When golf-equipment manufacturers release drivers at the beginning of the year, most staff pros transition into their respective brand’s new clubs — but not without some work.
Much of the nitty-gritty fitting is done behind the scenes and, even after that process is complete, many pros will still hang on to their old gamers as infants do to their security blankets. That’s because while players might see performance gains in new offerings, they still have an emotional attachment to and deep trust in their old clubs gained from thousands of competitive reps.
The transition process can be even trickier for equipment “free agents,” i.e., those pros without gear deals who need to actively seek out testing opportunities. For this breed of pros, the testing process — often across several brands — requires more hustle and patience.
Seven of the top-25 players in the world are free to play whatever clubs they choose, and the drivers they play paint an interesting picture.
Four of those players — Chris Gotterup (Ping G440 LST), Matt Fitzpatrick (Titleist GT3), Ben Griffin (Ping G440K) and Patrick Reed (GT3) — game drivers available at retail, but only Griffin’s is a 2026 model.
The other three players — Justin Rose (Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD Max), Sepp Straka (Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD Max) and Maverick McNealy (TaylorMade Qi10) — use drivers that were released in 2024 and are no longer available.
Does that mean newer drivers aren’t any better? Absolutely not.
As we noted above, if these seven players want to make a change, they need to seek it out, and for now, none of them have decided to test the market.
Further down the world rankings, however, you’ll see far more movement. Wyndham Clark, in his first year of free agency, already has played at least four different drivers. Same goes for Lucas Glover, who despite being a Srixon staffer, has gamed drivers from different brands. Harry Hall also has been active on the gear-change wheel, switching among three different drivers.
Interestingly, all three of those players are currently using TaylorMade’s Qi4D driver, with Clark set to make his third start in a row with it this week after experimenting with four other drivers in four events earlier in the season.
The Qi4D isn’t the only 2026 driver seeing lots of free-agent usage. Callaway Quantum saw its first worldwide victory this year by way of Nacho Elvira in Dubai, and Anthony Kim also won with it at LIV Adelaide.
Dozens of pros have toyed with new drivers only to switch back and then switch again, a theme many Tour reps have noticed.
“Heads are a close battle this year,” Fujikura Tour rep Marshall Thompson told GOLF. “It’s very competitive in terms of club speed, dispersion, center-face contact, start direction. There’s not one clear-cut winner from what I’ve seen.
“Even on the Tour side of it, these non-contract guys that I continue to work with on a weekly basis, they still have four or five headcovers in the bag and they’re still trying different options, and we’re already to the Florida Swing.”
In other words, don’t be surprised if the drivers in top players’ bags today might look different come Masters week.
3 Things I’m Thinking
Daydreaming of Titleist’s GT1 hybrid: I’ve been thinking about this club since Cameron Young added it to the bag at Torrey Pines, and now that he’s won the Players with it, I can’t wait for my next visit to TPI to try what is their largest hybrid with a fairway-wood shaft. This part of my bag is in flux with a lot of options from Fully Fit, but I did not try this combo specifically.
Putters are rolling: There are many prototype putters on Tour, and I have a feeling many of them are going to end up at retail. Perhaps the most notable models are the L.A.B. Link 2.1 and Link 2.2 HS, which hit the consumer market this week. If you’re searching for a flatstick, now might be a good time to buy.
Spring (and golf) is in the air: My first winter in Boston has been a rough one, but golf season finally seems within reach. The snow is melting, driving ranges are opening and balls are in the air. Opening day is coming!