Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “What ever happened to Scratch Golf?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from Dr Rangelove who as a fan of club manufacturer Scratch Golf, wanted to know what had happened to the company. Our members filled Dr Rangelove in on the details that while Scratch Golf was no more, the owners Patrick Boyd and Jeff McCoy (with help from Don White) were back with their new golf business National Custom Works producing handmade irons and wedges for their diehard customers.
Scratch Golf founder Ari Techner, aka FairwayFred, popped into the thread to fill our members in on some of the details on what happened to Scratch Golf.
“I think the best way to tell the short version of the story is, it is VERY hard to compete with the big boys in the golf equipment industry. I started Scratch with Jeff McCoy at 23 years old with a $10k investment in my garage, and we grew it to a multi-million dollar company that changed the way companies offer customization to their customers.”
“We did a ton of things amazingly well but made a few mistakes along the way which as a small company without deep pockets you just can’t do. In the end, the company was taken over by an investor who has done nothing with it that I know of. I’m very proud of my work at Scratch and have very fond memories of all we did there.”
Our members have been reminiscing about the company’s clubs, as well as discussing the latest handmade irons and wedges on offer at National Custom Works. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- mothon: “I remember not too long ago seeing scratch clubs in the bags of a ton of good players at the local courses, so I went out and bought two 8620 wedges which I still game to this day. I don’t see Scratch clubs in any bags these days.”
- MtlJeff: “It’s crazy how time flies, and I have to remind myself that many new members might not remember Scratch Golf in their heyday. For those that don’t, Scratch was THE brand here for quite some time. They had 2-3 standard sets, but you could get the full tour experience and get a completely custom set for something like 2500$ (very reasonable). It was unfortunate becomes it seemed like the challenges started when the company was experiencing it’s most expansion and recognition, Hot list awards, LPGA and PGA staffers. I always wondered if that was the cause of the issues. Ari does not need to answer that I am just wondering aloud. I will say that some members were probably too hard on Scratch at the end (though backlash to popular niche brands is also common online) because at the end of the day I can’t imagine a company better-exemplifying everything that we are as a site. I wish Scratch was still around.”
- KMo23: “Scratch is back and better than ever! Those clubs were meant to be Uber premium and IMO not massed produced. Get your Don White custom grinds while he’s still doing them boys! Treat yourselves! Can’t wait to get mine! Had a set of DW blades back in scratch days and have been searching since!”
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...
pete
Feb 14, 2019 at 1:43 am
another golf company that went down the tubes!this other company same thing down the tubes!
Tom
Feb 12, 2019 at 4:39 pm
C- Ya
rex235
Feb 12, 2019 at 2:58 am
Gianni-
Met and interviewed both Patrick Boyd and Don White in 2012. Have posted photos on Golfwrx.
Then, Scratch didn’t offer a LH model of the irons shown in your photo.
PS -‘Twas also my understanding FairwayFred is Ari Techners Wrx handle.
Putt Stuff
Feb 11, 2019 at 6:36 pm
Ari Techner is FairwayFred, it says as much in his signature. Cheers
Speedy
Feb 11, 2019 at 12:21 pm
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Good luck going forward.