Major Winners

(Image credit: Getty Images)

We start this week’s gear round-up with exciting news for game improvers, as Tour Edge announces the next chapter for one of the game’s most successful GI franchises.

The all-new Hot Launch Max series - a family of drivers, fairway metals, hybrids, irons and wedges - hits retail on February 27, 2026.

We’ve long been a fan of what one of our equipment testers, Joe Ferguson, describes as a "go-to brand outside of the Major manufacturers".

If you’re looking for simple, repeatable launch that makes the game more enjoyable, but you don’t have the budget to invest in a premium brand, Tour Edge should be on your shortlist.

The Max and Max D metalwoods headline the new Hot Launch Max series, which are designed to help game improvers achieve better long-game performance with higher launch, increased distance, and greater forgiveness.

Joe and our team of equipment testers will have more on these clubs in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, here's a sneak peak.

The new Tour Edge Max series — The new Tour Edge Max Launch series

Tour Edge has garnered a reputation for creating high-end golf equipment at mid-level prices, so we're excited to see how these perform. Watch this space.

SCHEFFLER STILL TESTING...

Turning our attention to the major tours, and rarely does a week pass in which we don’t mention Scottie Scheffler.

The American, who narrowly missed out on a second title of the year at the WM Phoenix Open, is still using the TaylorMade Qi10 Dot driver, despite putting the new Qi4D model in the bag at the Hero World Challenge at the end of last year.

However, the four-time Major champion revealed after his second round in Arizona that he was "getting really close" to putting the TaylorMade Qi4D driver into play during competition.

"Yeah, I think we're making progress. I can be a difficult person to get a club in the bag," he said after his second round.

"I'm a little bit adverse to change as it is, and I have got a driver in my bag that's won quite a lot of golf tournaments; had a lot of success with it.

"It's just one of those things that is tough. I'm not going to put anything in the bag unless I feel it's better.

"We are getting really close. There are some improvements I've for seen in the new driver.

"It just hasn't gotten quite where it needs to be in order for me to put it in in competition."

Scottie Scheffler at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open — Scottie Scheffler has yet to make his switch to the new TaylorMade Qi4D driver permanent

If you watched Scheffler making a charge in the final round of the Phoenix Open, you may have seen his reaction after he nuked one straight down the middle of 18.

The World No.1 seemed somewhat taken aback by his final 350-yard plus drive of the day, which left him with a mere flick of a wedge into the green.

This suggests the TaylorMade fitters could still have a little work to do to encourage Scheffler to make the switch - or perhaps he was in fact gaming the new model in the final round?

...SO TOO IS HOVLAND

Meanwhile, Viktor Hovland said the "experimentation continues" in his search for a perfect driver.

A top-10 finish for the Norwegian at the Phoenix Open suggests his game is trending in the right direction.

However, speaking ahead of the tournament, Hovland revealed some of the issues he was having with his driver last year.

"Generally, I tried out the new (Ping) G440 last year because it is faster.

"The spin consistency off the face is a joke. If I hit it off the heel or the toe with a [Ping] G425, the spin discrepancy is very large.

"Like if I hit it off the toe, I can spin it under 2000. If I hit it off the heel, I can maybe get up to 3000.

"Versus the [Ping G] 440, it's very tight. It goes from maybe 2000 to 2600, so a huge gap, and it's also faster."

Viktor Hovland at the 2026 WM Phoenix Open where he was testing a different driver — Hovland was also in 'trial mode' at the WM Phoenix Open

Explaining how the launch of the driver was too high, he said that he'd requested a different driver, with a shaft that was a quarter of an inch shorter.

"It's in that new [Ping] G440K version," he said. "[I'm] just trying to find something I can put in play, and that seemed to be a lot better."

PUTTER CHANGES

We do like to keep track on big putter changes - which is no easy task, as the number of players who seem willing to try different models seems to be growing.

Just on that, Kick Point's Joe recently asked the question - actually, he says it a lot - "Has there ever been a great putter who is always changing what they use?"

Anyway, we digress. We did spot a couple of notable changes on tour at the weekend.

Neither Collin Morikawa nor Brooks Koepka made much of an impression in the desert - the latter, in fact, missed the cut.

So, perhaps Morikawa, who had a TaylorMade Spider 5K-ZT at the Sony Open, won't be sticking with the L-Neck Spider that he switched to in Phoenix.

And perhaps Koepka, another multiple Major champion, of course, will go back to his old Scotty Cameron blade.

Golf nerd update: Brooks Koepka has changed putters this week in Phoenix. After a decade with a Scotty Cameron blade he gaming a TaylorMade Spider mallet.February 4, 2026

It's early days, but Koepka, who recently returned to playing on the PGA Tour after a three-and-a-half year spell on LIV, wasn't at his best on the greens with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet.

The likes of the Ping Anser and Scotty Cameron Newport blades have been mainstays in the hands of the world's best golfers for many years now, but times are changing.

Take a close look at the bags of the modern professional - as we often do - and you'll witness a fundamental shift: the traditional blade putter is in a state of decline, with the their more technologically advanced, high-MOI (Moment of Inertia) mallet and zero torque cousins seemingly taking over.

It will be interesting to see whether Koepka perseveres, but the success of the Spider franchise overall amongst some of the world's best may mean he sticks it out for a little longer.

Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. A multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the England football team, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment, travel and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including seven World No.1s, and has attended and reported on numerous Major Championships and Ryder Cups around the world. He's a member of Formby Golf Club in Merseyside, UK.

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