Kick Point: The Golf Gear Show – Details, episodes & analysis

It's our birthday! Who'd have thought we'd have made it this far?! To celebrate, we're bringing to you what we have considered our most enjoyable interview to date with former Premier League and England footballer turned golf YouTuber Jimmy Bullard. Jimmy has never hidden the fact that he's a huge equipment geek, so we were very excited to have him on the show. Sat in the gardens of the Manor House is Castle Coombe, Joe and Jimmy cover everything from tapering on grips, swing weight vs total weight, Jimmy's club building cave and their theories behind why the Qi10 fairway wood has been so popular.

But, before all of that, and to celebrate our first year, we take a trip down memory lane and highlight some of our favourite moments of the first year of Kick Point. You'll be hearing once again from the likes of Richard Bland, Ian Poulter and Wendy, while we also couldn't miss the chance to relive Joe's recent interactions with Bryson DeChambeau, either. If you're new here, welcome, and hopefully, these clips inspire you to head back into the archive. If you've been here since day one, a massive thank you from Dan, Joe and the team for supporting us in our first year! Here's to an even bigger and better year two!

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint  

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

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Happy Friday, folks. Hope you're enjoying the US Open! To accompany your weekend of watching professional golfers hack it out of thick rough, we've put together 82 minutes of two 'professional' journalists trying to hack their way through an interview with former Tour pro and now broadcaster Nick Dougherty. Joe has some history with Nick from their junior days, and it's safe to say Joe was and is a big fan...perhaps too big. Once Joe stops fanboying at the start of our interview, Nick offers us some brilliant insights into the equipment he loved during his playing days, as well as some insights into the 

But before all of that, Joe takes us on a bit of a history and science lesson about Balata golf balls. What actually is Balata, and what was the moment in history when they started to fall out of favour? Spoiler, it has something to do with Tiger Woods...

Chapters: 
0:00:00 Hello! 
0:02:55 What were Balata golf balls?
0:07:21 Liquid centres in golf balls...
0:10:28 Tiger Woods' early 2000s ball change
0:25:05 Ask The Pod - Should I use lead tape?
0:36:46 Cool Board - poker chip ball markers, custom ferrules & marking balls with initials 
0:50:50 Fujikura competition!
0:54:03 Nick Dougherty interview 

Also this week, we have an Ask The Podder keen to understand how to best utilise lead tape on their clubs, while The Cool Board sees poker chip ball markers, custom ferrules and initials on golf balls. 

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Happy Masters Friday! We hope you're enjoying the tournament, and thank you for spending some time with us when there are plenty of other exciting things happening in the world of golf. After a suspiciously L.A.B Golf DF3-shaped Odyssey putter appeared on Tour last month, we ask if copying in the golf equipment industry is a problem or just fair game. Elsewhere, Joe's been playing around with his putter (again) and has changed the shaft in his trusty blade for the first time. Should we all be thinking about our putter shafts in as much detail as driver and iron shafts? 

Ask The Pod this week wants to know how long ball manufacturers make old models of golf balls for its Tour pros. We then discuss whether something is going on with Rory's TP5 golf ball after he was caught on a hot mic during TGL last month...

We are also thrilled to welcome Rick Shiels onto the show this week. Joe met golf's biggest YouTuber in Singapore last month to chat all things equipment and equipment testing. Has he always been an equipment geek? What are his favorite things to test? How would he make the game easier for amateurs through equipment? All of this and more is answered in our chat. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Chapters:
0:00:00 Hello! 
0:03:35 Equipment copycats! Fair game or blatant cheating? 
0:12:43 Joe's testing new putter shafts...
0:22:38 Ask The Pod - When do ball manufacturers stop making old golf balls?
0:36:34 Rick Shiels interview!

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Sit back, relax, and get a drink in your hand; it's nearly Masters week! To celebrate, we're heading back to 2019 to take a deep dive into the winning bag of Tiger Woods. Can you call 2019 retro? Either way our popular retro WITB series is back. Thanks to this week's partner GolfClubs4Cash, we have examples of Tiger's clubs with us on set this week. We must stress these aren't Tiger's actual clubs (that would've been some coup), but it's a wonderful addition to Joe's detailed What's In The Bag. 

