Looking To Improve Your Golf? These are the Clubs You need for 2025

January is always a hard month to get through.

Many of us are dealing with the hangovers from Christmas and New Year. Resolutions are likely already broken. The weather doesn’t help, and booking a holiday seems far off.

For golfers, January can be an exciting month. During this month, the major manufacturers typically release their new lines for the year, enticing us to consider changing our golf bags.

So, as we gear up for the year ahead, let us help you make good decisions about your golf equipment. Top-performing golf clubs come with top-performing prices, so before you go rushing in, join us as we guide you through:

• Why Go Custom in 2025?
• Driver Recommendations - The Class of 2025
• Irons and Wedges To Watch
• Don’t Forget Putters and Shafts

Why Go Custom in 2025?

Are you ready for some good news relating to the new releases of 2025?

The evidence so far indicates that prices haven’t increased compared to the 2024 releases. If anything, we have seen a slight decrease in pricing.

This sounds amazing, and you’re probably about to check to see if your credit card still has some room left. However, don’t be too hasty.

Let’s use the driver as an example. The driver is an easy target because, along with the new club, you get the latest headcover, which does a great job of advertising what you’ve purchased and is guaranteed to generate some conversation with your regular playing partners.

The problem is that the “off-the-peg” version of the latest models isn’t guaranteed to give you success. We’ve covered in previous posts that we are built differently and deliver the clubface to the back of the ball differently, so the concept of successfully using a “one club fits all” is small.

This can leave golfers in a bind. They can’t understand why they aren't consistently playing better golf with the latest driver or iron set in their bag, even though they promised improved distance and accuracy.

Don’t believe us? Have a check next month online or at a retailer that specialises in selling second-hand clubs and see how many of this month’s releases are already up for sale.

The way to prevent this issue is golf club custom-fitting.

If you want top-performing golf clubs whose performance you can trust, you should book a fitting session for yourself.

Let’s spell out the benefits.

• You’ll be working with a fully independent, experienced fitter.
• You’ll also have your shot data recorded on a top-class launch monitor, like GC Quad.
• You’ll get to trial the latest clubhead and shaft combinations.
• You’ll be able to see the improvements in distance and accuracy.
• Your fitter will give you a detailed explanation of what combinations work best for you.
• When you commit to purchasing the clubs, you can be confident that your purchase is right for your game.

So, considering all this, what are the best custom golf clubs for 2025? We’ll now look at what’s new and some great releases from late 2024 that you should still consider.

Driver Recommendations - The Class of 2025

The first driver on the list was actually launched midway through 2024 whenTitleist replaced its highly successful TSR Series with the new GT Series.

Titleist joined the move away from titanium being the sole material used in driver construction. The new Titleist driver premiered a new material called Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP), which is similar in its properties to carbon fibre. However, the new material allowed Titleist’s engineers to maintain the same look and feel as the previous generations of drivers, going back to the original TS release in 2018.

The Titleist GT Series has momentum going into the new year. The sleek looks and technology, coupled with each model’s custom-fitting possibilities, continue to make the GT Series a strong candidate, from the elite player to the higher handicapper.

But what will be the main competition in the golf driver department for 2025?

Cobra came out the gates quickly with their new lineup, the Cobra DS-Adapt.

The DS-Adapt is an evolution of last year’s Darkspeed models. It continues to use extensive carbon fibre construction and aggressive aerodynamic design to help increase clubhead speed. The major story for the DS-Adapt is the new FutureFit33 hosel.

Loft and lie angles can be altered two degrees up or down, but the beauty of the FutureFit33 design is that the face angle will always remain square regardless of any alteration. The 33 different options built into the hosel design give a fitter the ultimate tool to dial in the loft and lie angles to improve driving distance and accuracy for any golfer.

Callaway and TaylorMade have also just launched their new golf drivers for 2025.

Callaway has launched the new Elyte range, which introduces a new material called Thermoforged Carbon. Thermoforged Carbon is a new carbon fibre variant that allows Callaway’s engineers to further optimise the centre of gravity based on the driver model.

Callaway also employed a new 3D titanium printer, which allowed them to produce 75 head versions. These were tested in the wind tunnel to hone the clubhead’s aerodynamic properties. The 3D printer allowed Callaway to produce many test mules, leading to one of the most aerodynamic shapes they have created.

