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Reader Survey 2025 - Australian Golf Digest Reader Survey 2025 - Australian Golf Digest

Reader Survey 2025

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Our latest survey poll reveals your personal preferences when it comes to your gear and the game’s pertinent issues.

Your equipment tastes are subtly changing. That’s what you told us in our latest Australian Golf Digest Ultimate Golf Survey. With 7,376 respondents, it provided yet another snapshot of your collective tendencies when it comes to golf gear.

Callaway and TaylorMade continue to duke it out as the leading brands, with the latter overtaking the former in several categories when compared to our previous survey. It’s not always a two-horse race, though, as other prominent golf brands muscled their way to the top in several key areas.

This is the fourth reader survey we’ve conducted since 2020, which gives us a growing catalogue of data to compare. As you’ll read, several shifts have occurred in your purchase preferences during the past five years, while other categories have remained consistent.

The most curious trend came in the fitting space. In every area besides ball fitting – which still sits at only 6 percent – you told us you’re less likely to be professionally fitted for new clubs than you were in 2023.

Some of the stats not listed here: men provided 96 percent of our responses, with the 56-70 age bracket completing the most surveys. Meanwhile, the 10-18 handicap bracket delivered nearly 40 percent of the total responses. 

What brand of driver is in your bag right now?

Callaway
21.56%
Cleveland
2.69%
Cobra
9.36%
Mizuno
3.58%
Ping
12.05%
PXG
0.42%
Srixon
2.31%
TaylorMade
24.29%
Titleist
13.27%
Tour Edge
1.24%
Wilson Staff
2.21%
XXIO
0.6%
Other
6.41%

What you said in 2023: Callaway (26.53%), TaylorMade (25.69%)

What you said in 2021: TaylorMade (29.30%), Callaway (21.14%)

What you said in 2020: Callaway (27.77%), TaylorMade (25.39%)

How old is your driver?

Less than 12 months
16.8%
1-2 years
24.05%
3-5 years
29.62%
5+ years
29.53%

Did you get professionally fitted for your driver?

Yes
44.04%
No
55.96%

What you said in 2023: Yes 52.15%, No 47.85%

What you said in 2021: Yes 48.68%, No 51.32%

What you said in 2020: Yes 51.98%, No 48.02%

What brand of fairway woods is in your bag right now?

Callaway
20.07%
Cleveland
3.31%
Cobra
9.14%
Honma
0.11%
Mizuno
3.76%
Ping
9.96%
PXG
0.15%
Srixon
2.3%
TaylorMade
22.86%
Titleist
11.73%
Tour Edge
2.15%
Wilson Staff
3.01%
XXIO
0.68%
Other
10.76%

What you said in 2023: Callaway (25.60%), TaylorMade (23.52%)

What you said in 2021: TaylorMade (26.44%), Callaway (19.48%)

What you said in 2020: Callaway (25.35%), TaylorMade (23.01%)

How old are your fairway woods?

Less than 12 months
12.06%
1-2 years
19.83%
3-5 years
29.48%
5+ years
38.63%

Did you get professionally fitted for your fairway woods?

Yes
33.85%
No
66.15%

What you said in 2023: Yes 41.13%, No 58.87%

What you said in 2021: Yes 38.65%, No 61.35%

What you said in 2020: Yes 39.64%, No 60.36%

What brand of irons is in your bag right now?

Callaway
15.09%
Cleveland
2.96%
Cobra
6.15%
MacGregor
0.22%
Mizuno
12.87%
Ping
8.24%
PXG
0.36%
Srixon
7.38%
TaylorMade
19.25%
Titleist
10.74%
Tour Edge
1.62%
Wilson Staff
4.21%
XXIO
0.59%
Yonex
0.04%
Other
10.29%

What you said in 2023: Callaway (20.86%), TaylorMade (20.90%)

What you said in 2021: TaylorMade (21.16%), Callaway (16.64%)

What you said in 2020: Callaway (21.69%), TaylorMade (17.66%)

How old are your irons?

Less than 12 months
20.12%
1-2 years
19.83%
3-5 years
28.31%
5+ years
36.4%

Did you get professionally fitted for your irons?

Yes
54.37%
No
45.63%

What you said in 2023: Yes 61.08%, No 38.92%

What you said in 2021: Yes 58.66%, No 41.34%

What you said in 2020: Yes 60.67%, No 39.33%

What brand of wedges is in your bag right now?

Bettinardi
0.21%
Callaway
14.97%
Cleveland
18.11%
Cobra
3.76%
Mizuno
6.42%
Ping
5.6%
PXG
0.22%
Srixon
0.91%
TaylorMade
14.63%
Vokey
18.82%
Wilson Staff
3.75%
XXIO
0.22%
Other
12.38%

What you said in 2023: Callaway (21.02%), Cleveland (17.72%)

What you said in 2021: Cleveland (18.96%), Vokey (17.99%)

What you said in 2020: Callaway (21.18%), Cleveland (19.84%)

How old are your wedges?

Less than 12 months
15.98%
1-2 years
23.52%
3-5 years
28.19%
5+ years
32.31%

Did you get professionally fitted for your wedges?

Yes
31.95%
No
68.05%

What you said in 2023: Yes 38.74%, No 61.26%

What you said in 2021: Yes 35.99%, No 64.01%

What you said in 2020: Yes 38.67%, No 61.33%

What brand of putter is in your bag right now?

