New Driver for 2025 | No Putts Given

[@keithp5568]

Thanks for the video. I give Cleveland credit for pushing the envelope with this Driver design. I remember the first time I saw Corey Pavin with his Cleveland 792 VAS irons. There’s a history there of looking outside the box.

[@Handletaken4]

Just bought a VAS 3w for $15 It's ok but not long

[@davidgordon4386]

Callaway had the Fusion driver from 2016. Also really triangular, and the most forgiving/best drivers ever. I buy new drivers (Last was 2023 Steath2) all the time and always seem to end up back at the Fusion. The thing is unstoppable. It just finds target like no other driver. So I now associate a triangular head shape as really good rather than weird looking.

[@dccd3237]

I think you may need a combination of things for slow early players, slow mid players and slow end of day plans. They should have a target amount of time per round, and if you fall off that pace, then I think you should assess the penalties as the round happens. If at any point you push back more than 30 minutes then I think they should just eliminate you from the round right then and there, regardless of where that 30 minutes happens. I don’t think you have to get in the business of escalating or scaled fines if you just take care of it. Right then, and there as it happens not after the fact. That means you should only need a 30 minute window at the back end of around for the entire field.

[@jlnew10]

That Fusion driver still has one of the greatest cult followings of all time.

[@heathwinslow370]

1st violation is warning. 2nd violation is 1 stroke. 3rd violation is 3 strokes. 4th violation is an automatic DQ. There should be a large, visible shot clock on each hole. No excuses. You have 45 seconds once you reach your ball. No extensions. Ball stuck behind tree, under a bush, hit it or drop it, but you don't get 7 minutes to mess with it

[@michaelreilly5888]

Interesting discussion fellows! I especially appreciated the "stats" talk.

[@josephgreenberg2063]

dominant on tour: FJ gloves (due to Titleist ball allegiance) and Vokey wedges. Scotty putters at one time but not as of late.

[@Attitude7676]

Love your videos and pod casts. Thanks

[@Tkuhn1]

I gamed a Titleist 907 D1 last year and had my best driving season in years, so put me in the like triangular column.

[@BrianPasemco]

With $40 of aluminum, I made my own "mezz" and "df3 long". My buddies call me a mad scientist, but the improvement in putting is significant. Also kept hundreds in my wallet. I made my own reveler to verify the balance. Started to design my own "oz " well before the press release from LAB. Unlike LAB's, I can change shaft angle in the broomstick....I ground of an old Titleist fairway head and kept the shaft connection. I use a Titleist shaft connector. Balance is barely affected by the change in angle only in the broomstick style.

[@GolfSpyC]

Pics or it didn't happen :)

[@lkae4]

If you make a milled zero torque Jailbird, someone will buy it. But be quick because the Jailbird Square 2 Square might be putter of 2025 and then Odyssey will too.

[@jeromekemmer8148]

The "shock clock"!

[@golfish8589]

Why do you NEVER leave a picture of said product on the screen for more than 0.75 seconds ? ? ?

[@CamMacMastermusic]

Amen !!!

[@GolfSpyC]

Noted...that's an easy fix.

[@brianjohnson5692]

Set a time limit like 4.5 hours, whatever holes you don't finish in that time you take a double bogey.

[@johnsoltau620]

I play over 100 rounds per year in Indiana.

[@johnbachman8908]

I’m from Iowa and I do as well.

[@billjones8542]

@@johnbachman8908 illinois here, i am up to 196 rounds

[@jongeephotography]

I attribute slow play on the pro tours to the over- reliance on the caddy....Give the player a pull cart and a rangefinder, then see how fast they play

[@MarvinofMars]

Cleveland? Callaway 2017 Big Breath Fusion is back. I would buy one. I picked one up in a charity shop. $50 I love it, may have been the first 10K effort. Goes 250 yards carry dead straight. 44 1/2" shaft so needed 10 gram of lead tape below the face to get the spin down with a 70 gram stiff shaft.

[@donkee9]

First just because I hoped this was some info on the new ping

[@iantowers7476]

Galvin Green waterproofs dominant with serious golfers in UK

[@jlnew10]

I use to laugh at LIV golf going to shotgun starts for tournaments and now I think it's one of the greatest ideas in pro golf. Everyone plays in same conditions and nobody finishes in the dark. If some group is playing slow it's identified instantly. And yes I realize it's a smaller field.

[@SCGolf3]

That's twice you promised sim golf talk and pushed it to the next podcast. 3x the charm.

[@GolfSpyC]

I know, I know....next week, I promise :)

[@mattharvey968]

Well at least the new hi bore won’t be as loud as the old one!

[@SFretnchillin]

Crazy golfer numbers. I consider myself a semi avid golfer and play well over 100 rounds per year. My wife and some of my kids maybe play a few rounds a year. Sean’s weird to roll them in as golfers because they only play a couple times a year.

[@vegaspony]

If you're averaging 2 rounds a week you can go ahead and remove that semi- prefix 😂

[@dougosborn2314]

The TaylorMade r7 CGB MAX is triangular shaped

[@garym8024]

True Temper

[@davep2945]

I can't believe 8 rounds a year is considered avid. But I guess by the NGF standard that's what avid means. I do live in South Carolina though so even here in the upstate we can play golf mostly year round. I tend to go into work early in the late spring through summer and get off around 3 or 4 which allows at least 9 holes and usually 18 holes twice a week or more. By 4 almost all the duffers are gone and it's an easy 2 to 3 hour max round for a single taking into account getting held up by the occasional group. As a bonus it's usually 30 to 50% less expensive to start in the late PM. As for equipment I have owned and played exactly one Ping driver and one Taylor Made hybrid otherwise my clubs have all been alternative brands or custom built as I got into the club building hobby way back. Cleveland has always made good to sometimes far better clubs than other brands. Tour Edge does as well and don't forget Wilson. With the ability to test your old clubs against the newest offering in so many simulators these days it's a wonder manufacturers sell half the clubs they do. It took ten years before even Ping made a driver that actually consistently outperformed my old G20 enough to warrant buying another driver. So I bought a Tour Edge which was better for me than the newest Ping at the time. Once drivers got to be over $300 a stick I stopped even considering most OEM's. There has never been anywhere close to the performance advantage in any of them to warrant the prices they have charged for more than a decade now. So I guess I'm avid judged by rounds played but non existent judged by money spent on equipment. I don't begrudge anyone buying new stuff every year if that's their kick but for me it either actually works better or it stays on the shelf.

[@davidrolfe1843]

1750 bucks for a putter is certainly pushing boundaries!

[@Michael-me3nj]

That was only for the Adam Scott special edition that was extremely limited quality. When the regular edition is released it will be their normal pricing.

[@RaidersGolf19]

@@Michael-me3nj. Right now the web site says ~$1200 (I think). Still a lot. 🤷‍♂️

[@traviscrown9189]

not sure about the driver... but the cleveland halo xl fairway woods, hy wood and hybrid are hot and super easy to hit...

[@randallpennington5976]

At my age I have given up on looks and go for what is best for my score! Longest iron is a 7 with 3 hybrids! When I get a new driver, mine is 3 models ago, I don’t care about looks! Give me something repeatable in play!

[@johnsoltau620]

I’m done watching the tour in 2026.

[@dukek8625]

A solution to slow play, every player wears a shock collar, and you have 45 seconds to hit a shot, at 35 seconds you get a light shock, at 45 seconds you get zapped. Do that for one round and they'll get it.

[@Leftylobber]

Seriously

[@jeromekemmer8148]

The Cleveland driver looks like the one Gary McCord came up with years ago. Wonder if he had any patents on it?

[@tjnaevans]

I look forward to this discussion each week. Your unfettered opinions (backed by actual facts) is so refreshing .... Basically you cut the bull out of the discussion Well done .... and more Bennett please 🙂

[@redgreen01]

You mention participation in golf post covid. What were the pre covid numbers?

[@patrickbeck8390]

With new gear dropping, why haven't you guys talked about the new sub70 drivers? They dropped three new models, and seem to be trying to make a departure from conventional design standards. I'd love to see something about this.

[@marybetheby5184]

Remember Jim Furyk backing off putts five times in a row?? On TV??

[@MINTLIFEGOLF-us8hc]

I play on the USAmtour and we get time penalties both on 9 and 18th hole if we are too slow. And we are freaking amateurs looking for lost balls on every other hole. These PRO players should be able to play way quicker.

[@scall1968]

Tony, can we see that report the increase in the cost of golf on the website?

