What Are The Biggest Golf Trends of 2025?

If you’re considering changing your golf clubs, you’ve picked a great year.

We are less than two months into 2025, and we’ve seen some truly outstanding product launches.

2025 has pushed the envelope further, with new innovations and designs vying for our attention. 2025 introduces us to new exotic materials such as Thermoforged Carbon or Z-Alloy, which have entered the golfing lexicon.

It’s not just new materials. We are witnessing greater use of AI in this year’s designs. 3D printing in R&D and build are also helping manufacturers get more out of this year’s releases.

For the casual golfer, making sense of all the “technobabble” that comes with the launch of new golf equipment can leave them sceptical about the claims manufacturers make about improved performance.

Cutting through the marketing talk and getting to the heart of the matter of what the golf gear trends of 2025 is what this article is all about.

We’ll cover the main trends we are seeing this year in the following areas:

• Technological Innovations
• Customisation and Personalisation
• What These Trends Mean For you

Technological Innovations

In the past few years, we have seen the trend where top manufacturers like Cobra, Callaway, and TaylorMade made significant moves away from titanium-based drivers and switched to using carbon fibre.

Carbon fibre was preferred because it is lighter and stronger than titanium. This could make the driver's head lighter, helping increase clubhead speed. The weight saved from using carbon fibre could be redistributed within the head to create more stability or a lower-spinning bomber version.

Now, even regular carbon fibre can be improved upon.

The proof of this comes in the new exotic materials debuting in the Callaway Elyte and TaylorMade Qi35 lines.

Callaway introduces us to what it calls Thermoforged Carbon. Callaway engineers have found that Thermoforged Carbon is even lighter and stronger than carbon fibre. So, while providing a distinctive look to the 2025 Elyte range, Thermoforged Carbon allows for more accurate placement of the club’s centre of gravity (CG) to optimise spin and launch angles depending on the driver head.

TaylorMade debuts chromium carbon, another exotic lightweight material used in the aerospace industry, in the crown of the new Qi35 driver.

The argument is the same. Lighter and stronger material allows better CG placement, a big talking point of the Qi35 series.

We also need to mention Titleist at this juncture. Yes, technically, the GT Series was launched in 2024. Still, it was the first manufacturer to utilise an exotic material borrowed from the aerospace industry when it introduced Proprietary Matrix Polymer (PMP) as a prime material in the GT Series.

As the quest for more performance continues for the years to come, we can expect to see other new composite materials being introduced, phasing out titanium completely and limiting the use of carbon fibre.

It’s not just drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids that benefit from being constructed with space-age materials. Cleveland has been working with a Ph.D.-qualified metallurgist to create a new steel, which has been named Z-Alloy.

Z-Alloy is the main talking point for the new Cleveland RTZ wedges launched in January. Cleveland wanted to offer something more compelling for golfers. The standard steel used in wedge construction didn’t offer what Cleveland sought.

Working with the metallurgist, Cleveland created Z-Alloy, a steel compound that Cleveland claims has a lower density and softer feel than traditional steel but is more durable to withstand the punishment that most wedges go through.

We are also coming to terms with the use of AI in golf club design, and 2025 will continue this trend.

The new Cleveland HiBore XL driver’s striking shape results from employing AI to develop a design that would keep the weight low and deep and the face bigger.

Callaway expands its use of AI. The Elyte range of woods and irons feature the new Ai 10x Face, which creates more micro deflection points across the face to improve ball speed, shot dispersion, and optimise launch across the face.

Another big talking point with Elyte range is Callaway’s use of 3D printers. The head design of the Elyte driver is at least five generations ahead of where it would be if Callaway didn’t have the 3D printers.

The evolutionary process was sped up by the number of test mules Callaway could create and test, thanks to the manufacturing process of 3D printers.

These test mules could be trialled in the wind tunnel, where their performance could be evaluated before using the results to create the next test mule.

Callaway went through 75 iterations before it got to the finished head shape.

Customisation and Personalisation

Another key trend coming through loud and clear with the class of 2025 is the need for custom golf club fitting to get the maximum out of your golf clubs.

There are several ways we can demonstrate this. Let’s start with drivers.

TaylorMade provides special fitting heads for all its models, available to custom fitters. The Qi35 SelectFit heads are exactly the same as the standard heads, the difference being that the SelectFit heads feature six reflective stickers found just under the face that work with GC Quad and introduce a new data point called closure rate.

Closure rate measures how much the face rotates during impact, which can be further influenced by the strike location on the clubface.

Using GC Quad, the fitter can accurately measure how much or little closure occurs at impact. Understanding the closure rate can help the fitter prescribe the correct shaft tip profile based on the closure rate of the clubface.

Cobra’s new SureFit 33 system also lends itself to custom golf clubs. Having 33 different loft and lie angle permutations housed in the new hosel featured in the DS-Adapt is ideal for fine-tuning during a fitting session.

Working with the launch monitor, the fitter can tune the ideal loft and lie combination for any golfer, optimising spin and launch numbers while promoting or straightening up ball flight.

As we’ve highlighted in previous blogs, the big selling point of the SureFit 33 hosel is that the clubface will remain square regardless of the selected setting.

Having so many permutations could overwhelm some golfers who like to experiment with hosel settings. The issue is that there’s not always a clear way to assess whether or not experimenting with different settings produces improved, consistent results. Working with an experienced fitter and the launch monitor removes all the guesswork. After measuring the improvements, the correct combination can be dialled in.

Dialling the correct hosel settings is one way to customise your driver, fairway woods, and hybrids.

Another way to manipulate ball flight or spin levels is optimised settings of moveable weights.

