GolfPass Gear Report: April 2024

Presented by Fubo

It's go time.

With The Masters come and gone, April showers will turn into May golf (or something like that). Golf season is upon us.

The eight-week sprint between the green jacket ceremony and Father's Day is primetime for golf retailers. New golf clubs are ready to tested, bought and dialed in on the range. Ads for new polos and shorts are probably overwhelming your social media accounts (how do they do that?) Plus, every golfer should be stocking up on everyday needs - golf shoes, golf balls and more.

Our latest Golf Gear Report - sponsored by PGA Tour Superstore - satisfies all your needs, and more importantly your wants. Get shopping. Your 2024 golf season depends on it.

Maximizing distance was the primary objective in PING’s longest and most forgiving iron to date. The new PING G730 irons generate typical distance gains of approximately five yards from the flexing, hyper 17-4 stainless steel face. Improved ball height and increased forgiveness from a bigger, more offset head are also its strengths, all optimized by a PurFlex cavity badge that enhances feel and produces a more powerful sound. G730s are available in 5 through 9 irons, pitching wedge, U-wedge, 50- and 56-degree wedges. Cost: $1,019-$1,189 - Jason Scott Deegan

Not even PGA Tour caddies will give out yardage advice as good as the new Bushnell Pro X3+ Laser Rangefinder. Bushnell has addressed many of the minor inconveniences of past editions. Our favorite new feature is the visual jolt - a red ring appearing in the view finder - that accompanies the vibrating jolt when a golfer locks onto the pin. That doubles the assurance you've got the proper distance. The adjusted slope is more accurate than ever, too, taking into account temperature and altitude for the first time. Golfers can even save the elevation of their home course where they play the most golf. For tournament players, the Slope-Switch's interaction locking mechanism significantly reduces the risk of accidentally getting the rangefinder into Slope mode during competitive play. Cost: $599.99 - JSD

The new PING i530 irons offer some of the same distance gains of the G730s but in a blade-style head for better players. A highly flexible forged face in a hollow-body design should add yards with a tighter dispersion. Precision-milled MicroMax grooves are more tightly spaced because there are more of them, ensuring a consistent launch and spin. Cost: $1,302 - JSD

Golf pants should be comfortable, stretchable and functional - at least that's what the Outset Pant by Nomatic aims to achieve. Perhaps best of all, they stay wrinkle-free when traveling. The pants utilize 4-way stretch, a polyester thread that is warp-knitted to create a mechanical stretch without using spandex or elastic. An eco-friendly coating repels liquids and stains and has been built for durability. A slim fit makes me look and feel more athletic, a confidence that hopefully shows up in my golf swing all summer. Cost: $125 - JSD

It's been tough to break FootJoy's stranglehold on the golf shoe market for years, but up-and-coming brands like ECCO and even SQAIRZ have made inroads in recent years. Another one to look out for is Payntr, whose athletic-looking shoes combine tech and performance-focused aesthetics nicely. Jason Day recently joined their staff of pros. The X 004 RS shoe features a stiff heel that golfers can step right into (think Skechers, but twice as stylish), plus a blister-free guarantee as a result of the heel's molding and cushioning. The shoe also has carbon-fiber plating in it to add a little oomph to your footwork, supposedly. It also comes standard with Softspikes' Tour Flex Pro cleats. Cost: $200 - TG

If you're the typical office worker (like us), your posture is a mess. Hours of typing, slumping shoulders, a sagging lumbar - it all adds up to a bad golf swing over time. Enter the Ace+ Polo by Forme, the only golf polo with built-in posture correcting technology. This unique shirt is made of the same moisture-wicking, premium fabrics used in other golf polos. Its secret is a powerful FDA-registered, posture-correcting technology that keeps your shoulders back and down, offering biomechanical advantages and training your body to stay in alignment. When you put it on, you can feel the slight tension of a band pulling on your chest to realign your shoulders. Wear it to the office, then on the golf course. Cost: $188 - JSD

Macade, a Swedish-based golf apparel brand that launched in 2019, has made significant inroads in America since opening a Maryland warehouse, making shipping and delivery much quicker and easier. Macade recently signed Alex Noren, launching The Tour Capsule. This limited collection introduced a set of seven new pieces: tops and layers that merge performance and style, with shorts to pair. No matter the temperature, from the early morning chill to the afternoon heat, Macade's versatile pieces work as hard for you as Noren does on his game. Cost: From a $35 hat to a $125 long-sleeved, quarter-zip pullover. - JSD

We love how Sunday Swagger steps outside the lines when it comes to bold and inspiring golf fashions without ever going out of bounds. Founded in 2019, Sunday Swagger’s vision comes from its SoCal roots. Its stylish and functional polos are made with a breathable, 4-way stretch poly spandex blend that is durable, moisture-wicking and wrinkle-free, while offering UPF 40 sun protection. It also offers performance outerwear, hats, t-shirts, towels and recently added more women's apparel. For a California brand, the prices are very affordable - $59 for the colorful Sunset men's polo and $79 for a women's full zip Glacier jacket. - JSD

Most golfers are barely familiar - at best - with Honma, but the Japanese-founded (now Chinese-owned) brand has proudly produced some of golf's finest equipment since the late 1950s. Its takumi craftsmen still make fashion models for their new drivers out of wood before turning them into titanium. Their BERES series of clubs command truly shocking prices, but one item of theirs that most golfers can afford - and should consider - is their new TW series of golf balls. They come in both the X and S varieties; I have hit both in recent rounds and was particularly impressed by the solid feel, performance and durability of the TW-X model. The S will appeal to golfers who want a softer feel. A lot of golf balls claim to be as good as the gold-standard Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x, but most of them fall well short. At nearly $20 less per dozen (before shipping), though, Honma comes closer than just about any of the similar-priced pretenders. Definitely worth a try. Cost: $36 per dozen - TG

Linksoul, the well-known SoCal apparel company, is reinventing the term 'sustainable golf attire'. The new Seawool Collection is made from recycled oyster shells, which contributes to cleaner oceans. While oyster shells don't sound comfortable to wear, the Pacific Polo ($78) is as comfortable as a golf shirt can get. There's also a Pocket Tee, Fairbanks Flannel and Anchorage Shacket (jacket) in the collection. - JSD

Drinking your favorite golf cocktail doesn't have to be limited to just the course. Founded in Virginia in 2021, Fore Craft Cocktails has captured four favorite flavors of golfers in a can: the Transfusion, Fore Tea, Ranch Water (tequila, lime and soda) and a Bloody Mary. Fore is sold at Trader Joes, Total Wine, Krogers and TopGolf in Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, North and South Carolina and Maryland.

Polo is one of those iconic brands that never strays from its mission - making every golfer look good, even if their game isn't. The new RLX Golf Spring 2024 Collection features all sorts of clean lines, sharp color contrasts and comfortable styles. Polos generally run in solids or stripes, costing $115. The yellow Links Performance Chino shorts and pink long-sleeved cashmere hoodie prove that not every polo-wearing golfer is conservatively dressed. - JSD

CON.STRUCT is another up-and-coming apparel line that does things right, both in sustainability and fashion. Its color patterns and prints can range from loud to downright fun. What beer lover wouldn't love the polo ($88) decorated with hundreds of bottles? Prost! All products in the Golf Collection's Green line are 4-way stretch, moisture-wicking, anti-microbial and treated with a UV 50+ protection properties.