2nd Swing Thoughts

Best Drivers, Mini Drivers & Premium Shafts | Fitters Choice 2026

In this week's episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts Podcast, Drew Mahowald and Sean Bower are live in the studio to break down a massive week in the world of golf. Fresh off a thrilling finish at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the guys discuss Cam Young’s performance and the equipment  that led him to the winner's circle.
The highlights of the show are the exclusive reveals for the early-season 2026 Fitters’ Choice Awards. Based on data from thousands of fittings, we crown the best-performing drivers, mini drivers and shafts on the market right now. Plus, we take a deep dive into the latest hardware from PING, including the i540 and G740 irons, and Titleist’s limited edition "Oil Can" T-Series launch.
 
00:00 – Intro: Live from the studio and recap of the Minnesota blizzard.
02:00 – The Players Championship Recap
07:23 – Ping’s Triple Launch: First impressions of the i540 (Players Distance), G740 (Super Game Improvement), and the G LE4 women’s line.
10:05 – Titleist News: The "Oil Can" finish on T-Series irons.
11:35 – WITB: Cam Young
20:40 – Tour Equipment Nuggets: Matt Fitzpatrick’s putter switch, Wyndham Clark’s "off-the-rack" Bettinardi, and Bryson’s new wedges.
26:29 – 2026 Fitters’ Choice Awards: Drivers & Shafts
Core Driver: Ping G440 Max
Low Spin Driver: Titleist GT3
Draw Bias: Ping G440 K
Lightweight: Ping G440 HL
Mini Driver: TaylorMade R7 Quad Mini
Shafts: High, Mid, and Low launch winners from the Fujikura Ventus Velocore+ line.
37:27 – Deep Dive: Ping i540 Irons: Interview with Ping Senior Engineer Travis Milleman
44:27 – Deep Dive: Ping G740 Irons: Maximizing forgiveness and height for the super game improvement category.
50:40 – Listener Q&A: Upgrading from Aerojet to DS-ADAPT, and why swing speed isn't the only factor in shaft flex.
54:50 – Looking Ahead: Next week’s preview (Fairway Woods & Hybrids) and the March Major Contest details.

Arnold Palmer Invitational + Pre-Vokey Titleist Wedges

The legendary golf wedges in this episode of 2nd Swing Thoughts are presented by master fitter Larry Bobka. He specifically brought in four wedges designed for former tour pros such as Davis Love III, Tim Kite, Steve Elkington, and Brad Faxon. Additionally, 2nd Swing recaps the best golf clubs from Tour, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
Agenda of this 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast episode:00:00 Introduction01:20 The Turn - Recap of the week in golf08:00 Akshay Bhatia Winning WITB Insights23:35 Larry Bobka's Pre-Vokey Titleist Wedges39:00 Live Club Fitting Q&A50:50 Wrap
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
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Cognizant Classic Reaction + Club Fitting Q&A w/ Kevin Kraft

This episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast features a second club fitting Q&A discussion with master fitter Kevin Kraft, highlighting new 2026 golf clubs and some of the most relevant club fitting conversations. Additionally, 2nd Swing wraps up the most interesting and successful golf clubs in the bags of the best players in the world at the PGA Tour's Cognizant Classic.
Agenda of this 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast episode:00:00 Introduction01:20 The Turn - Recap of the week in golf09:30 Winning WITB Insights23:36 Club Fitting Q&A w/ Kevin Kraft43:30 Live Q&A w/ Harrison Arnold53:00 Wrap
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 
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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings
SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.
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Golf Clubs at Riviera, Kevin Kraft Q&A + Mizuno JPX ONE

This episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast breaks down winning and unique golf clubs in play at Riviera for the Genesis Invitational. It also features a club fitting Q&A discussion with master fitter Kevin Kraft, highlighting new 2026 golf clubs and some of the most relevant club fitting conversations. Additionally, 2nd Swing caught up with Mizuno Director of Golf Chris Voshall at the PGA Show to break down the new Mizuno JPX One drivers and fairway woods.
Agenda of this 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast episode:00:00 Introduction01:30 The Turn - Recap of the week in golf08:00 Winning Golf Clubs - Jacob Bridgeman18:00 Club Fitting Q&A w/ Kevin Kraft44:45 Mizuno JPX One w/ Chris Voshall53:00 Live Club Fitting Questions
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 
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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings
SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.
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Cobra OPTM, Vokey SM11 + Tour Fitting Insights

This episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast features a discussion with master fitter Kevin Kraft on the new Cobra OPTM lineup, including the Cobra OPTM drivers and Cobra OPTM fairway woods. Additionally, 2nd Swing caught up with Titleist Vokey wedge Product Director Corey Gerrard at the PGA Show to break down the new Titleist Vokey SM11 wedges.
0:00 Introduction & The Turn6:00 Winning WITB - Collin Morikawa & Anthony Kim25:14 Cobra OPTM w/ Kevin Kraft41:28 Vokey SM11 wedges w/ Corey Gerrard47:46 LIVE Fitting Q&A & Wrap
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 
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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings
SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.
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WM Phoenix Open, Callaway Quantum, PING s259 + Q&A

This episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast features a discussion with master fitter Kevin Kraft on the new Callaway Quantum lineup, including the Callaway Quantum drivers, Callaway Quantum fairway woods, and Callaway Quantum irons. Additionally, 2nd Swing caught up with PING wedge designer Jacob Clarke at the PGA Show to break down the new PING s259 wedges.
00:00 Introduction02:30 Golf Headlines/The Turn10:45 Chris Gotterup WITB23:56 Callaway Quantum w/ Kevin Kraft42:28 PING s259 Wedges54:30 Live Q&A1:06:48 Conclusion
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 
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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings
SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.
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Mizuno's Newest Irons + Tour Equipment Fitting Insights

Mizuno's newest irons and the Equipment on Tour are the focus of this episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts Podcast. Mizuno released the new Pro M-13 and Pro M-15 Irons, along with a new Pro Fli-Hi Utility Iron in 2026. We Speak with Mizuno Director of Golf Chris Voshall at the PGA Show about the tech and design behind Mizuno's newest irons. Justin Rose captured the Farmers Insurance this past weekend on the PGA Tour. We breakdown the equipment he used and what we've seen in 2nd Swing Fittings in regards to the specific clubs and general setup of Rose's Winning WITB.
00:00 Introduction01:20 The Turn12:50 Tour Equipment Fitting Insights33:45 Mizuno's Newest Irons41:40 Conclusion
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 
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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings
SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.
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New Putters in 2026 | Scotty Cameron Phantom Mallets + L.A.B. DF3i

The newest putters in 2026 have arrived, including the Scotty Cameron 2026 Phantom Mallet Putters and the new L.A.B. Golf DF3i Putter. In this 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, we are covering the biggest new putters to hit the golfing world in 2026 including: the Scotty Cameron 2026 Phantom Putters, L.A.B. Golf's DF3i Putter,  Odyssey's Ai-DUAL lineup, Bettinardi's 2026 BB Series and Mizuno's M Craft City Series Putters.
Included in this episode are two featured interviews from the PGA Show in Orlando, Flordia. 2nd Swing's Drew Mahowald talks with Scotty Cameron Senior Director of R&D Austie Rollinson about the design, technology and performance of the new Phantom Putter lineup. 
L.A.B. Golf also introduced a new putter in 2026, with the L.A.B. DF3i, which features an insert in their most popular mallet putter, the L.A.B. DF3. We caught up with L.A.B. Golf's Kevin Martin and Cameron Day at PGA Show Demo Day to review their newest putter.
00:00 Intro01:45 The Turn04:00 Scottie Scheffler WITB12:35 Odyssey Ai-DUAL Putters14:40 Bettinardi 2026 Putters15:50 Mizuno M Craft City Series Putters18:39 Scotty Cameron 2026 Phantom Mallets28:55 L.A.B. DF3i Putter36:00 Conclusion
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings
SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.
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PGA Show 2026 | PING G440 K + Cobra OPTM

We are at PGA Show Demo Day for this episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts Podcast. 2nd Swing's Drew Mahowald and Sean Bower were on site at Orange County National Golf Center for PGA Show Demo Day learning about the newest golf clubs in 2026 including the PING G440 K Driver and Cobra OPTM Driver lineup. 
Drew talks about PING's newest driver, the G440 K, with Marty Jertson, PING VP of Fitting & Performance. They discuss what went into the design, where it fits within the G440 lineup and what types of golfers could benefit playing this driver. 
Then we visit the Cobra Golf booth to talk about Cobra's new OPTM Driver lineup with Jose Miraflor, Cobra's VP of Marketing & Club Architecture. We breakdown OPTM's new POI measurement when it comes to forgiveness in drivers, plus FutureFit33 and more.
00:00 Introduction04:55 PING G440 K15:43 Cobra OTPM21:17 Conclusion
The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 
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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings
SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.
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2025 2nd Swing Fitters Choice Awards Show

This video and episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast features a discussion on the best golf clubs of 2025 in the format of an awards show. Now that 2nd Swing fitters have had the chance to fit the best golf clubs of 2025 for a whole year, master fitter Tyler Fitzel conducted a survey to get feedback from fitters on how the best golf clubs of 2025 performed in fittings.0:00 Intro to Fitters Choice3:00 Low-Spin Drivers8:00 High-MOI / Core Drivers11:10 Draw-Bias Drivers14:54 Mini Drivers17:33 Fairway Woods22:24 Utility Irons27:42 Hybrids30:16 Tour Blade Irons33:03 Tour Cavity Irons37:25 Players Distance Irons41:39 Game Improvement Irons44:13 Wedges47:53 Mallet Putters50:18 Low Torque Putters55:22 Blade Putters In this episode of 2nd Swing Thoughts, Drew Mahowald and Tyler Fitzel discuss the best golf clubs of 2025 based on feedback from 2nd Swing's master club fitters.The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX LISTEN ON AMAZON: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f5e3b825-bae2-40d0-9ec4-722e96b99de6/2nd-swing-thoughts LISTEN ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2nd-swing-thoughts/id1683899359 Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights. FOLLOW 2ND SWING GOLF ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2ndSwingGolf X: https://X.com/2ndSwingGolf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2ndswinggolf/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@2ndswinggolf