Golf photography blends sports action with landscape artistry. A great golf photograph captures the intensity of the game, the precision of the swing, and the beauty of the course.
Success in golf photography often starts with the right equipment and planning.
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We talk a lot about the clubs that earned the title of “Best Overall.” But every year, there are clubs that perform so well in MyGolfSpy’s testing that it almost feels wrong they didn’t take home a win. They show up in distance numbers, accuracy scores, forgiveness ratings or PuttView metrics, and then quietly slip into second or third place without much attention.
This list fixes that.
These are 10 of the best-performing golf clubs of 2025 that didn’t win Most Wanted Testing but deserve a look if you’re thinking about upgrading your bag going into next season.
The DS-Adapt Max K didn’t have the balanced profile needed to challenge the overall winner but it still delivered one of the more impressive showings in the 2025 field. It produced reliable launch, strong ball speed and a level of stability that testers consistently praised, especially on the high-toe and low-heel misses. Dispersion was a little wider than the best performers but the overall package is far better than its final ranking suggests.
The G440 SFT didn’t win overall but it delivered some of the highest straight-shot percentages in the entire test. It’s the kind of club that stops a slice without locking you into an overly draw-biased feel.
My nine-year-old daughter is small, but she’s a good golfer. She can repeat a swing, find the center of the face but still come up short because physics wins more often than she does. Before switching to PING’s Prodi G driver, her well-struck shots carried about 125 yards. When she first swung the Prodi G, the ball carried 150. Same swing. Same kid. Twenty percent farther.
Her first comment while still holding her finish was: “That felt different.”
That’s because it was different. This isn’t really a story about one swing or an extra 25 yards. It’s about how we got here and why what PING did with Prodi G matters to anyone who cares about the future of golf.
Junior clubs have always come from a scaled-down mindset: “How do we shrink adult equipment?”
Lighten it.
Shorten it.
Soften it.
Most golfers spend more time tinkering with the top of the bag than any other section: debating long irons versus hybrids, wondering where to make the switch, mixing in a utility iron to fix a height problem. I just went through it, adding a Titleist T350 5-iron to improve launch while keeping the T250 for the rest of the set.
A recent Titleist tour truck video with Cam Young showed exactly why these decisions matter: tour fitters don’t build long-iron setups around distance. They build them around ball-speed windows and trajectory control.
In the video, Cam Young’s irons transition from:
631.CY in the 6–9 ironsT100 in the 5-ironT200 in the 4-ironThis flow isn’t about adding distance. It’s about ensuring the larger, more forgiving heads create the extra ball speed needed for proper launch and descent angle in the long-iron window.
Tour fitters typically look for roughly 5–6 mph of added ball speed when they move a player into a bigger chassis. That speed bump creates:
It is very common for golfers to think they need perfectly even yardage gaps between their wedges. For example, pitching wedge at 130, gap wedge at 115, sand wedge at 100, lob wedge at 85. Nice, neat, 15-yard increments. But that’s not how wedge gapping actually works.
Your wedge setup needs to match your swing, your course conditions and your actual shot patterns. Sometimes, te simulator data that looks “wrong” is telling you exactly what you need to know.
Carry distance versus total distance
Most golfers focus on total distance, i.e., where the ball ends up after landing and rolling. Simulators show carry distance, which is what actually matters for approach shots. That 105-yard shot that rolls to 115 on firm fairways only carries 105. When you’re flying it to a pin, carry is your number.
Spin rate tells the real story
Instead of wasting cash (or space in your bag), here are four accessories I recommend skipping. In some cases, the alternative saves you money. In others, it simply offers more value where it counts. Either way, you’ll end up with gear that actually earns its place in your bag.
Budget rangefinders with slope may look appealing but the slope calculation is usually inaccurate, inconsistent or outright wrong. If the number jumps around or doesn’t account for angle properly, it’s doing more harm than good.
Instead, get this.
Go simple: a basic no-slope rangefinder for budget yardages.Or if you want slope, choose one that’s actually accurate—like Shot Scope PRO L2 or PRO ZR (use code MGS15 for 15% off).Those bulky, multi-prong “Swiss Army” divot tools look cool but they aren’t worth the $20 or more. Sometimes, the extra prongs and attachments make it harder to use proper green-repair technique and they can be bulky to keep in your pocket.
Instead, get this.
