Our annual Most Wanted tests allow us to take a purely objective data-driven look at product performance, but as the year comes to an end, we’d like to offer you a more subjective look at the best of 2017. For our Editors’ Choice Awards we consider not only performance but the opinions of the MyGolfSpy staff, the golfers we speak with on a daily basis, while also considering immediate market impact or a product’s long-term potential to advance the industry.
As has become tradition, our goal with Editors’ Choice is to recognize the products, innovations, and companies that we believe were difference makers in 2017. Once again, we’ve added a few new categories to allow us to recognize contributions across a greater swath of the industry.
Here are this season’s winners.
New Club Technology – Callaway Jailbreak
It’s sometimes difficult to find the line between what’s real, and what’s the result of a yarn well-spun, but everything we saw this season from Most Wanted to the fittings we observed to what we’ve heard from golfers suggests that Callaway’s Jailbreak Technology provided legitimate ball speed breakthroughs beyond what was supposed to be possible given the USGA limits. It’s a safe assumption that Jailbreak will serve as the foundation of Callaway metalwood technology for years to come.
Driver – Callaway Epic
Jailbreak aside; we can’t ignore the impact the Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic had on the driver market. It’s been the best-selling driver since it launched, and is a good part of the reason why Callaway eclipsed TaylorMade as the #1 Metalwood company in golf (US Dollar share) for the first time in as nearly long as anyone can remember.
FAIRWAY WOOD – NONE
As you know, we don’t always give an Editors’ Choice awards in every category. This year, we’re taking a pass on the fairway wood category. While there were some offerings we liked better than others, or even better than most, there wasn’t a single model that we’d position above the pile.
HYBRID – PXG 0317X
It goes without saying that PXG’s price structure means it’s never going to be a top-seller and that most golfers will never try its products, so it was even a bit of a surprise internally when multiple staff members submitted the 0317X as our top choice in the hybrid category. With its carbon fiber crown and TPE and honeycomb TPE insert, the PXG 0317X is heavy on tech (by hybrid standards), but it’s the blend of anti-hook bias, high MOI, and ultimately its outstanding performance that explain why it’s this year’s pick.
SUPER GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRON – NONE
As with the fairway wood category, there was plenty of good, but nothing we felt deserved special recognition.
GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRON – COBRA ONE Length
We concede that ONE Length isn’t for everyone, but we’re solidly onboard with a product that has the potential make the game a little easier for a segment of golfers. You know the story: one length, one swing, and with that, greater ball striking consistency and lower scores. Good on Cobra for being the first (and only) mainstream OEM (so far) to reintroduce and advance the technology in the single length category.
PLAYERS IRON – MIZUNO MP-18
Despite being a late-season release, we can’t overlook the Mizuno MP-18 family. In returning to the tradition of the MP line, Mizuno created a family of 4 distinct models (MB, SC, MMC, FLI-HI) that can be seamlessly mixed and matched to create the perfect combo set. The MP-18 is everything you’d expect from Mizuno and a little bit more.
WEDGE – NONE
As far as mostly traditional wedges go, there wasn’t a whole lot of separation this year. We didn’t find a clear category winner, but as you’ll see, we did find one we think deserves some attention.
BLADE PUTTER – EVNROLL 2
Anything but a Wall Hanger, the EVNRoll 2 followed up its strong showing in a 2016 late-season test with a top finish in this year’s Most Wanted (blade putter category). To date, we haven’t found anything that can outperform it.
MALLET PUTTER – TAYLORMADE SPIDER RED
A strong performer in our Most Wanted test, the Jason Day-inspired Spider Red mallet was seemingly everywhere in 2017. At one point it was the most popular individual model on tour. That’s an absolutely mind-blowing accomplishment when you consider the blade-centric culture of the professional golfer.
