Tried. Tested. True.
That’s our mission. To give you, the golfer, the truth about the golf gear you’re spending your money on and companies you’re giving money to.
Why? Your game is our job. It’s that simple. You want to play better golf and we want you do just that.
Your game is the first thing we think about when we’re testing a new product. It’s the only thing that really matters to us.
In the hopes of making your game better, we’ve created, refined and executed our Most Wanted Testing for 17 years. This data-driven methodology of testing is what we do best.
That said, data shouldn’t be the only thing you consider before your next purchase. Our annual Editor’s Choice Awards allows us to shine a spotlight on products, companies and brands that have left an impression on us – even if they didn’t place No. 1.
Here are our Editors’ Choice Awards for 2025
Story of the Year: Rory Completes the Career Grand Slam
Golf fans had been waiting more than a decade for Rory McIlroy to win the last major on his checklist.
At long last, he got the job done by capturing the Masters in dramatic fashion. McIlroy didn’t make it easy on himself during that final round, nearly botching the tournament with a bizarre double bogey on the 13th and a nervy bogey on the 72nd hole. Regardless, he finished it off in a playoff over Justin Rose—when the final putt dropped, McIlroy collapsed to the ground in relief.
Only five other men have won all four majors. McIlroy joining them gives him a case to be among the top 10 best players in history.
It was a strange year for McIlroy, who has become more divisive in 2025. When he won the Masters, however, it was hard not to feel anything but love for someone who overcame mental demons to win a golf tournament he had been wrestling with for 17 years.
Company of the Year: L.A.B. Golf
What might feel like overnight success to the unfamiliar has actually been years in the making. L.A.B. Golf has been steadily making inroads for over a decade, but last season the boutique putter brand became as much of a household name as any niche company can. This year? They absolutely exploded. While you could point to JJ Spaun’s U.S. Open victory as the catalyst, the reality is L.A.B. had already become the #3 putter brand in the market well before that breakthrough moment.
Need further evidence of their impact? Consider the number of major brands now offering zero-torque or low-torque putters—it feels like only a matter of time before the holdouts get on board. When established companies start copying your technology, you know you’ve made it.
Technology of the Year: Zero-Torque Putters
Zero-torque putters aren’t new technology, and L.A.B. Golf wasn’t the first to offer them. But they absolutely popularized the concept, and market trends prove they won’t be the last to benefit from it. Earlier this year, we wrote that the ultimate validation of any technology comes via copycats and competition, and that’s exactly what happened. In a single season, we’ve gone from just a couple of zero-torque brands to just a couple that aren’t offering some version of the technology.
Driver: Titleist GT3
Among the top-performing drivers in this year’s testing, the GT3 proved immensely popular with our testers, earning a clean sweep in looks, sound, and feel categories. Simply put, it’s a driver golfers want to play. While everyone offers carbon crowns these days, Titleist managed something special: making carbon sound and feel like titanium. You get the performance benefits of the lightweight material without sacrificing the premium experience that golfers expect from Titleist.
Mini Driver: TaylorMade R7 Quad
If not for the onslaught of zero-torque putters, 2025 would have been the year of the mini driver. Several competitors entered the category, but nobody executed it better than TaylorMade. While it’s easy to get sucked in by the nostalgia factor (styling it after the iconic R7 Quad was a stroke of genius), TaylorMade’s newest mini is an undeniably strong performer that provides accuracy off the tee and a reasonable amount of playability off the deck—exactly what the category demands.
Fairway Wood: Titleist GT1
While Titleist’s T-series was previously pigeonholed as the offering for slower—excuse me, moderate—swing speed players, the GT1 escaped that box entirely. While it still works exceptionally well for its original demographic, the revised design expands the GT1’s reach to any golfer looking for more height from a fairway wood—and that’s a lot of golfers. Perhaps most interesting, a stronger-lofted GT1 became unexpectedly popular on tour, which led to the release of the GT1 3Tour model.
Hybrid: PING G440
Investing in your golf game can be a terrifying dilemma. Which golf club do you select? Do you stay loyal to a specific brand or do you be your own brand? If testing golf equipment has taught us anything over the past 17 years, it is that certain OEMs thrive with specific golf clubs. For hybrids specifically, PING is all in. PING G440 is their newest design in a long line of high performing hybrid lineups. If you want reliability, consistency, and down right filthy good performance, PING G440 is where we recommend you start.
Utility Iron: TaylorMade P-UDI Bomber
Okay, seriously TaylorMade, this limited edition P-UDI Bomber utility iron may be the best custom work you’ve ever done. From concept to execution, this thing is first-class all the way. TaylorMade says the idea is to make it reminiscent of aircraft from the early 1940s, and everything from the riveted panel styling to the otherworldly bomber jacket headcover just screams cool.
Even the old-school TaylorMade “One” script on the toe and calling it a 1-iron is cool. If TaylorMade had included a 78 of some Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller, it would have been perfect.
Player’s Iron: Srixon ZXi7
Srixon, as a company, isn’t given to hyperbole. So when it launched the new ZXi irons in January, Srixon told us its new forging process, called “i-Forging,” was, and I quote: “the greatest innovation in iron metallurgy ever.”
