2023 Golf Glove Buyer’s Guide

If you could lower your scores simply by changing an inexpensive piece of gear in your golf bag, would you do it?

The best golf gloves cost less than a dozen golf balls and finding the right fit can have a major impact on your game. We already know that wearing a golf glove offers some performance benefits but just wearing a glove isn’t enough. Like any item in your bag, it’s important to find a glove that helps, not hinders, your performance.

Is your golf glove hurting your game? Is it helping?

Whether you know the answer to that question or are unsure, we’re here to walk you through the process … “hand in hand,” so to speak.

GOLFSTR Swing Tip blogs are all based on articles written about solutions recommended by professional golfers and trainers. I present their thoughts in a simplified version because I’m always looking for the magic that will set your game (and my game) on fire. In a recent tip by GOLFPASS I discovered a tip that solved a problem for one of my physical limitations and realized every golfer who can’t swing like a pro may be faced with similar problems.

Whether you know it or not, we all have physical deficits caused by historic injuries or wear and tear on our bodies. Every time you recover from a broken bone or a torn muscle or cartilage, other parts of your body adjust to accommodate repetitive motions. That’s also a reason why you have a difficult time trying to change your posture or your golf swing.

In a GOLFPASS on-line lesson I discovered my upper body limitation and a solution to overcome my rotation limitation to improve my swing power and driving distance. When I asked other aging golfers about this limitation, I found that this may be a common problem for most golfers over 50 years of age.

Adding lag in your backswing is a key component which allows you to add power in every swing. Your arm rotation allows you to add lag. The trainer suggested that we should:
1/ extend your trailing arm (right arm for right handed golfers) horizontally from our side
2/ bend it forward (horizontally) from your elbow
3/ and rotate your bent arm (elbow to your hand) vertically and beyond vertical if you can.

My deficit (like many aging golfers) is that I can only rotate my arm upward about 80 degrees. Scratch golfers can rotation their upper arm about 20% beyond vertical. That’s 30 degrees beyond my ability. So that gives them a 30 degrees advantage to add more lag (and power) in their backswing.

Keegan Bradley remained winless in 16 matches over 11 years in the Dell Technologies Match Play but said he was "excited" after rallying to scratch out a halve against Denny McCarthy in the opening round Wednesday.

What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of ECCO Golf?

Of all the words used to describe ECCO, “traditional” surely isn’t at the top of that list.

For years, ECCO has been at the forefront of golf shoe innovation with their fancy BOA-ridden silhouettes and Gore-Tex waterproofing. But in a classic “back to the future” move, the Danish footwear giant has released an all-new, old-school spikeless golf shoe—the ECCO Classic Hybrid.

The Details

A Closer Look

Highlighted by ultra-premium construction, the ECCO Classic Hybrid spikeless golf shoe lives up to its namesake with a classic dress shoe fit and finish. Unlike the golf shoes of old, the Classic Hybrid is fully up to speed in the performance category.

Beneath the leather exterior and classy façade, the ECCO Classic Hybrid features the brand’s FLUIDFORM Direct Comfort Technology. This refers to the process in which ECCO forms the midsoles for some of their shoes across a bunch of different categories, golf included. It’s basically a fancy way of saying the midsoles are molded in a way to fit the human foot, rather than just a flat board.

Rory McIlroy told the "No Laying Up" podcast this week that he supports the proposals to limit the distance golf balls travel when struck by elite players.

There are many great par 3 golf courses around the world, but here are some that are widely considered among the best:

1. Pebble Beach Golf Links (Par 3, 106 yards) - Located in California, USA, this iconic par 3 sits on the edge of the Pacific Ocean and requires a shot over the water to a small green.

2. Augusta National Golf Club (Hole 12, Par 3, 155 yards) - Home of The Masters, this par 3 is known as "Golden Bell" and requires a precise shot over water to a small green guarded by bunkers.

3. Cypress Point Club (Hole 15, Par 3, 231 yards) - Another California course, Cypress Point's par 3 15th requires a long shot over the ocean to a green surrounded by cliffs and rocky outcroppings.

4. Royal Troon Golf Club (Hole 8, Par 3, 123 yards) - Located in Scotland, Royal Troon's famous "Postage Stamp" hole is the shortest par 3 on the Open Championship rota but is notoriously difficult due to its small green and surrounding bunkers.

MyGolfSpy Ball Lab is where we quantify the quality and consistency of golf balls. Today, we’re reviewing the 2023 Mizuno RB Tour X. To learn more about our test process, click here.

About the Mizuno RB Tour X

The RB Tour X is one of two premium urethane offerings from Mizuno. At $43 per dozen, it doesn’t strike quite the same value proposition of many direct-to-consumer offerings, but it is $5-$10 less than competitive offerings from the industry leaders.

