Equipment
New photos bring clarity to TaylorMade Tour Preferred iron rumors
The forums are buzzing with a nearly 30-page thread ignited by spy photos of TaylorMade’s soon-to-be-released Tour Preferred iron series.
The thread exploded three weeks ago when a photo surfaced of a TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC iron (pictured below) with TaylorMade’s “TP” badging. Since that time, many sources have confirmed that the iron was a prototype and the new Tour Preferred irons will not feature the logo.
New photos from TaylorMade’s Japan site and insider info have brought clarity to some of the other questions about the irons that have been floating around the forums.
- The muscle backs (MB) irons will likely be a fully forged set, and will not have TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket technology, a.k.a a slot in the sole.
- The MC irons will be partially forged, with the 8 iron through PW featuring a one-piece forged construction and the 3 iron through 7 iron being cast to accommodate the Speed Pocket.
- The CB irons will be fully cast, and like the MC irons they will have a Speed Pocket in the 3 through 7 irons. The 8 through PW and AW are expected to be cast from a slightly softer stainless steel.
Lofts from TaylorMade’s Japan Site
Tour Preferred MB: 3-21, 4-24, 5-27, 6-31, 7-35, 8-39, 9-43 and PW-47
Tour Preferred MC: 3-20, 4-23, 5-26, 6-30, 7-34, 8-38, 9-42 and PW-47
Tour Preferred CB: 3-18, 4-21, 5-24.5, 6-28.5, 7-32.5, 8-36.5, 9-41, PW-46 and AW 51
The release date for the CB and MC irons is rumored to be Jan. 15, with the MB irons launching in February. Stay tuned to the TaylorMade Tour Preferred CB, MC and MB iron thread for the latest developments.
- LIKE1
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
- LIKE0
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
View this post on Instagram
OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
- LIKE26
- LEGIT3
- WOW1
- LOL2
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK2
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
What we know about Bryson DeChambeau’s 3D-printed Avoda irons
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver:...
Matthieu Pavon WITB 2024 (May)
Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Ping G430 Max (9...
WITB Time Machine: Rory McIlroy’s winning WITB, 2015 Wells Fargo Championship
Then-No. 1 player in the world Rory McIlroy began the week at the Wells Fargo Championship at 3-1 odds, if...
Akshay Bhatia WITB 2024 (May)
Akshay Bhatia what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. Bhatia is deciding between drivers. More photos...
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoLET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
-
19th Hole3 days agoReport: LIV star turns down PGA Championship invite due to ‘personal commitments’
-
19th Hole1 week agoGary Player claims this is what ‘completely ruined’ Tiger Woods’ career
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks agoTeam McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic
-
Equipment1 week agoGolf fans left surprised by LIV’s choice of course for its 2024 individual championship event
-
19th Hole1 week ago
LIV star splits with swing coach after working together for 14 years
jake aston
Dec 26, 2013 at 10:19 am
hi everyone just to let you all now that the new TaylorMade Tour Preferred iron are now out in shops you can only but the cb but i pace an order, and i have now got the mc i have tryed all of the best irons out and these had the best fill and consistently a good strik.
bellsy13
Dec 11, 2013 at 3:10 pm
The looks of the club won’t improve your game. TP badge or not they’ll still perform exactly the same. All blades are very similar, there’s only so much you can do with the looks of a club head. Go hit ’em and hope they suit your game.
Mike
Dec 3, 2013 at 6:37 pm
Could as well say Mizuno on above irons. Pure copy IMO
jason
Dec 3, 2013 at 3:11 pm
I see lots of comments regarding this or that OEM copied Mizuno with respect to the std blade with the toe notch. If you dig through the Faldo equipment thread on here you will see that Mizuno actually modeled their late 80’s blade, the TN-87,and blades thereafter, after the 1958 Ben Hogan Precision and the 1983 Ben Hogan Personal. As far as I know it is those particular models that started it all and what so many others have duplicated because it works. The gold standard in muscleback design wasn’t started by Mizuno,
Ben Hogan happened to get it right, decades earlier.
DB
Dec 12, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Couldn’t have said it any better myself Jason.
FatRick
Dec 3, 2013 at 2:14 pm
They should have painted in the “preferred” in black for the mb, mc and white for the cb. The red for some reason just doesn’t look right. The cb looks like the a “tour version” of the speedblades.
Vinny
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Those MB’s look like dead ringers for Mizuno MP14/MP29. The development folks at Taylor Made must have spent all of 5 minutes designing these irons!
jason
Dec 3, 2013 at 3:07 pm
I see lots of comments regarding this or that OEM copied Mizuno with respect to the std blade with the toe notch. If you dig through the Faldo equipment thread on here you will see that Mizuno actually modeled their late 80’s blade, the TN-87,and blades thereafter, after the 1958 Ben Hogan Precision and the 1983 Ben Hogan Personal. As far as I know it is those particular models that started it all and what so many others have duplicated. Just get all your facts straight before assuming Mizuno invented the gold standard in musclebacks.
