The 2024 golf season was a rollercoaster ride for me, both on and off the course. One week, I’d shoot a solid 9-hole round; the next, I’d struggle to break 100. This inconsistency has been reflected in my gear setup. I’ve had my worst round in years this season, and while I’ve had a few decent 18-hole rounds, nothing has been truly exceptional. And my gear setup reflects this. So in the interest of collecting my own thoughts around this past year’s journey, I thought I’d take a look at my “2024 What’s in the Bag”.
I want to make clear that I’ve hit a point where I don’t just take something out of the bag because something new and shiny is released. Changes will only happen if it genuinely improves my game in some capacity. With that said, let’s dive in…
2024 What’s in the Bag Heading
2024 Driver: Cobra Darkspeed LS Driver w/ 2024 Fujikura Ventus Blue
I kept the same driver all season, the Cobra Darkspeed LS. While I was initially happy with my Cobra Aerojet LS and Tour Edge Exotics C723 drivers, the Darkspeed LS provided a better combination of feel and power. The additional sole weight significantly improved my control, allowing me to move the heavier weight to the rear position without sacrificing launch or spin. This was not something I could do with the Aeorjet LS.
Playing the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue had been plenty satisfying and reliable pretty much since it was released. It gave me a great blend of stability and feel. Then the new Fujikura Ventus Blue with VeloCore+ was released. Being released earlier in the season, I initially tested it when my swing was far from mid-season form. A little less “stoutness” and better feel were great benefits at this time. The new technology made the shaft stable without having to work as hard to get the ball out there. As my swing came into form, there was a time where I thought I needed to go back to the TR, but I was wrong. A thorough range session was all it took to really cement the new Ventus’s place in my driver.
2024 Fairway Wood: Cobra Darkspeed LS w/ Fujikura Ventus TR Blue
This was perhaps one of my greatest “not sure it makes sense” moves. There was nothing wrong my fairway wood coming into this season. In fact, I felt (still do) that the Tour Edge E722 fairway wood with the Fujikura Ventus TR Red was one of the best fairway builds ever constructed. But for whatever reason, I just needed to see something different. Needed a change. I sought out a Cobra Aerojet 3 wood and a Fujikura Ventus TR Blue and saw pretty immediate success. My dispersion was much more contained and I liked my lines better. I was also getting some pretty intense distance, but that was largely a result of a straighter ball flight.
Curiosity will always creep into my brain. Always has, always will. I thought back to my testing of the Cobra Darkspeed LS fairway wood and how I didn’t get along with the stock shaft, and even the other shafts I tried out of my stash just weren’t quite right. Maybe this success story with the Ventus TR Blue would carry over to the Darkspeed LS? Sure enough, it did. Like the Darkspeed/Aerojet driver experience, I thought the Darkspeed felt better. The big floaty miss was also pretty heavily reduced with this change. This earned the Darkspeed LS the bag position to finish off the season. I’ll be very interested to see where this one stands once the 2025 season is underway and fairway woods are launched. Oh, and winter swing habits creep in.
2024 Hybrid: Tour Edge C722 3 Hybrid w/ Fujikura Ventus HB Black
I love this hybrid so much. It was pretty much love at first strike when I got it. The only time anything has even gotten close to replacing it was when I gave the newer C723 hybrid a shot, but ultimately, I was better with the C722. There was a small window where I had the TPT Power Range hybrid shaft in it (I had a really nice ball with this setup), but most of my time with this hybrid has been with the Fujikura Motore X HB hybrid shaft. That combo felt great and was easy to hit.
Then one day it finally dawned on me: I’ve been playing this hybrid for a long time, I’m not going back to my backup. I had been keeping my previous gamer preserved (non-adjustable, fixed hosel) just in case I ever needed to return to it. In that club was a Fujikura Ventus HB Black that I absolutely loved. So I pulled the Ventus HB, put a Tour Edge hybrid adapter on it, and threw it in my C722. It was like reuniting with an old friend. I definitely unlocked something and regret not making this switch much sooner. Now we wait and see if Tour Edge can knock this one out with their new model for 2025!
2024 Utility Iron: Tour Edge C722 TI-Utility 22º
This was an unexpected “permanent” addition to the bag this year, but not unsurprising. In fact, I would say that I’ve always kept this club around for just this need. This Tour Edge Ti-Utility has had stints in my bag before, but interestingly, the reason it’s never stayed is because I couldn’t hit punch shots out of trouble with it. How stupid of a reason is that? Frankly, I’m a good enough golfer, that’s something I should have been able to figure out. So I did and it’s back in the bag. This addition has paid immediate dividends and it’s nice having an pretty automatic club in the 4-iron position. I’m not too proud.
