Shane Popham, 36, is a former Division I punter and placekicker who has found a new passion with golf in the last decade. A channel sales director, Shane leans on his athletic background for plenty of clubhead speed but struggles to control which direction it might be going on a particular day. His best hits with the driver often reach the 280s, and his natural ball flight is very much on the high side. Like most developing players who also have a full-time job, he wants to work on his weaknesses if he can find the time. “I maybe play twice a month when it’s warm enough,” he says. “Practice? Mentally, hourly. Physically, monthly.” But he has definite ambitions. “I’m that player who bombs a drive in the team scramble,” the 15-handicapper says. “The scramble part is key because I’m not always able to find it. I like the hero shot over the smart one, despite knowing better.” He prefers traditional looks, even opting for players-distance irons, but is not hung up on the usual suspects when it comes to brand names. Here are his Hot List favorites, starting with the driver because that’s where his foul balls get him in the most trouble.
DRIVERS
false Srixon ZXi LS $550 | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $550
“Super fast and stable, too. Could not put too much effort into it to affect the results. This driver does not know failure. So long I had to apologize.”
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My other favorite Hot List drivers:
Cobra DS-Adapt Max-KTaylorMade Qi35 LSPing G440 MaxTour Edge Exotics C725
FAIRWAY WOODS
false TaylorMade Qi35 Tour $450 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $450
“Looks like an Infiniti Q80. Been waiting for something to blow me away; this one checks every box and makes its presence known. Real firmness at impact — like hitting a no-doubter home run. Good launch without getting floaty.”
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My other favorite Hot List fairway woods:
Titleist GT3TaylorMade Qi35Callaway ElyteSrixon ZXi
HYBRIDS
false Srixon ZXi $280 | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $280
“You can feel the supreme transfer of energy into every shot. All your best gets powered into the ball. The ball gets up quickly, begins to cruise, and then lands softly. It’s like a stealth bomber finding its target every time. It’s soft, but you can feel the power. Impacts all over the face were still getting extremely playable results.”
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My other favorite Hot List hybrids:
TaylorMade Qi35Cobra King TecPing G440Titleist GT2
PLAYERS-DISTANCE IRONS
false Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal Pro $150 per iron | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $150 per iron
“There was no feeling of club-turf interaction, like every shot was off a tee. And it took off like a bullet train—effortless height with tons of velocity. I got a great descent angle, too. Every shot seemed like my best shot of the day. Can I take these home in my suitcase?”
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My other favorite Hot List players-distance irons:
Ping i530Cobra King TecCallaway Apex Ai200PXG 0311P GEN7
GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRONS
false Cleveland ZipCore XL $130 per iron | Golf Galaxy 4.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Silver $130 per iron
“It felt like a catapult. It was so easy to get the ball to cruising altitude and it was long. It rewarded me every time for just hitting the face. It’s a game-improvement iron that lives up to its name of improving my game. Off-center hits were unnoticeable.”
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My other favorite Hot List game-improvement irons:
Titleist T350Tour Edge Exotics E725Mizuno JPX925 Hot MetalTaylorMade Qi
SUPER-GAME-IMPROVEMENT IRONS
false Yonex EZone GT $175 per iron | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $175 per iron
“These are electric, instant energy. I got a very loud percussive blast on every hit. They don’t fly super high but more of a driving height—and deadly straight.”
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My other favorite Hot List super-game-improvement irons:
Cobra DS-Adapt MaxCallaway Elyte XTour Edge Exotics X725Mizuno JPX925 Hot Metal HL
WEDGES
false Titleist Vokey Design SM10 $190 | Golf Galaxy 5.0 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $190
“Felt like I could hit every shot I wanted, and I don’t have every shot. No digging. Right amount of firmness and crispness off the face. Head was easy to manipulate to produce different flights. Great control. Every shot was perfectly on target.”
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My other favorite Hot List wedges:
Cleveland RTZMizuno Mizuno Pro T1Callaway OpusCobra King
BLADE PUTTERS
false PXG Battle Ready II $390 | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $390
“Almost mallet-like in its performance. Roll felt soft and delicate with a firmness that gave me some decent feedback.”
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My other favorite Hot List blade putters:
Meridian Milled Series (Savannah)Evnroll V-Series (V2)Kevin Burns Custom Series (9307)Cleveland HB Soft 2 Black (8S)
MALLET PUTTERS
false PXG Battle Ready II $390 | Golf Galaxy 4.5 GD SCORE GD HOT LIST SCORE Hot List Gold $390
“Putts went in effortlessly. Even with the soft feel, it was getting a good transfer of energy. The ball started rolling right off the face. Not a single putt where I didn’t see what I was expecting.”
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My other favorite Hot List mallet putters:
Bettinardi Queen B (7)Ping Scottsdale (Prime Tyne 4)TaylorMade Spider Tour (SS)
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
