Hot List Lessons

Try A New Shaft

Some irons were seemingly unhittable before I tried them with the right shaft. While one manufacturer's stiff-flex worked best for me, another manufacturer's regular-flex was better. So I now have to keep an open mind about shaft selection across all clubs in my bag. Finding the right one can be a miracle drug.-- David Jackson, Hot List tester, 8 handicap

A New Kind Of Putter

I had never heard of counterbalanced putters before the Hot List testing summit, and they make putting SO simple. They're amazing on short putts as well as long putts. Everyone should give them a try.-- LeeAnn Fairlie, Hot List tester, +.5 handicap

Technology Works

On a Golf Labs robot set to swing at 95 miles per hour, the difference between the distance on an off-center hit on next year's driver and a driver from the 1990s is larger than the difference between Bubba Watson's average driving distance and Tom Watson's.-- Mike Stachura, Hot List Judge

Colors Are Everywhere

I felt more at ease with loud colors. From candy-apple red to shades of bright blue, colors don't shock me like they once did, and I actually preferred them, at times. I wouldn't be surprised to see a fully customizable color palate in the coming years.-- Jeff Blind, Hot List tester, 8 handicap

Have An Open Mind

I was really excited to try clubs from certain big-name companies, but once I tested them I found that they didn't perform well for me. Had I been the guy who had walked into a golf shop and bought a club off the rack based on looks and brand-strength, I wouldn't have been happy. On the flip side, I found that there were a few clubs that I would never have considered that performed remarkably well.-- Jason Musser, Hot List tester, 1 handicap

Use Your Wrench

After spending an entire day with the same six drivers, I noticed that nearly every tester needed a different setting. Minor adjustments made a significant impact on performance. The most important object in your bag should be a wrench.-- Ashley Mayo, Hot List Judge

Hone Your Specs

Changes in technology may require you to hit higher (or lower) lofted clubs with different face angles than what you currently use, so even subtle adjustments in loft and lie will have a dramatic impact on performance, sound and feel.-- Larry McCoy, Hot List tester, 1 handicap

Rethink Your Set Composition

The resurgence of the 4 wood and stronger lofted, high-flying hybrids should shake up the composition of golf bags everywhere. I think you'll see stubborn players (like me) add another hybrid or two, but keep responsive and attractive-looking players irons in the bag from the 6-iron down.-- Dan Grattan, Hot List tester, 9 handicap

Find A Versatile Wedge

Some wedges performed very well in full shots, but they fell short out of bunkers. Other wedges were great in bunkers, and suffered around the green. So I'd recommend finding demo days that let you hit wedges off real turf and out of sand before you buy them.-- Jason Burian, Hot List tester, 14 handicap

Looks Only Go So Far

I've decided to stop judging a club by its looks. One of the hybrids I tested was very unpleasant to my eyes but so sweet to hit, and its performance was way better than it looked.-- Ricky Brown, Hot List tester, +3.4 handicap

Technology Is Less Overt

Manufacturers this year seemed to focus more on technology and performance rather than gimmicks. We didn't see any square drivers or goofy shapes.-- Peter Lee, Hot List tester, 9 handicap

These Putters Are Here To Stay

Counterbalanced putters are not a fad that will go away, but a trend worth keeping an eye on. We ran a test with golfers who had never used one before and virtually every player made a higher percentage of putts from 5 feet with a counterbalance putter than a conventional length one.-- E. Michael Johnson, Hot List Judge(A special thanks to the Wigwam Resort for hosting us during the Hot List Summit.)

Hot List Lessons

By Ashley Mayo

Photos by J.D. Cuban

Our Hot List testers and editors try out the clubs that'll hit the racks next season. The lessons they learned could help you