2nd Swing Thoughts

We dive deep into Matt Fitzpatrick’s incredible playoff victory at the RBC Heritage, analyzing the "shot of the tournament" and the unique gear setup that powered his win.

Plus, we sit down for an exclusive interview with Sam Bettinardi, President of Bettinardi Golf. Sam takes us through the rich heritage of the family brand and introduces the cutting-edge technology behind the 2026 BB Series putters, including the game-changing Variable Depth Face (VDF) milling.

Whether you're interested in Tour drama, equipment deep-dives, or the latest in putter technology, this episode has it all.

[00:00] – Introduction: Recapping a busy weekend in golf.

[01:12] – RBC Heritage Recap: Matt Fitzpatrick’s playoff win over Scotty Scheffler.

[03:40] – Fitzpatrick’s Equipment Tweak: Why switching back to his custom Bettinardi BB1 changed everything.

[05:46] – LIV Golf Update: Jon Rahm’s dominant win in Mexico and the latest league buzz.

[10:48] – LPGA Spotlight: Hannah Green’s historic comeback victory.

[12:15] – New Gear Alerts: Breaking down the Callaway Quantum Mini Driver and Odyssey Square-to-Square models.

[15:13] – Giveaway Announcement: Congratulating our Callaway Staff Bag winner.

[16:22] – What's In The Bag: A detailed look at Matt Fitzpatrick’s Winning WITB.

[24:55] – Exclusive Interview: Sam Bettinardi: The history of milled putters and the evolution of Bettinardi Golf.

[29:50] – The 2026 BB Series: Exploring VDF milling and how it improves distance control on off-center hits.

[32:20] – The Art of Arm Lock: How Bettinardi worked with Matt Kuchar to pioneer a new putting style.

[34:30] – Coming Soon: Previewing upcoming reviews for Fujikura Ventus TR and the 2nd Swing Virtual Tour Van fitting service.

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.

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Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings

SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.

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This episode of 2nd Swing Thoughts discusses the best clubs of 2026 with master fitter Kevin Kraft. In the aftermath of 2nd Swing Fitters Choice, Kevin joins to give his take on the best golf clubs of 2026. Plus, the team recaps Augusta and highlights some unique equipment that was in play for the season's first major. 

What do you think are the best clubs of 2026?

Learn more about the Fitters Choice Best Clubs of 2026: https://www.2ndswing.com/fitters-choice

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 

LISTEN ON AMAZON: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f5e3b825-bae2-40d0-9ec4-722e96b99de6/2nd-swing-thoughts 

LISTEN ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2nd-swing-thoughts/id1683899359

Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings

SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.

FOLLOW 2ND SWING GOLF ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2ndSwingGolf

X: https://X.com/2ndSwingGolf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2ndswinggolf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@2ndswinggolf

In this episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts Podcast, Drew and master fitter Harrison Arnold break down a massive weekend in golf! We dive deep into Gary Woodland’s incredible comeback win at the Houston Open and dissect th equipment specs required to handle his tour-leading 130 mph swing speed.

Plus, the wait is over: we are officially revealing the 2026 Fitters’ Choice Award winners for the Iron categories! From Game Improvement to Pure Blades, find out which models our award-winning fitters are seeing the best results with in the bays this year.

00:00 – Welcome

01:43 – Houston Open: Gary Woodland's Return to the Winner's Circle

03:15 – Driving Distance Analysis: The Trend of Speed on Tour

04:55 – GIVEAWAY: Signed Gary Woodland Cobra/Puma Hats

08:17 – Fitters' Choice Recap: Fairway Wood, Hybrids & Utility Irons

09:42 – ANNOUNCEMENT: Massive Circle T Putter Collection Trade-In Reveal

10:19 – Gary Woodland’s Driver Build (7.8 Degrees!)

14:16 – Iron Shaft Shifts: KBS Tour 130x vs. Dynamic Gold

16:01 – Putter Prototype: The Scotty Cameron "Go Low" Mid-Mallet

18:00 – Tour Equipment Trends: Adam Scott & Denny McCarthy

19:45 – Why Pros are Bagging 7-Woods and 9-Woods

21:26 – Fitters Choice Irons of the Year

27:57 – The "Retrospec" Advantage: PING’s Custom Loft Strategy

29:57 – Turf Interaction: Why V-Sole is Changing Fittings

33:46 – LIVE Q&A

44:33 – Wrap

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 

LISTEN ON AMAZON: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f5e3b825-bae2-40d0-9ec4-722e96b99de6/2nd-swing-thoughts 

LISTEN ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2nd-swing-thoughts/id1683899359

Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings

SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.

