The golf equipment trends that are becoming the norm

Technology, innovation and design are at the forefront of all golf brands and some 2024 golf club equipment trends are set to become a normality. 

When it comes to new golf gear and new launches each year, I’m always surprised by tech design and innovation. This year has been a great year for brands and their innovation in golf club design.

And there are some stand outs which I think we’ll see more of. Why? Because there is plenty of new tech that just makes sense. 

These trends appear in wedge design, irons, woods and putters, so here is a list of what will become a regular occurrence. 

Lie Angle Balance putters

I’ll be honest, when I first saw this from L.A.B. Golf I wasn’t a massive fan of the head shapes. But the performance outweighs the looks and the tech behind it, in my opinion, is game changing.

Lie Angle Balance putters use the lie angle to stop rotation of the face, therefore keeping it square through impact. The majority of putters, which are blades and mallets, will rotate away from square because of the weighting in the toe or across the sole.

With other brands like PXG and now Odyssey producing zero torque putters with their Square to Square design, it looks like they’re trending in a way where more brands will follow suit.

Full face grooves

Some people may disagree with this, but full face grooves are the future in wedges. So, could we see this more in irons, as well?

To be honest, if you don’t have a full face of grooves on your wedges then hear me out, because you need it. There are a number of wedges with full face grooves, with the likes of Callaway, Cleveland and TaylorMade just a few who produce great wedges.

If you hit the ball off the toe, you’ll get more spin but with a full face of grooves it actually saves weight, allowing the engineers to fine to the optimum location of centre of gravity.

With different offerings from game improvement wedges to tour played wedges, full face wedges are here to stay and I think it’s only a matter of time before we see this in a Vokey design.

Full face grooves have already appeared in Cleveland irons with Halo XL Full Face irons and I think we can expect more brands in the future. 

3D printed clubs 

We saw Bryson DeChambeau rock up to The Masters with his 3D printed Avoda irons and he’s had them in play ever since – including at every major in 2024 and when he won the US Open.

Not long after, Cobra release their Limited 3D printed irons which I had the privilege of testing and what they created was impressive. In the past, 3D printing has been used for prototyping but it’s now at a point where the final product can be achieved.

Cobra have used 3D printed products for their players before, but now with irons available to the public and, in the form of a blade with the performance of a game improvement iron, we could see this trend of 3D printing start to snowball given its design capabilities.  

Mini Drivers 

TaylorMade started this trend and for the last few years, the Mini Driver market has definitely grown as it appeals to pros and also amateur golfers of all levels.

The TaylorMade Mini BRNR driver can be used off the tee as a secondary option, for a larger, more forgiving fairway option, or even for the golfer who prefers a smaller head.

It’s truly versatile and has definitely been a trend setter, so much so that the likes of Callaway and Titleist have followed suit with their own mini drivers. As someone who has tested them, they are here to stay, as they appeal to the masses. 

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James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor