What's Hot in 2016

In November of each year, Golf Digest, the world's most popular golf magazine, puts out their highly anticipated "Hot List" issue, profiling the latest and greatest in golf equipment. Ranking everything from drivers to shoes with a gold, silver, bronze or honorable mention award, landing a spot on the Hot List is something every golf manufacturer strives for. Conveniently, this release of this issue is right before holiday shopping season, and can surely create some dreamy adult males with all of the brand spankin' new 2016 models (golf clubs, of course...).

Golf is a unique sport in which athletes usually have equipment that is from 5-8 different companies. Take basketball for example. NBA Nike athletes wear exclusively Nike gear from head to toe. Shoes, socks, sweat bands, under garments, etc. In golf however, many professionals have varying brands of irons, woods, putters, balls, shoes, wedges and clothing. This creates a huge market in business for golf equipment and a rare loyalty to multiple companies.

This week I want to cover some of the highlights from the Golf Digest 2016 Hot List issue. Some of my favorite brands such as Taylormade and PING landed golf medals in all four major categories; drivers, irons, wedges and putters. These two companies were the only two to earn such an honor.

First up, the all new Ping G-Series driver. The 460cc design of this driver claims to "fly through the air like a 3-wood" and have the consistency that PING drivers have long been known for. Personally, I have had nothing but PING drivers in my bag for the better part of the last decade. The consistency, feel, and confidence comes unmatched. Taylormade golf also had a strong showing in the drivers category with their M1 and M2 models. Taylormade has long been the leader in adjustable club head technology, and it shows with these two new drivers. The M1 features 2,500 different club head configurations, allowing maximum versatility to amateurs and pros alike. The M1 and M2 off feature a rather low center of gravity, allowing a better impact energy transfer and reducing ball spin. Below is a live swing of the Taylormade M1.

PING Golf also made a huge splash in the wedges category, taking home a gold medal for the first time in over 5 years. With the way technology and PGA restrictions have been influencing the golf wedge industry, it is quite the feat for PING to receive this honor. The new PING Glide series wedge features many technological advancements, 4 sole position options, 2 groove options, and comes in lofts 47-60 degrees. The Glide series is the first wedge to be finished with a water-resistant chrome that repels water, allowing for better friction when the grass is wet.

Lastly, lets take a look at where the money is; after all, the saying goes, "drive for show, putt for dough". PING placed twice in this category with the classic Anser 1966 and Cadence TR models. The goose-neck Anser design has made PING famous in the putter market for nearly 50 years. It is a classic design that does not over-do the putter nor under estimate the importance of the club. Both of these gold medal putters feature sweet spots with alternating grooves and provide consistent ball roll. The True Roll technology makes these putters extra forgiving, as shown in the video below. 

                                          

2016 is turning out to be a big year for golf equipment technology. As the young professionals keep firing away on the PGA Tour, more and more kids are picking up clubs to try the game for the first time. Loyalty to a brand can be developed at a young age, just like my loyalty to PING, Taylormade, FootJoy shoes and Titleist golf balls. The large variety and number new products in the golf equipment market provide a great future for the game of golf. 

Reference: Golf Digest Magazine. http://www.golfdigest.com/hot-list. 2016. Condé Nast Publications .

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8yNC1AWBMk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pNK8o9Xwbk