Equipment
Sunfish succeeds with wool, expands with leather goods
When the material or fit is off, headcovers can be a scourge to a golfer’s patience. Maybe the aesthetic is nice, but is it worth the battle every time to rip the headcover off or stuff it back on?
This cost-benefit analysis has never been part of the equation for customers of Sunfish, a company that has specialized in homemade wool head covers that offer a vintage feel and a comfortable fit around the club head.
The customer need for customization has long been satisfied by Sunfish, and the company prides itself on affordable prices without diminishing the product in the process.
[quote_box_center]”We don’t have a mission statement,” Sunfish co-founder Alonzo Guess said. “But the closest thing to it would be providing tremendous options, excellent quality and excellent pricing.”[/quote_box_center]
But Guess and fellow co-founder David Riggs are no longer content in dealing solely in the wool business (the company also produce wool hats, scarves, beer holders and animal head covers). Sunfish is attempting to conquer a different frontier: leather.
Related: Our review of Sunfish’s animal headcovers
In the headcover business, companies usually deal in either wool or leather, not both. Guess and Riggs are bucking that trend.
Seven months ago, the pair expanded beyond the company’s wool offerings, moving into leather headcovers a year after first contemplating the extra option.
The decision wasn’t born out of financial strife. It’s the customer that Sunfish goes great lengths to appeal to, so when Guess and Riggs realized their consumer base could benefit from more options, the choice to expand was simple.
A customized leather headcover for a driver.
[quote_box_center]”We just wanted to have another offering for customers,” Guess said. “Not everybody wants a knit wool cover, and not every customer wants a leather cover. But I guarantee you if you offer both of those, you’ll be able to make a lot more people happy.”[/quote_box_center]
Guess hasn’t noticed a huge divergence in the demographics of those who buy leather versus wool, but the former does have a more modern look and thus tends to appeal to a younger audience.
Leather is also more resistant to wet weather, although Guess notes that neither material in their headcovers is severely affected by rain. And for those looking for a shorter headcover, leather is the way to go.
Additions in leather go beyond headcovers for Sunfish, as the company now also sells leather scorecard/yardage book holders.
Sunfish debuted that product at the PGA Merchandise Show in January, and it has caught on quickly. The scorecard/yardage book holders are a higher-end product, but Guess says they are beloved by club professionals and serve as useful alternatives to the same old goodies found in club tournament gift baskets.
And once golfers have it in their hands, the convenience is clear.
[quote_box_center]”People like to have their scorecards and yardage books in some sort of holder so they don’t get all crinkled up,” Guess said. “There’s also a pen or pencil holder built into each one. You can also flip over the holder and it gives you something hard to write and make notes on. It’s an all-in-one package.”[/quote_box_center]
Sunfish is a two-pronged business model on the golf side, selling headcovers or headcover sets (both customized and not) to individuals from its website and producing freshly-logoed headcovers to some of the nation’s top courses, who can then price out the goods (or gift them) to their members.
Guess estimates that Sunfish is in business with 30 of the top 100 courses in the United States. And he believes the company produces about 50 percent of its sales from each sector.
Sunfish is a growing entity with overwhelming customer satisfaction. But staking one’s reputation to brandishing the every whim of the consumer can be a bit of a double-edged sword. It means that Guess and Riggs are constantly implementing new features based on customer feedback.
[quote_box_center]”We take seriously customer feedback whenever we develop a new design,” Guess said.[/quote_box_center]
In addition to the move into leather, the duo expanded on their headcover sets in recent months. In past years, headcover sets from Sunfish comprised driver, fairway wood and hybrid.
Four months ago, at the behest of customer feedback, Sunfish started selling blade putter covers ($34.99) in wool and leather.
And still the tinkering is not done.
[quote_box_center]”[There’s the] customization of leather head covers, via the custom leather head cover builder” Guess said. “We’ll be able to build you exactly what you’re looking for [when it comes to leather].”[/quote_box_center]
Click here to customize a Sunfish headcover.
The leather headcover customization is a recently launched feature on Sunfish’s website and involves several avenues at unique designs, including a list of different colors and striping options, and implementation of monograms, logo embroidering or piping.
Oh, and Guess and Riggs are in the (careful, meticulous) process of developing mallet putter cover heads that suit the wide array of shapes and sizes that comes with this type of flatstick.
The success of leather is the main focus for Sunfish, though, for the time being. The seven months in leather have netted great sales and fantastic reviews. Wool remains the paramount seller for Sunfish in the present.
Guess is planning on that changing in the near future.
“We’re hoping to get the leather up to the same marketshare for us as wool this year,” Guess said. “2015 is the year we do as much volume in leather as in wool.”
A lofty goal, yes, but so far Sunfish has found positive results in every venture it has attempted.
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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Adam
Mar 18, 2015 at 7:22 pm
They’re nothing special and if you order them custom, expect to wait at least 4 weeks, for my knit head covers it took 7 weeks and they are nice but definitely not worth the cost in my opinion. If you’re ordering the pre-made ones they would be nice and the price is a bit more reasonable.
Based on the photos, the leather head covers seem to be pretty low quality, looks like cotton thread and low grade leather meaning they won’t hold up over time but I’m not and expert so I can’t be sure about that.
ddgg
Mar 17, 2015 at 11:25 am
What a flop of head covers. Big knock off of the Cleveland Classic driver. Followers.
Jason
Mar 16, 2015 at 10:26 pm
Are these made in USA or just assembled in USA? I’m just wondering bc so many companies buy them done from China or Mexico and do stitching and sew here in states and call it Made in USA. Again, not trying to start anything negative but just wondering what I’m getting for material
Beacher50
Mar 16, 2015 at 2:42 pm
Ordered a set of leather covers last week, I’m tired of dealing with the Titleist head covers with the long sock. I’m hoping I can slam the leather covers on quickly.