Golf Digest Hot List

They show some stuff that hasn't been introed yet...tmk

1613491562402.png
 
1613491598353.png
 
1613491737231.png
 
I enjoy reading it. Do I make purchases based on the list-no. Do I use it as a data point-yes.
 
I browse it to confirm my five star purchases. :LOL:
 
I don't think it's super useful, but it makes great bathroom reading material at work. Somebody always leaves a copy there. And sometimes I will come across a product I've truly never heard of.
 
Back in the day, Golf came up with something called ClubTest. Putting aside any debate over its usefulness, in terms of sales on newsstands it was the best selling issue of the year by far.

If you're GD, you see that and want something similar but different, and so is born the Hot List.

Of course in today's world newsstand sales are replaced by clicks, but you get the idea.

And what GD brought to the party is licensing its ratings for use in advertising.

Every year these come out and there's a thread debating their usefulness. Which just goes to show that whether we find them useful or not, enough of us still read it to make it worthwhile.
 
If they just got rid of the medals and listed what each release was "all about" I would be more in favor of it.
 
That new Cobra wedge looks really nice, haven’t seen any other info on it
 
Since I just saw a rep bragging that Callaway has 18 items receiving gold this year.

It just feels so meaningless. I a good way for us, there is just so much great equipment out there from all manufacturers.
But…
 
I agree. They could just cut and paste the reviews from prior years and just insert the name of the new golf club.
 
It used to be a great resource, like, before the internet. It consolidates all of the new releases, and I like how they grouped the skill sets of the players for the testing. Back in the day, I always wanted to be a tester on the panel.
I never saw a value to it but your post does bring up a good point. The lists at least put the new releases into categories in terms of forgiveness and that has some value.
 
I liked the online layout this year, but I 100% agree on the designations. Pretty much everything is a gold with a few silvers thrown in.

I also was a bit excited to see the look of the new W/S Launchpads, although there's zilch out there for info. I assume that'll be coming soon.
 
Yeah. When everyone gets a gold or silver what is the point?

As others have alluded to, every OEM makes good equipment nowadays, and that’s great. So instead of awarding medals, why don’t they say hey everyone’s stuff is amazing. So instead of wasting your time, let’s reorganize the reviews a bit differently — instead of 15 gold medals in no particular order, they should go deeper and figure out which sets of clubs are better for what types of golfers or their preferences.

Highlight the small differences between them, or what sets them apart aside from robot driven performance. Like a low pitched sound? Get these irons. Like a particular type of sole that fits your home course? Get these. Want flashy design and wild colors? These have you covered. Want a thinner top line and still get forgiveness of GI irons? Those sets here. You want more choices on stock shafts? Well this brand offers 5 as opposed to the usual 1 or 2. And so on…
 
As a buying guide that tells you about all the clubs that are out there I think it's great, they just need to get rid of their useless ratings that mean nothing. Kinda reminds me of the club manufacturers who claim X more distance or Y% more forgiveness but offer no actual data to back up those claims. Why no data? Because there is none. If there was it would be front and center in all their advertisements and they'd be sure you knew about it.
 
My guess is that everyone gets a gold and they throw a few smaller companies in each class and give them a silver.
 
I really see the Hot List as a marketing engine for the OEMs. I used to enjoy it because I got a list of releases in one place. Once I really got into golf it just felt like an old Sears catalog
 
The gold/silver ratings tend to be driven by the "demand" metric, which, I feel, is largely driven by marketing $$.

With that said, I do like that they have all the new releases in one spot, but how do they get by releasing photos of unannounced items already? Are they immune to embargo date requests?

Tour Edge and Cobra come to mind...
 
I stopped looking at it awhile ago. I prefer what I read here along with what people like me say about a product.
 
too many GOLD medal winners and for most 'shoppers' it makes things as clear as mud - you gotta try yourself
 
I like pretty pictures all in one place. It's useful for that. 🤷‍♂️
That's about all it is anymore - a multi-brand catalog. Lots of pictures, very few details. I used to look at the Hot List, nowadays I don't even pay any attention to it. If I want information on new releases, I'll come here to THP and read the reviews.
 
Pretty useless info in the hot list for us nerds.
 
Totally agree. Seems a bit useless for the gear heads.

Seems more like a what's new list for the average Joe.

lol…Apparently I agree with myself! Lol
 
I use it to see all of the new equipment but I don’t use it as a basis for evaluation or purchase.
 
Back
Top