How to navigate the club’s 2026 launch season

Moving forward every week I will be giving my opinion, thoughts and insights on things happening around the world. As someone who has navigated this business from a few different angles and now a year into my role as director of operations for GOLF.com, I wanted a space where I could be open and honest.

This is not a job to tear things down but to give you the insight and wisdom I have been able to unlock over the nearly eight years I have been doing this. It’s been an interesting ride to say the least, and I’m excited to read, discuss and debate on this forum.

First, I’ll be posting a link to this article on my X account to spark discussion and answer your questions. I’ve always felt that it’s a better practice to explore and find topics together than to do it in a vacuum everything Your comments are welcome. (But let’s keep it classy, ​​folks — this is golf, after all, no one is treating anything here.)

That out of the way, let’s go!

What does Startup Season mean?

It exists. Introduce the Season. That exciting, exciting part of the year when a new product is introduced to the market and we, the gear carrying community, go absolutely crazy. But why pandemonium? Why was the driver who was so good on Dec. 31 expiring on Jan. 8?

Short answer: Not really. Or you shouldn’t. The same goes for the driver from 2024, ’23, ’22 or down to 2020. The truth is, the days of hitting the ball 20 yards forward with a driver switch are gone. Of course, distance is only one part of a four-piece pie. I would rate the importance of driver performance categories as follows:

This year’s list is moving at a fast pace, because accuracy has been a mainstay for many companies for the past few years. So the speed companies that tried to make drivers like Ping (you know who he is) got close enough and now they’re going back to what they do best: making the ball go a long way.

What are you, buyer clubyou need to know

So, how can you deal with this onslaught of information and make informed purchasing decisions? This is where we here at GOLF/Fully Armed will do our best with reliable content and findings to help you out. So much so that we’ve created a new version of ClubTest that will launch in February that I think gives buyers a deeper look at what will work (or not) in their games.

At the end of the day, all of them club from the best banger producers. Even companies that have specialized in one part of the bag over the others – ie, PXG (irons), Srixon/Cleveland (irons/wedges) and Mizuno (irons) – serious 2026 metal wood offerings.

My advice? Hit as many things as you can and get a feel for the user experience. And, for those first swings, ignore the numbers, because as you’ll see in my comments below finding the right clubs for your game will come down to your matchmaker anyway. Pay attention to the look, feel (sound), curb appeal, excitement, etc. Once you find any club you are. happy test, then you can figure out how to get it to be called a fitter.

Get fit (especially this year)

2026 is likely to be the most competitive year in the club market. See: It is something the most competitive year ever. I’m not going to pick a club and say, “This is the best!” – I hate that word as it relates to gear, because it is false. Good for whom? When? How? It is an empty statement and misrepresents consumers. If I’ve said it, I retract!

This year will be a fair fight. For example, today TaylorMade is launching its Qi4D program, an extraordinary offering by every metric. Good story: fast, forgiving, looks amazing, etc. Do all the things. But it’s also a nuanced piece of technology that requires a good balance to unlock. It’s like an expensive bottle of wine – yes, you can open the cork and start corking but getting a skilled sommelier to do it for you takes you from a delicious drink to an unforgettable one. Qi4D is like that.

It’s also my contention that if you’re going to spend $700+ on a rod, make it perfect. Spend extra dough to get it right. Some may say, “Yes, but maybe next year something ‘better’ will come.” Maybe but a indeed a well suited driver will last longer than the club marketers will tell you. Trust me, I’ve been on both sides. So, if you’re a serious buyer or just want to make sure what you have is right for your game, do it with a simulator.

Buy a new club only if it is the best fit for your current player. My opinion is that this year in particular will be the year when the young beat the old. That wasn’t true a ton during the last 4-5 years but 2026 is different.

When I say a fair fight, I mean it. OEMs have all stepped up their games this year knowing that their technology needs a sommelier to cook. I love that, and I felt it last fall when I was testing all these things. And it’s not just TaylorMade. Callaway, Ping and PXG all have new versions where the fitter will be the key to your success. I hope each OEM takes it upon themselves to make sure brand-agnostic fitters – ie, True Spec – know all the tricks in the book to unlock club power. Every company should consider fitness as their No. 1 priority, even more than product.

Why? Because proper protocol is the key to getting your club to do its thing. That’s more true this launch season than I’ve ever seen, and behind the scenes all the major OEMs are either tightening up their processes or developing new ones. It’s such a big deal.

So, if you are one of those “snatch it off the rack” shoppers, I would advise you to change your strategy— now. We in the media will give you a lot to consider as well as OEM marketing. But mark my words: It’s an absolute dogfight in 2026 and the power is in your hands to find out. yours driver instead of the one with the most buzz.

You can’t make a bad choice this year – but the process of getting to that choice is everything. Take your time, ask us lots of questions, find out the truth about what you need.

We are here to help

What I want for all of us is to play better golf, if not the best golf of our lives. But it is a process. Just as improving your swing is a process, so is buying new clubs. When my team and I do anything at a high level, it helps you dial it up yours process. Make no mistake, golf is expensive, and new clubs are not a frivolous purchase. They take time, diligence and thought. In my first 11 months here at GOLF.com, I have been working hard to set the table with strategy and talent (Jake Morrow and Jack Hirsh) so that 2026 will be the year that you golfer has reliable, unbiased information you can use.

Device media is full of talented creators, but from where I sit, it’s time for all of us to step up and inform the masses in a dynamic way. You’ll see tons of content from the Fully Equipped team this year: a must-have resource you can rely on to answer all your gear questions.

We’re here to help, and honestly I’m still trying to figure it all out myself. This year is a big pivot point for my game, which has been pretty bad in recent years. I want to play the best golf of my life in 50 years, and this year is when I will really prepare myself from a physical and mechanical standpoint. I’m tired of nursing golf; like all of you, i just want to get better. I am interested to hear what you are experiencing this year and will relate it to my journey. You can find me on Instagram here. My DMs are open.

Enjoy launch season! It will be so wild.