Buying guides
Spend on what makes a difference.
Each guide answers one buying question, names the products it considered and shows the evidence behind every claim.
Start here
Do you need a new driver?
When a new driver is worth buying, when it is not, and what the extra money between the cheapest and most expensive current drivers actually buys.
Covers 6 drivers on published specs
Read the guide: Do you need a new driver?More guides by equipment
Golf Clubs
Drivers
Drivers for a slice
Every driver in our records whose maker builds a draw into the head, from a slight bias to maximum slice correction, with lofts, settings and the lowest new and used prices.
Drivers
Low-spin drivers
Every driver in our records whose maker rates or describes it as low spin, from the ultra-low heads to the forgiving low-spin models, with launch, lofts, shot-shape settings and the lowest new and used prices.
Drivers
The most forgiving drivers
The driver each maker calls its most forgiving, plus the other heads it builds for maximum forgiveness, with launch, spin, draw settings, lofts and the lowest new and used prices.
Drivers
Drivers under $400
New drivers from Cobra, Callaway and Wilson at or under $400 at the stores we check, current and previous models, grouped by what each maker designed the head to do, with lofts, hosel settings and shafts.
Is a used driver worth it? What used drivers, irons, wedges and putters cost against new at our own price checks, what 2nd Swing and Global Golf mean by used, and what to check first.
Drivers
How to choose driver loft
What driver loft changes, why more loft often helps slower swings, and which lofts and adjustments 13 current drivers from five makers offer.
What an adjustable hosel changes and what it does not, and how the makers of 13 current drivers describe their hosel and weight settings.
Fairway Woods
How to choose fairway wood loft
What fairway wood loft changes, where fairway woods sit between your driver and your hybrids, and the lofts and adjustments 18 current fairway woods offer, from their makers.
Fairway Woods
Fairway wood or hybrid?
How fairway woods and hybrids differ, when each tends to suit, and how four of each compare on what their makers publish.
Hybrids
Hybrid or long iron?
When a hybrid makes sense in place of a long iron, why loft matters more than the number, and how nine hybrids compare on what their makers publish.
New game-improvement iron sets at or under $1,000 at the stores we check, grouped by how each maker describes them, with 7-iron loft, offset, set makeup, construction and shafts.
What the shaft makers say about steel and graphite iron shafts, why weight and flex matter more than the material, and which stock shafts 19 current iron sets list.
What the makers' iron categories mean, what offset, sole width and set makeup change, and how seven current iron sets compare on what their makers publish.
How head size, weighting, offset and sole width make an iron forgiving, and how 13 current iron sets compare on what their makers publish.
Wedges
How to gap your wedges
How to space your wedge lofts down from your pitching wedge, why your own set's pitching wedge is the starting point, and the lofts and bounces 15 current wedges offer.
How cavity-back and other game-improvement wedges differ from traditional wedges on published lofts, bounce and grinds, across ten current wedges.
What loft gapping, bounce and grinds mean, when worn grooves are worth replacing, and how six current wedges compare on what their makers publish.
Putters
Putters for your stroke
Every putter in our records matched to the stroke its maker built it for, straight, slight arc or strong arc, in blade and mallet shapes, with lengths and the lowest new and used prices.
Putters
Putters under $200
New putters at or under $200 at the stores we check, grouped by head shape, with the neck, face, stroke fit and stock lengths each maker publishes.
How head shape, stroke type, toe hang and neck design fit together, and how eight current putters compare on what their makers publish.
Putters
How to choose putter length
What putter length changes, how to check yours, and which stock lengths 14 current putters come in, from what their makers publish.
Golf Balls
Every golf ball in our records whose maker describes a soft feel, split into urethane-covered tour balls and lower-compression distance balls, with compression, cover, short-game spin and the lowest prices.
Gifts a golfer will use without being fitted for them first, by budget, from a dozen golf balls to a rangefinder or a home launch monitor, with what to find out before you buy.
Ten golf balls with a confirmed price of $35 or less per dozen, grouped by what each maker sells them on, what makers say about swing speed, and what you give up against a urethane ball.
What a compression number measures, which makers publish one, and what Srixon, Vice, Bridgestone and Snell say it means for swing speed and feel.
What compression, cover and construction mean, how to compare prices by the dozen, when a premium ball is worth it, and how 12 balls compare.
Bags
Golf Bags
Stand bag, cart bag or carry bag?
How stand, cart and carry bags differ, what weight, dividers and pockets change, and how eight current bags compare on what their makers publish.
