Staff writer for @MyGolfSpy; avid but marginal, golfer - lover of fun, husband of Heidi, father of Gen, Sam, Jackie & David
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Articles by John Barba
McLaren Irons Are Going To The Dark Side: Series 1 and 3 Get A Diamond-Like Carbon Finish
Irons BY John Barba Nov 10th 2026 Read all comments 1 Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. It’s almost standard operating procedure now for OEMs to give their second-year iron sales a little kick in the pants by offering a blacked-out version. McLaren Golf wants you to think it’s not your normal OEM and, in truth, it’s not.
Private Equity Buys Motocaddy: The Case For Cautious Optimism
News BY John Barba Nov 10th 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. UK-based electric trolley kingpin Motocaddy is being sold to an American private equity firm. No, this doesn’t mark the end of the world as we know it. Cooler heads should take the time-honored approach known as wait-and-see.
Why I Wicked Love Heathlander’s New Golf Socks
News BY John Barba Nov 10th 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. You know, it’s hard to get excited about socks. I mean, they have a really basic and boring job: to serve as a buffer between your foot and your shoe. I own cheap socks, expensive socks and even socks I got free when I bought those cheap, off-brand golf shoes a few months ago.
The Quarterly Financial Reports From Callaway And Acushnet Matter More Than You Think
News BY John Barba Nov 9th 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. I love reading golf OEM financial reports. They are, in a very real way, figurative semaphore flags into the health and direction of the golf industry. (It also makes me fun at parties. At least, I think so.
Callaway Is Opening A New $15-Million 3D-Printing Facility. What Does That Mean To You?
News BY John Barba Nov 7th 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. If you think 3D printing in golf is a passing fad, think again. Callaway is announcing a new $15-million facility in Fort Worth, Texas, dedicated solely to 3D printing.
MyGolfSpy Experiences: Why Eagle Ridge in Galena Punches Way Above Its Price Tag
Illinois BY John Barba Oct 31st 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. MyGolfSpy Experiences believes life needs balance. While we love bringing you along with us on those damn-what-it-costs-it’s-Pebble-Freaking-Beach type of once-in-a-lifetime sojourns, we know the real world needs budget trips.
John Daly Signing With Topgolf Is Nothing If Not Natural
News BY John Barba Oct 22nd 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. John Daly is signing a multi-year endorsement deal with Topgolf. The endorsement deal will see Daly bring his larger-than-life personality to Topgolf venues around the U.S. with personal appearances, branded content and events.
SuperStroke Goes Super Spooky With This Year’s Day of the Dead Collection
Golf Grips BY John Barba Oct 21st 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. While COBRA leads the league in limited-edition creativity, SuperStroke isn’t far behind. In fact, this year’s eagerly anticipated Day of the Dead collection might just put SuperStroke in a (pardon the pun) dead heat.
Do You Need Longer Grips? The New JumboMax JMX UltraLong Gives You That Option
Golf Grips BY John Barba Oct 21st 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Have you ever been in a situation, like the ball way above your feet, where you have to choke down so much that you actually run out of grip? It happens. Not a lot, but it happens.
This New Putter Company Says It Knows Why You’re Missing Putts
First Look BY John Barba Oct 20th 2026 Read all comments 6 Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Putter fitting is misunderstood and underappreciated. Wedge fitting is a close second but a good putter fitting can save you strokes. The reason most golfers dismiss putter fitting is that it’s not what you call easy. Iron fitting is easy.
Sun Mountain Goes Ballistic With Its New Matchplay Luggage Collection
First Look BY John Barba Oct 19th 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. As a longtime and well-seasoned business traveler, I’ve learned there is one truth that is absolute and fundamental. Good luggage ain’t cheap and cheap luggage ain’t good. If you travel a lot, you know that’s true. You also know that good luggage can last years.
At $899, The New Rapsodo MLM2X Pro Launch Monitor Is Fast, Easy And Delivers What You Need
First Look BY John Barba Oct 15th 2026 Read all comments 10 Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Imagine a world where all the people who make personal launch monitors would actually give you what you wanted. We would, no doubt, have launch monitors that would work indoors and outdoors with any golf ball.
How Do You Say “En Fuego” in Japanese? With A Miura x Curry Iron Collab, Of Course
First Look BY John Barba Oct 14th 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. NBA superstar Steph Curry and his Underrated Golf Tour have another fundraising collaboration up their sleeves. As the kids might say, this one is lit.
The New Takomo Low-Torque Putters Are Here. Would You Game One?
