Dalton Joyce (@youngdalt) is a golf content creator known for showing off his dedication to health, performance and enjoying the game one swing at a time. He also happens to manufacture ball speeds upwards of 200+ miles per hour. Known for his “Nobody cares, work harder” mentality, it’s fascinating to watch Dalton work, and to follow his success on his Instagram page. I caught up with Joyce at a Callaway Ambassador shoot last month to see what was in the bag for this high-speed player and why he chooses to play the Callaway clubs he does.
A top end of choices built for speed
Consistency is king
Swinging at speeds like Joyce reaches, there are some unique problems to solve at the top end of the bag. For him, specifically with the driver, it’s about consistency in spin. This has been a huge talking point with Callaway over the last few years as they continue to improve on their Ai-Smart Face. That technology was developed to implement Ai to construct a face that supports off-center hits. Typically this is done by adding speed where it’s needed, but Callaway has started to hone in on spin consistency as well. With the introduction of the Tri-Force face this year on Callaway’s Quantum drivers, the brand has also added even more speed and stability. For Dalton, that’s everything.
When asked about his switch into the Quantum Triple Diamond 9º Joyce said, “I switched to the Quantum driver rather quickly this year… it takes a little bit of time (usually) but this time there was zero hesitation. I love the way the crown looks, reminiscent to the Ai Smoke, but beyond that the spin dispersion is just way better for me. I need something with a little bit better spin dispersion, a little tighter, reign it in.”
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Mini in name only
The next club in his bag is his Callaway Elyte Mini, which — spoiler alert — will be replaced by the upcoming Quantum Mini (more on that soon). The Mini for Joyce is a “tool” in the bag, often replacing his driver on courses where his driver just doesn’t make much sense on the course. Joyce talks a lot about course strategy, along with gear strategy, and how that helps his game. He tied the current course record at TPC Houston, so I’m gonna let him direct me to the success on this one. The Mini plays a great role in his bag, though. It’s a driver replacement when necessary, but also works as a great secondary tee option for courses that require some shot-shaping off the tee. He finds it easier to manipulate the flight of the Mini than he does with the driver.
No 3-wood
Alongside the mini sits the Callaway Apex UW in 17º of loft. In Joyce’s bag it works as a 3-wood replacement. Because of the shape of the UW and the step sole that they have added to the newest generation of the club, it’s a very easy club to hit off the deck. For Joyce, this means pretty much every par 5 becomes reachable in two with very little stress. If he has the driver in the bag, and a confident feeling off the tee for the day, the UW is going to be in the bag over the Mini just to make sure that all the shots he needs are in the bag. He says he doesn’t hit it off the tee all that much, but performance off the turf was hard to ignore.
The club that influenced and influencer
Yes, we’re still at the top end of the bag. As such an important piece of success for Joyce, he’s really got this area of the bag locked down for problem solving. They most reliable problem-solver in the bag? His latest generation Callaway Apex UT. He likes the design of this version much better than the last.
“This is probably my favorite club in the bag. I just think this is so much better than their last UT model. The offset looks really good to me, I didn’t think the other one had enough offset for how the face was … this one just looks a little bit more like an iron than the last one.”
That’s something we agree on. What we don’t share is the ability to hit this thing the way he does. A UT in his hands, in this case a 3-iron variant, can be his 265-yard shot into a “short” par 5. He’ll do that that hitting a cut. I don’t have that in my bag, but it’s sure fun to watch Dalton do it. There was actually a point where Joyce only had one headcover in the bag: his driver.
“I used to go driver, this is the first mini I have ever had, I used to go driver, 16º iron, 20º iron, and then 4-iron thru the rest… but this is a little easier on me now.”
Controlling the rest of the bag
X-Forged irons for the sole
Joyce choose the Callaway X-Forged (2025) irons in 4-PW to tackle the middle of the bag.
“Big fan of these,” he said. “I think that while they are a little bit longer heel to toe, it breeds confidence for me. I felt like the TCBs that I played for a while were really good but for the thickness I didn’t understand why they were so thick heel to toe.”
Joyce pointed out that he doesn’t love irons with shorter blade lengths. “I love the classic look, when I look at this I just think prime Phil Mickelson.”
For Joyce, the X-Forged sole is a dream. Having a tri-sole design allows him to stay aggressive with every iron in the set, while making sure that the club exits the turf efficiently; a very important factor in choosing irons at high speeds.
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Finishing the bag
At the bottom of the bag Joyce wraps up his set with Callaway Opus SP wedges and an Odyssey Ai-One Milled 7T in silver, although the putter was replaced by a find from the PGA Tour Superstore used bin during our filming trip. He now has a special Odyssey 2 Ball Ten Triple Track PGA Tour 2K edition putter in the bag, because why not?
Joyce also mentioned he was experimenting with Callaway’s new Opus SP+ wedges and saw some great results. He also mentioned that he can carry his lob wedge about 120 yards. He’s comfortable swinging his shortest club at “…about 115 [yards] downwind,” joking that, “I spin it too much, buddy.”
“I have tried the SP+, I think I was the first one to hit them. Within a matter of two balls … the trajectory from 40-yards must have gone down 10ft … unbelievable … It makes me feel a lot better than I should feel, but I’ll take it.”
After asking about the grinds on his lobber he responded with a cool little nugget. “With the SP+ the Z-grind is what I felt best with. This (Opus SP) is a C-grind, for the SP+ definitely a Z-grind guy. As soon as I put the Z-grind in action, that’s when I really started seeing the (launch) benefits of the SP+”
Multiple golf balls in play
Depending on the course Joyce will actually switch golf balls.
“If it’s a big, wide open golf course, I’ll just send the Triple Diamond if I know I am going to hit a lot of drivers. But for tournament purposes I am a (Chrome) Tour guy. I did a lot of testing with the ball R&D at Callaway and I’m just a Tour guy over the X. I just spin the X a little bit too much, especially with the mid to short irons.”
Translated: Hit scramble team bombs with the Chrome Tour Triple Diamond, score when it matters with Chrome Tour.
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