Are you a high handicap golfer looking to upgrade certain areas of your bag but are unsure as to which clubs you should choose? Well in this video, equipment tester Joe Ferguson runs through every category from driver down to putter and even golf ball and selects his personal favorites to help you really narrow down your search!
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00:00In front of me here, I've created my ultimate bag for high handicap players.
00:05I've got drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters, and I'm even going
00:09to talk about balls.
00:11But for now, let's get on with it and let's look at driver.
00:15Right, we're going to start with the big dog, it's drivers.
00:20Now for high handicappers, there's a few things I'd recommend thinking about, three factors
00:24to consider when you're thinking of a new driver.
00:27So we want something we can launch a little bit easily.
00:30Generally speaking, high handicappers might have a slower swing speed, so ease of launch
00:34is something you want to have.
00:36Guys who are not playing, or girls who are not playing an awful lot of golf, might miss
00:39the centre of the face, so we need forgiveness across that face.
00:43A lot more high handicappers tend to miss the ball with a slice, so some of that flight correction
00:47technology can be really, really useful.
00:49So before I get to my winner, I've got a couple of honourable mentions.
00:53The first of which is this Mizuno ST Max driver.
00:56Now a big story around driver technology in 2024 was all about MOI, and this driver personifies
01:02that completely.
01:03What they've done is they've squashed the head down a little shallower so they can push
01:07some more mass sideways and backwards, which really increases that MOI number.
01:12What else increases that MOI number is a massive 54 gram weight at the back of this, which
01:17really stabilises the head.
01:18I don't always associate Mizuno with the game improvement market, but they've made some great
01:23strides there, and this is a really, really good driver to think about.
01:27My second honourable mention is the flagship product of the tailor-made driver range this
01:32year, the Qi10 Max.
01:33Now this is the driver, the whole range was named after the Qi10 Quest for Inertia 10,
01:38and this is the driver that made it.
01:40So again, it's a very similar principle.
01:42Squashed down head, pushed more mass wide, fixed weight at the back to again increase that
01:47stability number.
01:48What I really liked about this was the improved aesthetic over Stealth 2.
01:52Much prefer the dark blue face, much prefer the rounder profile.
01:56My winner of my ultimate game improvement driver for 2024 for high handicappers is the Callaway
02:08Paradigm AI Smoke Max D. Now the tech behind it was the AI smart face.
02:14So Callaway took real data from thousands and thousands of players with different deliveries
02:19and different impacts, and the AI computer spat out a really efficient face, which does
02:24an incredible job.
02:25And not only does it do a really good job with correcting your off-center hits, it sounds
02:30and feels brilliant too.
02:31So the acoustic is a really nice kind of dull thud, really kind of nice muted, dull hit there,
02:39and a real deep sensation at impact.
02:41I love the feel of this driver, and what I love more about it is the fact that it's just
02:46so difficult to hit to the right.
02:48It launches so, so high, but the center of gravity and the work they've done with the
02:53internal weight on the head just makes it so easy for me to turn it over.
02:57And if you're someone who struggles with that big right miss, everything about this driver
03:01is screaming, help to get it up in the air, and help to turn it over.
03:05And as I said, when you see that, you see that ball not wanting to go off to the right,
03:12you can really get some confidence to start releasing it down the line, you've got a really
03:15good solid driver, easy to hit, wrapped up in a beautiful package, and that's why it's
03:19my ultimate driver for high handicappers of 2024.
03:27Onto fairway woods.
03:28Now fairway woods are a particularly interesting category for high handicappers because they
03:32need to do a lot of different things.
03:33For example, if you're a high handicapper who struggles with swing speed, you might end
03:37up with a lot of long second shots, certainly into par fives, but even into par fours.
03:42So you're going to need it to perform well from the deck and be a really easy to launch
03:46club.
03:47So if you happen to be a high handicapper who just struggles with driver, maybe dispersion
03:51a little bit, you might want it to perform well off the tee as a strong alternative that
03:55can keep you in play a little bit more.
03:58So we need it to do a lot of things.