We don’t know if that’s true or not, but we do know the Srixon ZXi7 smoked the field in this year’s Player’s Iron testing. It finished best in class for both accuracy and forgiveness and was plenty long enough for good measure. With its boffo year on Tour and the overall performance of the ZXi line, you can’t call Srixon “underrated” anymore. It has rightfully taken its place as one of the premier iron manufacturers in the game.
Player’s Distance Iron: Titleist T250
Finally. The T250 is the players distance iron that Titleist fans and fitters have been waiting for. The new design maintains the MAX IMPACT technology of previous models while eliminating the plastic cavity badge that many found off-putting. The performance has been there for generations, but the T250 finally looks the part of what golfers shopping the players distance category are looking for. It should prove to be Titleist’s most popular iron offering in some time.
Game Improvement Iron: Callaway Elyte HL
The game-improvement iron space is highly competitive. Being the best of the best is not an easy task. Callaway Elyte HL offers, dare we say, “elyte” performance. With any iron, accuracy should be your top priority. Callaway Elyte HL excels in accuracy off-the-rack. As a ‘high launch” iron, you can also expect better stopping power on the green, which is perfect for those of you who struggle with optimal launch conditions.
Super Game Improvement Iron: Mizuno JPX 925 Hot Metal HL
The Hot Metal line has been a breakthrough for Mizuno, helping establish the brand as more than just a better players company. With the extension of the HL (High Launch) line that began with the 923 series, Mizuno has raised the bar on what a super game improvement iron should deliver. These aren’t just forgiving—they deliver the high launch and stopping power that golfers shopping this category desperately need. For players who struggle to get the ball airborne and hold greens, the JPX925 Hot Metal HL provides both the forgiveness and flight characteristics to transform their iron play.
Wedge: Cleveland RTZ
Wedges haven’t changed much since the days of niblicks and blasters. What you and I use isn’t all that different from the wedges of Harry Vardon or Bobby Jones.
Cleveland has flipped that script with the new RTZ. It still performs like a wedge, but it’s the first wedge since, well, the first wedge to be made from a completely new material: Z-Alloy. Cleveland’s crack metallurgy team invented Z-Alloy to be soft for feel but hard for groove durability, low density to create discretionary weight but strong enough for casting, grinding and bending.
Oh, and it’s rustproof, too.
Blade Putter: Tommy Armour Impact No. 2
A consumer friendly putter seems few and far between nowadays. But, surprise, surprise. Our 2025 Most Wanted Blade Putter is a standout for performance and value. It goes to show you don’t need to spend an arm and a leg for golf club performance, especially performance on the putting green. Go check it out for yourself.
Mallet Putter: Wilson Infinite Buckingham
If you were surprised the Wilson Infinite Buckingham was named this year’s Best Mallet, you probably haven’t been paying attention. Since the model debuted in 2021, it has been a stellar performer in our Most Wanted testing. You weren’t the only one shocked that this four-year-old, $129 putter took top honors. Wilson itself was caught a bit by surprise and had to bring in inventory from the U.K. to meet the sudden demand.
Either way, the Wilson Infinite Buckingham, like the top blade Tommy Armour Impact No. 2, shows that a putter doesn’t have to be expensive, pretty or have a big name on it. It just needs to get the job done.
Zero Torque Putter: L.A.B. OZ.1i
The L.A.B. Golf OZ1.i captured the title of Best Zero-Torque Putter in 2025. In a year where zero torque putters dominated putter conversations, and putter sales, the OZ.1i rose to the top.
The OZ.1i couples L.A.B. Golf’s Lie Angle Balance technologies with a more traditional appearance. Folks turned off by some of L.A.B. Golf’s unusual designs gravitated to the round mallet shape of the OZ.1i. The OZ.1i also features a stainless steel insert, a first for a L.A.B. Golf putter. With the ideal mixture of aesthetics and performance, how could the OZ.1i not be at the top of the list?
Golf Ball: Maxfli Tour X
It’s rare—nearly unheard of—for a house brand golf ball to find its way into play on the PGA Tour. When it does happen, it’s typically carried by journeymen pros who have most weekends off. The Maxfli Tour X became the remarkable exception. Dick’s house brand surprised nearly everyone by signing Lexi Thompson ahead of the 2024 season, then surprised again when Ben Griffin joined Team Maxfli and put the Tour X in play. The result? Two wins this season, and a world ranking that puts Griffin in the conversation for a Ryder Cup spot.
Training Aid: The Stack System
In a category long on promise and often short on results, the Stack System continues to not only deliver but get better. Already the best speed training system on the market, Stack added putting capability a couple of years ago. This year, they added a complementary Stack Radar to automatically record shots and introduced the Stack Wedging feature, which helps golfers dial in repeatable distances in their short games. This isn’t just a training aid anymore—it’s evolving into a complete game improvement system.
Glove: forelinksgolf
forelinksgolf didn’t revolutionize the premium cabretta leather golf glove. It didn’t reinvent the premium cabretta leather golf glove, either. So why is forelinksgolf our Editor’s Choice golf glove?
