Equipment
Wunder: Launch season is coming – Top 4 things I’m excited about
In normal times, October represents the kickoff to one of the best times of the year: launch season!
OEMs will start to tease, release, seed, and ultimately get the golf heads of the world all jacked up on what’s coming.
Golf is bigger than ever, and from the rumblings I hear from marketing, engineers, and tour reps, the excitement around what’s coming is a few ticks short of total pandemonium. We always talk about “best ever,” and I have heard that term thrown around more than normal.
I guess we will only know when we know, but from where I sit, I’m fired up. I know these people well, and I can tell when something special is coming. Even late last year, the whispers about TaylorMade’s new “P790B” and Titleist’s “new idea” driver was something that brought smiles to the folks that were dying to discuss but just couldn’t yet. In those cases, the excitement was real as both products are top of the class.
So, what else is coming?
Here are my top 4 things to get excited about and why
New TaylorMade Driver
I’ve heard very little, but what I have heard is TaylorMade has something serious coming to market. In my opinion, SIM was TM’s best driver to date, so to hear that something is coming that makes SIM a potential afterthought is certainly newsworthy.
I’m not sure what direction they will go after the leap they took with SIM, but I guess we shall see. The point is, when I hear whispers like this (and it’s not very often) history has shown me something special is coming. The last time I heard anything like this was in the summer of 2018 and the buzz was about some new Cobra driver…
The Ping I210 and IBlade Replacement…or a new idea
The driver cat is out of the bag with the USGA posting pics of the soon to be released G425, so no need to dive into that quite yet.
Ping is Fort Knox when it comes to early info. So much so to the point that I personally don’t even chase it down—it’s a fool’s errand.
Personally, all my info on what Ping has coming is pure speculation and personal opinion. That’s it. What I do know is, based on launch cycles, Ping is due for a new players cavity back and something to fit in between that and the Blueprint.
However, If I was to guess, I’d bet they blend the two ideas and make a players type version of the I210 and give players a chance to either blend or for the traditionalists get into the Blueprint.
That leaves room for Ping to focus on its hollow body category and make that more appealing to better players. In that scenario, the lineup would have all boxes checked off and options that can be mixed and matched to fit any player’s needs. Just a thought. It’s kind of the way to go these days.
Callaway’s New Apex MB/CB Line
I got my first glimpse of the idea back at RSM late last year. Aaron Price was testing the new MBs with the screw in the muscle, and up close, the profile looks pretty amazing. The idea of putting more mass behind the hitting area is not a new one, but it’s one that has proven to work. Callaway has always done a great job in the MB category, like Titleist, engineers keep things fairly simple and try to make something that satisfies the tour staff.
The official version can be seen in our tour photos, and it’s almost identical to the prototype—beyond the raw finish.
Spy pics of the CB are floating around on different platforms, but any info on them is nil. The Apex Pro is still an iron the tour staff adores, and my hunch is Callaway had to really dig deep to find its replacement.
New Srixon Irons
Ask any fitter across North America, and I’d bet a good majority would say Srixon more or less rules the conversation in the players iron category. Not to say that other OEMs aren’t competitive, but for the last four or five years, Z series irons have been the darlings for fitters and builders. Feel, quality and consistency are the keywords used and now finally the popular Z785 has its new iteration. The ZX7.
No details as to when they will hit the market or the story behind them, but what I’ve heard is, they took the cult classic Z745 and last year’s Z785 and blended them together to make an iron that finally converts the die-hard Z745 user into the ZX7. The 745 has been an iron that even Tour staff have had a hard time getting out of. Keegan Bradley, Graeme McDowell. Jerry Kelly, Brian Gay, and a few others still have them in play—and keep in mind Srixon has launched two new irons since that time. That’s why the ZX7 needed to be a game-changer.
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...
Kris Dunn
Oct 5, 2020 at 8:27 pm
Excited to see Srixon irons, 765 are the best thing I’ve ever hit. Apex MB’s don’t look as nice as the New Hogan Ft Worth (Apex). Taylor Made has a new driver every 3-6 months, and none ever go straight, Sergio was hooking or fading everything yesterday from Driver – 5W. He’s one of the best drivers on tour. Gotta get a TSI or Ping driver.
Trevino
Oct 5, 2020 at 9:19 pm
Twist face is something Taylormade needs to figure out how to get away from ASAP. They boxed themselves into a corner with twist face being “more accurate,” but it’s significantly less accurate. They need to do some serious marketing spin to get themselves back into a traditional face.
Craig
Oct 6, 2020 at 5:43 am
Agree with the TM drivers, not sure how the author thinks SIM is their best to date. The last couple of models since the 2017 have basically been terrible off the rack and need some serious fitting to get right.
Cobralegit
Oct 5, 2020 at 8:10 pm
FYI the new COBRA line will be called RAD. The color scheme is neon yellow but they kept matte black in line.
Dan
Oct 5, 2020 at 5:00 pm
I was a titleist guy until I saw the Z785’s in a pro shop and was sold on the profile alone. Now I game Z785 with Modus3 Tour 105R Hard-Stepped and love them. I can’t wait to see the new Z’s in person. Srixon irons are a best kept secret around my area.