The 21st century has witnessed incredible progression in golf equipment, technology and design. The industry has moved on dramatically to offer players greater distance, forgiveness, consistency and versatility throughout the bag.
With input from the main tours plus the work of top scientists and engineers, the major manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of performance.
It’s extremely difficult to pick the best drivers, best irons and so on from the last 24 years, as there are simply so many contenders from driver to putter.
In selecting an all-century golf bag, I combined personal favourites with overall reviews and popularity while taking into account how groundbreaking or innovative the equipment has been.
It's a subjective exercise of course and you may or may not agree with the selections. But here is an all-century 14-club golf bag....
Driver – TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad
TaylorMade released the original r7 Quad driver in 2004 and it was a huge revelation with its movable weight technology. It was a game changer for amateurs who were suddenly able to tweak their driver set-up to suit their individual requirements. In 2007 the r7 SuperQuad super-charged the offering. It had four movable weights and had a maximum 460cc clubhead volume. The level of adjustability would still be impressive today but 17 years ago, it was groundbreaking.
Narrowly missing out – Titleist 983K, PING G400, Callaway Pardym Ai Smoke
3-wood – Nike Ignite T60 15 degrees
Maybe controversial to select a Nike club in this list, but the T60 was an absolute beauty.
Tiger was involved in the development of this club and it was the fairway that convinced him to move away from his long-time favourite the Titleist PT.
Released in 2004, it built on the tech established in the T40, adding an extra 20g of tungsten in the sole which gave it a great feel. The launch and distance was also heightened. The deep face design looked so confidence inspiring behind the ball and the carpenter steel face generated excellent ball speed. It was a great club for players through the handicap range.
Narrowly missing out – TaylorMade RBZ, PING G410, Titleist 909F3
Hybrid/Utility iron – Titleist U505 2023 utility iron
The reinvention of the hybrid has been a massive equipment revelation in the 21st century but that then spawned another resurgence – the utility or driving iron. Titleist’s U505 is the perfect example of the hybrid-influenced driving iron. It looks great, sleek and minimalist. It has the feel of a player’s long-iron but the performance of a hybrid. Punchy and powerful, it's also supremely forgiving and hugely reliable. It’s just a brilliantly versatile club.
Narrowly missing out – Srixon Z U65 utility, TaylorMade SLDR hybrid, PING G400
4-PW – Mizuno JPX919 Forged
These irons performed amazingly on test and reviews were five star pretty much across the board. The reverse-milled club face is CNC-milled from the sole up to create a larger area of minimum face thickness and it made the face super-fast. That meant quite incredible distance. Low CG also meant great launch. But they still have Mizuno's trademark feel and workability. The ultimate combination of playability and forgiveness. Just a perfect set of irons.
Narrowly missing out – PING i3, TaylorMade P790, Callaway Apex, Titleist AP2
50, 54 and 58 degree wedges – Titleist Vokey SM6 Series
Bob Vokey is a master of wedge design and his work with Titleist has produced various series' of wedges that have set the standard through the 21st century. The SM6 series featured parallel face texture producing a sharper, more consistent groove edge. The performance has always been top drawer but what gives the SM6 the edge for us is the look. They’re just the nicest Vokey wedge to look at, both in the bag and behind the ball.
Narrowly missing out – Cleveland RTX, PING Glide 4.0, Mizuno T22
Putter – TaylorMade Spider
The original Spider (Rossa Spider) was released back in 2008 and it has been one of the most popular flat sticks with both professional and amateur players ever since, in its various guises. It’s incredibly stable thanks to its lightweight frame and its design is extremely distinctive yet aesthetically pleasing. It’s been used with great success by some of the top players in the world, including Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia. It’s been a top performer for more than 15 years.
Narrowly missing out – Odyssey #7, Scottie Cameron Newport Studio Style 2.5, Lab Mezz.1