03:59So without further ado, my first honorable mention is the Ping G430 Max.
04:04Now this is a beautiful looking fairway wood, extremely user friendly with a very, very shallow
04:10depth of face.
04:11So it's really easy to get under the ball and launch it.
04:14And like I said, very, very user friendly in that regard.
04:17You've got some good adjustability with a hosel so you can change the loft and face angle
04:20to suit your particular characteristics.
04:23And our fairway wood tester, Sam Diath, really liked how this performed out the rough.
04:26He found it very easy to get out of some tricky lies.
04:29So that's something to think about too when selecting your fairway wood.
04:32My second honorable mention is the TaylorMade QI10 Max.
04:36What I love about this one is the large footprint.
04:39So again, similar to the driver, they squashed it down, they've created a very shallow head,
04:44which again helps you launch the ball, but they push that weight back and they push the
04:47mass and the real estate to give you a really large footprint and really confidence inspiring
04:52down there at address.
04:54And with that MOI being so far back, it's super stable and super forgiving.
04:58So this is one of the straightest that I've seen.
05:00But that said, my winner in this category is the Cobra Darkspeed Max.
05:08Now this absolutely blew us away, the Cobra Darkspeed Max.
05:11In fact, the whole range was really, really impressive.
05:13Firstly, just the aesthetics, really stealthy.
05:16I love this whole blacked out look that actually translates to the head cover as well, one of
05:21the coolest head covers in the game.
05:22But from a performance point of view, this stacks up with anything else on the market
05:26and actually comes in a fraction cheaper than some of the major manufacturers, which
05:30is always a plus point.
05:32Now again, performance wise, we've got tons of adjustability here.
05:36We've got the adjustable hosel where we can change the loft and change the face angle.
05:39But not only that, we've got these additional weights on the sole where we can make it more
05:43or less draw bias, pull some more MOI back and change it about to really fine tune the characteristics.
05:49Now, it's slightly deeper face than some of the others I've mentioned, so it doesn't necessarily
05:55look any more intimidating behind the ball, but I've picked this because I want it to do
05:59both things.
06:00I want to have a really good fairway wood option off the deck and I want it to give me
06:03a little bit more off the tee as well.
06:05I love the feel of this off the face.
06:09Slightly more high pitched than some of the other things, but it's just a really solid
06:13feeling club.
06:14And all the numbers I get with this, it doesn't spin off the charts, but it gives you enough
06:17to make sure the ball is going to stay in the air.
06:21So all round performance wise, adjustability, looks and price, this is a brilliant fairway
06:26wood option and that's why it's my choice.
06:32Okay, onto hybrids.
06:33Now hybrids are generally very, very important for high handicap players because as we start
06:38to go up the irons into the longer areas, they become more and more difficult to hit and
06:43more and more difficult to launch in the air.
06:45So hybrids are really, really good long iron replacement for those who struggle with launch.
06:50Now because of that, they're replacing irons.
06:52It's really important to think about how many hybrids you might want in your set and what
06:56those loft increments will be to match in not only with your irons, but blend you seamlessly
07:01through into your fairway wood.
07:02So that's something to really consider.
07:04So without further ado, my first honorable mention is the Ping G430 hybrid.
07:10Now there's a lot to love about this.
07:12It's one of the most forgiving that I've tried, particularly on low strikes.
07:16When you hit it a little bit low on the face, a little bit thin, the spin retained really,
07:20really well.
07:21So it still launches nice and high, I find it very, very forgiving this one.
07:25Adjustability again, great.
07:26So we've got the adjustable hosel here so you can fine tune your lofts and your distances
07:30and your face angles a bit to suit your specific requirements.
07:33A really, really strong hybrid from Ping.
07:36Now my second honorable mention, and I make no apologies for having another TaylorMade
07:40QI10 Max product, they've done a great job with this range, particularly for high handicappers.
07:46Love how easy this is to launch.
07:48It goes straight up in the air, plenty of spin on it, really, really user friendly.
07:53One of the other things I love about it is the alignment to help.
07:55There's a little silver strip on the top edge, which contrasts really well because you've
08:00got a black face and a black crown.
