Thanks to KBS for supporting this video! Check out Joe playing with a full set of KBS shafts and his favourite golf clubs from his childhood in our recent video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFRZm3BXfB0&t=711s

Welcome back to another jam-packed episode of the Kick Point Golf Show! This week, we are diving deep into the tech behind your clubs to see what actually drives distance and control. Joe puts a hollow-bodied iron (specifically the TaylorMade P790) head-to-head against a solid forged blade in the shape of the TaylorMade P7TW at identical lofts to answer a burning question: is face flexing actually delivering extra ball speed, or is it all just lower lofts? Would you be able to hit the And should more of us be using blades to make ourselves better ball strikers?

Later, we are also joined by one of Ping's chief engineers, Travis Milleman. In our interview, he breaks down how clubs are developed years in advance, how material choices unlock structural innovation, and how their team balances player feedback with robot data. Plus, Joe presents his DIY prototype driver to Travis, and we answer your listener questions in Ask the Pod - enjoy!

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

04:53 Strong fairway woods and unbranded gear

0:07:38 Callaway Tour equipment insights with Kellen Watson

0:21:20 Hollow body vs. blade iron testing at the same loft (P790 vs. P7TW)

0:33:16 Ask the Pod: Secondhand gear and bent adapter sleeves

0:44:25 Interview: Designing Ping clubs with Travis Milleman

01:08:08 Presenting the DIY driver prototype to Ping

Watch us in FULL on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

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

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Happy Friday and thanks for downloading this week's classically jam-packed episode. This week, we discuss the latest equipment releases, starting with the new Srixon ZXi irons and ZXi RKT driver family. Are Srixon's new technologies (and subsequent lack of change from the last generation) proof that we're finally at the end of history when it comes to drivers delvoped under the current equipment rules? After that, we also explore the future of golf retail, exploring custom 3D-printed irons and we dive into the mailbag in Ask the Pod, covering topics like ball fitting, the debate on lake balls versus winter balls, and gap management for game-improvement irons. Finally, stick around for an exclusive interview with three-time Major champion Pádraig Harrington, who shares his ever-insightful and considered views on the proposed golf ball rollback, his setup quirks, and stories from his career - enjoy!

This week we're proudly sponsored by Golf GameBook, the app that can help improve your game and makes it even more fun and social. Live leaderboards, loads of different game types and a built-in GPS system make Golf GameBook a one-stop shop for your next round. Download now; available for free on iOS and Android devices.

Chapters:

0:00:00 Intro and our new favourite golf app

0:05:41 The fate of the Callaway Full Toe SP wedge and other bad wedge releases

0:13:36 What is the future of golf retail & custom 3D printing

0:24:03 Srixon ZXi RKT driver reviews

0:32:35 Srixon ZXi7, ZXi5 & ZXi5+ review

0:39:31 Ask The Pod - Winter balls vs summer balls

0:51:01 Ask The Pod - Game-improvement iron gapping dilemma

0:57:00 Padraig Harrington interview on his equipment through the years and golf's distance debate

Watch us in FULL on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Big news this week: Joe got a haircut AND gave up sugary drinks, all in one week. Turning to golf, we discuss whether traditional blade putters will ever make a comeback after the recent dominance of high-MOI mallets on professional tours, and we examine how driver head size affects swing speed and aerodynamics. We've brought head-to-head to head-to-head back this week as we look at four of the top game (shot) improvement irons: the Titleist T350, Cobra 3DPX, Srixon ZXiR, and Ping G440. Which will come out as Joe's overall favourite as he rates them over categories such as aesthetics, centre and off-centre feel, forgiveness, and peak height?

We then wrap up this week with a What's In The Bag interview with PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa. Morikawa shares details about his shoe testing with Adidas, his long-term relationship with a TaylorMade SIM 3-wood, his reaction to Qi4D woods rolling over into 2027 and the story behind stealing his current Spider X putter from Kurt Kitayama's caddie - enjoy!

0:00:00 - Intro & weekly catch-up

0:03:50 - Will blade putters make a comeback?

0:09:23 - Technique, unorthodox swings & UK vs. US coaching

0:15:07 - Trottie’s custom tour build service

0:18:11 - What is the best game improvement iron of 2026?

0:38:25 - Ask The Pod: listener mailbag & gear nostalgia

0:46:11 - Collin Morikawa: What's In The Bag interview

Watch us in FULL on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.