The Equipment Debrief: Bryson's Shock Wedge Change And New Balls To Conquer Short Putts

It’s official. Golf balls with fancy lines and graphics are the hottest trend in golf ball design. This you probably knew already, but the new Titleist Alignment Integrated Marking (AIM) golf balls reinforce just how popular this type of model has become.

The AIM designs were already available on the Pro V1, Pro V1x, and Pro V1x Left dash. However, if you were an AVX, Tour Soft, Velocity, or TreFeel user, you didn’t have the option.

This is no longer the case, as Titleist has completed its lineup of advanced alignment design across its entire range.

The AVX and TruFeel models are both offered with new AIM 360 markings, custom printed around the circumference of the golf ball, while AIM Performance designs are featured opposite the sidestamp on both Tour Soft and Velocity.

Just the same balls with a few fancy lines? Not quite, for there’s a real performance benefit on the greens to be had here. Through testing, the experts at Titleist have shown that players using its AIM designs are up to 35% more precise in aligning their putts.

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Interestingly, the results showed that AIM is more valuable as you get farther from the hole. If you haven’t tried a golf ball that features alignment assistance, it surely has to be worth testing yourself over a round or two, or at least a 15-minute trial on the putting green.

We’ll leave you with one final thought on this: approximately two-thirds of Titleist golf ball players on the PGA Tour mark their Pro V1 or Pro V1x with some kind of alignment cue.

As we said, maybe give one of these golf balls a try.

If you are considering a ball change, Ben Hogan Golf has just made its move into the premium golf ball category with the new GS53, a model designed to meet the demands of serious golfers.

We have a few of those on the team, and we're keen to see how this four-piece model compares to the more established premium balls.

The GS53 golf ball arrives as part of Ben Hogan’s ongoing expansion in the premium equipment space, offering players products that support better performance at every level of the game.

Titleist GTS First Look

Now, as we reported yesterday, Titleist has also started the process of fitting players on the PGA Tour with a new line of drivers, with a number of the world’s finest getting their first look at the GTS range at this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open and LPGA Ford Championship.

Set to replace the GT drivers as one of the best golf drivers on the market, which originally launched in August 2024, the GTS drivers appear to follow the same naming convention as the previous family.

We all knew this was coming, of course, following a recent social media tease from Titleist, which read: “Finally, a driver faster than GT”.

From the images released by Titelist, it appears staff player Ludvig Aberg will be one of the first in line to try the new GTS driver.

One notable change is the silver weight on the back of the drivers, which will likely be there to increase Moment of Inertia (MOI), enhancing the stability of the drivers when the ball is not struck off the center of the clubface.

As for what the ‘S’ stands for, any ideas? We’ll have more in the coming days and weeks as our equipment testers get to work on the launch monitor.

NEW FROM NEW BALANCE

Right, golf shoes now. If you’re still umming and ahing over which shoes to kick off the new season with, maybe this spring/summer collection from New Balance will give you a few ideas.

Or maybe this range will make it even more difficult for you to make a decision, for there are 16 styles to choose from (view a selection in the gallery below), including a number of favorites as well as fresh colors.

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Not even resident golf shoe expert Dan Parker will be testing every model, but he will be offering his take on the various styles and key technology that features in the range over the coming weeks.

DOUBLE-WIN WEEKEND FOR BETTINARDI

Onto tour gear news now. In claiming his third PGA Tour victory at the Valspar Championship, Matt Fitzpatrick gave Bettinardi its first putter win this season.

The Englishman switched to a DASS BB48 Proto last August, before putting Bettinardi’s DASS BB1 Flow in the bag at The Players Championship.

It had an immediate impact, too, with Fitzpatrick falling just one shot back of the winner at TPC Sawgrass.

This is a player who is starting to look back to his very best, someone who also looks dangerous on the greens and ready to have a serious crack at the Masters.

Surely the DASS BB1 Flow will get the nod, for no one has ever conquered Augusta’s treacherous greens without being 100 per cent comfortable with their putter.

In case you’re wondering, ‘DASS’ stands for double-aged stainless steel, which explains the premium price tag. We must say, it’s also a very classy-looking weapon.

Bettinardi has developed a fine reputation for its expert craftsmanship when it comes to putters, and its wedges have recently received a massive endorsement courtesy of Bryson DeChambeau and his winning streak.

It’s now two LIV victories in a row for the two-time US Open champion, who followed his win in Singapore with another title at LIV Golf South Africa.

It’s hard to keep track of DeChambeau’s What’s In The Bag? and even harder to work out what he is and is not happy with equipment-wise at any given point.

However, the 32-year tweaker appears to be comfortable with his set-up at present, especially his wedges, with a couple of new Bettinardi HLX 6.0 Forged wedges (50 and 56 degrees) making their way into his ever-changing bag.

The American made the switch from the Bettinardi HLX 5.0 to the new HLX 6.0 wedges, and he looked well in control around the greens.

Just like Fitzpatrick, his game is trending in the right direction ahead of the season’s first Major Championship of the season.

NEW VENTUS TR BLACK AND VENTUS TR RED

And finally, Fujikura has bolstered its Ventus TR collection with the launch of the new Ventus TR Black and Ventus TR Red shafts.

Developed with its VeloCore+ technology, the new models follow the recently-launched Ventus TR Blue, which was described by Golf Monthly's Joe Ferguson as a “masterclass in refinement rather than reinvention”.

The new shafts are designed for golfers on opposite ends of the launch and spin spectrum - with the new TR Blue sitting in between them in terms of offering a mid launch compared to mid/high (Red) and low (Black).

The new Ventus TR Black profile is stiffer in the mid section and very stiff in the tip and handle sections compared to the TR Blue, and maintains its low launch and low spin for golfers who generate faster swing speeds.

Meanwhile, the new Ventus TR Red profile is slightly softer in the mid and tip sections, delivering a mid-to-high launch with additional spin for golfers who struggle in both areas.

No doubt our shaft guru will have more for you on these two new profiles, available at retail from April 20, in the coming weeks.