The 2023 season is spooling up but, before we get totally immersed in all the new releases, the MyGolfSpy staff took some time to reflect on 2022 and imagine what’s ahead for the coming year in all things golf.
Before you read on, go ahead and drop your 2023 golf predictions in the comments. We’re curious!
Starting With “Most Wanted” …
- Our hard-goods expert, Jon Howard, predicts COBRA will struggle to place in the top five in any Most Wanted test in 2023.
- Phillip Bishop is betting all three of Titleist’s latest TSR drivers will place within the top 10 for Most Wanted Driver of 2023. He thinks one of them will take the top spot.
- Bennett Green’s confidence in L.A.B. putters this year is unmatched. It took a little convincing but she thinks they’re pushing the envelope just enough for her. Mallet putters beware.
- Phillip Lien believes the PING i230 irons have a strong chance to win Most Wanted testing.
On the TOUR …
- “Rory completes the career Grand Slam at Augusta,” says John Barba, “which will only further piss off Greg Norman.” Barba goes on to predict 2023 will bring in Norman’s rumored replacement as CEO of LIV. “The new LIV CEO will be able to facilitate peace talks with PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan.”
- Another confident vote for Rory winning the Masters comes from Tony Covey.
- Phillip Lien is all-in on Patrick Cantlay taking the 2023 FedEx Cup.
- Along with yet another nod to Rory winning the green jacket, Bishop is positive Rickie Fowler will join LIV.
- Barba predicts OEMs will begin to pull their sponsorships from LIV players, citing technicalities in contracts that require PGA TOUR appearances.
- Howard predicts LIV players will be included in OWGR rankings by mid-2023.
- Note: Five staff members are on board for Rory taking Augusta!
Moving on to Equipment Companies …
- Barba believes Callaway has something in the pipeline—footwear.
- The personal launch monitor market will continue to expand.
- Covey is convinced TopGolf Callaway Golf Company will make yet another acquisition. “Impact not on the scale of Topgolf but probably bigger than Jack Wolfskin, which is admittedly a super-low bar.”
-
Barba says Srixon will move into fourth place in the golf ball market after years of flip-flopping with Bridgestone.
- If you’re looking for emerging brands, Canadians support their own so it’s no surprise Rick Young predicts you’ll hear more from Blacksmith Putters this year.
- Putter connoisseur Dave Wolfe believes Odyssey-Toulon will cut into Scotty Cameron’s milled putter market share.
- As the game moves indoors and to other condensed formats, you should expect to hear more from LinksDAO, Puttery and the Tiger Woods-backed Popstroke.
As for the Longshots …
- Courses will begin offering six-hole rounds to fix slow play, says Wolfe. Will it fix the problem? Hardly, but it’s worth a shot.
What Do You Think?
What are your predictions for the world of golf in 2023?
Dr Tee
1 year ago
1. for sure Titleist will have several offerings in the top 10 drivers, and we haven’t even seen the widespread release of TSR 1 !
2. 6 hole rounds will just shorten the time from tee to 19th hole but not speed play. Great for late evening twilight rounds though–I’ve done this for years after work.
3. Agree that the secret to faster play is using the correct tee–let’s empower the starter to mandate a player’s tee on the basis of handicap or observation of first hole tee shot !!
4. Popstroke is going to be a mega-hit !