Equipment
Tagmarshal: A GPS system that can curb slow play
Pace of play has become one of the biggest issues in the golf industry today. Many golfers just don’t have an extra four to six hours in their schedule to spend on the course, which not only hurts participation but course revenues as well.
One emerging solution is Tagmarshal, a computer-based GPS system that tracks the pace of any group on the course. Developed in South Africa, the field management system will be made available to courses in the United States by the end of September.
It is currently being used at many of South Africa’s top courses including Westlake, Mowbray and The Wanderers, and works one of two ways:
- A matchbox-sized tracking device is clipped on to one of the carts/bags in each foursome. The device signals back to the managing computer or tablet in the golf shop, starters desk or on-course ranger the position and pace of each foursome.
- One or more members of the foursome downloads the free Tagmarshal app for iPhone or Android. The app then taps into the location services of the device and signals to the managing computer or tablet the position of the group.
In addition to the pace-of-play alert system, the Tagmarshal app also includes a rangefinder, live scoring and leaderboard, as well as the ability to communicate with the halfway house and pro shop. Future versions of the app will include innovative ways to make tracking and improving pace of play more social for participating clubs and golfers.
Similar versions of GPS tracking of groups have existed for many years on golf carts, but they have always been limited to just groups with carts. Tagmarshal is the first system that can help management track all groups on the course, including those that are walking.
The system also learns the unique pace of each course where it is implemented. It will send alerts to the golf shop, starter or ranger if a group is behind pace, allowing management to quickly and effectively diffuse any situations that arise. It gives management concrete data to show the offending group, preventing any disputes about pace from the group.
If your course is looking for a way to attract more members and corporate events, a faster pace of play can be a great attraction for many golfers. The rumor of a fast pace of play will spread around the area very quickly, and give your course a great reputation and a greater number of rounds.
Want to create more successful events? Imagine a scramble where each group uses the live scoring feature, and can see their current standing hole-by-hole!
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Trevor
Nov 7, 2013 at 5:50 pm
I see the word “social” in the article and that scares the crap out of me. Please dear god leave golf OUT OF ANYTHING ‘social’ media related. Just what we don’t need is people having the ability to do anything that distracts them from the immediate game at hand.
J W
Sep 17, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Devices like this have much potential in reducing the slow play that affects every course. Marshalls seldom have the backing they need to enforce the pace of play rule, at my home course when a marshall speaks to a group because theyre playing from the back tees and holding everyone up, they complain at the pro shop and whammo, the marshall gets fired…… Whats up with that BS?
mike
Sep 11, 2013 at 6:38 pm
love the idea but not holding my breath. wish I knew the solution. 5 hour rounds are bad and 6 hour rounds just can’t be tolerated yet they happen. we all love the game so we complain but just keep playing @ places where this is allowed. wake up!
toby
Sep 1, 2013 at 7:44 am
if this system gives me a quick round without the usual frustration I am 100% in favor! Bring it on!
bigdaddy
Sep 1, 2013 at 2:11 am
Not carrying it on my bag and not on my phone, this is already being done at some courses i play and its already on the cart with a big screen tellin you your distances pace of play a d scorecard. Little late to the party…
Miro
Sep 1, 2013 at 7:57 am
I play at three courses that are not cart based. Very keen to see it there!
STFU
Aug 31, 2013 at 1:06 pm
Who says pace of play is an issue? It ain’t for me. I look forward to my time on the course, out in the nature, with the friends and family. Now big brother wants to invade my space? How about I smash this little plastic piece of $hit and call it an errant golf ball? Are u kidding me? Look , here’s the facts kids. The golf industry ain’t never gonna produce the returns that it used to. Period. Accept it and move on. As someone said, you want to pack the courses with players…..its gonna slow things down. You wanna speed things up, space out times, have the Marshall make his presence known but not so much that he’ll be annoying.
Deaus7
Aug 31, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Why not just implant RFID chips? Waste of time and money. I wouldnt wear that crap so a marshal can track my progress on the course.
Jim
Aug 31, 2013 at 4:12 am
pace of play is a serious issue, but… If a course gives me one of these and they just let out a fivesome 8 minutes before my twosome, with a scheduled tee time, I’m going to put that thing on a tee instead of a ball.
Is it that hard for courses to put some sort of a censor working as a sort of checkpoint for golfers and if someone is lagging behind a marshal will specifically know who and by how much and go resolve the problem, professionally of course.
kevin
Sep 1, 2013 at 12:34 am
Don’t think a twosome have any rights unless it’s a slow day for the course. Twosome should always be paired up with one other or two before starting unless the course is not packed. Its very unfair when a foursome is playing and having their rounds interrupted by letting twosomes pass through all day.
Melville
Sep 1, 2013 at 3:45 pm
at least you will be able to find the tracker once you hit it off the tee!
sounds to me like this is what the system does though. notify marshals who is off the pace. No place to hide for slow players! Sounds good to me
Po
Aug 31, 2013 at 3:17 am
What a useless and pointless piece of equipment this is.
Jeff
Aug 31, 2013 at 2:32 am
So what if my playing partners and I do not bring our cellphones to the course? I know for one that I’m not letting my phone battery die to use this app (tracking device) and in all honesty I leave my phone in my car because the whole point of golf is to get away from that nuisance for a little while. I figure the answer would be, “I’m sorry sir, you are not allowed to play at our esteemed course without it.” Which would be absolute garbage and possibly drive people away. Just my 2 cents.
Craig (Tagmarshal)
Sep 1, 2013 at 1:35 am
Jeff, good observation. If you don’t have a cellphone or hate the distraction of carrying it, you (or one of the members in your playing group) would be issued a small tag to clip to your bag. A win win for both parties. You are free to enjoy the great outdoors whilst course management maintain a healthy pace as painlessly as possible.
Mark
Aug 30, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Too bad it’s not always the golfer. The greedy golf courses that pack too many tee time and allow 5-somes. You’re not gonna play in 3 hours if you step in the tee and there is a group on every tee box, fairway, and green from 1 to 18 already.
Steve (Tagmarshal)
Aug 30, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Good point Mark. Improving golfers’ experience is also a big goal of ours and so we could notify clubs if the system detected that they were overloading their field.
We could also look into sharing info with interested golfers on their course’s stats: making it a two way process might be an interesting way to encourage both golfers and courses to curb slow play.
yo!
Aug 30, 2013 at 1:58 pm
I don’t go back to those golf courses.
AJ Jensen
Aug 30, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Just combine this thing with a shock collar and you’ll have an invention that would benefit mankind for generations
Julian
Aug 30, 2013 at 1:24 pm
And a way to count strokes… so it would shock you when you are lining up a 3 footer for a 12.
Steve (Tagmarshal)
Aug 30, 2013 at 1:59 pm
I’ll propose it to the team for v2.0. We could make the 3rd shock deadly – 3 strikes and you’re out – a great way to thin out the field.
These comments are my own, and do not necessarily represent the official position of Tagmarshal.