SLEEPER CLUB – Cleveland CBX Wedge
Over the past several seasons, there’s been a quiet movement of sorts to develop a forgiving wedge that would entice game-improvement players to replace their traditional (blade) wedges. The Cleveland CBX represents the most successful effort we’ve seen to push the boundaries of wedge design. Somewhere between conventional and Smart Sole, the CBX is a versatile and forgiving wedge that feels good all over the face. If you play game-improvement irons, the CBX should be on your radar. It works so well that even some better players have fallen in love with it.
GOLF BALL – TaylorMade TP5
The ball with all the buzz in 2017, the TaylorMade TP5 is a standout effort from a company that’s seldom received the credit it deserves in the ball category. The TP5 was the TaylorMade product story of 2017, and deservedly so. The only 5-piece offering from a major OEM, the TP5 added distance, particularly in the middle of the bag, without abandoning playability around the green.
SHAFT – FUJIKURA ATMOS
The latest Tour Spec offering from Fujikura, the ATMOS (Tour Spec) had a successful year on tour, and driven by a simple fitting story (consistent feel spanning three trajectory options) emerged as a popular choice among customer fitters.
GOLF SHOE (SPIKED) – Skechers Go Golf Pro 2
The Skechers Go Golf Pro 2 was a surprise top choice in our 2017 Buyer’s Guide. We see your style argument and raise you Best in Class Comfort, Fit, and Stability. Toss in consumer-friendly pricing, and seriously, other than the logo, what’s not to love?
GOLF SHOE (SPIKeLESS) – Skechers Go Golf Drive 2
Don’t @ me; we’re giving Skechers top honors in both of our shoe categories. The Golf Golf Drive 2 offers Best in Class comfort paired with outstanding stability, Matt Kuchar is right, this is a seriously good golf shoe.
CONSUMER TECH – ARCCOS CADDIE
Last year we recognized the Arccos 360 golf analytics platform, this year the award goes to its add-on Caddie product. Arccos Caddie leverages the power of the Microsoft Azure cloud and uses your past performance data to make real-time club recommendations – just like a real caddie. Now approved by the USGA, we think Arccos has only scratched the surface of what Caddie will eventually offer.
ENTERPRISE TECH – FORESIGHT GCQUAD
Boasting higher resolution, tighter tolerances, and a bevy of new features, Foresight Sports’ CGQuad, the company’s first new launch monitor in 6 years, set a new standard for accuracy in the enterprise launch monitor category. With a new putter module on the way, our top choice is about to get even better.
EQUIPMENT STORY – TaylorMade Sold to KPS Partners
Not quite Nike exiting the golf equipment biz, adidas selling TaylorMade to private equity firm KPS was still a huge story – even if it wasn’t exactly a surprise.
It’s too soon to say with any degree of certainty what the sale means for TaylorMade or the industry as a whole, but we’re certain it’s going to have an impact for years to come.
COMEBACK COMPANY – SRIXON/CLEVELAND
The company is boasting of a strong year, which included Most Wanted honors in the driver category. We told you about the new vibe we were feeling from Srixon after the 2017 PGA Show, and while we can’t say what that means by any quantifiable measure, fewer golfers seem surprised that Srixon makes more than golf balls. Srixon appears to be one of the few equipment companies trending in the right direction.
GOLF COMPANY – CALLAWAY
This is our 3rd year of Editors’ Choice and the 3rd year we’ve recognized Callaway as the Company of the Year. I’m not big on the redundancy, but frankly, I couldn’t find a viable argument for another brand that trumps what Callaway did this season. The accomplishments are plentiful:
- #1 Driver, Fairway, Hybrid (Metalwoods), and Iron brand in golf (US dollar share)
- #2 in golf ball
- Odyssey is #2 in the putter category based on dollar share and #1 in unit sold
- The Mack Daddy franchise with some help from SureOut positioned Callaway as #3 in wedges
Looking beyond retail numbers, Callaway made two significant acquisitions – bag/luggage company OGIO and apparel label Travis Mathew – that will expand its reach beyond the golf world and should ultimately boost both margins and revenue. Despite grumblings about release cycles (many of them misguided), Callaway continues to be the one equipment company that’s seemingly doing everything right.
