After an unprecedented year like no other, the drive for golfers everywhere to improve their game remains unchanged. Now the No.1 most read annual equipment review among golfers will guide you on the new clubs that can improve your game, as Golf Digest’s 2021 Hot List is revealed.

Hot List 2021 – The Reveal

Golfers everywhere have the chance to become equipment experts thanks to the 18th annual Hot List. This year’s rankings are available in the first wholly dedicated Hot List edition – with equipment testing and reviews cover to cover – and through a personalised experience where you can find the clubs that best suit your game and help you shoot lower scores. 

The 2021 Golf Digest Hot List considered 270 entries within a strict criteria assessing performance; innovation; look, sound and feel; and demand, while drawing upon insights from scientists, retailers and players. The unbiased and uncensored reviews from Golf Digest’s three Hot List judges provided a gold or silver standard to the 137 clubs that made the cut.

A year like no other

The 2021 Hot List has greater significance than ever with the sport surging in popularity worldwide following the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite an initial drop in play during lockdown, the appetite to hit the course was even stronger last year with golf acting as the socially-distanced escape many needed. Rounds played increased by more than ten per cent at the end of 2020 with an estimated 50 million more played overall than 2019*.

To help male and female golfers everywhere choose the drivers, woods, hybrids, irons, wedges and putters that will enhance their game, Golf Digest’s resident experts Mike Stachura, Mike Johnson and Joel Beall got their hands on the latest equipment, including the new TaylorMade’s SIM2 driver, months before the pros. Due to Covid restrictions this year, they formed part of an elite 16-player team that headed to TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., where testing took place over three days.

In the Editor’s letter to the first wholly dedicated Hot Listedition, Max Adler commented:

"The analysis and photography presented here are at a scale never previously attempted in golf. You might find yourself overwhelmed. In fact, it’s almost a certainty. Understanding the subtle differences among clubs in a world in which everything new is basically really good—more fastidiously designed and built better than almost any club was five years ago— takes serious concentration. 

“Even though the heaviest lifting has already been done by our Hot List Judges, finding the perfect new club or clubs for your game hinges on exacting reading comprehension. My advice: Give yourself over to The Mikes and Joel as if you are an ignorant genius. Pretend you know absolutely nothing about golf equipment but have a sponge for a brain that can absorb any idea that is clearly articulated…. Go slowly, stay patient, and I promise at the end of each section you’ll emerge with a short list of clubs you will want to try.”

To find the 2021 Hot List, head to: https://www.golfdigest.com/hot-list