Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show

Fleetwood's Clubs, Rory's Disgraceful Grips, Tiger's Hidden Equipment Trick & Does Shaft Length Matter?

Joe's in storytelling mode this week with two belters about the time he met Rory McIlroy at Celtic Manor and a little-known piece of insight into Tiger Woods' rudimentary equipment secret. We're also bringing back the explainer this week to talk about (get your giggles out of the way now) shaft length. It is a vital and often misunderstood part of the fitting process that has an impact on pretty much everything from distance to consistency - Joe is here to explain exactly how to get it right for your game. 
Finally, this week's What's In The Bag is on Tommy Fleetwood. Joe has a direct line to Tommy Fleetwood's actual fitter at TaylorMade HQ, so we've got plenty of insights to share about the Englishman's 2025 set-up. 
Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com
Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 
Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   
Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolfChapters:0:00:00 Hello!0:01:45 Our golfing goals for the year0:08:10 What we want to see in pro golf this year0:10:52 When Joe met Rory! Rory's disgraceful grips 0:17:59 Explainer: Does shaft length matter?0:30:30 Tiger's unique and rudimentary equipment trick0:42:29 Tommy Fleetwood What's In The Bag

Max Homa's Clubs, PXG Secret Weapon Review & Fixing Your Gapping Issues!

It was a hell of a performance from our relief pitcher (and equipment expert) Sam De'Ath, but he exits stage left to a rapturous reception as Joe retakes his throne on the Kick Point set this week. Not only is he back, but he's also providing a hot take about caddies - 'Why do we have them?'. Given that a few members of the Golf Monthly team are former caddies, his answer certainly ruffled some feathers within the office...
As for the rest of the show, we have a Kick Point first - we talk about a club we've BOTH reviewed! Yes, I've taken a break from shoes and bags and been thrown in the deep end to discuss the PXG Secret Weapon Mini Driver - are mini drivers worth it or simply a bit of a marketing gimmick? We discuss. We discuss club gapping on this week's 'Ask The Pod' as we answer listener questions before diving into our latest What's In The Bag and taking a closer look into the equipment used by Ryder Cup star Max Homa following his move to Cobra for the 2025 season.Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com
Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 
Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   
Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf
Chapters:0:00:00 Intro 0:02:52 Joe's revelation about caddies0:08:27 PXG Secret Weapon mini-driver review0:26:17 'Ask The Pod' - Helping with gapping0:40:07 Max Homa's What's In The Bag 2025 

Zero Torque Putters: What Are They, Do You Need One & Which Are The Best?

If you're a bit of a putter nerd or a total putter newbie, then you're in luck this week as our guru Sam De'Ath returns to give us the full lowdown on the latest craze in flatstick technology - zero torque putters! Unfortunately, that means no Joe this week. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice he had a bit of tape on the sole of his shoe all last week, and I would like to say he's sitting out this week out of embarrassment, but that would be lying...Instead, this episode was supposed to air last week, but one of the products we spoke about was embargoed, and we can't be upsetting the friendly companies that supply us with these clubs to test, can we? However, we promise that this episode is worth the wait. We cover zero torque - what they are, why you might use one and which ones we think are the best depending on what kind of golfer you are. Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com
Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 
Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   
Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf
Follow us on social media:Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolfTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kickpointpod
Chapters:0:00:00 Intro 0:06:23 What is a 'zero-torque putter'?0:10:23 Is L.A.B Golf here to stay?0:14:43 What are all the models?0:16:55 Best looking zero-torque putter0:29:34 Best feeling zero-torque putter0:39:29 Best for alignment0:46:41 Best inside 5ft0:50:59 Best overall zero torque putter0:57:28 'Ask The Pod' - Building the top and bottom of a bag

Matsuyama's Clubs, TaylorMade P790 Iron Review & Playing With Bryson's Actual Irons

Drumroll please…….… Joe is back! As we say here in England, super sub Sam De’Ath had great innings (Google it, Americans), but it’s time for the star of the show to return and talk golf gear. His back is better, his beard is trimmed, and his makeup is done - we couldn’t be happier to have ‘The Pro’ back. And it's a bumper episode to return to. Joe will give us insight into two of his favorite things - Taylormade irons and golf grips. Yes, we’re diving deep into his review of the latest P790 irons whilst also talking about the new Golf Pride Align Max grips and how revolutionary they could prove to be for your game. Other items on the agenda - we answer questions about Joe's experience with Bryson DeChambeau’s irons on Ask The Pod and investigate what Hideki Matsuyama is swinging with in the latest What’s In The Bag?
Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com
Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 
Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   
Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf
Follow us on social media:Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolfTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kickpointpod
Chapters: 
0:00: Intro - Joe's back! 7:56: PGA Tour winners aren't using 2025 drivers - why? 18:37: TaylorMade P790 iron review27:50: Golf Pride Align Max grip review36:06: Ask The Pod - Joe's experience playing with Bryson's actual clubs51:25: Hideki Matusyma 2025 What's In The Bag 

Best Hybrids Of 2025 & Lie Angles On Wedges Explained!