First Look BY John Barba Oct 7th 2026 Read all comments 2 Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. The low-torque/zero-torque movement has a new player this morning. It’s Takomo.
FlightScope Bets A Better App Is The Missing Piece For Personal Launch Monitors
First Look BY John Barba Oct 7th 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. I’ve been up to my ears with personal launch monitor stories the past couple of weeks. We know there are hot buttons with y’all (subscriptions, amiright?).
Sun Mountain’s New E-Series Stand Bags: Same DNA, New Identity
First Look BY John Barba Oct 2nd 2026 Read all comments Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. If you’re a Sun Mountain golf bag fan, this has been your week, hasn’t it? On Wednesday, we went wild, wild west with the Sun Mountain x Marruci cowboy-themed limited edition golf bag. Today, we’ll take a look at Sun Mountain’s updated mainstream golf bags, the E-Series.
Foresight’s New GC2 Launch Monitor Has Me Totally Confused…And Excited
First Look BY John Barba Oct 1st 2026 Read all comments 4 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. You couldn’t pay me to be in the launch monitor business right now. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great time to be a launch monitor consumer. You have more awesome choices today than you did yesterday. What’s more, we know with great certainty there’ll be more great choices coming in the next two weeks.
Sun Mountain Hits Baseball’s Post Season With A New Marucci Baseball Collab
First Look BY John Barba Sep 30th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. I gotta admit it. I love limited-edition collaborations. I may never buy one but, man, are they cool to look at. This new one, the second golf bag collab between Sun Mountain and Marucci Baseball, is a line drive into the gap and is, at the very least, a stand-up triple.
ECCO Latest New Shoe Begs The Question: Just What Is A “Hybrid” Golf Shoe?
First Look BY John Barba Sep 30th 2026 Read all comments 1 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. ECCO has been throwing the term “hybrid” around for at least 15 years and it just dawned on me that I have no idea what they mean. I know, I know, “buy a clue, yada, yada, yada.” Just work with me here, people. At my age, my Random Access Memory is almost full.
This L.A.B. Golf Collab With Steph Curry’s Underrated Golf League Is Nothing But Net
First Look BY John Barba Sep 25th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. We can say with very little hesitation that L.A.B. Golf has this limited-edition collaboration stuff down pat. Earlier this year, we saw a jaw-dropping (and, to be honest, a little head-scratching) limited-edition collab with Uncrustables. You can question the concept but certainly not the execution.
Is The New Vessel Player VI Stand Bag Really Worth $500?
First Look BY John Barba Sep 24th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Golf bags, I think you’ll agree, really only have one job: to carry your crap around the golf course while you play. At a minimum, the cargo starts with golf clubs and ends with golf balls. Anything beyond that, like a water bottle or some Uncrustables, is gravy. The thing is, we like gravy.
Can Srixon’s New ZXi RKT Fairways And Hybrids Get Your Attention?
First Look BY John Barba Sep 22nd 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that, whenever an OEM launches its latest line of metalwoods, fairways and hybrids always play second fiddle. To put it into terms many of you will understand and more than a few of you won’t, fairways and hybrids are the Shemp of this passion play.
Is This The Year Srixon Makes The Driver Leap?
Drivers BY John Barba Sep 22nd 2026 Read all comments 9 Add MyGolfSpy as a preferred source on Google Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. In so many ways, Srixon and Mizuno are a crazy pair. It’s almost like they’re cousins. Identical cousins all the way. Want to start a bar fight at any 19th hole in golf? Boldly proclaim one company’s irons feel way better than the other.
Is Streamsong America’s Favorite Golf Destination? Yes. And No
News BY John Barba Sep 16th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. A new study from Foresight Sports (yes, the launch monitor people) says Streamsong is America’s favorite golf destination. While we know from experience that the golf at Streamsong is superb and the facilities are impeccable, the study itself raises some questions.
Takomo Golf Had a Driver Ruled Illegal. The Fix Is Here for $329
Drivers BY John Barba Sep 15th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Gone are the heel and toe weight ports. In their place: a 10-percent MOI bump, a stiffer crown and a low-back CG built to keep the ball in the air. All for $329. The new Takomo Ignis D2 driver hits the streets today. OK, not the streets, but it does hit the World Wide Web today.
MyGolfSpy Experiences: Surprisingly Good Golf In New Hampshire’s White Mountains
Travel BY John Barba Sep 15th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. I have a shameful admission. My only ask, dear friends, is that when it’s done, please don’t think less of me. I’ve proudly lived two-thirds of my life in New England (that 22-year exile to Minnesota notwithstanding) and I have to let you know that until last week I had never been to the Mount Washington Resort.
