Matt Singer, 52, is a trial lawyer in Oregon and Alaska with three years of Hot List testing experience. He plays most of his golf at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club near Portland and gets out multiple times a week. “I played more than 100 times last year. Lots of those were six-, nine-, or 12-hole outings so I play at least some golf three or four times a week.” He hits the driver about 240 yards and his 7-iron 150 and fights a high-right miss. Matt says he’s inconsistent off the tee and has what he calls a “mediocre” approach game, so he compensates with his short game, which is why his insight into this year’s crop of Hot List wedges is worth discussing. The ability to control loft and spin and create different shots around the greens can make up for a lot of long-game shortcomings. From our recent testing summit, Matt shares here the wedges that worked best for him, as well as his other favorite Hot List clubs.
WEDGES
false Cleveland RTZ $170 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $170
“Feels like you’re cheating out of the sand. I could blast the ball out or make it spin and stop. I was able to hit high spinners and low rollers from just off the green, too. Very versatile.”
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My other favorite Hot List wedges:Callaway OpusPing s159Bettinardi HLX 6.0Titleist Vokey Design SM10
DRIVERS
false Srixon ZXi $550 | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $550
“Delightfully simple design. Easy to get comfortable over the ball. Sound was a quick, high note. Produced exceptionally long shots. A perfect mix of trajectory, spin and ball speed. Everyday playable.”
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My other favorite Hot List drivers:Callaway Elyte XTaylorMade Qi35 MaxPing G440 SFTTitleist GT2
FAIRWAY WOODS
false Ping G440 Max $350 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $350
“Sound an Amber Alert because this club is going to go missing from the Hot List. I’m taking it with me. Easy to hit high, straight shots with great distance. Stunning performance. I was producing the speed with a fairway wood I typically produce with a driver. Shots were high enough and coming down soft enough that you’d stick greens. Elegant, simple look in a club that fully realizes its potential.”
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My other favorite Hot List fairway woods:Callaway ElytePing G440 LSTCobra DS-Adapt XTaylorMade Qi35 Max
HYBRIDS
false Ping G440 $325 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $325
“This club produced great distance for me. Has a get-up-and-go attitude and wind-busting, piercing trajectory to ball flight. This is a trusty partner with easy distance and a confidence-inspiring sound and feel.”
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My other favorite Hot List hybrids: TaylorMade Qi35 Max Callaway Elyte X Titleist GT2 Cleveland Halo XL
PLAYERS-DISTANCE IRONS
false Ping i530 $205 per iron | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $205 per iron
“It’s a golden retriever of a golf club—familiar, reliable, good looking. I had a tight dispersion, particularly with the shorter irons. I found it easy to reproduce similar shots. There also was an immediate comfort with the look and feel of this club. No learning curve or surprises. A bit of offset but not distracting.”
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My other favorite Hot List players-distance irons: Wilson Dynapower Forged Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal Pro Mizuno JPX925 Forged Callaway Apex Ti Fusion
GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRONS
false Titleist T350 $200 per iron | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $200 per iron
“Both the look and the feel were performance oriented. The ball feels energetic coming off the face and these were extremely accurate and consistent. My game would benefit from the forgiveness this club offers without giving up the joy of hitting an advanced-looking-and-feeling iron.”
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My other favorite Hot List game-improvement irons:Callaway Elyte HLSrixon ZXi4Callaway Apex Ai300
SUPER-GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRONS
false TaylorMade Qi HL $143 per iron | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $143 per iron
“I got a ton of consistency. You get the impression you could hit multiple shots in a bucket, especially with the wedge. It also took the right side out of play. Not the longest iron, but the consistency is worth giving up a few yards.”
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My other favorite Hot List super-game-improvement irons: Yonex EZone GT Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal HL Callaway Elyte X Ping G730
BLADE PUTTERS
false Evnroll V-Series 450 | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold 450
“Stability was the name of the game with this club. Extremely easy to bring it back and through without any hitch in the giddy up. Great performer at all distances.”
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My other favorite Hot List blade putters: Ping PLD Milled (Anser 30) Odyssey Ai-One (Double Wide CH) Ping Scottsdale (Anser 2D) Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Style (Newport 2.5 Plus)
MALLET PUTTERS
false Odyssey Ai-One $300 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $300
“There’s a reason the 2-ball design has been around a long time: It works. Great contact, putts started rolling quickly. No skidding. Comfortable amount of heft.”
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My other favorite Hot List mallet putters: Bettinardi Queen B (7) Ping Scottsdale (Prime Tyne 4) Titleist Scotty Cameron Phantom (5.5)
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
