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These 2024 Golf Gear Trends Look Like They’re Here To Stay

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These 2024 Golf Gear Trends Look Like They’re Here To Stay

Innovation in the golf equipment space never fails to surprise me. Just when I think that manufacturers may have run out of ideas after a run of relatively similar technologies, a handful of new ideas seem to pop up out of nowhere. Admittedly, some are better than others, but 2024 has been a particularly good year for fans of innovative golf equipment with some of the best drivers and best irons in recent memory, so let’s take a look at a few trends that I think will sculpt the immediate future of golf equipment.

Lie Angle Balanced Putters

First things first, please take note of how I phrased that title. Lie angle balanced putters rather than LAB putters. That is very deliberate as, despite being a huge fan of LAB Golf and in particular the DF3 model, it is my understanding that balancing a putter by lie angle so that it naturally does not wish to rotate away from square is not necessarily unique to one company. For example, my gamer the Odyssey Toe Up 9 is lie angle balanced and I love the performance. I have heard some light murmurings that at least one of the major OEMs may shortly be releasing a family based on the concept also. 

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As an early adopter who has seen firsthand the benefits, I am completely sold on the concept. So much so, I genuinely believe that we will look back in years to come in amazement that we ever built putters that actively wanted to rotate away from square. In the same way that many people said that graphite shafts would never catch on, or solid core balls, or metal woods, my hunch is that this putter technology will be added to that list.

Full Face Grooves

Callaway CB Wedge Review

(Image credit: Future)

Another no-brainer for me here. More and more wedges are now being offered with full-face grooves, and why on earth would we not want that? Sure, the visual takes a session or two to get used to but the benefits are plain to see. Firstly, shots hit off the heel and toe will retain more spin and as such a standardized ball flight, but in addition to that, there is a small weight saving to be made by removing some more material to create extra groove space. As we know, these weight savings are crucial to dialing in CG locations so why would this not become standard practice?

Photo of the Cleveland Halo XL Full-Face Iron face on

(Image credit: Future)

It’s not just wedges I believe this will become commonplace in either, manufacturers like Cleveland with their Halo XL Full Face irons have shown it is possible to utilize this in longer irons also, and they tested excellently. How long before we see a full face of grooves on a Vokey wedge or a set of Ping irons? Who knows, but it makes sense to me, so it could be sooner than you think.

Mini Drivers

Photo comparing the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini Driver to the Taylormade version

(Image credit: Future)

If you’re not familiar with the term “mini driver,” you soon will be. TaylorMade has had one in its club lineup for a number of years now and it seems that a number of manufacturers are starting to follow suit with the likes of Titleist and PXG submitting prototypes to the USGA and Callaway releasing to market the Paradym Ai Smoke Ti 340 mini driver. But what is it?

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