08:01So having that little white strip makes it a little bit easier to line up and like I
08:05said, incredibly easy to launch and one of the most user friendly on the market.
08:10But my favorite hybrid and my choice for the ultimate hybrid for high handicappers this
08:13year is the Wilson Dynapower.
08:15Now this is slept on, to coin a phrase.
08:18We don't think about Wilson much in this regard, but it's just such a wonderful hybrid for again,
08:24a fraction of the price of some of the other major manufacturers.
08:27It's got a slightly deeper face and for those of you who missed the ball right a little bit,
08:31having a little bit more offset, which this does have, gives you a little bit more time
08:35to get the face to square up and avoid that right hit.
08:39It's a little bit firmer than some, which some might like, some might not.
08:42I actually really enjoy how robust this feels.
08:45And again, like most of these other hybrids, incredibly easy to launch.
08:49I really like that in behind the ball.
08:51And when you hit it, like I said, it's a little bit tinny, a little bit firmer than most.
08:57I love that.
08:58It feels robust.
08:59I don't know if you picked that up, but that's straight up my nose, really easy to launch
09:02and one of my favorite hybrids, hence why it is my ultimate hybrid for high handicappers
09:07of 2024.
09:12Irons.
09:13So there is no point having a brilliant driver, fairwayward, hybrid, if we do all those great
09:17shots and we get down here and we're duffing our iron shots down the fairway.
09:20So crucial for high handicap players to have the right irons.
09:24With that in mind, my first honorable mention is the Cleveland Zipcore XL.
09:29When I first pulled it out, I didn't know quite what to make of it because it really
09:32is very unique looking down behind the ball, heel to toe.
09:35It's so, so long, but I love that for confidence.
09:38It just feels like you've got so much face to play with.
09:41And when we're in the high handicap market, the more we can do to improve that confidence
09:45and give you the feel you're going to succeed, the better.
09:48The feel off the face is very, very robust.
09:50Like I say, you just don't feel like you're going to miss the middle because there's just
09:56so much mass there for you.
09:59And I just love the whole aesthetic.
10:00It takes a little bit of getting used to that heel to toe length, but when you do, it's
10:03really, really beneficial.
10:05Now, my second honorable mention is the Cobra Dark Speed Iron.
10:10Now, these were one of the first game improvement irons I tried this year and they blew me away.
10:14The first thing I loved was the really dark finish.
10:17So despite the fact it's quite an oversized head with a little bit of offset, because of
10:21that dark finish, it's a little bit slimming.
10:23It makes it feel a little bit more compact than it actually is, which is great.
10:27The reason maybe it didn't win is it's possibly a little bit niche.
10:31They're so strong in loft, so if you're someone who's struggling for distance and you need
10:34that power boost, then this might well be your choice because they are absolute rocket launchers.
10:39A little bit more high pitched in terms of the noise, but just so very, very powerful.
10:47Just such a strong, strong forward flight.
10:49So if you're struggling for distance and you don't mind a more penetrating ball flight,
10:54this could very well be the choice for you.
10:57But my winner of the best iron for high handicappers of 2024 in my ultimate bag setup is the Ping
11:03G730.
11:04This was released a little bit later than those other two irons, so it was a bit late to the
11:08party.
11:09But what a great addition.
11:11Now tech wise, it's been heat treated, which increases the face flex and gives it a slightly
11:15lower CG and it performs really well.
11:18It's really, really powerful and I love the Ping Hydro Pearl finish.
11:22So even when you're playing in the rain or dewy conditions, it still spins and still launches
11:25really, really well.
11:27One of the other things I like about this, other than the feel and the lovely profile
11:31behind the ball, and I'll tell you that after I just tickle this one away, is I just love
11:38how it comes in three loft specs as well.
11:40Ping do their standard loft, their retro spec, which is a little bit weaker, so if you need a
11:45little bit more launch, you can get that, or their power spec, which is again de-lofted
11:49a bit.
11:50So you can really fine tune in your preferences.
11:52We've got a great look.
