With the Masters comes the first real surge of golf interest every Spring. The weather’s starting to turn for most of the northern hemisphere, story lines on the Tours are developing, and people are just generally excited to have the sounds of Jim Nantz and “Azalea” grace their ears. (Apparently the Masters song actually has lyrics, too.) But as a golf gear nerd, I always enjoy seeing what Masters/Augusta/First Major themed gear is released before the Masters. Don’t get me wrong, it gets overwhelming and ridiculous pretty fast, but there’s always a handful of really sweet stuff. So, ahead of the 2024, a few particular items caught my attention.
TRUE linkswear Members Only Collection
TRUE linkswear always releases some sort of cool limited edition capsule ahead of the first major. For 2024 they released a collection based on the “members only” exclusivity of Augusta National and it features three pairs of shoes which come with a reversible headcover, a towel, and a small shag bag (or perhaps considered a valuables pouch). There are also three different hat options and a polo to round out the collection. My personal favorite is the Future Staple FS-01 shoe which will see plenty of use as shorts season approaches.
Sun Mountain Azalea-Themed Bags & Headcovers
My go-to bag for the past year has been the Sun Mountain Mid-Stripe bag. I love it, but the more I used it, I started to find it to be a touch heavier than I’d prefer. This is how I came to learn about the updated Mid-Stripe Ace bag which is a lighter weight design. So when I went to the Sun Mountain website to check them out, I saw a really nice green colorway that I instantly fell in love with, but there was also a slick white/jade/azalea colorway that will certainly remind you of the Masters. The Mid-Stripe is available in 14 and 4-way configurations both in stand and cart bag options. To complete the look, you can even pick up matching Mid-Stripe headcovers!
Bridgestone Georgia Spring Break Pack
Bridgestone sent me this “Georgia Spring Break” pack featuring a fun retro metal box of Tour B X golf balls, ball marker, and hat. The balls feature the Spring Break logo on them so I’m not sure I’ll use them even though they do so happen to be my golf ball of choice. Also, shoutout to the 3.5″ floppy disk ball marker. I don’t even want to know how old you have to be to not know what those are/were anymore… The capsule also includes a “postcard from Georgia” from one of three Bridgestone staff members – Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, or Jason Day. If you’re REAL lucky, you might even get one of three signed Tiger Woods postcards.
The Spring Break capsule is available on Bridgestone’s website for $99.99.
Golf Pride “Honorary Starter” Grips
It’s always fun to see how brands navigate the naming of their products for releases around this “event”. Golf Pride calling this one the Honorary Starter is pretty clever, in my opinion. With the golf season really kicking off for most people, it’s a great time to put a fresh set of grips on your clubs. (Seriously, if you haven’t replaced your grips for awhile, do it.) The Honorary Starter is a green and yellow version of the MCC Plus4 and available starting April 8th at Golf Pride retailers.
Final Thoughts – “Before the Masters” Gear
Trust me, there’s a TON more out there. Some of it being really cool, and some of it just being more junk taking advantage of the golfing community being desperate pumped for the first major of the season. Even if you aren’t into the Masters hype, it’s still a great opportunity to get some unique fresh gear before the Masters and the golf season gets started.