While I’m starting to sense some small measure of Callaway fatigue, with the Rogue lineup queued up and rumors of a significant number of iron offerings in the works, I expect Callaway is sitting on another monster year at the expense of its competition.
Look for 2018 to be more of the same.
Jay
3 years agoWhat about glove gloves. I am always trying to
Find the best value for the money?
mackdaddy
3 years agoAnybody looking for an Arccos 360 for a reduced rate feel contact me free to contact me.
DW
3 years agoConcur with your choice of golf shoes – Skechers. Started using them 2 years ago. One pair for wet weather and another for dry conditions. So comfortable and steady that I began wearing Skechers street shoes. My walks when not playing golf are typically 3 miles on concrete sidewalks. The Skechers perform as well as on the golf course. And a good price point especially when I found several versions of their street shoes at Costco over time.
NEF
3 years agoAt the end of the day, and with all due respect to the “unbiased and independent testing”, MGS is an opinion which is a great debate starter. The selection of product tested is limited by its very nature to those items supplied by the manufacturers or purchased by MGS for testing. It is impossible for MGS to test every variation of every product.
The second issue is that MSG still reduces down to opinion, albeit a very informed one. The selection of the PXG hybrid is an example. While the club may be “available”, that is a questionable designation given that it is priced way outside of practical consideration for all but a small segment of elite golfers who can truly benefit from the expenditure. Similarly, given the vast range of ability in the golfing population, MSG has to make judgment calls on what segment a particular product truly benefits. While broad distinctions are made like swing speed, that is just a minor component of effectiveness of a club. More telling is handicap. A 120 MPH swinger who can’t find the fairway with a GPS and radar is still vastly different than a 105 MPH golfer who can actually control the ball flight.
By its very nature, MSG is merely opinion. The Best of 2017 reflects this in the extreme. It is simply impossible to generalize for a population as diverse as the golfing community. While it is a very respected opinion, it is merely a starting point for conversation. It may actually be more relevant to discuss a golf product with a regular golf partner whose game you are familiar with and with a similar handicap and playing style. Empirical field testing always beats scientific testing in a restricted environment. A driving range is not a golf course.
NEF
3 years agoMy apologies for spell check changing MGS to MSG without my catching it in several places.
xjohnx
3 years agoAt the end of the day, this is how most of these things work. Car and Driver Magazine could pick a “car of the year” based on a collection of opinions from the staff who drove it, paired with market data and comparative statistics. And they could easily choose a car out of the price range of 90% of the consumers but that doesn’t make it any less deserving of the accolade.
Nigel Kent
3 years agoI wondered why your concerns about Mono-Sodium Glutomate were being voiced here .
Rodney Winken
3 years agoGreat list guys! One thing I would love to see is if you can take apart an Epic/Rogue head, take the bars out, put it back together and test.
My son who is an engineer who formerly worked on race cars said the bars, technically should do nothing to help performance and Epic got its extra ball speed from aerodynamics. Would love to see if the years biggest story was actually a marketing play!
xjohnx
3 years agoThis wouldn’t necessarily work the way you think, it’s not that easy. The rest of the head is built around the added support of the jailbreak bars and they are designed to all work together. Aside from the fact that the crown could totally explode or cave in without the support, it’s an unfair comparison to simply take out the bars vs. how that same head could have been engineered from the get-go without the bars and using that weight elsewhere to affect performance.
I would also argue that your son is wrong anyway. People were seeing ball speed gains organically, not ball speed gains from club head speed gains which would be provided from improved aerodynamics.
RS7
3 years agoIf you think about it in race car terms – the bars act like suspension or chassis support. You can have a lot of power but how do you get it to the wheels to get the fastest times/passes?
cdj
3 years agoI have seen multiple claims about increased this and that with Epic driver. When I tested with rep on trackman, it did not happen for me compared to LsTec from Ping. Yes, 4 yards longer…4! However, no matter the configuration or better ball spin was higher. I have found solace in Cobra Ltd for half the price of Epic.
ole gray
3 years agoWow a hybrid that helps a hooker walk a straight line is very interesting. It’s almost worth selling the family hog farm to check out one of them PXG 0317X hybrids!
