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Which clubs should you be playing? Why are wedge grinds important? What the hell is Smash Factor and why does it matter? There's a lot to unpack in each of these questions. And Ryan Barath, Skratch's resident Gear Czar, has the answer. Every other week, Barath will be answering a selection of the hundreds of real reader questions he gets each week on Instagram, talking to the leading innovators in the gear space, and delivering the need-to-know information that can turn any dedicated golf fan into a bona fide gear head.

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Check latest episodes from Gear Smart podcast

Talking club design with New Level Golf's Andy Hennis

2026/02/05

Ryan breaks down Justin Rose's equipment free-agent win at Torrey Pines, previews gear changes ahead of WM Phoenix Open and shares more about week testing new clubs of 2026. Then he's joined by Andy Hennis, Director of Sales and Product Development at New Level Golf, to talk about club design, their player-driven design philosophy, forged wedges and more.

Brooks is back, Scottie Wins again, and answering your questions on gear

2026/01/29

Ahead of Brooks Koepka =PGA TOUR return this week, Ryan breaks down what he's got in his bag–including a very old Nike club. Then Ryan chats about Scottie Scheffler's 20th PGA TOUR win, including why he keeps going back to an old reliable driver. And big news this week–TaylorMade has sued Callaway about a video using UV light to show disparities between golf balls. Ryan shares what you need to know.

Speed Golf Rob on his adventure into speed golf and how it changed his game

2026/01/22

It's PGA Show week, so Ryan breaks down all the new gear that's dropping, including the Titleist SM11s, and chats about Chris Gotterup's win in Hawaii using the new Bridgestone ball. Then Rob Hogan aka Speed Golf Rob joins Ryan to talk about his journey into the game, trying to play professionally, the differences in walking golf and speed golf, putting together a speed golf bag, and how it changed his game forever.

Talking Cobra OPTM, PXG Irons, Equipment Contracts, plus another mailbag question

2026/01/15

Ryan is diving into more equipment hitting the USGA conforming list, including a new PING mini driver. Then he breaks down Cobra's new OPTM line, the PXG Gen 8 irons, and fresh equipment contracts in play at the Sony Open before answering a question from the Gear Smart Hotline. Have a question for Ryan? Give him a call at 747-224-1868.

Mizuno, TaylorMade and more new releases of 2026

2026/01/07

Ryan breaks down the fresh 2026 launches of the week, including Mizuno irons, drivers, and putters, TaylorMade's Qi4D driver, and the Titleist ProV1x Left Dash. Then he brings back Ryan's bargain bin, and answers questions from the listener hot line. If you have a gear question for Ryan, leave him a message at 747-224-1868 ☎️

Q&A from the all new listener line and more to end 2025

2026/01/01

Ryan wraps up gear news in 2025 and answers YOUR questions from our new listener hot line! Do you have a gear question for Ryan? Give him a call at 747-224-1868 ☎️

Chatting 2025 gear trends with GolfWRX Club Junkie Brian Knudson

2025/12/19

Gear heads, rejoice! Ryan is joined this week by the Club Junkie himself, Brian Knudson of GolfWRX to chat about the year's new clubs, trends on TOUR, and more. Have a gear question for Ryan? Our Gear Smart hotline is now open! Give him a call at 747-224-1868 and he might answer your question on the next episode!

New drivers hit the conforming list and why club technology matters

2025/12/05

Ryan breaks down new equipment at the Australian Open and Hero World Challenge then dives into new drivers that hit the conforming list, PXG's Lightning Series launch and explains why club technology is so important.

Discussing Gear of the Year and this week's newest releases

2025/11/20

We're going back-to-back weeks to talk about all the latest in golf equipment as brands are dropping gift-friendly items. Then Ryan breaks down the gear of the year and shares a fun new toy he's got in the workshop.

New Drivers Galore! TaylorMade and Ping debut news clubs in Abu Dhabi

2025/11/13

The new 2026 releases are slowing starting to appear in the bags of players. Ryan breaks down new TaylorMade and Ping drivers spotted in Abu Dhabi and the latest in equipment drops.

From new to old: this week's gear releases and breaking down a used club haul

2025/10/23

Ryan dives into the equipment implications of The Sentry's cancellation, the latest gear releases from this past week, and an epic haul of used clubs from his trip to the desert.

Catching up on the latest gear drops and answering YOUR questions

2025/10/10

Ryan dives into the details of the latest drops in golf gear and answers your questions.

Talking Ventus, and tour product development with Fujikura's Marshall Thompson

2025/09/26

Ryan is joined by Fujikura tour rep Marshall Thompson to chat about the Ventus line, product development, their major success this year and more.

All things gear with St Andrews' only agnostic club fitter Adam Legg

2025/09/11

Ryan Barath is joined by St Andrew's only independent club fitter Adam Legg to talk about how he got into the industry, the expectations people should have for putter fittings, why he went from club building to fittings, and the time he almost burned down the St Andrews workshop.

Talking Callaway Iron and Wedge development with Zack Oakley

2025/08/28

Ryan dives into Tommy Fleetwood's breakthrough PGA TOUR win at the TOUR Championship before being joined by Callaway's Zack Oakley to discuss iron and wedge development, the trend of high-lofted fairway woods and more.