Technology
Rangefinders
Golf rangefinders under $300
Thirteen laser rangefinders that cost $300 or less new, grouped by whether the maker says slope turns off, with their range, magnification, battery and water rating.
Rangefinders
Do you need slope on a rangefinder?
What slope does, what Rule 4.3 and Model Local Rule G-5 say about it, and which of 21 laser rangefinders have a slope switch, from their makers' own descriptions.
Rangefinders
Rangefinders for tournament play
What the Rules of Golf say about slope, and what the makers of ten laser rangefinders say about turning it off for competition rounds.
Rangefinders
What the extra money buys in a rangefinder
Three laser rangefinders at three price points, compared on what their makers publish. What each step up adds, and what stays the same.
Launch Monitors
Home launch monitors under $1,000
Eight launch monitors that cost $1,000 or less new, grouped by where they sit, with what each tracks and measures, the space it needs, its battery and its subscription costs.
Launch Monitors
How much room you need for a home launch monitor
The space 16 launch monitors need, in their makers' own figures, behind the ball, in front of it, side to side and overhead, and which work indoors, outdoors or both.
Launch Monitors
What a home launch monitor can and cannot tell you
How radar and camera launch monitors differ, what they measure, how much space they need and which features need a subscription, across six current models.
Want a straight answer? Try a finder.
Side by side
Comparisons
Two products, what each maker publishes, and where they actually differ.
- Bushnell Pro X3+LINK vs Tour V7 Shift
Two Bushnell Golf slope rangefinders with the same listed maximum range. They differ on magnification, display, water rating and slope switch.
- Bushnell Tour V7 Shift vs Blue Tees Captain Air
Two slope rangefinders at different prices when we last checked. They differ on range, display, water rating and how each is powered.
- Callaway Supersoft vs Srixon SOFT FEEL
Two lower-priced balls sold on soft feel. Srixon publishes compression, construction and cover material for the SOFT FEEL; Callaway publishes less.
- Garmin Approach R10 vs Approach R50
Two Garmin launch monitors with the same list of metric names. They differ on tracking, built-in screen, battery life and where each works.
- Garmin Approach R10 vs Rapsodo MLM2PRO
A radar unit run from your phone against a camera-and-radar unit with a paid Premium Membership. They differ on how each reads spin, what you pay after the box, and how each suits the range.
- Kirkland Signature V3.0 vs Titleist Pro V1
Two urethane-covered golf balls. Costco publishes a piece count for the V3.0; Titleist publishes much more about the Pro V1's flight, spin and feel.
- L.A.B. Golf DF3 vs Odyssey Square 2 Square TRI-HOT Rossie
Two mallets with 3° of loft whose makers describe them in torque terms. They differ on listed lengths, and Odyssey also publishes the neck, insert and head weight.
- Ping G440 K vs TaylorMade Qi4D Max
Two 460cc drivers at the same price when we last checked. Same lofts and head size; they differ on how each adjusts and how long it is.
- Ping G440 Max vs Callaway Quantum Max
Two 460cc drivers with the same three lofts. They differ on standard length and stock shaft, and only Callaway lists a price.
- Ping G440 vs TaylorMade Qi Max Irons
Two game-improvement iron sets. TaylorMade lists slightly stronger lofts through the 8-iron and two stock shafts; Ping publishes offset club by club and lists no price.
- Precision Pro NX10 Slope vs Bushnell Tour V7 Shift
Two 6x slope rangefinders with a slope switch and a CR2 battery. Bushnell Golf lists a longer range, an OLED display and an IPX6 rating; Precision Pro states no display type or water rating.
- Rapsodo MLM2PRO vs FlightScope Mevo Gen2
Two camera-and-radar launch monitors for home and range. The MLM2PRO costs less up front but puts spin and club data behind a membership; the Mevo Gen2 costs more and needs no subscription for its core data.
- Rapsodo MLM2PRO vs Voice Caddie Swing Caddie SC4 PRO
A camera-and-radar unit with a paid Premium Membership against a radar unit with a free app. They differ on the metrics each lists, setup space and published battery life.
- Scotty Cameron Newport 2 vs Ping Scottsdale Anser
Two blade putters. They differ on neck, face insert, loft and listed lengths, and only Scotty Cameron publishes a list price.
- Scotty Cameron Phantom 7 vs Odyssey Ai-DUAL #7 S
Two mallets in the same three lengths, set up for different strokes. The Phantom 7's double bend suits a straight stroke; the
- SkyTrak ST MAX vs Uneekor EYE MINI
A camera-and-radar unit for indoor use against a two-camera unit that runs on battery indoors or out. They differ on club data, where each works and what each membership covers.