TaylorMade’s Trajectory Adjustable System (TAS) is something that you can play around with. Still, the most effective way to optimise moveable weights is through custom fitting.

If we take the standard Qi35 driver as an example, one weight port is positioned at the rear of the head, and another is close to the face. Placing the heavier 13-gram weight in the rear port makes the Qi35 highly stable and offers higher launch and spin.

The spin and launch numbers are reduced when the 13-gram weight is moved into the forward port.

What’s the best option for you? That depends on the numbers we see on the launch monitor.

During a fitting session, the weights can be switched around, and we can measure the effect on the numbers to work out the best configuration.

With irons, we see more options developing for blended sets. Manufacturers are also making it easier to create the ideal blended set regardless of playing ability.

Srixon’s new ZXi5 and ZXi7 are great examples. Srixon’s irons are gaining a strong following for their quality and performance, helped by high-profile players such as Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka, who are staff players.

The ZXi5 irons could form the basis of your mid irons, with the short irons switching to the ZXi7s. You could even go a step further and use the hollow-bodied ZXi4 in your four and five irons to give you more forgiveness and height. If the ZXi4 doesn’t work, you could opt for the ZXiU utility for your longer irons.

The point is that Srixon has engineered the ZXi family to look almost identical at address regardless of the model, with minimal offset and blade length differences between the ZXiU and the ZXi7.

Interpreting the numbers during a custom fitting session is key to creating the ideal blended set. A key aspect is ensuring consistent distance gapping between each iron.

Where one model of iron changes to another depends on the distance gapping and the launch, spin, and shot height data.

Understanding how those figures can be optimised can be the difference between opting for the ZXi4 or ZXiU irons if we still use Srixon as an example.

While we have focused on Srixon, further examples could be blending Callaway’s Apex Ai200 and Apex Ai300 irons or Mizuno’s Pro Series irons.

If you want to take it further, you can use the blending theory in your wedges.

Creating the proper wedge set for your game also involves correct distance gapping.

However, as we discussed in our guide to Cleveland and Mizuno wedges last week, getting the correct bounce and grind is equally important.

Once the correct setup is established via work with the launch monitor, you can use your imagination to opt for the type of finish you want for your new wedges. You might opt for the striking blue ion finish of the Mizuno Pro T-1, the jet black finish of the Titleist Vokey SM10, or the classic satin finish option in the Cleveland RTZ.

If you like to open the clubface to create flop shots, the TaylorMade Hi-Toe 4 wedges' full-face grooves could be a good option.

While we have focused mainly on different head profiles, custom golf club fitting is about matching the correct shaft to the correct head.

Getting the right shaft can add distance and improve shot dispersion. During a fitting session, the fitter doesn’t just examine how far left or right you miss the target; they also examine shot dispersion from front to back of the target.

Shot dispersion is depicted as a circle that encompasses the shots you’ve hit with a particular club. The bigger the circle, the less accurate you were. The fitter's job during the fitting session will be to reduce the size of that circle as much as possible.

The correct shaft profile can work in unison with the AI technology we discussed earlier to ensure that even with a poor strike, the combination of head technology and the correct shaft can help you find the target when it matters most.

Shaft manufacturers are also working towards ensuring that any level of golfer can get the most out of their latest offerings. Shaft profiles have moved on from being selected by choosing between regular, stiff, or extra stiff flex.

Different shaft weights and tip, grip, and mid-section profiles help engineer different playing characteristics.

Having such a variety provides the best opportunity for the fitter to dial in precisely what shaft will improve your game.

What These Trends Mean For You

In our intro, we spoke about understanding the perceived technobabble of what the manufacturers tell us about their latest products.

Given the combination of materials and technologies we’ve discussed, the easiest conclusion to draw is that the manufacturers are telling you how what they have done can help you improve your game.

The new materials employed by Callaway, TaylorMade, and Titleist are designed to lighten the clubhead, making it easier to swing faster. More speed creates more distance.

Advanced aerodynamics achieved through the use of 3D printers or AI technology also helps deliver a clubhead that travels through the air more efficiently to create more speed.

AI technology comes to the rescue if you struggle to consistently find the centre of the clubface.

Callaway's Ai 10x Face is a clear example of how AI has been used to understand the effects of poorly hit shots and how to maximise performance across the face to keep ball speed, spin, and launch angles comparable with a centred strike.

More emphasis has been placed on moveable weights and adjustable hosels, which allow the driver head to be perfectly tuned to create the ideal launch, spin, and shot shape tailored to your playing characteristics.

Multi-material construction irons like the new Callaway Elyte range offer performance that will help higher handicap players gain more distance and accuracy with their shots.

The fact that four different models are available under the Elyte iron family helps the tailoring process to fit the correct set of irons for every golfer’s needs.

We’ve looked at how manufacturers like Srixon are more acutely aware of the opportunities to create the perfect blended set for players. The new ZXi range has been designed to look almost identical at address, whether it is the hollow body multi-material ZXiU or the precision-focused ZXi7.

At Nine By Nine Golf, we fully understand that while having so much choice is great, it can become confusing. You start to hear terminology which doesn’t make much sense and leaves you wondering if it would improve your game.

The best way to have your golf equipment perform for you and help you improve your game is by custom-fitting.

If you want to sample any of the 2025 releases, book yourself in for a fitting session, and you’ll get the opportunity to work with one of our experienced fitters. We can analyse your game with one of the most powerful launch monitors in the market today, GC Quad, to build a recommendation of head and shaft combination that gives you confidence and results on the course.

If you have any questions about the 2025 new releases or how custom fitting could benefit your golf game, please don’t hesitate to contact us.