11:53We've got a lot of tech and we've got a lot of options in this Ping G730, hence why it's
11:57my ultimate game improvement iron for high handicappers of 2024.
12:01So anyone who knows anything about golf will tell you so many of your shots, such a large
12:09proportion are played from within a hundred yards of the green, so having the right wedges
12:13for your game is absolutely crucial.
12:14And one of the big growth markets in golf is game improvement wedges, where we're using
12:19cavity backs, perimeter weighting to make them more forgiving.
12:22And I pulled out one of my favourites here, so I've got three that I'm going to talk about.
12:25My first honourable mention is the Cobra SBX.
12:28First thing I love about this, it's got a really nice teardrop shaped sole, which really
12:32helps with turf interaction.
12:34A nice oversized head and we've got these full face grooves, so everything about this screams,
12:39you can hit it anywhere on the face and it's still going to perform.
12:41It's a really, really nice friendly option in a wedge.
12:45So that wasn't a great strike and that's still got out there nicely, gripped up nicely and
12:50I've got a really good putt for par there.
12:52So my second option here, my second honourable mention, I've got the Cleveland CBX4.
12:57Now this is one, it's got a really high performance groove in this, this is one of the spinnier
13:02wedges that we've tried.
13:03Again, a nice oversized offering, a really heavy cavity there, so on the fuller shots
13:08this is really, really good.
13:09And I think sometimes we forget that, we're always picking wedges that are going to be
13:12good for the intricate shots around the green.
13:14But don't forget we're going to hit a lot of fuller pitch shots with this, so this sort
13:17of heavy cavity really gives you that assurance that you're going to have a decent chance
13:21of getting the fuller shots.
13:22Close.
13:23Now it's a 52, so it's come out a bit lower.
13:26But again, nice little grab on the second bounce there, really like the grooves of the
13:30Cleveland.
13:31But my winner in the game improvement or high handicap wedge category is the Callaway CB.
13:37Now this has got a very, very oversized head, which gives me great confidence down behind
13:42the ball.
13:43And it's got a really nice thick sole, which I've found in whether it's a tight fairway,
13:47whether it's thick, rough, or in the bunker, it's a really, really versatile wedge that
13:51gets you through all sorts of situations.
13:53Now, one other thing that I've been banging on about all year is full face grooves.
13:57This has it again.
13:58So everything about this screams user-friendly and it just takes a bit, excuse me, a bit of
14:04the stress out of the short game there.
14:06Again, as soon as I put that down behind the ball, it's like a nice chrome finish, there's
14:10a bit more gloss to it.
14:11It just looks forgiving.
14:12Again, I've hit that a little bit heavy, but the sole, the thickness of that sole, the
14:17sole, helped it glide through the turf, and I've got really acceptable results.
14:20Arguably, I've not played any of those fantastically, and I've got really good looks to get those
14:24up and down.
14:25So that's why I love this Callaway wedge, really forgiving, versatile, and that's why
14:30it would be in my bag if I was a high handicapper this year.
14:36The putter.
14:37Now what do we need in a putter for high handicapper?
14:39So if you're not playing an awful lot or you struggle on the greens, we want something
14:42that's easy to use.
14:44So something with a bit of forgiveness and a bit of stability is important, but also
14:48something that's very, very easy to line up is critical.
14:51So bearing that in mind, my first choice is the Teardrop TD5 putter.
14:56Now this is one of the most easy to align putters I've ever seen.
14:58We've got two bright white contrasting lines with a black finish, one coming off the flange
15:03to line the ball up with, and a corresponding one with a leading edge, which makes it very
15:07easy to put that leading edge square.
15:10It's a multi-material putter, which gives it a really interesting feel, and it's kind
15:14of a curved face with some grooves in, which really helps roll.
15:18So if someone steps out of your putter and hits it a bit low on the face, you're going
15:21to get the ball rolling a bit quicker.
15:23So like I said, very easy to line up squarely to the hole, and even if you hit it a little
15:28bit high on the ball, you've got a nice option that gets it rolling aggressively towards
15:32the hole, and that's a really good putt.
15:34So that's a nice option for you.