- TaylorMade P·790 (2025) vs Srixon ZXi5 (2nd Gen)
Two irons pitched on distance and forgiveness with 7-irons a degree apart. TaylorMade fills the P·790 with SpeedFoam Air; Srixon forges the ZXi5 and publishes its offset.
- TaylorMade Qi4D Max vs Callaway Quantum Max
Two 460cc drivers with the same list price, lofts and length. They differ on how each adjusts and on each maker's own launch and spin ratings.
- TaylorMade TP5 vs Titleist Pro V1
Two premium golf balls. Each maker rates feel, flight and spin on its own scale, so the words on each page do not line up directly.
- Titleist GT2 Hybrid vs Ping G440 Hybrid
Titleist sells the GT2 Hybrid in three lofts with heel-toe weights. Ping sells the G440 Hybrid in six lofts from 17° to 34° and lists loft and lie adjustment.
- Titleist GTS2 Fairway vs TaylorMade Qi4D Fairway
Two adjustable fairway woods that share 15°, 16.5°, 18° and 21° heads. Titleist adds a 13.5°; TaylorMade adds a 24° and lists its loft sleeve and movable weight.
- Titleist GTS2 vs Ping G440 Max
The forgiving 460cc driver from each maker. Ping offers a 12° head and a back weight with a draw setting; Titleist offers 1° loft steps from 8° and a half-inch shorter standard length.
- Titleist GTS2 vs TaylorMade Qi4D
Two 460cc drivers that both start at 8°. TaylorMade adds a 12° head and lists its loft sleeve and four weights; Titleist offers 1° steps to 11° and a shorter standard length.
- Titleist Pro V1 vs Bridgestone TOUR B XS
Two premium golf balls. Bridgestone fits the TOUR B XS to swing speeds over 105 mph; Titleist frames the Pro V1 around flight, spin and feel.
- Titleist Pro V1 vs Callaway Chrome Soft
Two urethane-covered golf balls. Each maker rates feel, flight and spin on its own scale, so the words on each page do not line up directly.
- Titleist Pro V1 vs Callaway Chrome Tour
Two urethane-covered golf balls. Titleist calls the Pro V1 softer; Callaway rates the Chrome Tour's feel as medium. Both list high short-game spin.
- Titleist Pro V1 vs Pro V1x
Two urethane-covered balls at the same list price. Titleist describes the Pro V1 as softer with a mid flight, and the Pro V1x as firmer and higher.
- Titleist Pro V1 vs Srixon Z-STAR
Two urethane-covered balls both makers place at a mid flight with a softer feel. Srixon publishes a compression of 88 for the Z-STAR; Titleist gives none.
- Titleist Pro V1x vs TaylorMade TP5x
The "x" ball from each maker means different things. Titleist's Pro V1x flies higher and spins more than its Pro V1; TaylorMade's TP5x spins less than its TP5.
- Titleist T100 vs Srixon ZXi7 (2nd Gen)
Two forged players irons with lofts within a degree of each other. The T100 is sold by the iron; the ZXi7 comes as 4–PW or 5–PW sets and Srixon publishes its offset club by club.
- Titleist T250 vs TaylorMade P·790
Two players distance irons with almost the same 7-iron loft. The T250 is sold by the iron from a 2-iron to a W; the P·790 comes in set makeups and has a foam-filled head behind a forged face.
- Titleist T350 vs Ping G740
Two iron sets sold on forgiveness. Titleist calls the T350 game improvement, Ping calls the G740 super game improvement, and the sets start at different irons.
- Titleist Vokey SM11 vs Callaway Opus SP
Two tour wedge lines. The SM11 lists six grinds and lofts down to 44°; the Opus SP lists five grinds, one bounce per grind, and a T Grind at 62° and 64°.
- Titleist Vokey SM11 vs Cleveland RTZ 2
Two wedge lines. Titleist lists more grinds and bounces; Cleveland lists lofts up to 64° and one bounce for each grind.
- Titleist Vokey SM11 vs Ping s259
Two tour wedge lines with six grinds each. The SM11 goes down to 44° and 4° of bounce; the s259 goes up to 62° and starts at more bounce from 46° to 56°.
- Titleist Vokey SM11 vs TaylorMade MG5
Two tour wedge lines at almost the same list price. The SM11 goes lower on bounce and offers more finishes; the MG5 adds odd-degree bounces and a high-bounce grind.