2024 Upper Deck Golf Hobby Box
Release date: 2024-03-13
Box of 24 packs
Pack of 8 cards
2024 Upper Deck Golf brings a stand-alone flagship edition back to the green for the first time in two decades. A lot has changed since 2004, so things will be a little different this time around. But not everything. Those who collected the original line can still expect an elegant, picture-rich basic design, as well as plenty of inserts.
This time, it's the traditional hits that are sparsely featured on the checklist. There are a few autographs, but they're rare. They are replaced by numerous levels of difficult parallels and chase sets.
The main base set comprises a total of 150 cards. Within this set, there are four different sections with various rarities. The first 50 cards are standard golfer cards. Season Highlights and Season Highlights - Debut Date share the next third of the list equally. There is one per leisure pack.
Fifty Young Guns follow, showcasing the game's best young players. Although they've been around since the early days of Upper Deck Hockey, the subset took on a life of its own around the same time as the original Upper Deck Golf series came to an end. Like their on-ice counterparts, Young Guns are short, modest draws. With 1:4 packs, there are six per box.
The parallels are the same for all 150 cards. Clear Cut cards, which are made on acetate, are 1:96 packs for standard base cards and Season Highlights. Young Guns are 1:288 packs. Clear Cut is only available in hobby packs.
Exclusives (/100) and High Gloss (/10) are numbered options for collectors.
Young Guns aren't the only things making the jump from Upper Deck Hockey. Some inserts are too.
UD Canvas (1:7 packs) is one of the most important. Printed on a canvas-like support, photography is also very much in evidence. In a way, these packs are spinoffs from the main series in their approach. This includes more Young Guns, who land in 1:60 packs. Parallels include Blacks (1:80, Young Guns 1:720) and unique printing plates. A very small number of UD Canvas signatures are available, numbered to 10 or 15.
Dazzlers bring a bit of modernity and a lot of color with their patterned design. The blue versions are about one per hobby box, while the pink parallels are every third box.
Another name familiar to some is Honor Roll, which are 1:12 scale hobby packs. There are Rainbow Foil (/250), Gold Rainbow Foil (/25), Red Rainbow Foil (/10) and Printing Plate (1/1) versions.
Galerie UD gives a golfing twist to similar field hockey portrait inserts. Standard cards are 1:13 packs, while short runs are 1:120. Gold parallels (/99, SP /25) are also available.
UD Retro is another throwback of sorts, drawing inspiration from the Upper Deck Retro Hockey 1999-00 design. There's one per hobby box, and they're available in three different levels. Standard cards are 1:48 packs, while SPs and Rookies are 1:96 packs.
Dazzlers aren't the only cards with flashy stock. Scorecard Superstars (1:144 packs) are made with aluminum foil. Parallels take a golfing approach with Birdie (/100), Eagle (/50), Albatross (/25) and Ace (1/1).
Other popular inserts include Defining Moments, Generation Next, National Heroes and Tour Time. All these inserts should appear at least once per hobby box. They also benefit from the gold plate and printing plate treatment.
Acetate returns for four more insert sets in addition to the Clear Cut parallels: Clear Cut Legends (1:288 packs), Clear Cut 2001 Retro (1:1,152 packs), Diagrams of Dominance (1:4,000 packs) and Cleared for Launch (1:4,000 packs).
Winning Touch (1:4,320 packs) and Brushstrokes (1:4,850 packs) represent some of the rarest cards in the entire Upper Deck Golf 2024 checklist.