I enjoyed this reporting and MGS rocked it as always!
Carolina Golfer 2
3 years agoEnjoyed the read, a few winners that I expected and definitely a few surprises. So to me that indicates that it is a well put together piece with input from multiple people and info.
Now, with TaylorMade winning two pretty important categories, despite it’s unwillingness to work with MGS, I would hope that would get some people’s attention there and cause them to reevaluate it’s stance.
xjohnx
3 years ago“Odyssey is #2 in the putter category based on dollar share and #1 in unit sold”
Way too many people spending way too much money on putters. Can’t put a price on street cred though. Gotta have that Scotty in the bag.
TR1PTIK
3 years agoI agree that people generally spend too much money (on golf equipment period), but I also switched from an Odyssey to a Scotty because it just worked better for me – believe me I would not have spent the money if it didn’t. My putter is the only club I’ve ever bought new while also in the current production year and at full retail pricing. The purchase is well justified though. Aside from having a club that performs better for me, it’s also the club I’ll use most often and keep in my bag the longest. So if you look at a putter purchase in terms of cost/stroke a $300+ putter is a bargain.
xjohnx
3 years agoI wasn’t saying no one putts better with a Scotty. You and I both know there are plenty of people with one in the bag that didn’t buy for the same reason as you did. At the end of the day, play what works, I would never say that any brand works better for everyone.
Dave
3 years agoVery good article and also very informative. Keep up the good work. You are #1 in my opinion and at least there’s no bull shit on your reporting.
Keep up the good work in 2018 look forward to seeing more updates.
Shelley
3 years agoAre any of these Award choices made as a result of testing by ladies or are they all men clubs & tests? Unfortunately, I have to play men’s clubs, however I would love some feedback from ladies like me that don’t have the same power as men etc. Thanks.
Tony Covey
3 years agoWe have a women’s driver test coming up, but the reality is that the gender distinction in the golf club market while logical (for obvious reasons) borders on arbitrary from a performance standpoint.
If you play men’s clubs, I would assume it’s because you have swing speed that’s at least mid 70s to low 80s (quite possibly higher). We’d expect to find similar numbers for senior men and indeed a significant portion of the male golfing population. Once we’re at this point, there’s nothing inherently different about men and women. I generally see more positive angles of attack from female golfers, but ultimately that’s a fitting issue (same as it would be for a man), not a ‘she needs a women’s club’ issue.
The majority of women’s clubs are designed for slower swings speeds (lighter weight), and are often shorter relative to men’s clubs (height issue – men are on average taller, but otherwise it’s gender non-specific). It’s likely that most women who swing above 75 MPH would likely benefit from senior and sometimes standard mens clubs, while men who swing below 75 would often benefit from what is traditionally a ladies spec club.
My point in all of this is that gender shouldn’t be your guide. How you deliver the club, which isn’t a gender issue, determines what you should play.
Shelley
3 years agoThanks for the reply Tony. I was referring to the fact that no matter than I am taller than most women, I still don’t have the same kind of muscles that men do, so I think I swing differently…that’s what I was getting. I’d likely still buy the same senior men’s clubs I buy, but it would be fun for me to have women’s feedback.
Although it’s a complete different topic, I do agree with your comment that clubs often are meant to be gender neutral. Instead of labeling it men’s or senior men’s I wish they would label them differently, gender neutral. We all know it wouldn’t work the other way around…ie, the majority of men would not consider buying a club labeled strong women’s or tall ladies even if it was perfect for them.
I look forward to the lady’s driver reviews you mentioned. Thank you.
Donn Rutkoff
3 years agoI thought you were going to test Danica Patrick.
