Add some distance and save some $$$ with our list of best affordable drivers in 2023.
When big-name brands like TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway and Ping release new drivers, the prices can be astronomical. You could be a die-hard golfer playing 2-3 times a week, and it’d still be hard to justify spending that much money on a golf club.
So we thought it’d be a good idea to scour the internet for the best deals on name-brand drivers to save the average golfer some coin on their next big stick. Be sure to look out for deals on last year’s releases at major retailers like PGA TOUR Superstore, GlobalGolf, DICK’S Sporting Goods and more.
See how Mizuno T24 wedges combine more spin and greenside versatility.
Gear: Mizuno T24 wedges Price: $180 each with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts and Golf Pride MCC grips Specs: Forged 1025 carbon steel infused with Boron. Available in even lofts from 46 degrees to 60 degrees in three finishes (Raw, Soft White Satin, Denim Copper) and in five sole configurations. Available: September 14
Who It’s For: Golfers who love a traditional-looking wedge designed to enhance feel, consistency and spin.
The Skinny: The combination of a thinner topline, shorter blade length, loft-specific grooves and five different sole grinds makes the T24 wedge family the most versatile in the brand’s history.
The Deep Dive: Over the past several seasons, Mizuno has tried several innovative ways to help golfers get better performance around the greens, going so far as to offer the larger, hollow-bodied ES21 wedges. The release of the new T24 wedges blends several different features and design elements in a classic-looking wedge that has been made to appeal to a wide range of players.
The T24 wedges are made using grain flow forged 1025 carbon steel that is infused with Boron. Mizuno has added Boron in some irons since 2014 because it makes the carbon steel harder without sacrificing the soft feel. In wedges, that means the edges of the grooves should be more durable, so spin deterioration will not happen as quickly.
Compared to the T22 wedges they replace, the T24 wedges have a thinner topline and a more compact shape. The pitching wedges and gap wedges (46-52 degrees) have iron-style looks and are slightly-more angular than the sand wedges and lob wedges (54-60 degrees), which have a more-rounded shape. All the T24 wedges and have extra mass designed behind the top of the hitting area to elevate the center of gravity location, which should make it easier to flight approach shots down for more control.
The Mizuno T24 has extra mass located high in the back of the head, but golfers cant’ see it when they address the ball. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Mizuno was the first manufacturer to design different grooves for different wedges based on their lofts, and that benefit is found in the T24. Pitching wedges and gap wedges (46-52 degrees) have thinner, deeper, iron-style grooves because golfers tend to use those clubs from the fairway as extensions of their iron set. Sand wedges and lob wedges (54-60 degrees), however, get wider, shallower grooves to help channel water and debris off the hitting surface and protect spin. In the T24 wedges, the grooves themselves have been modified to be sharper, to create more spin, while staying in the USGA groove rule restrictions.
Grooves in the Mizuno T24 san wedges and lob wedges are wider and shallower to move water and debris off the hitting surface. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Mizuno has also changed how many grooves each T24 wedge has, with pitching wedges and gap wedges now having 17 grooves packed tightly on the face while, like an iron. At the same time, the sand wedges and lob wedges have 15 grooves. According to Mizuno, having numerically fewer grooves on the higher-lofted wedges allows them to grab the golf ball’s cover more effectively and generate extra spin.
Between each groove, Mizuno has added a microgroove pattern to increase friction. The microgrooves are under the chrome plating, so you can’t see them, but they are visible on the Raw finished wedges. Keeping the microgrooves under the chrome plating increases their durability.
Mizuno T24 wedges come in five different sole configurations. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The T24 wedges are available in five different sole grinds, with each designed to excel in different conditions and ideally suited for different styles and shot types.
S Grind (46-54 degrees): Think of this as a standard, straight sole with some heel relief the S Grind will perform like an extension of a player’s iron set, but the heel relief should allow it to be used on chip shots more effectively.
D Grind (54-58 degrees): A versatile grind with heel and toe relief and moderate bounce in the center of the sole for players who want traditional versatility around the greens.
C Grind (56-60 degrees): Thin offering combines the heel and toe relief of the D Grind but with less bounce for players who sweep the ball or who are faced with firm conditions and wet, packed sand.
X Grind (58-60 degrees): For skilled players, this is the lowest-bounce option among Mizuno’s lob wedges. It has extreme heel and toe relief to help golf clip the ball off tight lies. The X Grind is the widest sole, making it a good option for players who struggle in bunkers.
V Grind (58-60 degrees): A new grind for Mizuno, the V is a high-bounce option with trailing edge relief. A seam running from heel to toe creates a V-shape on the bottom of the club to help this wedge pop out of sand and turf more easily.
Below are several close-up images of the new Mizuno T24 wedges.
The best irons for low-handicap golfers who want extra distance.
A decade ago, better-player distance irons didn’t exist, but today it is one of the hottest and most innovation-filled categories in golf.
