When it comes to golf equipment it is fair to say that the ‘Big Four’ brands often steal the bulk of the headlines among the best drivers, best irons and best putters, but there is plenty of other products out there that don’t necessarily receive the plaudits their performance warrants. If you want something a bit different in your bag that still performs to a high level and might also save you a few dollars in the process, here are our three most underrated golf clubs of 2024…
1. PXG Black Ops Driver
The main tech story behind the Black Ops driver - which also features the Black Ops Tour-1 model - was centered around acoustics and ball speed. To address the ball speed PXG implemented a titanium alloy face that it is refers to as AMF Technology. The higher strength and increased flexibility enhances face deflection and has been shown to produce a higher launch and lower spin and the distance output I experienced from this was seriously competitive.
In terms of the acoustics, I would go as far as saying this might be one of the best golf drivers for sound and feel, it ticks all the right sensory boxes. It sits in a lovely middle ground that is lively without being harsh and gives a real sensation of power as the ball leaves the face.
The visual could be described as a little ‘fussy’ to some in the playing position, but I really like it, and the head shaping is brilliant. Superbly rounded, it frames the ball excellently and inspires real confidence. This is an extremely underrated driver that performs to a high level and one that everyone should try when upgrading this crucial area of the bag.
Wilson Staff Model Irons
Maybe I’ve cheated a little here as I am referring to the Staff Model family as a whole which includes both the Staff Model blades and the Staff Model CB irons. To be honest, anyone with reasonable eyesight will figure out the first reason that I have selected these irons, quite simply they look fantastic! There are nods to the Wilson heritage with more old-fashioned touches like the longer ferrules and the gnarling around the hosel but it is blended beautifully with some more modern, contemporary branding. They really are one of the best golf irons for looks and have instantly become one of the best irons for low handicaps.
Fortunately, the performance stacks up too with an exceptionally soft feel and great turf interaction, but my favorite piece of the tech puzzle is the additional weighting Wilson introduced into the toe section to try and take the left miss out of play for the better golfer. Seriously good looking, and seriously underrated.
Cleveland HB Soft 2 Putters
One of the reasons we have selected this impressive putter family from Cleveland is the very digestible price of $149. With many of the best putters costing upwards of $400, it is a real breath of fresh air to see so much performance packed into a more pocket-friendly price point. However, the features and tech behind the HB SOFT 2 range are anything but ‘budget’, offering some really impressive features such as progressive face milling. Essentially Cleveland has spread the milling wider on the heel and toe and tighter in the center which removes speed from the sweetspot and adds a little oomph off-center, which from long range we found extremely useful in controlling distance.
Also featuring a genuinely premium-feeling and high-quality grip there is even a Retreve model, a mallet putter that has a cut out section on the flange to enable you to ‘retrieve’ your ball from the hole without needing to bend down. For those of us with decreasing mobility in our ageing backs, that is a very useful addition.
These putters come in at a fantastic price and are packed with tech and features that you would only normally see in products far more expensive. Overall, this is an extremely underrated putter.
