Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show

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   
 

TaylorMade Qi35 Drivers Verdict! The Death Of The LS?

Back in the autumn, you may remember Joe saying, ' I've seen a new club coming out that I like looks of so much, it is going in my bag no matter what the performance is like.' Well, that club is here, and it's called TaylorMade Qi35. In this episode, we're bringing you our in-depth review and verdict of all five (yes, five) new driver heads, three fairways & the lone new hybrid. We'll go over all the new tech and Joe will give his thoughts on each model as it sits in the new range. Let us know how you're feeling about release season!
Are you interested in all the new clubs coming out, or is it much of a muchness to you? Remember, you can get in touch with us via our email below with any opinions or thoughts on the show - we'd love to hear from you! We'll return to our normal programming by the end of the month!
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/taylormade-qi35-driver-review https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/taylormade-qi35-max-fairway-wood-review https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/taylormade-qi35-tour-fairway-wood-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/taylormade-qi35-ls-driver-review https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/taylormade-qi35-max-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/hybrids/taylormade-qi35-hybrid-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/i-didnt-think-the-perfect-golf-club-existed-until-i-hit-this-one     

Callaway Elyte Drivers Verdict! Substance Over Style?

Happy New Year! As is customary at the start of a new calendar year, new drivers are launching. The first to go in 2025 is Callaway and in this episode, we take a deep dive into the new Elyte range. You've likely already seen images of them online, and it's fair to say the new range has been taking a bit of heat for the design. But, can Elyte battle back by being one of the best-performing drivers of the year? Joe has been busy testing all three drivers and the new game improvement irons and will give his full, in-depth verdict here. 
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     
Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  
Further reading:
https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/callaway-elyte-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/callaway-elyte-triple-diamond-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/callaway-elyte-x-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/irons/callaway-elyte-irons-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/irons/callaway-elyte-x-irons-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/callaway-elyte-x-fairway-wood-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/hybrids/callaway-elyte-hybrid-review

Inside The UK's Best Fitting Centre, Building The Perfect Half Set & Shaft Frequency Explained

We're on the road this week, bringing you a special episode from inside the Precision Golf Fitting Centre in Surrey. Joe has mentioned the studio several times in previous episodes (he used to work at Precision Golf too!) so we thought it was time we took a deep dive into what an independent fitting centre is and why Precision Golf is so revered in the fitting industry. We'll chat about how the studio works, what advantages you might get from being fitted at an independent studio, and just what makes them so different from any other fitting centres. 
We're also joined by Precision Golf owner Simon Cooper who takes charge of this week's explainer, looking at shaft frequency and shaft analysers. There's also time for an Ask The Pod and this week we're asked how to go about building the perfect half-set and if it's possible to be fit for just half a set of clubs. Thanks for downloading and Happy New Year from Dan, Joe and the whole Kick Point team! 
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    
Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   
 

The Pointy Awards! Our Favourite Equipment Moments Of 2024

It's the last Friday before Christmas and we were feeling the perfect mixture of festive and silly to bring you the first annual Pointy Awards (see what we did there?) to commemorate the year in equipment. Awards handed out include: Most Innovative/Disruptive Release, Best Equipment Change, Most Innovative Use Of A Golf-Specific Product Off The Golf Course, Best Costume Design & The Rising Star. Enjoy the episode and Merry Christmas from Dan, Joe and the whole Kick Point team! 
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   
Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Cobra DS-Adapt Review: Cobra's Best Driver Since F9?

Cobra's newest family of drivers, fairways, hybrids and irons are here, and we're here to break down everything you need to know about DS-Adapt! From all the new tech to the results of Joe's extensive testing, it's all here this week. We've dedicated the whole episode to the new range as Dan and Joe dive into all of the technical details and their opinions on the performance of the new clubs as we herald the start of driver launch season. 
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  
Get three issues of Golf Monthly magazine for just £5 at www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint 
Further reading:
https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/cobra-ds-adapt-ls-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/cobra-ds-adapt-max-k-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/cobra-ds-adapt-max-d-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/drivers/cobra-ds-adapt-x-driver-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/cobra-ds-adapt-x-fairway-wood-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/cobra-ds-adapt-ls-titanium-fairway-wood-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/fairways/cobra-ds-adapt-max-fairway-wood-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/irons/cobra-ds-adapt-iron-review 

James Robinson In The Bag Special & TaylorMade P770 vs Callaway Apex Pro vs Mizuno Pro 245 iron

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 
Brace yourselves for the biggest (and best?) episode of Kick Point to date. It's a bumper episode, so settle in for the ride. Building on last week's head-to-head versus old and new driver generations, we've put three different brands head-to-head in the ultra-competitive compact distance iron category. It's an epic three-way pitting the TaylorMade P770, Callaway Apex Pro and Mizuno Pro 245 against each other. Joe has tested all of them and gives his verdict on each iron across multiple categories and Dan comes up with a new scoring system that we'll politely call 'ad-hoc' for now. 
This week's Ask The Pod is likely the most philosophical question we've received as a listener enquires whether he should buy a set of blades despite his 18 handicap ability - what do we buy golf clubs for if not to enjoy them? Then, YouTuber James Robinson joins us for a What's In The Bag special. As a content creator who reviews pretty much every club there is to be reviewed, what does a man with the ultimate choice decide put into his bag? He joins Joe for a conversation about his equipment and spends some time discussing wider equipment topics. 
Thanks to James for joining us! You can find him on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesRobinsonGolf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesrobbogolf/?hl=en 
Further reading: 
https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/irons/taylormade-2024-p770-iron-reviewhttps://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/irons/mizuno-pro-245-iron-review https://www.golfmonthly.com/reviews/irons/callaway-2024-apex-pro-iron-review 
 

Faldo's '96 Masters Winning Clubs, Titleist GT vs TSR & Our Favourite Clubs Of All Time

With the Titleist GT range being the newest driver family currently on the market (more to come on this in January...) we thought it would be a good time to compare it to its older sibling, the TSR. How much, if any, gains were made in Titleist's newest driver offering and what changes were made in the new design? 
The Ask The Pod wanted to know what our favourite clubs we've ever used are. While Dan only has one club he's got much affinity for, Joe has used so many in his long career that he runs us through a whole bag of his favourites - stick around for a particular story about a trip to Orlando... Finally, we get stuck into another retro What's In The Bag and dive into the clubs Sir Nick Faldo used to win the 1996 Masters.