Why 2026 will be such a big year for drivers

We got a teaser in recent weeks of what 2026 will look like for new drivers with Ping G440 K and TaylorMade Qi4D appearing on global tours.

And after our team took sneaks a peek at 2026 product line from any OEMone thing is very clear about things next year.

“Like next year it’s the driver wars,” said GOLF Fully Equipped co-host Johnny Wunder on the show’s latest episode. “I mean, it’s great. And for the golf business, you don’t want one company that has like the big driver and everybody else is here. You want the big companies to fight and fight and fight and this is the first year that I think everybody really has a branded product that’s very specific to that company.”

We can’t go into detail about what we saw in Carlsbad just yet, but it’s pretty clear that every company is firing on all cylinders for 2026 — not only with their innovation, but also with their brand identity.

Co-host Jake Morrow emphasized that no one brand is trying to copy what has worked for another, which has been a common theme at times.

Morrow also pointed out that the shape of the head will be a focus and a point of differentiation for many companies in the coming year.

“It’s funny because like, now that I think about it, how many times last week did we hear the word ‘shape,’ right?” Morrow said. “That’s actually a big deal next year across the board. Like, form in a lot of ways, I won’t go any further than that, but form in a lot of ways is a big part of the stories next year.”

“And it’s not, it’s aesthetic shape, not aerodynamic shape,” Wunder added, “Like, there’s no, well, this shape is going to make you move it faster. There’s none of that stuff. It’s like, this is the shape you want to look at.”

For more from Wunder and Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast hereor see below.

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