Joel Tadman MY STAND-OUT PERFORMERS MIZUNO RB TOUR X BALL ODYSSEY STROKELAB ONE PUTTER WILSON STAFF D7 DRIVER

After an exhausting month of extensive club testing, Joel Tadman picks his personal favourites from a raft of major new equipment launches for the 2019 season I found it to be a good allrounder, offering ample spin and distance off the tee, but it didn’t

Ido hope you enjoyed the ‘New Gear Special’ in the last issue of Golf Monthly, covering, as the name suggests, all the special new gear unveiled at the start of 2019. It promises to be another corker. I say this because I endured many late nights pulling it all together, as the arrival of new golf gear is always like one of those badly run bus services – appearing sporadically throughout the year before all turning up at basically the same time in January.

The dust is now settling and my aching back is a sign that I’ve been struggling to keep up in my efforts to assess whether or not the new is better than the old. I was at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in January and a question I got asked A LOT was: “What’s the best new product out there this year?” Every time I paused, sighed internally and crafted a makeshift response. I was hesitant because what performed well for me might not work for the person asking the question, or for you reading this, and predicting the future is a skill I am yet to acquire.

That said, I’d like to think that when something is demonstrably better than the product it replaces, or if I and other GM testers have all experienced significant gains with the same product, then we can start to make claims with some validity. The way we test products, at Foresight Sports on the Gcquad launch monitor, as well as on the range and course at West Hill Golf Club, is one of the most solid and thorough methodologies around.

Enough procrastination. What stands out this year? Drivers naturally grab the headlines, and for me there are three big performers... and they don’t include Taylormade’s M5 or Callaway’s Epic Flash. Surprised? Those are both excellent drivers, two of the best, but the bar was set high with what came before, and performance, arguably, hasn’t moved on as much as with some. My picks are Ping’s G410 Plus, Cobra’s King F9 Speedback and Mizuno’s ST190G.

The G410 Plus gave me some of my fastest ever ball speeds, even with a slightly shorter shaft, and absolutely blew the G400 Max away. The Cobra is packed full of technology that really works, all for a very modest price. Finally, I have to mention Mizuno. It’s a brand that struggles to compete in the driver market but is gaining some presence on tour, and it’s no wonder, for the ST190G finally offers the ball speed and low spin that tour players are looking for. But it can still be set up to work for amateurs, too. It’s a really big step up from Mizuno.

The ST190 fairway also impressed me, along with the Callaway Epic Flash, but earning a place in my bag straight away is the Taylormade M6. The ball comes off this thing like an absolute rocket! I urge you to give it a try if your current fairway wood is misbehaving.

Other newcomers that have pleasantly surprised me are the new Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls. To get that much more speed without losing short-game feel or control is a win-win situation. We’re yet to try them against their competitors, which have also brought out new models, but if Pro V1 was the best ball before, the bar has been raised considerably higher for 2019.

In irons, I love the new Callaway Apex models, especially the Pro. It’s everything I look for in an iron – classic looks, a soft, buttery feel and precision with a hint of help. If I hadn’t been fitted for my Taylormade P760s recently, I’d be on to Callaway to get me fitted for a set, no question!

As always, this is just my opinion based on my testing results. When upgrading your kit, ask yourself honestly which part of your game needs improving and could your equipment be to blame? If it’s very old and/or wasn’t fitted, it’s more likely to be at fault. And while a lesson could well be a more prudent investment, I’d opt for the buzz of a new club in the bag every time!

Joel Tadman is GM technical editor

"Ping’s G410 Plus gave me some of my fastest ever ball speeds"