Bethpage, and the Solheim Cup that starts on Friday
Europe won at Bethpage Black last autumn and the noise has not really died down since. On Friday the Solheim Cup starts at Bernardus in the Netherlands, and a fortnight later the Presidents Cup lands at Medinah. Here is where things stand, and what team golf tends to do to equipment sales.
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Gear tip
Team golf is the worst week of the year to buy a driver
Every match play week produces the same thing: a player hits one enormous drive on television, and by Monday that model is out of stock and full price everywhere. It is the least rational moment to buy anything.
If a club catches your eye this month, write the name down and look again in November. The gear will not have changed. The price almost certainly will.
The one thing worth copying from match play
Watch how often these players lay up to a number they like rather than taking on the green. They are not doing it because they cannot reach. They are doing it because a full wedge from 95 yards is worth more than a half swing from 40. That costs nothing to copy and it is the fastest way to lower a score without buying anything at all.
Deal roundup
Where the September sales actually are
Labor Day has been and gone, which usually clears the last of the summer stock. What is left discounted right now is mostly last season's putters and bags rather than clubs, because the autumn markdowns on metalwoods do not really begin until November.
- Last year's Odyssey Ai-One putters are reduced now that Ai-Dual has replaced them, which is the clearest saving on the site this month.
- Stand and cart bags discount reliably in September, because nobody wants to hold stock through the winter.
- Golf balls barely move at all until late November. If you are running low, buy one tier down rather than waiting.
If you can wait until the end of November, wait. That is still the deepest week of the year by a wide margin.
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Bethpage Black, September 2025
Europe beat the United States 15 to 13 at Bethpage Black on Long Island. They went into the Sunday singles seven points clear, which is the largest lead any team has ever taken into the final day, and then very nearly lost it as the American side came back at them. It held, just, and it was Europe's first win on American soil since Medinah in 2012.
Bernardus, this Friday
The Solheim Cup begins on Friday 11 September at Bernardus Golf in North Brabant, in the Netherlands, and runs to Sunday the 13th. Anna Nordqvist captains Europe and Angela Stanford captains the United States. It has not been played yet, so anyone telling you a result this week is guessing.
And Medinah, a fortnight later
The Presidents Cup follows from 24 to 27 September at Medinah Country Club in Illinois, with Brandt Snedeker leading the United States and Geoff Ogilvy the International side. Three weeks of team golf in a row, which does not happen often.
There is no Ryder Cup this year. It is played in odd-numbered years, so the next one is 2027.
Affiliate picks
What we would actually buy
Nothing here has anything to do with who wins on Sunday. These are simply the three things most likely to make your own September golf better, and none of them is a driver.
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Bushnell
iON Elite GPS watch
$190 to $220
A colour touchscreen with slope and 38,000 courses already loaded, on your wrist so there is nothing to hold or aim. If pointing a rangefinder steadily has become awkward, a watch is the better answer and this is the value pick.
Sun Mountain
Speed Cart X push cart
About $300
Three wheels, 18.6 lbs, folds in one movement. Pushing rather than carrying is the single biggest thing you can do to keep walking eighteen holes comfortable, and it is cheaper than most of the drivers on this page.
FootJoy
WeatherSof glove
About $13
Synthetic across the back with leather where you actually grip, so it survives being wet and does not go stiff afterwards. Buy three at a time. A worn-out glove costs you more shots than most equipment on this page.