Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Best clubs for a strong newbie?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from Sparty47 who is on the hunt for the best clubs for a strong newbie. In our forums, Sparty47 disclosed the following information on his game
“Started golfing seriously in Feb. of this year and looking to replace my old irons. Current gamers are some Callaway Diablo Edge irons/hybrids. They’re “R” flex w standard LLL.”
“Little info on my game… I’m a younger guy, and former athlete so don’t have any problem generating clubhead speed (7 iron 105+mph) but my ball striking is not good (yet?). I’ve taken a few lessons, and the pro insists I have a “good” swing just lack consistency in my sequence/delivery. Also said I NEED new irons, “R flex” with my speed and fast tempo is a bad combo. Also, the heads I’m using have very poor feedback on strikes.”
Our members have been giving their thoughts on what direction Sparty47 should now take, and how he can get the best out of his game going forward.
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.
- mtiger10: “Sounds like you’ve done all the right things for somebody new to the game – lessons, fitting, having right shafts and LLL is certainly important. Cavity backs may not always provide that feel you desire but certainly will help until your swing consistency is where you want. There are certainly great options in between SGI and players irons. The “players distance” category or “game improvement” targeted at mid handicappers may be a good place to start. Demo, demo, demo before purchasing!”
- drumdude96: “I would seriously consider simply re-shafting your current clubs. The Diablo Edge is a pretty good set for someone new to the game. They will give you the high launch and forgiveness you need right now. You likely need some heavier and stiffer shafts to get the most out of them though. There are some really good shaft options nowadays with parallel tips to fit into those heads. Dynamic Gold X100, Nippon Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 and 130, KBS Tour and C Taper are just a few off the top of my head that might work well for you. If I were in your shoes, I would work with a fitter to find the right shafts and then just have the Callaways re-shafted. That approach will save you some money that you can spend on more lessons, which are very important at this stage in the game.”
- Larry14: “Try Ben Hogan Edge irons, you can go to their web site and order two irons to try out for $20….Being athletic you may find the smaller “Forged” head a blessing as to learning to hit the sweet spot…I found they made me really put effort into all parts of my swing from set up to contact…you will know by feel what a center hit verse a toe or heel hit feel like. Even just doing their demo deal is well worth the time….tip is to find a range you can hit off grass before you buy any new irons…”
- lawsonman: “The first thing I would tell you to do is quit worrying about swinging so fast. If you swing your seven iron 105+ mph on the course, you’re 15 mph faster than the average on the PGA Tour. Slow down and get some control in your game or it won’t matter what kind of irons you’re playing.”
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...
Anthony Bekiaris
Sep 9, 2019 at 8:38 pm
you’re a quick study or a deep thinker to be so new to the game and have already got your head around the fitting/technical side of golf wow… i was to struggling enough trying to learn to get up and down out of a bunker to even know what L,L,L were?
Brandon
Sep 4, 2019 at 10:07 pm
If you are picking up the game quickly you shouldn’t buy a set of game improvement or super game improvement that you will want to replace in a year when you are striking the ball more consistently. A players distance iron is probably what you want, and you definitely want to chill on that 7 iron. Smooth is fast.
Prime21
Sep 4, 2019 at 8:54 pm
Doesn’t sound like ur clubs lack feedback, sounds like you don’t know what you’re looking for. Learn to control your swing. Know the difference between 105, 100 & 95 mph. Speed is irrelevant if you don’t know where center is or if you can’t repeat it. Obviously speed is great, but if it is not channeled, it is wasted. Stop searching and learn how to hit those clubs, then get fit by a reputable fitter and see if swinging harder with proper flex makes sense. A “new” golfer does not know the definition of feedback so ignore the lingo and do the work.
James
Sep 4, 2019 at 12:12 pm
A used set of game improvement irons with X100 shafts.
dat
Sep 4, 2019 at 1:32 pm
Easy. Get some X stiff shafts in a moderate set of USED “game improvement irons” and then take lessons.