Andy Greenwald
3 years agoThe Go Golf 2 spikeless shoes stink. They squeak on many surfaces away from golf and have openings on the outer sole where dirt stays. I believe for a spikeless shoe to excel, it needs to be wearable off the course and on. I have 4 different pairs of golf shoes and these are my #4.
Don’t get my comments wrong. I love the site and love your ability to explain the tech. I just think people and Skechers can do much better.
Putin
3 years agoNot sure why you chose Srixon instead of Wilson as a comeback company. Also, Wilson Staff v6 was the best players iron last year. The blades are used by a minority of golfers and pros.
Chris Nickel
3 years agoI don’t want to speak for others, but for me personally, it’s hard to advocate for Wilson given the Triton debacle. It’s a serious blemish on an otherwise solid resume (as evidenced by the v6)
Mark
3 years agoPlus the latest monstrosity, which is the C300. The definition of an ugly metal wood
RAT
3 years agoI have a Triton and other than the skunk stripe it’s an excellent driver with more stock custom shaft options than any out there at no extra charge..WILSONSTAFF is the Rodney Dangerfield of golf.Which is a shame because they do produce equipment as good as any other, I know because I’ve had most all the brands,TM,Srixon,Cleveland,Titleist,Bridgestone,Ben Hogan,Cally,Adams ,Cobra and others.. Wilson Does make a profit unlike TM,NIKE of the past. Try Them you just might be surprised..
Scottna
3 years agoWilson made some excellent irons. Cleveland/Srixon made excellent drivers, wedges AND putters this year. They’re firing on all cylinders.
Dennis Beach
3 years agoI play a Callaway driver for good distance and feel. I have a Diablo Octane that is not coming out of the bag anytime soon. Love the Superhot 55, and tried the 70, but has anyone hit a Taylormade ball recently. I love the old Burner, but the Aeroburner Pro is one of the best 3-piece balls for my game. I’ve hit a couple of TP5’s I’ve found, and it has its place in somebody’s game, just not mine. Feels ok off the driver, but the irons not so good for me. Good choice for a ball though. Looking to try out those Cleveland CBX’s before the season starts in the spring. Have a set of the 900 series from back in the day-still work pretty good, need to get a little more spin close to the green. Always liked Cleveland for wedges! Looking at the new tech in all putters as of late-need to try out.
BR
3 years agoGood info as always. Thanks
Matt
3 years agolol, well, you know that MGS nailed it based on the number of people posting their disbelief.
Callaway had a stunning year. I have been favoring different brands (just got the MP-18’s 🙂 ), but the Epic Driver alone was different enough to put them at the top this year. During my testing, with the same shaft, the Sub Zero was the longest, most consistent performer out of 10 different driver heads. If I had the dough, I would have bought it. I’ll probably try to grab it when it inevitably goes on sale in 2018 🙂
As an avid fan of the Arccos system, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that the Caddie is considered current best for consumer tech, but their is some competition building. Zepp has made some really intriguing moves by becoming more focused on video shot tracing / tracking, in combination with their Bluetooth sensor. Swing analysis + shot tracer = pretty awesome.
I <3 that if MGS doesn't think there were any true improvements, that they don't list anyone in the category.
The big surprise for me was in the golf ball category. I have yet to try the TP5/TP5X. I'll definitely have to give them a shot.
Cheers, MGS.
Jules Coleman
3 years agoJust because an evaluation is called ‘subjective’ it does not follow that it is free of criteria for assessment. more importantly, it does not mean that the criteria must be consistent, and their relative weighting made clear and an argument in favor of both the criteria and their relative weight presented. And that’s an issue here as, for example, when PXG hybrid is discussed, the fact that sales are low (for obvious reasons) does not count much, though being mentioned by a number of MSG writers is; on the other hand, when it comes to assessing Callaway as a golf company, sales of putters and of wedges seem to carry great weight. It would be helpful to explain why ‘sales’ figures prominently in one category but not at all in others; and so on. I am not saying it can’t be done. I am saying that it is more convincing when it is.
