Golfing News & Blog Articles

Golf isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon.

Just because you bogey the first hole doesn’t mean you can’t make up for it on the next. Or the next. That three-putt on the front nine is all but forgotten when you nail a birdie putt on 18.

Because it doesn’t matter how you start. Like a 26.2-mile race, it only matters how (or where) you finish.

But what if we take the analogy one step further?

Golf, like running, requires proper equipment. Playing a round with an ill-fitted putter or crappy golf ball is equivalent to running 26.2 miles in flip-flops. It just doesn’t work.

Every golfer can benefit from a little forgiveness. During our 2025 driver testing, a few models stood out for their ability to perform consistently across a wide range of swing speeds and handicap levels.

It’s worth noting that some of the most forgiving drivers didn’t finish at the top of our overall rankings. That usually comes down to one thing—distance. In many cases, there’s a tradeoff between distance and forgiveness that golfers need to weigh. If your priority is keeping the ball in play and avoiding big misses, these are the drivers worth your attention. They have the most consistent carry distance and ball speed deltas and the smallest dispersion in the test.

The best driver for forgiveness

The most forgiving driver of 2025 is the PXG Black Ops 0311 Tour-1. It did a great job of producing repeatable outcomes but it had some weaknesses when it came to accuracy. Testers frequently saw a strong right bias and punishing results on mishits, contributing to its 21st-place finish overall. It’s a high-potential driver for players prioritizing forgiveness but proper fitting is essential to unlock its full performance.

Best drivers for forgiveness in 2025

Here’s a ranked list of the best drivers for forgiveness in 2025, from most-forgiving to least-forgiving.

Club Name	Forgiveness	Overall
PXG Black Ops 0311 Tour-1	9.5	8.9
Srixon ZXI Max	9.5	9.1
PING G440 LST	9.5	9.6
Honma TW 767 Max	9.2	8.4
PING G430 MAX 10K	9.2	9.6
PING G440 SFT	9.2	9.4
COBRA DS-Adapt Max K	9.1	9.6
Callaway Elyte	9.1	9.3
Wilson DYNAPWR Max	8.8	8.6
Sub 70 859 Pro	8.7	9.1
Tour Edge Exotics E725	8.7	9.2
Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond	8.7	9.9
Callaway Elyte X	8.7	9.5
COBRA DS-Adapt LS	8.7	9.4
Srixon ZXI	8.7	8.6
PXG Black Ops 0311	8.7	8.9
Honma TW 767 LS	8.6	8.3
Honma TW 767	8.5	8.7
Titleist GT4	8.5	9.3
COBRA DS-Adapt Max D	8.5	8.2
Cleveland HiBore XL	8.4	8.2
TaylorMade QI35 Max Lite	8.3	8.4
Wilson DYNAPWR LS	8.3	8.5
Tour Edge Exotics C725	8.2	9.0
PING G440 MAX	8.2	8.8
Titleist GT2	8.2	9.5
COBRA DS-Adapt X	8.1	9.1
Wilson DYNAPWR Carbon	8.0	8.7
Srixon ZXI LS	8.0	9.1
Titleist GT3	8.0	9.4
TaylorMade QI35 Max	7.9	8.7
TaylorMade QI35	7.8	9.1
TaylorMade QI35 LS	7.8	9.0
Sub 70 859	7.8	8.8
Cleveland HiBore XL Lite	7.8	8.0
Stix Golf Compete Driver	7.7	8.2
Titleist GT1	7.6	8.4

Drivers with strong forgiveness that still finished in the top 10 overall

If forgiveness is your priority but you don’t want to throw accuracy and distance out the window, you have options. These drivers still finished in the top 10 overall but also had strong forgiveness and consistency.

Hanging up his soccer spikes after a brilliant career on the pitch with Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Los Angeles FC and the Welsh national team, the adidas global athlete has transitioned to golf having assumed an elevated role as a brand ambassador for adidas Golf footwear and apparel. His footwear of choice these days is adidas CodeChaos25. 

During the relaunch of Originals Golf at adidas World of Sport headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany, Gareth Bale did a walking one-on-one interview with MyGolfSpy contributor Rick Young about the striking similarities between his two sports footwear choices, why golfers should think of their golf shoes as equipment and why comfort is king.   

Q: How do adidas and adidas Golf fit in with the Gareth Bale brand? 

Bale:  I’ve been with them my whole career. I always wore adidas growing up. It was the boot that I loved, the brand that I loved, my dad loved it so, yeah, it’s been a bit of dream come true to work with them from the start and still be with them today. We had a great relationship throughout my football career and now with the golf and it’s been really fun to be part of. 

Q: Pretty rare for an athlete to represent a company like adidas in two completely different sports. 

Listen, I know you’ve been buying up those Powerball and Mega Millions tickets when the jackpot skyrockets to unfathomable amounts of money. And I get it, it would be insane to win that much money. However, those odds aren’t looking too pretty at around 1-in-290-million.

But there’s one thing you can do to win a million bucks at 12,500-to-1 odds. Now, I’m not saying you’ll be printing money but this is free and plays into every golfer’s dream: a hole-in-one.

