The golf ball is the only piece of equipment you use on every shot and differences in trajectory (peak height and descent angle) and spin show up most with irons. The point of this article isn’t to tell you not to play with any specific model. These balls all have strengths. It’s about understanding why some designs can read “short” with irons for certain golfers and what you might try instead to better match your game.

Two quick truths from the 2025 Golf Ball Test:

In general, “soft is slow” and spin/flight windows vary more across balls than most golfers expect.Driver results don’t always predict iron results. A ball that’s a rocket off the tee can fly flatter with irons and cost you carry and stopping power.

Below, we break down five balls that often show shorter iron distance for specific swing profiles. We also suggest alternatives that add the height or spin your irons may need.

Srixon Z-STAR DIVIDE

For high and mid swing speed golfers, the Srixon Z-Star DIVIDE trends toward shorter iron distances. The unique two-color cover often presents a lower peak height with irons. Even when contact is solid, a flatter window plus shallower descent could mean less carry for players.

Try instead (if you like Srixon and premium urethane):

Tiger Woods has announced that he has endured yet another back surgery, making this his seventh since April 2014. And his back hasn’t been the only issue over the years—a February 2021 car crash shattered his right leg and ankle, leading to multiple surgeries.

Since that accident nearly five years ago, Tiger has played 15 golf tournaments. Four of them have been the 36-hole father-son event in Orlando where he plays alongside his son, Charlie, while getting to use a cart.

It’s become obvious that we can finally say Woods is done as a competitive golfer at the highest level.

His body has been through unfathomable abuse and there is nothing left to prove, especially after he came back from the dead (figuratively) to win the 2018 Tour Championship and 2019 Masters. The last time he played anything close to a full schedule was 2020. The last time he made a cut was 18 months ago. He is 2,048th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

I could go on, but we all know the reality here: Tiger Woods has nothing left in the tank.

A golf slice is a common frustration for many golfers, causing the ball to curve sharply to the right for right-handed players (and left for left-handed players). This guide offers practical tips and drills to help you correct your slice and achieve straighter, more consistent shots.

Understanding the Slice

A slice typically occurs when the clubface is open relative to the swing path at impact. This imparts sidespin on the ball, leading to its curved flight. Common causes include:

 

• Outside-in swing path: The club travels from outside the target line to inside.
• Open clubface: The clubface is pointing right of the target at impact (for right-handed players).
• Improper grip: A weak grip can lead to an open clubface.
• Casting or over-the-top move: Starting the downswing with the hands and arms, rather than rotating the body.

Grip Adjustments

A strong grip is fundamental to preventing a slice.

 

Does the Ryder Cup captaincy lead to literal nightmares? Luke Donald said he’s had one, and he shared it ahead of this week’s DP World Tour event.

The post Does Ryder Cup captaincy lead to nightmares — literally? Luke Donald’s had 1 appeared first on Golf.

Reducing three-putts is all about having better speed on the greens. This drill will help you dial in your touch with just a thread and tees.

The post Want fewer 3-putts? Try this genius putting speed drill appeared first on Golf.

Viktor Hovland called his withdrawal from Sunday singles at the Ryder Cup "upsetting," but doesn't see an easy fix for the envelope rule.

The post ‘Tough situation:’ Viktor Hovland doesn’t see easy fix for Ryder Cup rules controversy appeared first on Golf.

If your playing partner hits a wrong ball but you're playing both match play and stroke play, how should you assess the penalty?

The post Rules Guy: How should a wrong-ball penalty be assessed when playing both match and stroke play? appeared first on Golf.

As the only seaside muni in this country designed by Alister MacKenzie, Sharp Park is a rarity that tells a larger story about public golf.

The post Why the survival of this Alister MacKenzie muni means so much to golf appeared first on Golf.

That viral video that depicts Rory McIlroy pledging to stop competing in America? It's fake. But there's still value in watching it.

The post Viral Rory McIlroy video isn’t what you think it is — and that’s a problem appeared first on Golf.

How to watch the 2025 DP World India Championship at Delhi GC, including a full DP World India Championship TV schedule and tee times.

The post 2025 DP World India Championship: TV schedule, streaming info, how to watch, tee times appeared first on Golf.

Ping is launching three new PLD Milled AS putters, each one catering to a unique style of putting, including a long putter.

The post Ping PLD Milled AS series brings back the long putter and 2 other styles appeared first on Golf.