Bettinardi
0.99%
Cleveland
7.81%
L.A.B. Golf
1.01%
Mizuno
1.19%
Odyssey
29.46%
Ping
9.66%
PXG
0.47%
Scotty Cameron
13.43%
TaylorMade
15.35%
Toulon
0.26%
Wilson Staff
5.58%
XXIO
0.1%
Other
14.7%

What you said in 2023: Odyssey (30.99%), TaylorMade (16.69%)

What you said in 2021: Odyssey (30.17%), TaylorMade (15.78%)

What you said in 2020: Odyssey (32.82%), TaylorMade (15.93%)

How old is your putter?

Less than 12 months
16.04%
1-2 years
19.16%
3-5 years
23.92%
5+ years
40.89%

Did you get professionally fitted for your putter?

Yes
16.59%
No
83.41%

What you said in 2023: Yes 20.05%, No 79.95%

What you said in 2021: Yes 17.85%, No 82.15%

What you said in 2020: Yes 19.12%, No 80.88%

What brand of golf ball do you usually play?

Bridgestone
7.46%
Callaway
15.67%
Maxfli
0.15%
Mizuno
0.41%
On Core
0.01%
Optima
0.44%
Pinnacle
0.15%
PXG
0.06%
Seed
0.04%
Srixon
15.45%
Snell
0.18%
TaylorMade
16.42%
Titleist
31.54%
Volvik
0.17%
Wilson
1.63%
Other
1.09%
I don’t use any particular brand
9.11%

What you said in 2023: Callaway (32.36%), Titleist (24.41%)

What you said in 2021: Titleist (30.06%), Callaway (17.78%)

What you said in 2020: Callaway (34.78%), Titleist (23.28%)

Have you been professionally fit for your golf ball?

Yes
6.09%
No
93.91%

What you said in 2023: Yes 5.25%, No 94.75%

What you said in 2021: Yes 6.01%, No 93.99%

What you said in 2020: Yes 4.99%, No 95.01%

What is your favourite apparel brand to wear?

Adidas
18.77%
Birdee Sport
0.47%
Cutter & Buck
1.39%
FootJoy
18.16%
Galvin Green
0.61%
Ping
4.28%
Nike
13.19%
Oakley
6.6%
Sporte Leisure
6.28%
Travis Mathew
4.27%
Under Armour
19.94%

What you said in 2023: Under Armour (21.48%), Adidas (19.45%)

*This question didn’t appear prior to the 2023 survey

Are you a member of a golf club?

Yes
76.8%
No
23.2%

What you said in 2023: Yes 84.07%, No 15.93%

What you said in 2021: Yes 82.10%, No 17.90%

What you said in 2020: Yes 83.39%, No 16.61%

When you play golf, do you usually:

Walk
74.73%
Take a golf cart
25.27%

What kind of electronic measuring device do you use?

Rangefinder
39.79%
GPS
38.44%
I don’t use one
21.77%

Where do you buy most of your golf equipment?

My local pro shop
26.46%
Drummond Golf
29.86%
Golf Box
16.24%
Golf Mart (Golf World)
2.58%
Golf Clearance Outlet
7.28%
The House Of Golf
4.05%
Power Golf
0.82%
eBay/Facebook Marketplace
6.87%
Other
5.84%

How much money do you estimate you have spent on golf equipment in the past 12 months?

$0 - $250
12.16%
$251 - $500
19.89%
$501 - $1,000
24.87%
$501 - $1,000
24.87%
$1,001 - $2,000
22.7%
$2,001 - $3,000
11.54%
$3,001 - $4,000
4.22%
$4,000+
4.63%

Where will you buy most of your equipment this year?

In-store
70.24%
Online
29.76%

Do what tour pros use influence you at all regarding what you use equipment-wise or wear on the course?

No
55.37%
Yes, on occasions
41.73%
Yes
2.91%

Do what in-store staff or your local PGA professional say influence you at all regarding what you use equipment-wise or wear on the course?

No
27.47%
Yes, on occasions
59.43%
Yes
13.1%

If you were sponsored by one major golf brand, which would you want that to be?

Callaway
15.95%
Cleveland
1.48%
Cobra Puma
3.6%
Mizuno
9.89%
Nike
1.23%
Ping
12.33%
PXG
0.72%
Srixon
3.06%
TaylorMade
24.11%
Titleist
24.67%
Under Armour
1.14%
Other
1.82%

Have any of your friends taken up golf in the past 12 months?

Yes
44.35%
No
55.65%

If you had a friend taking up golf, what one piece of advice would you give them?

Buy the right equipment
13.05%
Get lessons
62.35%
Join a club
5.74%
Practise as much as you can
14.83%
Other
4.03%

Did you get a golf lesson in the past 12 months from a PGA professional?

Yes
40.6%
No
59.4%

If yes, was this:

In Person
97.35%
Online
2.65%

How often do you get a lesson with a PGA professional?

Never
46.82%
1-2 lessons per year
36.48%
3-6 lessons per year
12.27%
7-12 lessons per year
3.08%
13+ lessons per year
1.35%

In the past 12 months, has your handicap:

Increased
17.87%
Decreased
43.67%
Stayed the same
38.46%

Have you played a round of mini-golf in the past 12 months?

Yes
35.48%
No
64.52%

Have you been the driving range in the past 12 months?

Yes
84.07%
No
15.93%

How often do you go to a driving range?

Once a week
20.17%
2-3 times a month
22.32%
Every couple of months
29.14%
Once or twice a year
19.34%
Never
9.02%

Have you played golf in a simulator in the past 12 months?

Yes
40.88%
No
59.12%

Have you been on a golf trip away in the past 12 months?

Yes
46.78%
No
53.22%

In 2024 versus previous years, have you watched:

More golf on TV
77.91%
Less golf on TV
22.09%