The Million Dollar Hole-in-One Challenge

Dick’s House of Sport and Golf Galaxy are pulling out all the stops in this competition and it couldn’t be easier to sign up! Check out the details below for information on how to score your chance at a cool (in Dr. Evil’s voice) one million dollars!

Who: Any consumer can participate in the challenge.When: The challenge is open from April 6, 2025-May 31, 2025.What: Consumers can enter to win the $1 Million Hole-in-One Challenge by simply visiting a Golf Galaxy or DICK’S House of Sport location and signing up for a free Scorecard account. Participants must see a store associate for details. There is no purchase necessary to enter the challenge.

Prize: Any consumer who can score a hole-in-one will win $1,000,000. *If multiple players win, the $1,000,000 prize will be split among all winners.

So, my golfing community friends, I now pose this question to you:

The Callaway Opus wedges represent a significant advancement in wedge design, blending artistry with cutting-edge technology to enhance short-game performance. 

Key features:

Spin Gen Face Technology: This innovative feature combines more closely spaced grooves, an offset groove-in-groove design and a new face blast treatment to deliver exceptional spin and versatility.Tour-Validated Design: Developed with direct feedback from professional golfers, the Opus wedges showcase a teardrop shape with a higher toe peak, a rounded leading edge and smoother hosel transitions, offering a visually appealing and performance-driven design. Multiple Grind Options: To cater to various playing styles and course conditions, the Opus wedges are available in four distinct sole grinds: T, C, S, and W. This variety allows golfers to select the grind that best matches their swing and typical turf interaction. 

Models and availability:

The Opus wedge lineup includes the standard Opus and the Opus Platinum versions. The Opus Platinum features advanced materials and finishes, offering a premium option for golfers seeking enhanced aesthetics and performance. These wedges are available in lofts ranging from 48 to 60 degrees with finishes such as Brushed Chrome, Black Shadow, Platinum Chrome and Platinum Blue depending on which version is selected.

The Callaway Opus wedges are designed to provide golfers with exceptional spin control, versatile shot-making capabilities and a refined feel.

With Callaway boasting highlights and key features like that it only made sense to get the Opus and Opus Platinum wedges into our Forum members’ hands for testing. 

Key highlights:

The Look: The Opus and Opus Platinum wedges wowed our testers with crisp, clean and classic lines along with their premium finish options.The Feel: These wedges were praised for having solid feel across both models boosting tester’s confidence in short-game shots.The Numbers: Most testers found spin to be impressive in normal and dry conditions. One tester found wet-wedge spin to be lower than he was hoping but not bad overall.

First impressions:

GolfSpy_SHARK – Testing the Opus Platinum wedges, he had this to say for his out-of-the-box impressions: “These wedges are beautiful. I love my wedges a different color than my other irons and this blue sticks out perfectly.” 

Fred Couples, 65, opened his 40th Augusta appearance with a 1-under 71 -- becoming the second-oldest player to shoot under par in any Masters round.

Cameron Smith turned heads during his practice round Wednesday for his unconventional choice of style.

Tom Watson doesn't believe the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will be able to reunify men's professional golf anytime soon.

Course operators have the cart keys, course intel, and maybe even a shortcut to the front nine. A little kindness at check-in can go a long way.

The post The Secret to Better Golf Days? Make Friends with Your Course Operator  appeared first on Golf Blog, Golf Articles | GolfNow.

Can Scottie Scheffler win for the third time in four years? How will LIV golfers fare?

The Masters isn't match play between two golfers. But given their recent performances, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy both figure to be in the mix when Sunday comes around.

I tried the Callaway Apex Ti Fusion irons and they completely changed my mindset about golf equipment. Here's what you should know.

The post I was a skeptic until I tried these game-changing irons appeared first on Golf.

Rory McIlroy's young daughter Poppy stole the Masters spotlight from her dad with an incredible putt in the Masters Par 3 Contest.

The post Rory McIlroy’s young daughter Poppy drains epic Masters putt at Par 3 Contest appeared first on Golf.

If you want to dedicate the next four days to watching the Masters, you can. In fact, it wouldn’t be hard to do so. There’s so much to watch and keep you entertained that it’s difficult to pull it all together. I’ve tried to organize this into a daily schedule so you don’t miss anything and you’re ready to go with how to watch the Masters in 2025.

Getting started – What you’ll need to watch

Start off by downloading the Masters app. This will let you access exclusive live feeds with featured groups, Amen Corner and the new Range Tracker feature. You can also access all of this on the Masters.com website.

In the United States, the two networks with the most coverage are ESPN and CBS.

SiriusXM has all four rounds on satellite radio. For international viewers, check your local listings as the Masters is broadcast in more than 200 countries. Here’s a list of all countries where you can watch the Masters and the respective broadcast partners. (Masters Broadcast Partners)

(All times Eastern)

For the first time in Olympic history, the 2028 L.A. Olympics will feature a mixed golf event with teams made up of men and women.

The post Olympics to add men’s and women’s mixed golf event for L.A. Games appeared first on Golf.