Also this week, Joe catches us all up with his adventures at LIV Golf Singapore. From bumping into Rick Shiels in a 7-Eleven at midnight to embarrassing himself in from of Bryson DeChambeau (again) he's got plenty of Tour gossip and exciting equipment stories to share. Listen out for our exciting Golf Pride Honorary Starter grip set giveaway at the start of the episode, and head over to our Instagram (@kickpointgolf) to get yourself entered before the competition closes on Monday. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Chapters:

0:00:00 Intro 
0:02:41 Golf Pride giveaway! 
0:08:17 Joe's stories from Singapore 
0:12:54 When Joe met Bryson
0:18:24 DJ's and Phil's clubs
0:21:32 Tour-only equipment finds & crazy Singapore golf shops
0:26:58 Bumping into Rick Sheils
0:31:01 Our new newsletter!
0:34:23 Some correspondence...
0:38:41 Tiger Woods 2019 What's In The Bag

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Joe's got something he wants to get off his chest this week. He thinks the new PXG Wildcat driver has been criminally under-spoken about and wants to give what he thinks is an emerging new driver sub-category the time of day. How can this shortened, lighter, loftier 460cc head driver benefit slower swing speed golfers?

The explainer this week focuses on whether the shafts we can also use the shafts Tour pros use. Of course, you can, in theory, but the real question is, should you? Ask The Pod wants to know about Joe's wildest 3D printing dreams (strap in for that segment), while the WITB this week looks at Aaron Rai. The Englishman has been steadily making his way up the world golf rankings and is known for a handful of equipment quirks. We check out his old TaylorMade driver, orange castle tees, double winter gloves and much more. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Chapters:
00:00 Intro 
02:10 PXG Wildcat driver review 
09:23 Can I use the same shafts as Tour pros? 
21:08 Ask The Pod - What clubs would we design with a 3D printer?
36:55 Aaron Rai WITB

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Joe's in storytelling mode this week with two belters about the time he met Rory McIlroy at Celtic Manor and a little-known piece of insight into Tiger Woods' rudimentary equipment secret. We're also bringing back the explainer this week to talk about (get your giggles out of the way now) shaft length. It is a vital and often misunderstood part of the fitting process that has an impact on pretty much everything from distance to consistency - Joe is here to explain exactly how to get it right for your game. 

Finally, this week's What's In The Bag is on Tommy Fleetwood. Joe has a direct line to Tommy Fleetwood's actual fitter at TaylorMade HQ, so we've got plenty of insights to share about the Englishman's 2025 set-up. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Chapters:
0:00:00 Hello!
0:01:45 Our golfing goals for the year
0:08:10 What we want to see in pro golf this year
0:10:52 When Joe met Rory! Rory's disgraceful grips 
0:17:59 Explainer: Does shaft length matter?
0:30:30 Tiger's unique and rudimentary equipment trick
0:42:29 Tommy Fleetwood What's In The Bag

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It was a hell of a performance from our relief pitcher (and equipment expert) Sam De'Ath, but he exits stage left to a rapturous reception as Joe retakes his throne on the Kick Point set this week. Not only is he back, but he's also providing a hot take about caddies - 'Why do we have them?'. Given that a few members of the Golf Monthly team are former caddies, his answer certainly ruffled some feathers within the office...

As for the rest of the show, we have a Kick Point first - we talk about a club we've BOTH reviewed! Yes, I've taken a break from shoes and bags and been thrown in the deep end to discuss the PXG Secret Weapon Mini Driver - are mini drivers worth it or simply a bit of a marketing gimmick? We discuss. We discuss club gapping on this week's 'Ask The Pod' as we answer listener questions before diving into our latest What's In The Bag and taking a closer look into the equipment used by Ryder Cup star Max Homa following his move to Cobra for the 2025 season.