[@healthygolfer]

I personally like the progressive shot penalties assigned to players. Having multiple shot penalty assigned would essentially DQ players trying to make the 36-Hole cut if done correctly. Viewers would love to see an actual clock on the side of their TV screen that each player would have access to viewing for each shot. BTW, for the regular players (me included, 10.3HCP) to get a golf game completed at two of the courses I play most often in less than 4 hours is almost impossible(13 minutes/hole). Why? Many reasons but when a course tries to get as many bodies on a course at one time that is (10 minute tee times) then you get a lot of backups at times. If you play a course that has holes that have significant distances between greens and tees, that adds to the problem. Golfers playing off the “wrong” tees then that’s a deterrent to playing in 4 hours. This is an ego issue and not a golfer’s ability.

[@josephgreenberg2063]

re NGF: not surprising that 6m avid golfers account for 90% of all golf spending. The old axiom of 20% (23% in NGF data of 6m avid out of 26m course players) of enfranchised customers represent 80% or more revenues.

[@geoffbrand6852]

Looks like a FTIZ callaway

[@Handletaken4]

Read the book "Trigger Point". If some hot player comes along playing Tour Stage...to the moon.

[@tommarks1039]

Isn't using rangefinders at the PGA major supposed to help pace of play?

[@Papa-Bogey]

The slow play fix in baseball was started, tested, tweaked and implemented in the minor leagues. So, start the experiment in the Korn Ferry. And 3 strikes your DQ’d. One - warning, two - stroke penalty - three, DQ.

[@healthygolfer]

Have MLB done the stats for slow play and shown the public the objective results of their attempt to improve the pace of play? If so, do you know where it is? Thanks.

[@Papa-Bogey]

@ they did, at the all star break. Total game time was down significantly (I don’t remember the exact numbers but it was almost a 30 minute decrease on average across all games). I haven’t seen any final numbers at the end of the season.

[@darrell3118]

Lydia Ko's groups seems to be under the SLOW PLAY time clock every time I tune into the LPGA for several years now , and the MEN are atrocious, I quit watching the PGA 5 years ago its like watching paint dry !!!!! Love watching Korda and Charlie they play quick and really like Charlies idea for BOTH Tours !!!!

[@mjdm1925]

I know No Putts Given is Tony and Chris’s pet project, but I want to see MGS putter expert (Dave Wolfe) when they talk about putters

[@petervonstackelberg7340]

Compare to the dorito shape of the Callaway B21.....

[@boydgrandy5769]

Played a threesome today in Camillus, NY in 3 and a half hours. It isn't that hard. Low 80s (score, not the temperature which hovered at 50 degrees F), and plenty of time to set up and make shots.

[@rsasso777]

lol, played Camillus CC last week in same, in decent shape too!

[@Tognar]

Arccos has macro data that proves faster play is lower scoring.

[@vegaspony]

How much of that is because it takes less time to hit fewer shots from the fairway as opposed to more shots from the woods?

[@Tognar]

@ Good question. I’m not 100%, but most Arccos data is normalized by handicap. So it’ll show me how pace of play affects me personally.

[@robertott9925]

Shot clock. Baseball did it... Golf on tv can....

[@scotthansen4692]

4 warnings for professionals is too many. 1 time warning, 2 one stroke, 3 you are done. 3 times in a year lose your tour card for 12 months. Golf needs to move along. Even Baseball has found a way to move the game along. Enough is enough

[@dennisd4027]

Not as many ads on this show vs the incessant pop ups and ads on your website.

[@GolfSpyC]

You might find this hard to believe, but the ad saturation on the main site is at (or even below) industry comps....

[@dennisd4027]

@@GolfSpyC they used to be "ad free" and "completely unbiased". Now it's an info-channel website.

[@jimwoolford7303]

Products … ??? Rain gear Socks Hats

[@injuredtabletennisplayer1474]

What if someone has a bad hole in front of you. Makes everyone slow.

[@FF04RDF]

I don’t care that much but how do they get their numbers?(NGF). 18M exclusively off course participants eg range / simulators. I’m assuming it’s extrapolating survey data? (I just wonder who they’re asking😂)

[@nbargolf]

The changes the tour is making is a joke. Nothing to really make it more fun to watch. Let's face it tournaments on tv have gotten long and boring. How about some PGA/LPGA team play, skins game, even scrambles. I for one am about to give up on watching it. Oh wait and now they're going to get paid to play in the Ryder cup. Rory said he would pay to play in it.