I Built The Ultimate Bag From 2002 And The Performance Shocked Me!

As an equipment writer, I get to test an awful lot of new golf clubs, which is absolutely fantastic, but even with such a fun job, the constant reading of press releases and learning about new technologies can get a little tiresome at times. Feeling somewhat nostalgic one day, I decided to scour the GolfClubs4Cash app to have a look at some of my favourite clubs of all time. It soon became very apparent that my nostalgia had led me to a very specific time, and almost all of my choices were from 2002! So, without further ado, here is my ultimate bag of 2002…

Driver

For the big stick, I opted for the R510tp from TaylorMade, which I picked up for just £29.99, and the performance was surprisingly good even after over 20 years.

I pitted it up against the TaylorMade Qi35 LS driver to see how the data compared, and in truth, it was a fairly comprehensive victory for the 2025 driver in data terms, averaging around 30 yards longer for me. It was in the unquantifiables, however, such as looks and feel, where this driver still absolutely delivered. The squat, compact head still looks brilliant behind the ball, and if I could replicate the impact feel for every driver I test, I would be a happy man.

Spinning around 600 rpm more than its modern counterpart was where it lost most of its yardage, but for players looking for stability of flight and to keep the ball in play a touch more, this could still be a potent option, particularly at that price!

Fairway Wood

Around 2002, there was only one king of the fairway wood market for me, and that was Callaway. As such, I selected the Callaway Steelhead III in a 4 wood as my choice. Some great memories of playing this club myself for at least two years were the main catalyst for the choice, but a close second would be the ridiculous £24.99 price tag! For a modern-day comparison, I brought in the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke in a comparable loft, and I have to say the results were surprising.

Although I gave up a significant 8 mph of ball speed, this only translated to 6 yards of distance, due to the strong spin profile of the Steelhead III. Over 600 rpm less spin than the 2025 model resulted in a very strong penetrating ball flight, from a beautifully solid impact feel, left me feeling confident that I could game this fairway wood today with no qualms.

Irons

For my irons, I opted for a more game improvement style club in this department, leaning on the ever-reliable Ping iron lineup, more specifically the i3 O-Size, which I purchased for a little over £100! This iron was, and remains, a good, solid, hard-wearing iron that delivers consistency and forgiveness in bucket loads. To see if it still had the magic, I brought in the 2025 Ping i530 to compare some numbers, and I would say unequivocally it did. The hollow body and flexing face of the i530 produced a few mph more ball speed and such around 6 yards of carry, but in terms of the consistency, dispersion, and spin rates, the i3 very much held its own.

When considering just how well Ping product ages in terms of wear and tear, too, it left me scratching my head at the incredibly low price tag. Some serious value on offer here!

Wedges

For me, the Vokey 200 series was the only choice here, remaining to this day my favorite iteration. I was startled at the almost identical profile when put next to its modern counterpart, the Vokey SM10. Dimensions, offset, and top line had not changed a bit!

With spin generally considered the most important data point of a wedge, I was keen to see how much the 200 series had retained over two decades, so I took to the launch monitor and clipped a series of mid-range pitch shots with a target carry of 80 yards.

Inevitably, the spin was a touch higher on the fresh SM10 wedge, but I was genuinely shocked by how little. There was less than a 400 rpm difference between the two wedges, which is remarkable given the 20-year age gap, and the launch angle was within 0.3 of a degree!

Putter

Those of you who know your Scotty Camerons will notice that I have cheated here! The Newport Teryllium Long neck that I selected was not in fact from 2002, it was released in 1997 and made famous by one Eldrick Tiger Woods. However, I have created a loophole for myself whereby if I were still using it in 2002, it counts.

I did blow my budget here, though, and forked out £240.99 for this classic putter, but it did not disappoint. The Teryllium insert (which is an alloy of 12 metals) felt as beautifully soft as ever, and I actually much preferred the softer bumpers and curves over the slightly sharper lines of the modern Newports. Rolling some putts with this beauty was a lovely stroll down memory lane.

So there you have it, my ultimate bag of 2002. Do you agree with my choices?