Tony Covey
3 years agoQuick overview of the process – I list out the categories (including new ones I think are worth adding), along with my choices. Anything where I don’t have a strong opinion, I leave blank, and send the list to the staff.
My opinions are based on the things I listed at the beginning. It starts as a subjective collection of my personal favorites, and then I look for a reason why I should override myself.
The staff then gives its input, makes arguments for products it likes (or likes better than mine) in certain spots. The final decision is mine.
Not to get too deep into the weeds, but to give you a few examples:
For driver, my personal choice was the PING G400, but given the popularity of Epic among our readers and the massive footprint it left in the market, it simply couldn’t be ignored.
I left hybrid and everything but GI iron categories blank. I think the PXG hybrid is tremendous, it was my choice, but for the reasons I listed in the article, I left it out. Said nothing about it to the staff. From a market standpoint, there wasn’t an alternative product we could argue shouldn’t be ignored and I never got the sense anything was uniquely popular with our readers, and so I fully expected we’d go with ‘NONE’ in the category. It wasn’t until members of my team said hey, what about the 0317X did I feel like we had any sort of consensus.
Likewise, with the iron categories, other than ONE, I was content to leave everything as ‘NONE’. I liked MP-18, but again I left it blank because it was a fall release and still relatively new to the market. In this case, the market leaders hadn’t tested particularly well for us, and our readers were split. I was leaning none, but when multiple staff members pushed for MP-18, I went with it.
Consumer tech was tricky as well. I was split between Caddie and Mevo, but in the end, Mevo wasn’t perfect in our tests, and knowing that the USGA had signed off on Arccos and what the roadmap looks like, I felt it was the better choice right now.
So short version, it starts with a list of our favorite things (often things that test well) – which I’d guess is how most of these lists start – and then we look for reasons why we should go in a different direction.
kent hustvedt
3 years agoVery irresponsible reporting. “Now approved by the USGA” is not even close to true for the add-on Caddie product. Arccos Caddie. I recommend that you print a retraction and apologize to USGA for the mis-information or as they say now, FAKE NEWS.
Tony Covey
3 years agoI’m guessing you’re making some sort of semantic argument, but bottom line, the USGA has made a decision to treat Arccos Caddie in the same manner as a distance measurement device e.g. rangefinder. Basically, as I, and likely everyone here are not playing on a professional tour, we can legally use Arccos Caddie in a tournament setting (where distance measurement devices are allowed – which would be every tournament in which most of us compete), provided the slope feature is disabled.
It’s all right here, including a copy of the approval letter from the USGA (which will also be available through the app): https://www.arccosgolf.com/blogs/community/arccos-caddie-now-permitted-under-the-rules-of-golf
Now, if you’d kindly retract your comment, and issue an apology, we can move on.
MRHogan
3 years agoOUCH!!
Luv you Tony. Like a golf buddy that is.
xjohnx
3 years agoYou guys have to add a like button for reasons like this.
Larry
3 years agoWell I think MGS, does all golfers a great service! I think it’s unbiased, kinda like CR, of the golf market. Have you contributed to the support of the site? If not then don’t criticize.
Ken Palmer
3 years agoNice report; thanks!
Steve S
3 years agoI’m ok with this article. After all, Tony did write that it is a SUBJECTIVE article. I just wish there were more retailers that carried Evenroll, Srixon, Cobra, etc. so I could try some of these products….
JJC
3 years agoHit the epic and m1 on the sim and the m1 was 10yds longer. Wanted to buy the Cally but couldn’t justify it. Srixon 565 irons are the perfect blend of feel, forgiveness, distance and looks.
mackdaddy
3 years agoI had the same results with the drivers. I also liked the Srixon 545 irons. I just liked the KZG Forged III even more. The 545’s are two degrees strong and would have had to be bent or through off all the gaps in the rest of my back and the KZG’s were even softer feeling on pure strikes and more forgiving on off center strikes.
Nosoup4u72
3 years agoIs the speed from the epic due to the jailbreak or from the face being delofted and shut? Reduce loft increase ball speed, right?