Callaway has further improved last year’s Ai Smart Face with the new Ai 10x Face for the Elyte driver. Boasting more control points across the face, the Elyte driver will offer improved performance in terms of ball speed, launch angle, and tighter shot dispersion, regardless of strike location.

TaylorMade has expanded on the concepts it introduced us to last year in the Qi10 to give us the TaylorMade Qi35 range.

For starters, TaylorMade has also chosen a new derivative of carbon fibre, chromium carbon, which helps improve weight distribution and acoustics.

TaylorMade was the first company to introduce Moveable Weight Technology in the 2000s when it launched the R7. Now, TaylorMade is introducing us to the Trajectory Adjustment System. Best highlighted in the Qi35 LS model, the system features three interchangeable weights that can be distributed to alter the trajectory and shot shape characteristics.

Placing the heaviest 13-gram weight in the rear port of the LS will give the highest stability for a more neutral ball flight with more spin.

If you want the ultimate low-spinning, draw-bias bomber option, place the 13-gram weight in the heel port.

The new Qi35 lineup features tried-and-tested TaylorMade technology, such as the Twist Face, Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, and the Infinity Carbon Crown.

One cool feature in the new Qi35 series is the built-in reflective markers under the fourth generation of the carbon Twist Face. The markers work seamlessly with launch monitors such as GC Quad to provide the most accurate clubhead data, allowing a fitter to pinpoint precisely what head combination is best suited for each golfer.

We’ll cover the new launches from Callaway and TaylorMade in more detail in subsequent posts. However, if we can draw any conclusions from what we have seen so far, if 2024 was about creating stability for improved accuracy, 2025 is about adding more to that stability. 2025 could be a vintage year for drivers!

Irons and Wedges To Watch

If you’re not ready to part company with your existing driver, it might be time to update your irons or wedges. Over time, the wear and tear of continual use can affect the performance of your grooves, leading to inconsistent spin on your shots. Lofts can also be affected over time, especially if you favour soft forged blades.

Callaway, Cobra, and TaylorMade have all launched iron sets to complement their new driver lineups.

The one thing that the Elyte golf irons, DS-Adapt golf irons, and Qi35 golf irons all have in common is that they will favour the mid to high-handicap golfers who need more help on off-centre hits and prefer a friendlier-looking profile down at the ball.

If you are looking for a premium forged iron, you might consider Mizuno’s new Pro S3 golf irons.

Mizuno is drawing inspiration from some of its classic designs with the new Pro S3s. The Pro S3s naturally feature Mizuno’s exceptional feel courtesy of the Grain Flow Forged HD process to create a new “signature” lineup.

Continuing the classic premium feel, Mizuno offers the S3s in traditional lofts. The 7-iron has a 34-degree loft, which in some iron sets is the loft of the 9-iron. Mizuno has even added a 3-iron option to the set if you really want to hit low stingers in the summer from a classic forged head.

We saw a few important releases in the latter part of 2024, worth highlighting.

Callaway launched their Apex Ai200 and Ai300 models in late summer. Both models are multi-material hollow-body designs that fused traditional looks and playability with Ai Smart Face technology to improve performance on off-centre hits for more distance and tighter shot dispersion.

Callaway also launched the striking Apex Ti-Fusion irons. These irons featured a titanium face welded to a harder, more durable steel. The titanium face creates more explosive power for improved distance, but Callaway also claims that titanium faces offer exceptional feel equal to any forged iron for improved feedback.

TaylorMade also updated two of its most popular iron sets and launched the new P-770 and P.7CB.

Both golf irons are aimed at better players who prefer more traditional-looking iron profiles but offer subtle levels of forgiveness in the technology available. It’s no surprise that these two sets were launched at the same time, as they instantly offered attractive options to create a blended iron set featuring the two models.

On the golf wedge side, Mizuno has just launched the new Pro T1 and Pro T3 models. The Pro T1 has a smaller, classic teardrop-shaped head. Forged in Mizuno’s classic traditions - Grain Flow, the Pro T1 will likely suit the better player thanks to its more compact look behind the ball.

Stopping power comes from QuadCut+ and Hydroflow Micro Grooves, which help create reliable, consistent spin levels on any shot.