Thanks for all your well wishes to the injured Joe The Pro last week! He'll be back (no pun intended) better than ever next week. So, given his stunning debut performance last week, Sam De’Ath returns to spread knowledge and wisdom about hybrids for the new golf season. We ask whether the club is falling out of fashion on Tour; why we think the average golfer should be using more of them and Sam runs through which of the latest releases are the best for you. We also get technical with wedges and answer the question - 'should people have their wedges bent flatter than their irons?'Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com
Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 
Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   
Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf
Follow us on social media:Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolfTikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kickpointpodChapters:0:00 Intro 5:39 Are hybrids going out of fashion?11:59 Best-looking hybrids 21:00 Best sound and feel27:50 Most forgiving hybrids 36:08 Best hybrids for distance 38:50 Best hybrids to hit off the fairway43:22 Best hybrids to use out of the rough48:12 Most workable hybrid 51:16 Verdict - best hybrid of 202552:52 Kick Point x Golf Monthly magazine offer54:44 'Ask The Pod' - Should I flatten the lie angle on my wedges?
 

The Best Fairway Woods Of 2025 & Fixing Your Equipment Woes!

We have an injured soldier this week. Despite looking like he's in his late 20s, Joe is decaying at the standard rate for someone in their early 40s, and as such suffered a back injury in the lead-up to this week's show. Luckily, we have a super sub waiting in the wings. 
So, for the first time, we welcome fellow Golf Monthly equipment tester Sam De'Ath onto the show. We've mentioned Sam in passing on many episodes as our chief fairway wood and hybrids tester amongst other things. So, with Sam on this week, we thought it made sense to take a deep dive into the latest fairway woods on offer. We break down this large category by looking at the most forgiving options, best for sound & feel and best for distance before crowning our overall winner. Of course, there's also an Ask The Pod and this week we help a listener from Down Under with a query about his muddled bag set-up. Enjoy! 
Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com     
We're now on YouTube! Watch full episodes at: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf       We're also now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolf/?hl=en Check out our full reviews of all the equipment mentioned in this week's episode here: https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviewsGet three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint 

Ludvig Aberg In The Bag Special & Mizuno Pro S3 Irons Review!

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com     
We're now on YouTube! Watch full episodes at: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf       We're also now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolf/?hl=en 
We're back in the studio this week with special guest Ludvig Aberg who talks us through the ins and outs of his equipment choices. The world number six joined us back in October last year to chat about his relationship with relatively new sponsor Titleist and his close relationship with Adidas golf. Before all that we've got in-depth reviews of the gorgeous new Mizuno Pro S3 and JPX925 Forged irons and a full round-up of the Wilson Dynapower family of drivers, fairways and hybrids. 
Check out our full reviews of all the equipment mentioned in this week's episode here: https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews
 

Behind The Scenes At TGL & The PGA Show! Our Bumper Week In Florida

It's our first every 'emergency' episode! Of course, there's no such thing as a real emergency when you're running a golf equipment podcast, but a busy week for Dan in Florida meant we had to sit down for a catch-up. Because of that, we're on our laptops today and no in the studio - so we apologise in advance for the less-than-perfect sound quality we usually pride ourselves on. 
So, coming up this week, we've got all of the down low on what it's like to be inside the TGL arena and a behind-the-scenes look at all of the best (and worst) equipment we saw at the PGA Show. Why does TGL insist on using a Full Swing Kit as its launch monitor? Do players change their equipment to play TGL? And are Cobra bringing our favourite iron to the masses in 2025? All of this and more are answered this week. Enjoy! 
 
 

Srixon ZXi Drivers Review! This Year's Hidden Gem?

0:00 Intro waffle 2:55 Srixon ZXi drivers: What are they all about? 7:04 ZXi driver technology10:22 ZXi looks16:30 ZXi drivers summary 17:22 Srixon ZXi drivers review23:47 Sirxon ZXi fairways & hybrids review26:11 Srixon ZXi utility iron review33:26 Srixon ZXi7 iron review38:39 Srixon ZXi5 iron review45:06 Srixon ZXi4 iron review49:30 Ask The Pod - Best driver set up for slower swing speed golfer...
While the Big Five have announced their driver range for 2025, there is still a big and largely underrated brand we have yet to discuss: Srixon. Its new ZXi range is huge and includes three drivers, a fairway wood, a hybrid, a utility iron and three new irons. We get stuck into the depths of the new range and try to work out why Srixon doesn't pull the weight it should in the golf game. 
There's also a very in-depth Ask The Pod this week focussing on the options for a golfer whose swing speed is sub 90mph, focussing on the shaft and fitting options available. 

Ping G440 Full Verdict! Was It Worth The Two-Year Wait?

Another big dog has entered the chat. Ping has arrived with its new G440 family of golf clubs. After a two-year wait since G430, has the brand been able to elevate what was one of the most successful and popular club families in its history? We've got our in-depth verdicts on the whole driver family, fairway woods, hybrid and new game improvement irons too. 
In a bid to include some non-new-release content, Ask The Pod is also back this week with a question from a very mysterious listener with two different aliases. They ask, why doesn't every golfer use some form of game-improvement iron to get the most forgiveness possible? 
Get in touch with Dan and Joe and Ask The Pod via our email kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com     
We're now on YouTube! Watch full episodes at: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf       We're also now on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolf/?hl=en 
Further Reading:
https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/ping-g440-sft-driver-review    https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/ping-g440-lst-driver-review    https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/ping-g440-max-driver-review    https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/irons/ping-g440-iron-review    https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/hybrids/this-new-club-can-hit-all-the-shots-and-is-a-must-try-this-yearhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/ping-g440-max-fairway-wood-review https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/ping-g440-lst-fairway-wood-review