RookieBlue7
3 years agoI’m kind of surprised that the KSig didn’t get the top billing in the ball category. It’s been the most talked about ball of the year from everywhere I’ve seen. And it’s a solid performer
Tony Covey
3 years agoWe talked about K-Sig for both ball and story of the year, but the reality is that by this time last season inventory was minimal and the 3-piece TBD ball was on the USGA list. It was widely known within ball circles that Costco was shopping for a new manufacturer because Nassau either didn’t want to, or wasn’t able to produce any real supply. Apart from a couple of very limited releases, the K-Sig hasn’t been on shelves for most of 2017. My thinking is a ball that nobody can buy and that probably sold less than 20K double-dozen units, probably isn’t that much of a story (anymore).
R0B
3 years agoWait.. What???
“My thinking is a ball that nobody can buy and that probably sold less than 20K double-dozen units, probably isn’t that much of a story (anymore).”
Replace “ball” with “club” and “20K double-dozen” with “2 thousand” and your argument for PXG’s Hybrid inclusion on this list fails!
Just sayin’
…we consider a number of factors. This would include things like performance in our tests, market impact, and the opinions of our reader.
What exactly is PXG’s market impact??
I bet <1%.
*Doesn't bode well for garnering reader opinions…
Tony Covey
3 years agoWell except that unlike Kirkland balls, you can actually buy PXG hybrids, so there really isn’t a scarcity issue. Scarcity – as you’re pretending to not have noticed – was the argument against K-Sig. Gave a quantity to illustrate that very few were actually available, and golf balls shouldn’t be scarce.
As noted in previous comments about what we consider, in the ball category we felt the TP was a bigger story for 2017 (K-Sig was our ball of the year in 2016). We liked the PXG in the hybrid category.
It’s an opinion piece where several factors are considered, but I don’t think we’ve suggested there’s an immutable formula.
But hey, if you want to make a market impact argument…going into spring of this year (where numbers admittedly skew towards the sunbelt), PXG’s dollar share of the iron market was in the 7%-8% range. To put that in context, that’s significantly higher than Wilson, Srixon, and Cobra for the same period, and nearly as much as Mizuno.
It’s fine if you don’t like the choice, feel free to make your own list, but please stop with the intellectual dishonesty. More than anything it sounds like you’ve got a bug up your backside over PXG. It’s a common condition, not easily treatable, I’m afraid.
James T.
3 years ago“… and golf balls shouldn’t be scarce.”
Mine are scarce when I go looking for them in the woods.
GolfCodeWeekly
3 years agoThis does seem to be just a list of companies with big advertising budgets.
I simply do not buy that Callaway just happen to be best
Tony Covey
3 years agoAs it says in the intro, we consider a number of factors. This would include things like performance in our tests, market impact, and the opinions of our reader.
Callaway was an easy choice for company of the year for the reasons I laid out. You can ‘not buy’ Callaway being the best, and from one product to another I’d agree, but what you can’t ‘not buy’ for reasons of absolute fact is that, off the strength of the Epic franchise, Callaway was #1 across all metalwood categories for the year. The same is true for the iron category where Steelhead and to a lesser degree Apex dominated the market to the point where the #2 brand is precipitously sliding towards training the market leader by 2X.
SP0T
3 years agoI can tell it wasn’t PR funded because there wasn’t a single Titleist mention, especially @ the ball segment. And two Skecher shoes? Over the annual favorites like ECCO, FJ, Nike?
Joe sixpack
3 years agoHave you ever seen a titleist ad on this site? I haven’t. But I sure have seen ads for companies like EvnRoll, Arccos, Vice, etc.
Ric
3 years agoThe winners of PR !!!!
Waste of time to read this filler article …
Divot
3 years agoThen just unsubscribe to the feed! If anything mygolfspy has demonstrated that they test equipment in an unbiased fashion
Joe sixpack
3 years agoMGS admits that they take $ from companies they cover. They just claim to not take money from the big OEMs.