15:36My second honourable mention is from Wilson, and it's the Infinite Bucktown.
15:40Now this will be a familiar shape to a lot of you.
15:43It's, dare I say it, that Odyssey Fang, Odyssey number seven shape, but that's a wonderful
15:48shape.
15:49It gives us loads of MOI, loads of pyramidal weighting, and there's a few things I really
15:53like about this putter.
15:54The finish, the matte black finish is really premium looking.
15:57It's one you need to be careful with, and make sure you use your head cover, because they
16:00can chip a little bit these, but if you're someone who's careful with it, you can preserve
16:03this finish, and it looks great.
16:05Now to contrast that with a very sort of dark matte black finish, we've got these bright
16:09white alignment aids, three of them on the top edge, so again, very easy to line up.
16:14One final thing, the grip is excellent on this.
16:16It's no taper, so it's the same thickness all the way down, so if you're someone who's
16:19a bit handsy on the putt, or is prone to the odd, dare I say it, yip, this is a grip that
16:24can really help with that kind of stuff.
16:26It does feel a little bit firmer than some, but again, if that's a problem to you, you can counteract
16:30that with a softer ball, so that's no real issue.
16:34Exceptionally easy to line up.
16:37Like I said, a little bit firmer off the face, that was audibly a little bit more higher
16:40pitch, but I actually quite like the feel of that.
16:43But my winner in this category is a Cleveland putter, and it is the Cleveland HB Soft 2,
16:48and this is the Retrieve model.
16:49And the one thing I like about this model, if you're lazy like me, and you play gimmies,
16:53or even if it goes in the hole actually, and you just want to pick your ball up, just
16:56jab it, and you don't even have to bend down.
16:58That's one for the real lazy people amongst you, which I like a lot.
17:02Now there is a bit of tech around this putter, other than just being able to pick the ball
17:06up with it.
17:07It's got progressive face milling, so the milling gets a bit tighter in the centre of
17:10the face and is a bit further spread when you come to the heel and the toe, so that increases
17:14the speed if you hit it off the heel and toe, which would generally reduce the speed, so
17:19that matches up and it will help you hit your distances a little bit easier.
17:22Now that deep milling helps it feel very, very soft as well, comfortable alignment aids,
17:28and yeah, like I said, with the name HB Soft, you'd expect a soft feel.
17:32If it's too soft for you, you can then afford to go for a more distance-orientated firmer
17:35ball, so you've got some options there as well.
17:38Love the alignment aids on this, love the feel, it's got a very premium grip as well,
17:42which I really like, and for that reason, and because of that lovely putt, that is my favourite
17:51putter in the ultimate bag for high handicappers.
17:58That's all the club's done, but let's not forget about the golf ball, it's the one piece
18:01of equipment used on every single shot.
18:04Now, as high handicappers, let's face it, you might be prone to losing more golf balls
18:09than lower handicapped players, so price is often at the forefront of any purchasing decision
18:14when it comes to golf balls, so three of the favourite sort of price-conscious balls that
18:17I've tested would be the Titleist Truffield, that's a really good all-round ball with good
18:21levels of spin, good levels of distance, and very durable.
18:25Another one of my favourites is the Srixon AD333, that's a bit firmer, I find I get a little
18:30bit more distance out of that, so if you're struggling for distance or using a very soft putter,
18:33as we discussed, that might be a nice ball to match up.
18:36My final choice is the TaylorMade Speedsoft, now there's loads of choices, they've gone
18:40big into visual technology, it's a really, really soft-feeling ball, and you can do a
18:45lot to personalise it with different colours and all sorts, so really fun, very affordable,
18:49and a really good performing golf ball.
18:51Okay, so I hope you found that helpful, and I hope it's given you a good starting point
18:56if you are looking for some more clubs in the high handicap market.
19:00If you've enjoyed this video, don't forget to hit the like button and do subscribe to
19:04the channel, it really does help us, and get in those comments down below, if I've missed
19:07anything or you think there's something that everyone should be playing, let us know about
19:10it, we'd love to hear about it.
19:12See you next time.