You’ve Never Heard Of This Company But It Might Just Be The Next Big Thing In Launch Monitors
Launch Monitors BY John Barba Sep 11th 2026 Read all comments 2 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Five years ago, launch monitors were specialty tools.
Sun Mountain Goes Retro-Modern With Its New TQR Waxed Canvas Stand Bags
News BY John Barba Sep 9th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. So, I watched The Legend of Bagger Vance for like the 349th time a couple of nights ago. Aside from thoroughly enjoying Charlize Theron’s performance and being quietly amused by the fact that Walter Hagen was played by the same guy who played D-Day in Animal House, I gotta say I loved the old-school waxed canvas golf bags.
Srixon Is Launching Its 2027 ZXi Irons Today And It Can Only Mean One Thing
First Look BY John Barba Sep 8th 2026 Read all comments 1 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. OK, maybe three things. The new-for-2027 flagship Srixon ZXi iron lineup is raising more than a few eyebrows around MyGolfSpy headquarters this morning. There’s the usual performance story to tell, and we’re welcoming a new addition to the family. Those are important.
Three Quick Thoughts On The New-For-’27 Honma T//World Irons And Wedges
First Look BY John Barba Sep 7th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. For Honma to be any more of an under-the-radar brand than it already is, it would have to be subterranean. In fact, Honma is so far off the radar (in North America, at least) that calling it an “underground” brand wouldn’t be an understatement. That’s actually somewhat intentional.
It’s Official: The New Mizuno Pro S-4 Irons Prove We Have An All-New Irons Category
First Look BY John Barba Sep 3rd 2026 Read all comments 5 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Like many of you, I admire what Mizuno does. While I’m often wrong, I’m fairly certain most of you will agree that Mizuno makes very, very good irons. However, I’m not one of those who bends a knee at Mizuno’s altar. The fact that it makes very, very good irons puts Mizuno in elite company.
Can A “Crappy” Golfer Play Blades?
News BY John Barba Sep 3rd 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. I don’t know about you but every time I look at a set of blades, I get a tingling sensation in parts of my body that probably shouldn’t be tingling in a PGA TOUR Superstore. Even typing that sentence makes me a little uneasy. I do love me some blades, though.
Is $300 Too Much For A Pair Of Golf Shoes?
News BY John Barba Sep 3rd 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Are you sensing a bit of a trend this week? I hope you’ve already read yesterday’s piece on the new Sunday IV Leather golf bags from Vessel. Much of that sentiment applies to this story on the new ECCO BIOM® C5 Premium golf shoes.
Is $1,000 Too Much For A Sunday Bag?
First Look BY John Barba Sep 2nd 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. I’ve never been one to lecture anyone on how much they should charge for their goods or services. Nor will I judge anyone on what they choose to pay for something. That’s their business, and I try to mind mine. That’s the micro viewpoint.
These Are The Best Looking Wedges Tour Edge Has Ever Released. Are They The Brand’s Missing Piece?
Golf Wedges BY John Barba Sep 1st 2026 Read all comments 1 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Somewhere back in early 2000s, a golf think tank got together and developed a checklist of all the elements that would go into being a modern, full-service 21st Century OEM. At the time, the list was pretty simple.
MacGregor MacTec X Metalwoods Plus A Mini Surprise
First Look BY John Barba Aug 27th 2026 Read all comments 1 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. If you ask anyone who was around golf equipment in the early to mid 2000s, they might smile a knowing smile if you bring up the MacGregor MacTec line of metalwoods. They didn’t sell well enough to bring MacGregor back from the brink but those in the know understood just how innovative those MacTecs were.
GolfN Golf App: The Rewards Are For Real!
News BY John Barba Aug 21st 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. A few months ago, we told you about an interesting new golf app called GolfN. In its simplest form, it’s a free and pretty decent GPS app. But nothing, dear reader, is ever in its simplest form. What makes GolfN a little different is the fact that it rewards you for playing golf.
The Great Chicago Fire, Part 2: Tour Edge Is Having An Outstanding Year
News BY John Barba Aug 20th 2026 Read all comments 4 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. As happy as the folks at Wilson are in downtown Chicago, the folks 45 miles west in Batavia, Ill., are downright giddy. Batavia is the home turf of Tour Edge, and Tour Edge is having itself one whale of a 2026.
The 2026 Chicago Fire: Wilson Staff And Tour Edge Are Having A VERY Good Year
News BY John Barba Aug 19th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. It takes only a cursory look at MyGolfspy 2026’s testing results to arrive at an inescapable conclusion. Wilson Staff and Tour Edge have had excellent years. And by excellent, I mean both have had entries that have excelled, or at least competed, in virtually every category we’ve tested so far this year.