Simple. It is, by any objective measure, an excellent golf glove. It’s soft. It fits great and it’s thin enough to feel like a second skin without wearing out after a handful of rounds. I’m still on my first one and, after 120-plus holes, it still looks, fits and feels like new.
Not bad for a one-man show run by a kid who runs the company from his bedroom at his parents’ house.
Rangefinder: Bushnell X3Pro Link
For years, rangefinders have remained largely unchanged. Boring. Helpful, but not all that versatile. Accurate, but not super smart.
Bushnell’s X3Pro Link changes that. It connects directly to a Foresight launch monitor, and uses your swing data to provide real, accurate club recommendations on the course.
Talk about smart.
Golf Shoe: PAYNTR 87 SC
What PAYNTR did in 2022-2023 was hard to follow. After all, how can you make an award-winning product even better?
Well, you bring on one of the best golfers in the world and you give yourself an unlimited budget to just make something that works.
And what does that get you? Another award-winning golf shoe, and perhaps one of the best we’ve ever seen; the PAYNTR 87 SC. You won’t find a better combination of comfort, stability, traction and versatility. Period.
Personal Launch Monitor: Garmin Approach R50
One of the biggest downfalls of the personal launch monitor space has always been the need for extra cables, wires and monitors to turn it into a full-blown golf simulator. Not to mention an external computer.
The Garmin Approach R50 took all of that and baked it directly into their machine. An all-in-one launch monitor/golf simulator with a giant touchscreen. It’s the best of both worlds, and still relatively affordable.
DTC Company: Vice Golf
Not content to be one of the most popular direct-to-consumer golf ball brands on the market, this year Vice expanded its catalog with the release of metalwoods, irons, wedges, and putters. Priced significantly less than mainstream brands, Vice continues to offer excellent value to price-conscious golfers while maintaining the quality and performance that built their reputation in the ball category.
Best Collab: COBRA x Chipotle
When COBRA signed Max Homa at the beginning of the year, we don’t think anyone imagined it would lead to a collaboration between his club sponsor and his favorite fast-food burrito joint. But here we are. Collaborations aren’t anything new in golf, but the COBRA x Chipotle burrito-themed headcover and shag bag raised the bar while proving that collaborations don’t have to make logical sense to be awesome.
Best Trend: Limited Edition Gear
Like collaborations, limited edition gear isn’t new, but this year the category absolutely exploded across every conceivable product category. TaylorMade killed it with their major series staff bags and headcovers, while Callaway rolled out themed Chrome Tour collections. Vice joined the party with seasonal offerings, COBRA dropped special headcovers, and even Bridgestone got creative with Pabst and quail eggs designs. From major championship commemoratives to pop culture tie-ins to holiday themes, manufacturers offered up a steady stream of unique, interesting, and fun products that celebrated everything from Shark Week to seasonal celebrations.
Keep it coming.
Comeback of the Year: Mizuno
Describing Mizuno as a comeback company might feel like a stretch, but hear us out. Despite success in categories where it hasn’t traditionally been strong, there’s a case to be made that Mizuno lost its way with better players in recent years. With the emergence of the Mizuno Pro Signature Series, the company has rededicated itself to the better player market. Their commitment to longer product lifecycles and expanded availability for lefties has made the players category more accessible—and arguably more beautiful—than ever.
Beyond the products themselves, Mizuno opened its impressive Foundry fitting center and completely retooled its fitting carts, demonstrating a renewed commitment to providing a premium fitting experience.
Best Newcomer: forelinksgolf
Not only is forelinksgolf our Editor’s Choice golf glove, we think the company itself deserves Best Newcomer, as well. Tyler Nguyen is a 25-year-old son of Vietnamese immigrants who started his company the hard way: with a bad glove. It was so bad he refused to sell it, and started over. He stayed true to his vision, found a supplier he could work with and voila, the cabsoft golf glove was born.
When you meet Tyler, you can’t help but like him. And when you get to know him, you can’t help but root for him. He uses social media like a seasoned pro (even though he admits being on camera terrifies him), and he’s finding a way to make a name for himself in the golf industry. We need more like him.
Men’s Apparel: Johnnie-O
How does Johnnie-O continue to fly under the radar?
They make some of the best golf apparel in the biz, from design to execution. No lie, it’s probably the most comfortable quarter-zip on God’s green earth.
Oh, and they’ve got a great mix of fun, whimsical patterns and more casual, wearable solids. That’s a win-win.
Women’s Apparel: UNRL
UNRL has burst onto the golf scene in a big way. Their men’s lineup is phenomenal, but we’re glad there giving that same attention to detail to the women’s space.
Their skirts are top-notch, and our female staffers can’t stop wearing them for a reason.
Limited Edition Golf Ball Design: Callaway Turnstand
In a year where Callaway emphasized Chrome Tour in its limited offerings over both Chrome Soft and Supersoft, none was better than the Chrome Tour Turnbox collection—a playful nod to one of golf’s great traditions: overpriced concession stand food that somehow tastes better when you’re three over par. Sometimes the best designs celebrate the simple pleasures of the game, and nothing says “golf experience” quite like a perfectly executed turn dog.
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