Equipment
The Medal Table of Golf Digest ‘Hot List’ 2014
March 6, 2014 – We’ve reached the 11th edition of the Golf Digest ‘Hot List’, and we’ve waited to see the edition of Golf Digest Spain to check, on paper, what are the most acclaimed novelties in golf equipment according to its expert panel of judges, scientists, retailers and fitters.
On the cover, a fiery and smoky tee, like the glove which illustrates the opening of the report inside, denotes the effects of the new baking of clubs just out of the factory hoven and trying to win a place in the display windows of golf stores.
This year, the 2014 Golf Digest ‘Hot List’ shows an industry trend towards diversity, presenting 106 golf clubs tested for different types of players – chosen from 250 entries which were considered- including drivers (12), fairway woods (14), hybrids (14), irons (31), wedges (11) and putters (24), which are awarded with gold and silver medals.
Not to be outdone, at MyGolfWay.com we have produced our third revision of the annual report, along with our own medal table by brands, thus showing up small variations in the rank that occur year to year. Ping not only keeps the leadership from 2012 and 2013 (11 gold medals in both editions), but also spurs ahead of its competitors with an extraordinary record of 15 gold medals in 2014, which means one for each of its clubs tested. Meanwhile, TaylorMade has achieved three more than in 2013, and with 11 gold medals surpasses Callaway and takes second place, even though the latter has improved from 9 to 10 gold medals since last year.
Considering the summary of awards for multinationals, Callaway/Odyssey is the best in number of gold medals (16), while TaylorMade/Adams/Yes! comes first by total number of medals (22), including all golds and silvers.
| RANK | GOLF BRAND | GOLD | SILVER | TOTAL |
| 1º | PING | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| 2º | TAYLORMADE | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| 3º | CALLAWAY | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| 4º | TITLEIST | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| 5º | ODYSSEY | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 6º | MIZUNO | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 6º | NIKE GOLF | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 8º | ADAMS GOLF | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 9º | COBRA GOLF | 4 | 3 | 7 |
| 10º | CLEVELAND GOLF | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 10º | TOUR EDGE | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 12º | SEEMORE | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13º | WILSON | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | WISHON | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | YONEX | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | HOPKINS | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | SCOR | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | HEAVY PUTTER | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | NICKENT | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | BETTINARDI | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 13º | YES! | 0 | 1 | 1 |
According to Golf Digest, the benefits of new golf clubs are clear, but just to say ‘you choose how much help you need’… well, that would rather depend on the budget you have available, right?
The report is another fantastic reference about the new clubs that have come into the market, especially for those who are thinking about renovating their golf equipment. But as it’s pages point out, you should always consider testing them yourself, since you have the last word and you are the one who is spending the money, specially now that you can use almost the same procedures as Tour professionals. And don’t forget that it is best to have the assistance of a professional for club customization so that you achieve a real improvement in your game.
Related content:
The Medal Table of Golf Digest ‘Hot List’ 2012
The Medal Table of Golf Digest ‘Hot List’ 2013