You’ve probably heard it: “I’ll just hit 3-iron off the tee because it’s safer.” For years, I wondered if this logic was true. The lowest lofted iron I ever put in the bag was a 4-iron and to me it never felt like an alternative to a fairway wood or a driver off the tee.

I started wondering how many golfers actually hit a 3-iron? More importantly, is it really the “safety option” they make it out to be? To find out, I turned to Shot Scope data.

Usage: Almost nobody carries it

Who’s even using a 3-iron?

According to Shot Scope, only 5–11 percent of golfers carry a 3-iron. Usage does tick up slightly among single-digit players, but even scratch golfers aren’t reaching for it. It’s one of the hardest clubs in the bag to hit consistently, and most golfers have learned that more forgiving options like hybrids and high-lofted fairway woods are just easier to work with.

Performance: Shorter and less accurate

If you wanted clear numbers on why the 3-iron is hurting as opposed to helping, it’s easiest to look at fairways hit and distance.

As you may have noticed, we’ve published more limited-edition golf ball stories this season than any year prior. Callaway has been exceptionally busy. TaylorMade has contributed its fair share. Vice and Bridgestone have dropped a few as well.

And Titleist? Well, unless you want to count Left Dot and the AIM stuff, Titleist has been mostly Titleist, which helps explain what the other guys are doing.

Somebody cares

While some of you comment that a given design is cool, we also get comments like “nobody cares” and “nobody is buying this stuff.” Anecdotally, a good bit of the negative comes from Europe, so there may be a cultural component to this.

Look, guys, we have links in our stories and we’re able to track clicks and purchases. While it’s fair to say none of these limited designs is going to end the existence of plain white balls any time soon, it’s also objectively false that nobody buys them or nobody cares.

You may not care, but you are not the market as a whole.

Jeeno Thitikul's bounceback, Rory McIlroy's India trip, Jon Rahm's unanswered question, retirement thoughts and more in the Monday Finish.

The post First came a 4-putt. Next? A miraculous comeback | Monday Finish appeared first on Golf.

True Spec Master Fitter Alex Carbone explains how golf club companies are making more forgiving irons that look good too.

The post How golf club companies are making forgiveness more appealing appeared first on Golf.

Marco Penge almost lost his DP World Tour card last year. Now, he's 31st in the world and headed to the Masters.

The post ‘Hard to believe’: Pro rockets 300 spots up world ranking, earns Masters bid appeared first on Golf.

A sports injury expert breaks down Tiger Woods' seventh back surgery and a potential timetable for his return.

The post Tiger Woods’ latest surgery, potential return, explained by an expert appeared first on Golf.

Having soft touch around the greens is crucial for a solid short game. Here's how you can work on developing better touch.

The post 5 keys for developing better touch around the greens appeared first on Golf.

Look, I get it. You bought last year’s Masked Slasher grip. Maybe you snagged The Turn or went full patriot with the Ryder Cup edition. You told yourself you were done collecting SuperStroke’s limited drops.

But here we are again, and SuperStroke knows you can’t help yourself.

The company’s 2025 Halloween collection launches today, and this year’s theme is “Undead and Under Par” – a graveyard full of golf-obsessed zombies doing what zombies do best: shambling around a course, presumably looking for brains and birdies.

What’s New This Year

For the first time, SuperStroke is adding glow-in-the-dark accents to a Halloween grip. Because apparently, regular zombies weren’t quite spooky enough.

I’m not entirely sure how much golf gets played in the dark, so glow-in-the-dark grips are about as useful as a rangefinder at a mini golf course, but hey, they look cool.

When you dig into the USGA’s list of conforming drivers, you’ll find some fascinating stories hiding in plain sight. One of the most intriguing? The tale told by Honma’s entries.

For context, the list isn’t just a catalog of what’s legal to play. It’s a window into a company’s ambitions, its market strategy, and sometimes, the gap between what a brand hopes to achieve and what actually happens.

The Honma story

It’s been several years since Honma launched ambitious plans to “figure out”—or at least achieve reasonable success within—the North American market.

The company brought in a slew of established industry experts, including ex-TaylorMade CEO Mark King. According to sources at the time, Honma refused to listen to them.

Honma House, the company’s short-lived Carlsbad showcase retail facility, could have served as the inspiration for the Jay-Z lyric, “grand opening, grand closing.”