How we rate golf gear

Methodology version 0.4 · Last updated September 19, 2026

GolfCheck answers one question: should you keep what you have, buy used, or buy new? To answer it honestly we separate three kinds of information and label each one on every page.

Three kinds of information

Fact

Specs you can check in an official source: loft options, head volume (cc), lie, length, adjustability, stock shafts, launch price, room size a launch monitor needs, subscription prices. Every fact shows a link to its source and the date we checked it.

Manufacturer claim

What the brand says about its product: "more forgiving", "lower spin", "faster ball speed". We summarize these in our own words and label them. We don't treat them as true or false. They are the brand's words, not ours.

Our assessment

Our editorial read: who the product suits and how it compares. Each assessment says what it is based on: published specs, hands-on testing or third-party test data (with a link). We do not hands-on test every product, and we never present a spec-based read as a test result.

What we never do

• We never fill a missing number with an estimate. If we don't have it, the page says Not available.
• We don't give scores like "9.2/10". Without testing every club under the same conditions, a score would be made up.
• We don't copy manufacturer marketing text or photos.
• Affiliate commissions never change a verdict. See our affiliate disclosure.

Driver verdicts: Keep, Upgrade only if…, or Upgrade

Every driver comparison pits the driver you have (A) against a candidate (B). The verdict comes from the rules below, applied the same way to every pair. A newer release year alone is never a reason to upgrade.

Step 1: look for fit-relevant differences (facts only)

1. Adjustability. B has an adjustable hosel and A doesn't, or B's loft range is at least 1° wider.
2. Weighting. B has movable weights or a weight track and A doesn't, so B can be set up to reduce a slice or change launch.
3. Loft options. B comes in a loft that A doesn't (for example 12°).
4. Published MOI. Both brands publish a moment-of-inertia figure and B's is at least 10% higher. We only use a number the manufacturer published; we never estimate MOI.
5. Conformance. A is not on the USGA/R&A Conforming Driver List and B is. This matters only if you play in competitions.

Step 2: the verdict

A verdict is not a fitting. If you are spending full price on a new driver, a fitting with your own swing will tell you more than any website.

Launch monitors: Fits, Fits only if…, or Doesn't fit

For launch monitors we check your situation against the manufacturer's published requirements:

• Room length: we use the maker's published minimum room length. If the maker only publishes setup distances, we add them up: minimum distance from the ball to the screen plus minimum space behind the ball (for example, 8 ft + 6 ft = 14 ft). When the maker gives a range, we use the low end; when its own pages disagree, we use the more demanding number. If a distance isn't published, we say so and the verdict is "Fits only if…". We won't tell you it fits.
• Width and ceiling: these depend mostly on your height and swing, not the device. They only count against a launch monitor when the maker publishes a minimum. Otherwise we show a reminder.
• Indoor or outdoor: which settings the manufacturer supports.
• What it measures: whether spin is measured or calculated, and whether it reports club data.
• Subscription: whether core features need a paid plan, and what it costs.
• Budget: the five-year total cost, not just the sticker price.

Launch monitor comparisons

We only compare pairs that real buyers weigh against each other, and we only publish a comparison when we have written our own take on it. Each comparison shows the official specs side by side, the five-year cost in a standard scenario (indoors, you already own a phone) and a "Pick X if…" list. There is no overall winner.

• Every "Pick X if…" reason is a difference in the makers' published facts: price, indoor or outdoor use, room length, whether it needs a phone or PC, measured spin, club data, required extras and plan prices.
• If one maker doesn't publish a fact, we don't turn it into a reason against that product.
• The "Our take" section is our assessment, labeled with what it's based on.

Five-year total cost

Our calculator adds hardware, the cheapest published subscription (only if you say you'd pay for one, or if the maker requires it), special balls or stickers and any device you need to buy. If a launch monitor needs a phone or tablet you don't have and it works with Apple devices, we add the cheapest current iPad. If it needs something else (for example a Windows PC), we say so and leave that cost out rather than guess it. Every assumption is shown next to the result with its source. When no official source exists (for example, how many balls you'll use per year), the number is labeled GolfCheck estimate, we explain it, and you can change it.

Where our data comes from

• Driver models and lofts: the USGA/R&A Conforming Driver List and manufacturer spec pages (archived pages for older models).
• Launch monitor specs and prices: manufacturer pages.
• Prices: affiliate retailer feeds and official APIs. We don't scrape retailers.
• Used prices are always shown as three separate numbers: retail used, private-party asking price and trade-in offer, for a specific variant (hand, loft, shaft, flex, condition).

Corrections

If a spec is wrong, tell us which page and link the official source. We fix it and update the verification date.

Changes to this methodology

• 0.4 (Sep 19, 2026): rules for launch monitor comparison pages.
• 0.3 (Sep 19, 2026): room length from published setup distances; width and ceiling only when published.
• 0.2 (Sep 19, 2026): spelled out how the calculator handles subscriptions and devices.
• 0.1 (Sep 19, 2026): first published version.