So we are clear, better-player distance irons are designed to look like the clubs single-digit handicap golfers want to play. They have compact blade lengths, narrow toplines and soles and typically come with only a touch of offset. However, manufacturers pack them with distance-enhancing features and technologies so they appeal to players who might lose a few yards, and they tend to be more forgiving than cavity-back and muscleback irons made for aspiring club champions.
While some of the clubs on this list were released earlier in 2023, several have been dropped within the past few weeks, giving golfers who shoot in the 70s and low 80s more choices to consider.
As always, the best way to find the ideal set of irons to match your game is to work with a good custom fitter who has a launch monitor and try several options. Below are several models you might want to consider.
The golfers who lead the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee so far in 2023, along with the drivers and shafts they are using.
The Hawaiin and West Coast swings are in the rearview mirror, and the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing has begun. The game’s best players are getting tuned up for the season’s first major championship, the 2023 Masters.
Like everyone else, the pros are always working to hit the ball farther and improve their driving. That means lots of work in the gym to develop a faster swing, hours on the range under the watchful eye of swing coaches and time spent with equipment technicians to ensure their drivers are perfectly tuned.
Below is a list of the golfers who currently lead the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, along with the drivers and shafts they are using.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — This week marks the last event on the PGA Tour’s 2023 West Coast Swing, a series of events that rolled from PGA West to Torrey Pines, Pebble Beach, TPC Scottsdale and now Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles.
The courses on the West Coast Swing test every player’s skill, along with every club in his bag. This week, Golfweek’s resident equipment expert, senior writer David Dusek, is on-site at Riviera. He has already spent time in the practice areas and in the PGA Tour vans, talking with equipment builders, players and caddies. He filmed the video with Titleist Vokey Design wedge builder Aaron Dill and took the photos of the gear you will see below.
Golfweek’s guide to wedges for 2023 is the perfect place to learn about the latest wedges.
Finding the right wedges, and learning a few basic techniques, can dramatically lower a recreational golfer’s score because suddenly instead of needing three shots (or four) to get the ball in the hole after your approach shot misses the green, you only need two. Chipping, pitching and hitting the ball closer from greenside sand takes some pressure off your putting and allows you to relax from the fairway.
So how to you find the ideal wedges? Easy, work with a good custom fitter, ask a lot of questions and if you can, take some time to think about where you play and how you play before you buy anything. Here are some things to consider:
What pitching wedge do you want? Back in the day, many iron sets came with a 10-iron, but that club transformed into today’s pitching wedge. You should still consider it an extension of your irons because you are going to use it most often from the fairway (or fairway rough) to hit approach shots. The pitching wedge that comes with iron sets should blend seamlessly from the 9-iron, making gapping between those clubs easy. If you want a specialty pitching wedge, find out the loft of your 9-iron and then talk with your fitter about what loft will be appropriate for your pitching wedge. Iron lofts have strengthened over the last decade, you don’t want to buy a 48-degree pitching wedge if your 9-iron has 37 degrees of loft.
Your gap wedge needs to be stronger, too. If the loft of your pitching wedge has to be stronger to make the gap between it and your 9-iron appropriate, your gap wedge loft will also likely need to be stronger. The most-popular loft for a gap wedge these days is 50 degrees
Bounce: Give yourself options. There are lots of different sole configurations in sand wedges and lob wedges, but it’s smart to have one club be a low-bounce option and the other be a high-bounce club. Which should be the low and which should be the high is up to you (and your fitter, hopefully), but having a low-bounce and a high-bounce option means that from hard-pan lies, in sand and from all kinds of rough, you will have something you can use confidently.
If you play a lot, replace your lob wedge often. Pros on the PGA Tour get a new pitching wedge and gap wedge about once a year, but they replace their sand wedge two or three times a year. Lob wedges (58, 60 and 62 degrees) can be replaced as much as six or seven times a year because elite golfers demand the grooves stay sharp. They practice with their lob wedges a lot, and sand, dirt and debris can dull the grooves quickly. You likely are not practicing and playing as much as a tour pro, but if you play year-round and notice that short chips and pitches are releasing and rolling out more than your expect, it might be time to get some fresh grooves in your bag.
Here are the wedges that you are likely to see in pro shops and golf specialty stores right now.
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These wedges are for those who want more stability and spin with custom-grind options for greenside versatility.
Gear: Mizuno S23 wedges Price:$160 each with KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 115 shafts and Golf Pride Z Grip Specs: Forged 1020E mild carbon steel infused with Boron. White Satin or Copper Cobalt finishes in four sole grind options. Lofts from 45-62 degrees.
Who It’s For: Golfers who want more stability and spin with custom-grind options for greenside versatility.
The Skinny: The S23 wedges were designed to have their sweet spot be in the center of the hitting area, and by offering every loft from 44 to 62 degrees and wedges in four different sole grinds, finding the perfect distance and short game tool should be easier.
The Deep Dive: The ideal place to hit muscleback blade irons is not really in the middle of the hitting area. It’s just to the heel side. Why? The weight of the hosel shifts the center of gravity (CG) toward the heel, so the sweet spot gets pulled in that direction too. The same thing happens on most conventional wedges, so Mizuno designed the new S23 wedges in a new way to put the ideal hitting area in the center of the face and improve performance.