2024 Irons: Sub 70 659 Irons w/ Project X 6.5 OR Miura CB57 Irons w/Nippon Tour 130?
This right here is the biggest reflection of how I opened this whole post. What are we even doing here? I don’t have a clue what’s going on in my own brain. All I know is that Sub 70 659 irons have been great for me for a couple of years now, but my mind’s playing tricks on me. I don’t know how to explain it. In an effort to change things up, but not being super arbitrary about it (at least, as much as I could if I really wanted to), I’ve tried a lot of things. Unsurprisingly, the only real “non-Sub 70 659 option” has been my trusty Miura CB57 irons. Who knows where this is headed, but this is the current crazy person battle I’m fighting with my golf equipment.
Let me be clear, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with my Sub 70 irons. It’s 100% a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”. My iron game and lack of consistency is just making me sick right now.
2024 Wedges: Sub 70 JB 52º, Edel SMS 54º & 60º
This area of the bag has been pretty consistent for me ever since the Edel SMS wedges were released and I was able to test them. My 60º Edel SMS P Grind has been my go-to wedge for the past couple of seasons, and before that, a 60º T Grind wedge. What’s new this year is that I’ve switched over to an SMS in my 54º sand wedge spot as well. This was another case of just needing to “change the record” to get out of a rut. I have loved my Sub 70 Full Groove JB sand wedge for multiple seasons, but for whatever reason, I’ve ran into some weird issues with it on full shots in the latter half of the season. So for now, I’m riding with the 54º Edel. We’ll see if it lasts.
Sub 70 JB wedges have been fantastic for me for years. As such, I’ve kept a 52º gap wedge in my bag for those pesky distances that fall between my pitching and sand wedge. For whatever it’s worth, I have it paired with a KBS 610 wedge shaft.
2024 Putter: Edel WAS 5.0 Putter
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” as they say. Followers of this site may recall that I managed to sneak a trip to Edel’s HQ in Denver, CO last year and got fit for the Edel EAS 5.0 putter. My putting has been really consistent and reliable since making this change so I haven’t been motivated to switch. Sure, there have been moments and there are a few backups lined up for when/if the day comes. I’ve certainly been tempted by things, like the Edel Array putters and the LAB DF3, but there’s just been no reason to disrupt my putting reliability.
2024 Bag & Headcovers: Sun Mountain Mid-Stripe Ace Stand Bag, Dormie Workshop & Scott Readman Concepts Headcovers
I’ve been using Dormie Workshop and Scott Readman Concepts headcovers reliably since the beginning of this website. That’s not likely to change anytime soon.
When Sun Mountain released the initial Mid-Stripe bag, I was hooked. The only issue was that I found it was a little heavy, but I was ok with it because it looked awesome and functioned well. Then Sun Mountain released the slightly smaller Mid-Stripe Ace stand bag and it was perfect. This has been my go-to bag all year aside from the rare short-set carry rounds.
2024 Golf Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X & Tour B XS
No news here. The Bridgestone Tour B X and Tour B XS are still the go-to ball. Even when I’m playing random thrift club rounds, I’m still using other Bridgestone golf balls. I firmly believe they’re the greatest golf balls in the game.
2024 What’s in the Bag: Other Important Items & Accessories
Shameless promotion, but a worthwhile one. TRUE linkswear shoes continue to be my favorite on and off the course, by far. The LUX G was launched this year and I’ve been in love with this shoe all season long. Additionally, Kris McEwen and I have partnered up with TRUE linkswear to outfit us on the course and to offer discounts to our audience! So use DRH15 at truelinkswear.com and get 15% off your entire order!
Clinch Golf gloves continue to be major favorites for me. Their durability and performance is absolutely fantastic. Can’t say enough for how much I’ve enjoyed these gloves over the past couple of seasons.
There are a lot of great push carts out there. Obviously this space has blown up since the COVID golf boom. While I’ve really enjoyed multiple brands over my testing, the Clicgear 4.0 continues to impress and I firmly believe it’s the Rolls Royce of push carts.
2024 What’s in the Bag – Final Thoughts
Like I said before, there’s still a good chunk of playable golf time left for the diehards in the Midwest. That said, I feel this has represented my “2024 What’s in the Bag?” journey pretty well. Sure, I’ll tinker with gear over the winter and likely go through some stuff that interests me that very well may find its way to my gamer positions next season. As always, I look forward to the adventure and seeing what’s to come in the industry!
