The Week in Gear News: December Part I

Hello and welcome to the very first edition of the Skratch Golf "This Week In Gear" wrap-up. From new golf clubs we spotted on the USGA conforming list, to highly-anticipated equipment launches and fresh gear drops from tours around the world—we've done the digging and compiling so you don't have to. Consider this your one-stop shop for all of the latest news and rundowns of what's new in the world of golf gear.

Class is in session, let's get started.

Cleveland HiBore is Back!

If you’re a golfer of a certain age, there's a good chance you remember the Cleveland HiBore line of drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids. The signature scooped crown was a fixture for almost a decade’s worth of drivers from Cleveland, and the design lends itself nicely to a combination of low-spin performance with forgiveness.

Well, just recently, Cleveland announced that HiBore is back with the new XL and an XL "Lite" (which has nothing to do with a lower ABV for a smooth finish, although smooth might be the name of the game with the lite model, but we’ll get to that in a moment.)

Reimagining the old scoop, the new HiBore XL is built on an A.I. Optimized triangular platform to deliver maximum forgiveness and a large face area. One of the coolest features is the addition of ActivWing aerodynamics on the crown for downswing stability. This is a technology brought over from Dunlop’s premium XXIO brand (Dunlop brands include XXIO, Srixon, Cleveland, and Never Compromise putters), which goes to show that much like technologies we see in different industries outside of golf, club tech can also trickle down into more affordable options.

So about the Lite model. The primary difference between the Lite and the core model is in its offering of more internal draw bias, along with lighter components to make it easier to swing—which will also help more moderate swing speed golfers gain some speed and potential distance.

They are available now, and you can find all the specs at DunlopSports.com/Cleveland-golf

Bridgestone reintroduces irons to North America

As reported earlier this week, Bridgestone is officially back in the irons and wedges market for the first time in a long time with the release of the 22 series in North America which includes the 220 MB Blade, the 221 CB Cavity Back, and the 222 CB+, a larger one-piece forged cavity back.

The only thing to note for those curious about giving them a go, these are exclusive available at Club Champion fitting locations for the time being. If you want to learn more, can check out our full breakdown here: Bridgestone Is Back in the Game with New Forged Irons & Wedges.

TaylorMade and Logan Olson Hard Launch Their Relationship

Another big announcement this week was the official acknowledgement that TaylorMade had purchased the boutique putter maker Logan Olson.

Now for those in the industry, or with keen detective skills, this was not a well-kept secret seeing that the privacy policy on Olson's website (last updated December 2022) states that it's part of Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. It has felt like being the friends and family in the know about a couple who ran off and eloped in secret before seeing the marriage announcement a year later on social media.

This news quickly gave way to the reveal of Olson’s newest Craft Batch No.3 blade putter featuring a "flumber's" neck—a combination of a plumber's and a flow neck. The putter demonstrates Olsen’s close attention to small details.

USGA conforming list updates

I know a lot of people hate Mondays but in the golf equipment world—especially from around November to January when new clubs are starting to debut in professional events—Monday are big day because thats when the USGA and R&A update their conforming clubs list.

You can find everything from wedges to drivers on the conforming list and below are the newest driver images from Srixon, Cobra, Ping and Callaway. It looks like the 2025 drivers' names will be Srixon ZXi, Cobra DS (Dark Speed) Adapt, Ping G440, and Callaway Elyte.

Webb slinging at Hero World Challenge

When it comes to irons, Titleist has been on a mission to build out a huge collection of custom blades and cavity backs for its elite players on the PGA TOUR, and the newest recipient is Webb Simpson. (It's the second set of customs he’s used over the last coupe of years.)

The big difference with this newest set, code named 632.DUB, is its cavity back design compared to his previous blades, which were designed to help add forgiveness and height. Shoutout to the PGA TOUR's Sean Martin for being on the ground in the Bahamas (rough gig but somebody has to do it) for the Hero World Challenge and snapped the pictures, snagging the scoop.