There are 94 products profiled in this, our seventh annual Hot List. How did we get here? It's the culmination of a year's worth of investigation, including unbiased input from a team of 32 players, teachers, golf retailers and scientists during two weeks of testing in Mesquite, Nev., at the CasaBlanca Resort. Their advice, along with mountains of technical data from equipment manufacturers and independent sources, was carefully considered by our four Hot List judges before we arrived at our final list. No other media source in golf devotes this much time, energy and resources to discovering what new products work in the most creative, effective and pleasing ways.
The Hot List has never been about ending your search for new clubs; it has been about making it more focused. Fewer than a quarter of the 403 products originally considered for this year's list earned a spot in this issue. We know there's a lot of good equipment in the market, but only these products receive our highest recommendation: a Gold or Silver medal.
Every club featured in the Hot List offers game-changing technology, but how do you know which one will improve your game? It's simple: Make your choice with the help of a qualified clubfitter. The technology of fitting helps take the guesswork out of selecting clubs. Most reputable golf shops use launch monitors to determine your swing speed, spin rates and launch angles, and those numbers will show you how the new stuff beats the old. The fact is, an analysis of all 14 clubs in your bag is a major step toward real improvement. The first step starts right here, with the Hot List. --Mike Stachura