The Pro T3 has a marginally bigger profile behind the ball than the Pro T1. The only other difference is the addition of a small cavity in the rear of the Pro T3 head.

As you would expect from a modern wedge range, Mizuno offers a variety of sole options based on the type of golfer you are and the course conditions you play to optimise ball and turf contact.

The Pro T1 has six sole options, while the Pro T3 offers three slightly wider sole profiles.

Look out for a couple of striking finishes in the Pro T1, with black and blue ion finishes being the standouts.

We’re also excited about the new Cleveland RTZ golf wedges. The standout feature is Cleveland’s introduction of a completely new steel, Z-Alloy. Z-Alloy was created to introduce new levels of feel and durability while allowing the Cleveland engineers to more accurately place each wedge’s centre of gravity to develop ideal launch and spin conditions based on the loft.

2024 was a big year for wedge launches. Titleist gave us the new Vokey SM10 golf wedges featuring numerous bounce and grind options. Callaway completely re-vamped its wedge offering with the launch of the Callaway Opus and Callaway Opus Platinum golf wedges.

TaylorMade also introduced the fourth generation of its popular HiToe golf wedge. Featuring a slicker design than previous models, the HiToe offers conventional wedge grooves in the lower-lofted wedges before switching to full-face grooves in the lofted wedges.

Don’t Forget Putters and Shafts

Putters fall into three categories. The traditional blade-style putter is a timeless classic, best experienced in models like the Sink Golf Ace 3.0 or the Odyssey Ai-ONE #1 CH. The Sink putter has a handcrafted milled face, while the Odyssey features an insert in the face. Both models are designed to improve roll and feel, although they take very different approaches.

If you need a little more assistance in keeping the putter head stable through your putting stroke, you could benefit from a mallet-style putter. The mallet design pushes weight away from the face, creating more stability and resistance to the face twisting in the putting stroke.

Models like the Evnroll Neo Classic ER8 or PXG Battle Ready II Hercules are classic mallet designs that provide clear alignment lines to help you line up your putt more easily.

The third putter option is the high-MOI design, which moves weight to the furthest extremities to ensure a square putter face, helping your putts start and stay online.

The TaylorMade Spider putters are great examples of high-MOI putters. However, look out for the Odyssey AI-ONE Milled Seven T DB and Cobra’s 3D-printed Supernova putter.

Having the right golf shaft fitted to your golf clubs can help create more distance and tighter shot dispersion.

When it comes to drivers and fairway woods, Fujikura’s Ventus range offers a comprehensive range of shaft profiles to ensure that every level of golfer can benefit.

Mitsubishi Chemical updated its fabled Diamana range last year. Diamana has always delivered great performance through a very smooth shaft, and the latest versions offer numerous profiles ideal for custom fitting.

Many golfers still favour steel for their iron sets. True Temper’s Dynamic Gold and Project X are joined by KBS and Nippon in offering extensive profiles for different levels of golfers.

Graphite iron shafts are becoming more popular and are a serious consideration, especially in custom-fitting environments. Mitsubishi Chemical’s MMT shaft is a great example of a highly stable graphite shaft that incorporates steel elements into its design.

You can even consider a specialised wedge shaft, such as KBS’s Hi-Rev 2.0 golf shaft, which is designed to optimise spin and launch for maximum control while creating a similar feel to the KBS shafts fitted in your irons.

January is always an exciting time as manufacturers introduce us to their new products, which they are confident will help us become better golfers.

The standard and quality of what is released each year get better and better, and we see the boundaries being pushed further in every department of the game.

The variety of what we see is outstanding. From cutting-edge materials used in driver construction to a new form of steel created to give us the ultimate control in our wedges, 2025 will likely be a vintage year for golf equipment.

We are happy to share some 2025 golf club recommendations at Nine By Nine Golf with you. The way to benefit the most from adding a new club or clubs to your bag for the year ahead is to have them custom-fitted specifically to your golfing needs.

Visit the Nine By Nine Golf website to book a fitting session. You can book a session for one area of your game or, if you are making wholesale changes for 2025, a complete analysis session, during which we will examine every club in your current bag.

Finally, check in with Nine by Nine Golf frequently, as we get all the 2025 clubs from manufacturers such as Callaway, Cleveland, Mizuno, and TaylorMade.