By Mathieu Wood
A new year often brings with it new clubs for golfers, with the Hero Dubai Desert Classic offering a first opportunity for many on the DP World Tour to test them out in competition.
After the speculation over the festive period, we are now seeing what new equipment from the major manufacturers is being put into play.
For some players, the start of a calendar year may mean wholesale changes to their bag, while for others it may just be one club. For many, it’s a case of if it ain't broke, don’t fix it.
Whatever the case may be, it’s an exciting time of the year for the golf enthusiast, and here, we have teamed up with SMS on TOUR to take you inside the bags of the very best.
Rory McIlroy – the defending champion at Emirates Golf Club – has been seen testing out the new TaylorMade Qi35 woods, but he has largely kept to what he had in play last year, including the Qi10 driver which helped him win four titles worldwide.
The reigning Race to Dubai champion has made just one change since his last event – the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in November – taking out his Titleist Vokey lob wedge for the TaylorMade MG4.
Tommy Fleetwood, who is playing alongside McIlroy over the opening two rounds, has added the new Qi35 driver and five wood to his bag. His TaylorMade BRNR mini driver and TaylorMade Qi10 nine wood remain for now.
Much has been spoken about in advance of the first Rolex Series event by Viktor Hovland around his ongoing battle with his swing, with the Norwegian’s only change the addition of the new PING G440 20-degree hybrid.
Ryan Fox is the player to have made the most changes to his bag – 13. The New Zealander is playing the new Srixon ZXi driver and three wood, ZXi U utility iron, Zxi5 four iron and ZXi7 five iron to pitching wedge. His wedges are now the new Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack (50, 56, 60 degrees). An opening four-under-par 68 suggests the move will have the desired effect.
Tyrrell Hatton has put the new PING G440 Max three wood in play, while his Great Britain & Ireland Team Cup team-mate Jordan Smith has the new Titleist GT2 hybrid in his bag.
Nicolai Højgaard has put the new Callaway Elyte TD Max driver into play and Shaun Norris, who won on his last start at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, is using the new Callaway Elyte TD driver and three wood.
Tom McKibbin also has the new Callaway Elyte TD driver and Elyte three wood in the bag, while he has switched his putter to an Odyssey Ai-One Milled Six.
France's Romain Langasque, who won three points from his four matches for Continental Europe at the Team Cup last week, is another using the TaylorMade Qi35, while Denmark's Thorbjørn Olesen is using the new Qi35 LS driver and Qi35 four wood.
Keita Nakajima has the new Qi35 LS driver, Qi35 three wood and hybrid.
Major champion Adam Scott has added the new Titleist GT280 mini driver to his bag, replacing his TaylorMade BRNR mini driver.
Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia have switched to the new Callaway Elyte TD driver and four wood, with the Australian also adding the Elyte four wood.
Race to Dubai leader John Parry has added the new PING G440 Max driver for his first appearance since his return to the DP World Tour winner's circle in Mauritius.
Adrian Meronk has put a Titleist GT3 driver in, replacing his Ping G430 Max.
Early pacesetters Ricardo Gouveia and David Micheluzzi also seem to have made quick adjustments with their new equipment.
Gouveia switched his TSR2 18 degree hybrid for a 21 degree one. He also took out his three iron and added an extra wedge, meaning he has four Vokey SM10 wedges (46, 50, 54, 58 degrees).
Micheluzzi added the new Callaway Elyte TD driver, and Elyte four and five woods.
But it's not just at the top end of the bag where changes are made.
Jon Rahm has switched to a new Odyssey Ai-One 24 S putter, while his Ryder Cup team-mate Robert MacIntyre is now using a Scotty Cameron Proto T-5.5 putter.
Golf might not have a dedicated transfer window quite like football, but January is still a month when players often start new deals with rival equipment providers.
After spending 14 years with PING, Matt Baldwin is now a Titleist staff player.
Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who is making his return to DP World Tour action for the first time since last July for mental health reasons, has moved away from Callaway and now has mostly Srixon and Cleveland in the bag.
Ewen Ferguson, who like Lorenzo-Vera also carded an opening 67 in Dubai, moved away from Cobra and is now a Titleist staff player.
Fellow Scot Calum Hill has also left PING and is now a free agent.