Removing mass from the center and heel area and shifting it to the toe pulls the center of gravity away from the hosel. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
In the address position, the S23 wedges have a classic tear-drop shape, but a significant portion of the back has been removed in the center and heel area. You don’t see it as you prepare to hit a shot, but by removing that mass and shortening the hosel, the CG location shifts away from the heel side and more into the center.
While Mizuno is not touting the S23 as a game-improvement wedge, shifting more weight to the toe also increases the moment of inertia (MOI) and the stability on off-center hits, so the S23 wedges should be more forgiving.
Each S23 wedge is forged from a piece of 1020E mild carbon steel, for a soft feel. However, the steel has been infused with Boron, which is an exceptionally hard material, The addition of Boron helps to improve the durability of the grooves, so they retain their sharpness longer.
The S23 wedges’ grooves vary by loft. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The main grooves (Quad Cut) are narrower and deeper in the pitching wedge and gap-wedge lofts (44 to 53 degrees) to make them behave like extensions of a golfer’s iron set, but the grooves area wider and shallower on the sand wedges and lob wedges to help channel water and debris away on shots hit around the greens.
Between each groove, Mizuno has added its Hydroflow microgrooves, which are a series of laser-etched grooves that cover the entire hitting area. The microgrooves add roughness and increase friction for added spin. The pattern of microgrooves changes based on the club’s loft, with the pattern getting more tightly packed in the sand wedge and lob wedges (54 to 62 degrees).
The S23 wedges come in four sole-grind options, with the S Grind having a straight design and the D Grind having relief in both the heel and toe areas. The C Grind has more aggressive heel, and toe relief and the X Grind has the most material removed from the sole in heel and toe areas for golfers who want to maximize versatility around the greens.
Take a look at this list of the best drivers for 2023 for every playing style and handicap level.
In the golf equipment world, drivers are the stars of the show. Everyone wants to hit the ball farther and straighter, and with exotic materials like titanium, carbon fiber and tungsten used to make today’s drivers, the dream of more distance can be a reality for many players.
The best way to discover the driver that is best suited to your swing and game is to work with a good custom fitter who has a launch monitor, try several models (along with different shafts) and see which performs best.
To give you a running start on the process and reveal which new offerings you might want to talk about with your fitter, take a look at this list of the best drivers for 2023 for every playing style and handicap level.
Mizuno’s newest drivers benefit from carbon fiber crowns, thin titanium faces and a new sole technology that broadens the sweet spot.
Gear: Mizuno ST-Z 230, ST-X 230, ST-X PLTNM 230 drivers Price: $499.99 for the ST-Z 230 and ST-X 230 with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green shaft, Mitsubishi Kai’Li Blue shaft or UST Mamiya LINQ Red shaft and Lamkin Hybrid ST grip. $549.95 for the ST-X PLTNM 230 Specs: Forged SAT 2041 Beta Ti face with titanium chassis, internal steel weight with TPU coating, carbon fiber crown and adjustable hosel. Lofts – 9.5, 10.5 degrees for the ST-Z 230; 9.5, 10.5, 12 degrees for the ST-X 230, 10.5, 12 degrees for the ST-X PLTNM 230 Available: February, but available for pre-order now
Who They’re For: Golfers who want a stable, low-spin, neutral-bias driver (ST-Z 230); players who want a draw-biased driver (ST-X 230); golfers who want a lightweight club to generate more swing speed (ST-X PLTNM 230)
The Skinny: The addition of an internal steel weight helps the ST-230 drivers generate more ball speed and lower spin rates, while the three club configurations give fitters a chance to help more golfers find a head that suits their needs best.
The Deep Dive: Four years ago the engineers and designers at Mizuno set out to do something hard. They were tasked with bringing the brand’s woods up to speed with Mizuno’s irons, which have been loved for years by discerning golfers for their distinctive looks and feel.
In each of the previous three seasons, Mizuno has released a new driver, starting with the ST-190, followed by the ST-200 and last season’s ST-220 drivers. (ST stands for speed technology.) Now the brand is releasing three ST-230 drivers, and Mizuno feels good enough about them to plan to move to two-year product cycles.
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Check out Golfweek’s 20 favorite golf bags for 2023.
Golf bags – you can’t play with them and you certainly cannot play without them.
The most obvious golf accessory is a choice that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Whether strapped to your back or the back of your golf cart, choosing a golf bag is as important as choosing a proper golf ball.
Luckily for you, Golfweek has made the search for the perfect golf bag that much easier.
We’ve put the best cart and stand bags all in one place to help you make the most informed decision possible. But first, one tip: there is no golden rule when it comes to golf bags.
If you enjoy both walking and taking a cart, a stand bag is going to benefit you the most. If you’re an avid walker (with a push cart) but are looking for more storage, a cart bag may be your choice.