Unless you’ve been lost in the treeline looking for your wayward Top-Flite, you’re probably aware that the Trump administration has imposed tariffs on most of the globe. While that wasn’t great for the penguins, the outlook was even worse for average Americans.

Of course, in the 90 minutes it took me to write this story, the very stable genius running the show decided to re-pause tariffs for another 90 days (except for China, which apparently will now be subject to a 125 percent tariff).

Given the chaos and the apparent lack of anything resembling a cohesive, well-conceived strategy, it’s understandable that nobody inside the golf equipment industry has any concrete sense of how this tariff thing is going to play out, let alone how much you’re going to have to pay for new golf equipment.

Within the big picture, whatever eventually comes of this nonsense, golfers probably won’t get hit harder than anyone else but when you consider where golf equipment comes from – China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan and Taiwan among others – tariffs have the potential to create the perfect (shit) storm for the golf equipment industry and the golfers who buy its wares.

With that, you probably have questions and while nobody has any concrete answers (see above), we’ve put together this FAQ to hopefully give you some understanding of where things are made and what could come of all of it.

By now you are well aware of the mini driver craze sweeping golf.

From the end of last year and continuing into the first few months of 2025, mini drivers are a popular topic of conversation. Everyone from Tour players to recreational golfers want one, given how versatile of a club it is. There is also a novelty effect given that many of us have never hit a mini driver before.

The Titleist GT280 popped up on the PGA Tour in Hawaii, shortly before PXG’s first mini driver offering with the Secret Weapon. Then the Callaway Elyte Mini and COBRA’s “The Deuce” prototype 2-wood came online.

A lot of this interest in the mini driver category was boosted by TaylorMade’s BRNR mini back in 2023.

Now as the Masters gets going, the mini driver is not being talked about as a rare, only slightly necessary, option—it’s being talked about as a tool players could really use to get around Augusta National.

Long irons are tougher to hit than short irons but that doesn’t mean you should avoid them. If you’re struggling to transition from a short iron to a long iron or vice versa, a few simple setup and swing tweaks can make a big difference. Let’s break down what you need to know about long irons and short irons and what adjustments you can make to hit both with more confidence.

Why long irons feel harder to hit

The longer irons have longer shafts and less loft. The lower loft and extra length magnify mishits and require more clubhead speed for the perfect launch. Short irons are more forgiving in terms of launch but you’ll need to learn to control distance and hit precise shots.

With longer irons, aiming for the middle of the green is a smart strategy. Short irons allow you to get more aggressive and go at the pin when the situation is right.

Small differences in setup

When switching from long irons to short irons, remember to make the adjustments subtle. You are not building an entirely different swing just to hit a short iron shot. These setup differences are subtle but they matter.

Setup Element	Long Irons (4–6)	Short Irons (7–9)
Weight at Setup	50/50 balanced to support a full turn	Slightly lead-side heavy: 55–65% on front foot
Stance Width	Slightly wider than shoulder width for added stability	Slightly narrower than shoulder width for control and balance
Ball Position	About 1 ball forward of center	Some golfers keep the ball position constant and move trail foot
Posture	Stand taller; small tilt away from target is fine	More bend from hips; feel “on top of the ball”

Swing differences

Like the setup differences between long and short irons, the swing differences are also subtle. For me, it’s more of a “feel” or a swing thought than being overly focused on swing mechanics.

For two years running, the adidas TOUR360 has taken the crown as the best spiked golf shoe. And for good reason. It’s the best (dare I say, perfect) combination of stability, comfort and traction on the market.

Hence, the back to back W’s in our spiked shoe test. But not everyone loves a spiked golf shoe. As evidenced by traffic numbers on our best spikeless and best spiked shoe buyer’s guides, it’s clear that the general public actually prefer spikeless golf shoes.

I do, too. So when I saw that adidas was replacing the spikes on the TOUR360 with a spikeless outsole for 2025, I couldn’t be more excited.

You’re still getting the same great stability, comfort and traction, just without the spikes. And if there’s anything I know from testing over 125 pairs of golf shoes, it’s that spikeless traction, in many cases, can be just as good as spiked traction.

I haven’t gotten this pair on foot yet. But when I do, you’ll be the first to know how they stack up against the flagship spiked version.

We tested 37 drivers in 2025, four of which are Titleists. The Titleist GT2 was the longest driver of 2025 and finished in the top five, the best for Titleist. If you are in the market for a new Titleist driver, we will review all the 2025 Best Driver testing results and help you find the best Titleist drivers for your game.

Best Titleist Driver of 2025: GT2

The Titleist GT2 claimed the top spot for distance in our 2025 test. The GT2 had the best total and carry distance of any other driver in our test. With an average total distance of 252.02 yards, it was more than 10 yards longer than the shortest driver in the test. If you want pure distance off the face, you’ll get it with the GT2.

But there’s a trade-off.

GT2 didn’t rate as highly for forgiveness. We measure forgiveness by looking at the consistency of the results the driver can produce. So if you’re looking for consistency, there might be better options.