FOLLOW 2ND SWING GOLF ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2ndSwingGolf

X: https://X.com/2ndSwingGolf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2ndswinggolf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@2ndswinggolf

In this episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, Harrison Arnold and Jake Montgomery break down the weekend's golf action, including Matt Fitzpatrick’s gritty win at the Valspar Championship. They also dive into the 2026 Fitter’s Choice winners for fairway woods, hybrids, and utility irons, and answer listener questions about the latest gear from PING, TaylorMade, and Srixon.

Episode Chapters
00:00 Intro: Welcome back to the show with guest Jake Montgomery.

01:05 The Turn: Recapping Matt Fitzpatrick’s Valspar win and the difficult conditions at Copperhead.

003:07 New Gear: First impressions of the bladed L.A.B. Link 2.1 and 2.2 putters.

06:16 Fitter’s Choice Driver Recap: Revisiting the G440 Max, G440 K, and GT3 results.

13:00 What’s in the Bag: A deep dive into Matt Fitzpatrick’s unique iron and putter setup.

21:49 Driver Trends: Why Gary Woodland is opting for forgiveness over pure low spin.

25:12 Fitter's Choice Revealed: The winners for fairway woods (TaylorMade Qi40 Tour, PING G440 Max, G440 SFT).

28:29 Fitter's Choice Continued: Top picks for hybrids (PING G440) and utility irons (Srixon ZXi U).

35:10 Tech Talk: The "mirror" technology hidden on the Srixon ZXi U utility iron.

37:53 Q&A: Jake and the host answer listener questions on TaylorMade vs. PING hybrids and 2026 gear surprises.

43:32 Outro: Previewing next week’s iron reveal and March Major contest.

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast is now LIVE every Monday at 9am on the 2nd Swing Golf YouTube channel. 

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX 

LISTEN ON AMAZON: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f5e3b825-bae2-40d0-9ec4-722e96b99de6/2nd-swing-thoughts 

LISTEN ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2nd-swing-thoughts/id1683899359

Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings

SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.

FOLLOW 2ND SWING GOLF ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2ndSwingGolf

X: https://X.com/2ndSwingGolf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2ndswinggolf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@2ndswinggolf

In this week's episode of the 2nd Swing Thoughts Podcast, Drew Mahowald and Sean Bower are live in the studio to break down a massive week in the world of golf. Fresh off a thrilling finish at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, the guys discuss Cam Young’s performance and the equipment  that led him to the winner's circle.

The highlights of the show are the exclusive reveals for the early-season 2026 Fitters’ Choice Awards. Based on data from thousands of fittings, we crown the best-performing drivers, mini drivers and shafts on the market right now. Plus, we take a deep dive into the latest hardware from PING, including the i540 and G740 irons, and Titleist’s limited edition "Oil Can" T-Series launch.

 

00:00 – Intro: Live from the studio and recap of the Minnesota blizzard.

02:00 – The Players Championship Recap

07:23 – Ping’s Triple Launch: First impressions of the i540 (Players Distance), G740 (Super Game Improvement), and the G LE4 women’s line.

10:05 – Titleist News: The "Oil Can" finish on T-Series irons.

11:35 – WITB: Cam Young

20:40 – Tour Equipment Nuggets: Matt Fitzpatrick’s putter switch, Wyndham Clark’s "off-the-rack" Bettinardi, and Bryson’s new wedges.

26:29 – 2026 Fitters’ Choice Awards: Drivers & Shafts

Core Driver: Ping G440 Max

Low Spin Driver: Titleist GT3

Draw Bias: Ping G440 K

Lightweight: Ping G440 HL

Mini Driver: TaylorMade R7 Quad Mini

Shafts: High, Mid, and Low launch winners from the Fujikura Ventus Velocore+ line.

37:27 – Deep Dive: Ping i540 Irons: Interview with Ping Senior Engineer Travis Milleman

44:27 – Deep Dive: Ping G740 Irons: Maximizing forgiveness and height for the super game improvement category.

50:40 – Listener Q&A: Upgrading from Aerojet to DS-ADAPT, and why swing speed isn't the only factor in shaft flex.

54:50 – Looking Ahead: Next week’s preview (Fairway Woods & Hybrids) and the March Major Contest details.