Mizuno says the 2023 RB Tour golf ball lineup is a significant upgrade over the prior generation. It has stepped up the quality while changing the performance specs. Both the previous RB Tour and RB Tour X were what we would classify as excessively high-spin balls. Mizuno says the new balls don’t spin nearly as much and, while the RB Tour X is the higher-spinning off the two, Mizuno classifies it mid-spin (the RB Tour is classified as low-spin).

Mizuno RB Tour X Construction

With the new RB Tour X golf ball, Mizuno has moved away from four-piece, dual-core construction. Suffice it to say we found some issues with the prior generation, so it’s not particularly surprising that Mizuno, like others in the industry, has moved away from dual-core construction entirely.

XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition – Key Takeaways

There are few guarantees in this world but the new XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition golf clubs deliver on several.

First, if you have a moderate (slow) swing speed, you will like the XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition.

Second, if the word “premium” does have meaning and value to you, you’ll like the XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition.

And, third, if you want to howl about the price of clubs, you’ll love the XXIO Prime and XXIO Prime Royal Edition.

When news broke of the Bridgestone Golf and St. Andre partnership, a couple of questions immediately crossed my mind.

The first: “Who—or what—is St. Andre?”

The second: “What did this Andre guy do to qualify for beatification, let alone canonization?”

Sunday School jokes aside, the Bridgestone Golf partnership with St. Andre may feel like another OEM-social media influencer partnership. In many ways it is. But when compared to the Good Good/Callaway and No Laying Up/Titleist partnerships, this one’s very different.

This one is strictly for fun.

With the PGA Tour changing its format in 2024, this week will be the last time, seemingly at least for the next couple of years, that a match-play event will be part of the regular season. Here's what to expect.

1. TaylorMade SIM2 Max Driver
2. Callaway Epic Max Driver
3. Titleist TSi3 Driver
4. Ping G425 Max Driver
5. Cobra RADSPEED Driver
6. Mizuno ST-Z Driver
7. Honma TR20 460 Driver
8. Srixon ZX5 Driver
9. Wilson Staff D9 Driver
10. PXG 0211 Driver

Callaway Jaws Raw Wedge Line Extension – Key Takeaways

There’s much to like about the new Callaway Jaws Raw wedge line extension, not the least of which is how Callaway is describing the release: “a line extension.”

No fancy names, no updates, upgrades or enhancements. Callaway is simply saying it is what it is.

A line extension.

Don’t know about you but I kinda like that.

No matter the industry, a line extension is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it gives an OEM more stuff to sell and it gives consumers more choices. The downside is that the OEM has more stuff it has to sell and consumers have more choices to make.

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and more of the PGA Tour's top golfers will play in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play this week. Here is how you can watch all of the action on ESPN+.

There are many famous golf courses in Europe. Here are some of the most well-known:

1. St Andrews Links (Old Course) - Scotland: The Old Course at St Andrews is considered the birthplace of golf, and is one of the oldest and most iconic courses in the world.

2. Royal County Down Golf Club - Northern Ireland: Located in Newcastle, Royal County Down is consistently ranked among the top golf courses in the world, and is known for its stunning views of the Irish Sea and the Mourne Mountains.

3. Royal Birkdale Golf Club - England: Located in Southport, Royal Birkdale has hosted numerous major championships, including the Open Championship, and is known for its challenging layout and scenic beauty.

4. Valderrama Golf Club - Spain: Located in Sotogrande, Valderrama is considered one of the best golf courses in Europe, and has hosted numerous high-profile tournaments, including the Ryder Cup.

Shot Scope X5 GPS Golf Watch – Key Takeaways

The new Shot Scope X5 GPS golf watch/shot tracker isn’t exactly replacing the company’s existing GPS and shot-tracking hardware.

Maybe enhancing is a better word. So are updating and upgrading. If you’re into phraseology, improving upon works.

But blowing away might be the most accurate.

The new X5, at the very least, puts Shot Scope in the general neighborhood with other high-end, ultra-cool GPS golf watches. But when you factor in the industry’s easiest-to-use shot- and data-tracking system, a stout but not overwhelming statistics package and no subscription fees, you have an intriguing option.

Throw in a price tag of just under $300 and you have, in the words of Sherrif Buford T. Justice, an attention-getter.

Our Job Is Your Game

To celebrate 10 years of Most Wanted Testing, we decided to put on a head-to-head Best Golf Drivers showdown.

We pitted the very first driver to ever receive the title of Best Driver versus the Best Driver of 2023.

Callaway X Hot versus TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus.

Then Versus Now. Let the battle commence!

Testing Parameters

A decade of separation begs the question, “Is newer better?”

Ernie Els won the PGA Tour Champions' Hoag Classic on Sunday. It was his first win since October 2020.