In a Black Friday surprise, Nelly Korda, a 15-time LPGA winner, announced her engagement to fiancé, Casey Gunderson, on Instagram.
The post LPGA star Nelly Korda announces engagement on Instagram appeared first on Golf.
Grace Kim became a major champion in dramatic fashion. In a year defined by post-success depression, she found an unseen reward.
The post She became major champion in dramatic fashion. The biggest reward was unseen appeared first on Golf.
Golf would get boring if every lie was perfect. Here are five keys to navigate some of golf's trickiest lies.
The post 5 simple keys for conquering bad lies appeared first on Golf.
Daniel Hillier’s long par putt on No. 17 at the BMW Australian PGA Championship was interrupted by a singing crowd. Here’s how he responded.
The post Pro sings ‘Sweet Caroline’ with crowd, then drains clutch par putt at Australian PGA appeared first on Golf.
Every course on the World Top 100 is worth playing. Not every course makes that easy to do. These are the 11 most exclusive on the list
The post The 11 most exclusive courses on GOLF’s World Top 100 list appeared first on Golf.
Harris English suggested the PGA Tour might make big schedule changes in the near future. CEO Brian Rolapp didn't shy away from those claims.
The post PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp addresses potential for massive schedule changes appeared first on Golf.
This tour pro shared the simple drill that helped her fine-tune this key part of her swing. Here's how you can too.
The post Master the takeaway with this tour-trusted two-ball drill appeared first on Golf.
Tiger Woods' legendary caddie Steve Williams hopped on Anthony Quayle's bag and made an immediate impact at the Australian PGA.
The post ‘Trait is so rare:’ Tiger Woods’ ex-caddie helped spark Australian PGA run appeared first on Golf.
Missed the deals available on Black Friday? Fear not! There's still time to take advantage of an incredible SWAG promotion at Fairway Jockey.
The post Cyber Monday doorbuster: Get a $500 mystery box from SWAG! Here’s how appeared first on Golf.
GOLF's writers discuss whether Tiger Woods will play on the Champions Tour, what to make of The Skins Game's return and more.
The post Tour Confidential: Will Tiger Woods actually play on Champions Tour? appeared first on Golf.
Unflappable Spaniard David Puig has joined legendary countryman Seve Ballesteros as an Australian PGA champion after emerging from a congested field at Royal Queensland GC.
Adam Scott won't overthink a five-year title drought, admitting he'll still need a final-round "beauty" after putting himself in the frame for a third Australian PGA Championship.
Black Friday is always a big week for golf gear and just about everything else. Honestly, at this point, if a retailer doesn’t have a Black Friday sale, something is very wrong. That being said, we’re all golfers (or shopping for golfers), and if you’re looking to upgrade something in your own bag or you’re shopping for a player who’s impossible to buy for, PGA Tour Superstore’s Black Friday Sale should have something for just about everyone. As a fellow golfer and shopper, I’ve gone through all of their items on sale and picked out the best ones so you don’t have to.
The Callaway Elyte X was our third best overall hybrid of 2025. Noted for its accuracy and distance, this hybrid is just about anything a player could ask for in a club. If the Elyte X doesn’t fit your game or you’re looking for something else, don’t worry: all Callaway hybrids are 16% off. They all retail for $319.99, and for Black Friday, you can get them at $269.98 This is a really solid opportunity to pickup a great club at a nice discount.
If the Qi35 is good enough for Tommy Fleetwood, it’s definitely good enough for you. For Black Friday, the entire Qi35 line is on sale for $100 off, and there’s definitely a driver for everyone’s game here. While we’re here, even though it’s not exclusive to Black Friday, there are a ton of other popular TaylorMade drivers at discount, too. Even though it’s an older model, the cult favorite SIM2 Max is still on sale for almost $200 off.
I am all about striped golf balls. They are easier to hit off the tee and help you make sure you’re putting on-line. Everyone knows it, golf balls are expensive, and getting a discount on a premium ball is always a good thing. If you’re shopping for a lower spinning, higher flying ball, look no further than the TP5x Stripe. For $14 off, this is a solid deal.
Look, this isn’t for everybody. However, if you’re a serious player who’s looking to take your game to the absolute next level, this is your chance to get $500 off an awesome launch monitor. If you’re shopping for or are the type of player who cares about ball speed, swing speed, launch angle, and has their own indoor simulator setup, this is certainly a solid deal.
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