If You Had A Non-Conforming Takomo Driver, Your Replacement Is On The Way
Drivers BY John Barba Aug 18th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. If you’ve been playing with a non-conforming Takomo Ignis D1 driver that past few months, relief is on the way. Takomo tells us it’s shipping free replacements to customers who purchased the original Ignis. “We’re doing a quiet launch,” Takomo Chief Marketing Officer Sean McCullum tells MyGolfSpy.
Do The New TaylorMade Hi-Toe 5 Wedges Deserve A Spot In Your Bag?
Golf Wedges BY John Barba Aug 13th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. There are two types of golfer in this world. Those who get high-toe wedges and those who don’t. Those who get high-toe wedges value versatility and forgiveness and creativity around the greens, hit a lot of open-faced shots and understand that the right equipment can help them pull those shots off.
Your Rain Gear Not Keeping You Dry Anymore? Don’t Replace It – Revive It!
Outerwear BY John Barba Aug 12th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. I was chatting with a golf buddy a few weeks ago. He wasn’t happy with me at all. He was letting me know about his displeasure with the rather expensive Galvin Green rain gear he had bought a couple of seasons prior. It wasn’t repelling water anymore, and it was all my fault.
Five Things You Need To Know About The Callaway And Acushnet Q2 Financials
News BY John Barba Aug 10th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. What keeps you awake at night? For me, it’s wondering how golf’s two biggest publicly traded companies are doing on a quarterly basis. Instead of counting sheep, I’m counting revenue, profit and loss, earnings per share and basis points. Anyway, both Callaway and Acushnet released their Q2 financial reports last week.
Shot Scope Joins The Apple Universe With A Full-Blown Apple Watch GPS App
Golf Technology BY John Barba Aug 5th 2026 Read all comments 1 Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. In a year of certifiable Big Deals for Shot Scope, this one might certifiably be the biggest. The Edinburgh, Scotland-based company is announcing today the launch of its newest product: a fully functional GPS and shot-tracking app for your Apple Watch.
Five Things You Need To Know About The New Cleveland RTZ 2 Wedges
Golf Wedges BY John Barba Aug 4th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. There’s something a little different about this newest wedge launch from Cleveland Golf. The new Cleveland RTZ 2 wedge lineup hits the stores on Sept. 4. Its predecessor, the original RTZ wedges, launched in January 2025. That wedge’s predecessor, the RTX 6 ZipCore, was released in January 2023.
I Tried The Arccos/Meta AI Glasses Combo And I Gotta Admit I Was Pleasantly Surprised
Golf Technology BY John Barba Jul 28th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Before we start, let’s state the obvious right away. I’m a somewhat tech-savvy Boomer, with extra emphasis on somewhat. But when the youngsters talk during our staff meetings, I usually just smile and nod a lot. That’s why I wanted to try out the new Arccos integration with Meta AI smart glasses.
I Bought These Four Golf Shoes on Facebook And Here’s What I Learned
Golf Shoes BY John Barba Jul 24th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. As we said in our recent article on golf gloves advertised on Facebook, social media algorithms are remarkably efficient. Even if you’re just thinking about buying something, advertisements for that something will, somehow, someway, start populating your social media feeds like oh so many rabbits.
If You Like Soft Grips, This New Addition To The Golf Pride CP Line Should Make You Happy
Golf Grips BY John Barba Jul 22nd 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Golf Pride is adding a new member to its popular CP grip family. If you’re a CP family fan, that’s good news. However, in an ironic twist of naming nomenclature, the newest member of the CP grip line is called, wait for it… The CP. You’d think the CP grip family would already have a grip called the CP.
Srixon’s New ZXi Irons Just Showed Up on Tour — Here’s What That Means
Irons BY John Barba Jul 20th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. This is starting to become a thing with Srixon: an official, corporate-approved “leak” of a new product, complete with professional photography and a clue to where an enterprising gearhead might actually see them in person. Sometimes those leaks are serendipitously timely.
Sub 70 Quietly Built A 3D Printed Driver — And It’s Worth Your Attention
Drivers BY John Barba Jul 15th 2026 Read all comments Support our Mission. We independently test each product we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Friends, you need to prepare yourself. You know that trickle of 3D-printed golf clubs that COBRA started? Well, COBRA now has company and that trickle is about to turn into a tidal wave. We have it on pretty good authority that at least one major OEM will be introducing 3D-printed metalwoods within the next year.
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