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Chapters:
0:00:00 Intro 
0:02:52 Joe's revelation about caddies
0:08:27 PXG Secret Weapon mini-driver review
0:26:17 'Ask The Pod' - Helping with gapping
0:40:07 Max Homa's What's In The Bag 2025 

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If you're a bit of a putter nerd or a total putter newbie, then you're in luck this week as our guru Sam De'Ath returns to give us the full lowdown on the latest craze in flatstick technology - zero torque putters! Unfortunately, that means no Joe this week. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice he had a bit of tape on the sole of his shoe all last week, and I would like to say he's sitting out this week out of embarrassment, but that would be lying...
Instead, this episode was supposed to air last week, but one of the products we spoke about was embargoed, and we can't be upsetting the friendly companies that supply us with these clubs to test, can we? However, we promise that this episode is worth the wait. We cover zero torque - what they are, why you might use one and which ones we think are the best depending on what kind of golfer you are. 

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Follow us on social media:
Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolf
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kickpointpod

Chapters:
0:00:00 Intro 
0:06:23 What is a 'zero-torque putter'?
0:10:23 Is L.A.B Golf here to stay?
0:14:43 What are all the models?
0:16:55 Best looking zero-torque putter
0:29:34 Best feeling zero-torque putter
0:39:29 Best for alignment
0:46:41 Best inside 5ft
0:50:59 Best overall zero torque putter
0:57:28 'Ask The Pod' - Building the top and bottom of a bag

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Drumroll please…….… Joe is back! As we say here in England, super sub Sam De’Ath had great innings (Google it, Americans), but it’s time for the star of the show to return and talk golf gear. His back is better, his beard is trimmed, and his makeup is done - we couldn’t be happier to have ‘The Pro’ back. 

And it's a bumper episode to return to. Joe will give us insight into two of his favorite things - Taylormade irons and golf grips. Yes, we’re diving deep into his review of the latest P790 irons whilst also talking about the new Golf Pride Align Max grips and how revolutionary they could prove to be for your game. Other items on the agenda - we answer questions about Joe's experience with Bryson DeChambeau’s irons on Ask The Pod and investigate what Hideki Matsuyama is swinging with in the latest What’s In The Bag?

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Follow us on social media:
Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolf
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kickpointpod

Chapters: 

0:00: Intro - Joe's back! 
7:56: PGA Tour winners aren't using 2025 drivers - why? 
18:37: TaylorMade P790 iron review
27:50: Golf Pride Align Max grip review
36:06: Ask The Pod - Joe's experience playing with Bryson's actual clubs
51:25: Hideki Matusyma 2025 What's In The Bag 

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Thanks for all your well wishes to the injured Joe The Pro last week! He'll be back (no pun intended) better than ever next week. So, given his stunning debut performance last week, Sam De’Ath returns to spread knowledge and wisdom about hybrids for the new golf season. We ask whether the club is falling out of fashion on Tour; why we think the average golfer should be using more of them and Sam runs through which of the latest releases are the best for you. We also get technical with wedges and answer the question - 'should people have their wedges bent flatter than their irons?'

Get in touch with Dan and Joe and 'Ask The Pod' via our email: kickpointpodcast@futurenet.com

Sign up for the weekly Kick Point newsletter, released every Friday: https://www.golfmonthly.com/newsletter 

Get three issues of the Golf Monthly magazine delivered to your door for just £5 at https://www.magazinesdirect.com/kickpoint   

Watch us in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KickPointGolf

Follow us on social media:
Instagram -  https://www.instagram.com/kickpointgolf
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kickpointpod

Chapters:
0:00 Intro 
5:39 Are hybrids going out of fashion?
11:59 Best-looking hybrids 
21:00 Best sound and feel
27:50 Most forgiving hybrids 
36:08 Best hybrids for distance 
38:50 Best hybrids to hit off the fairway
43:22 Best hybrids to use out of the rough
48:12 Most workable hybrid 
51:16 Verdict - best hybrid of 2025
52:52 Kick Point x Golf Monthly magazine offer
54:44 'Ask The Pod' - Should I flatten the lie angle on my wedges?

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