Ben Hogan did it, decades earlier.
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:34 pm
all blades look the same…
Troy
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:28 pm
forge the MC and CB, mill out a speed pocket and pour in some polymer. I know, mind blowing 🙂
Lazza
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Been playing the 2011 TP MB irons for a long time now and even with the peculiar tungsten weights, I personally prefer their look. Always funny though when I play my 39° 8-iron following which someone hits their 40° 9-iron about as far, asks me what I played and then quietly sniggers at my lack of distance.
Regis
Dec 3, 2013 at 12:31 pm
I played forged irons (Mizuno,Miura,Wilson Staff) for close to 40 years. Age and arthritis in my wrists have put those days past me. In the last year I purchased and gamed a bunch of Game Improvement irons with little satisfaction. Finally got the rocketbladz on closeout.I can’t speak to those of you with 105 mph swing speeds but for me the TM speed pocket and “jacked up lofts” are the best inovation since the graphite shaft.Great top line, ball flight and as close to a “forged” feel as you’re going to get in a GI iron. You call it a “gimmick”. For me it’s satisfaction in a well designed product
David Smith
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:58 am
@Jon, it is a gimmick, it’s been proven already. I’m not going to argue about it because raw data overrides your false claims which you’re basing purely on what TMaG has told you and the public. Infact, JPX bent to the same jacked lofts of the RBZ out performed the RBZ WITH the speedpocket. I have tried them and they are definitely not doing anything more to the iron based on my own experience and testing as well.
See, you’re exactly the type of people TMaG market too, they just love your type 🙂
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:37 pm
when you tried them were you comparing them by eye or were you on a trackman or flightscope?
if you were doing them by eye i would suggest going to a golf galaxy or golfshop where you could compare spin rates, ball speeds, and distances, to your current set
Jefe Colderon
Dec 8, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Good advice, Jon. We wouldn’t want people going to a real golf course and hitting real shots under real conditions and seeing real results. What backyard do you teach out of?
Tyler
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:27 am
They look OK. TP badge would have looked better.
Ian Bainbridge
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:56 am
TP badge is a must, they look like cheap knock offs without it. If it comes with lettering on I’ll pass.
Mizuno Zeke
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:56 am
Not a big TM fan, but the blade looks pretty good
Tom
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:50 am
I like these and I am not an TaylorMade fan. Question; These photos are from TayloMade Japan site, were are these heads forged in japan?
homats
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:42 am
Reason Taylormade continues to release product at such a dizzying pace, in case anyone does not understand product marketing, is products die on their own. A lot of companies (Titleist is prime example) will allow a product to die over two to three years (910 vs 913), but Taylormade would prefer to make their own product obsolete by introducing a new line bolstered by their staff pros playing in tournaments.
most people are upset by this, but it actually creates better product. prime example – R1 vs SLDR. Or R7 vs SLDR for that matter. I upgrade nearly every release after the prices drop and I like what I get.
Scott
Dec 3, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Was the R11s that much better than the R11 or the R1 that much better than the R11s ? Same for the RBZ and the Stage 2 ? Doubt it……..actually scratch that. I know they werent. Titleist outsold every other driver on the market in our shop this season. Just two models with a variety of good quality stock shafts.
joro
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:31 am
like that new stuff, not better but new and expensive. Keeps em in business.
joro
Dec 3, 2013 at 10:30 am
Again, something new, not necessarily better, but new. What a great company.
Mike M
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:07 pm
This actually isn’t a bad looking iron. better than the other crap they have (speed blade, RBZ)
David Smith
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:47 pm
What a load of garbage this is.
CW
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:25 pm
They ruined the mb with the tour preferred stamp, imo.
gocanucksfan123
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:19 pm
MCs look exciting! Can’t wait to give em a hit and compare them to the Bridgestone Combos and the Nike Combos
gticlay
Dec 2, 2013 at 5:08 pm
46* PW in a TP set, LOL Please just shoot me now.
brian
Dec 2, 2013 at 6:25 pm
its not that big of a deal. I dont think it will prevent you from playing on tour. Bend it weak if it bothers you so much. Relax bro
gticlay
Dec 3, 2013 at 12:01 pm
You mean 2* weak bro. I don’t need to hit a 160 yard PW and it messes with my gaps and bounce.
Jefe Colderon
Dec 8, 2013 at 9:08 pm
HAHAHAHA. well put.
Alex
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Maybe you should write Mizuno. They’re MP-69 and MP-4 both have a 46* PW.
As someone who hits the ball outrageously high, I welcome the stronger lofts.
Alex
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:02 pm
That should be their*
jgpl001
Dec 2, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Nothing special here, though the MB looks like a solid blade with a nice head shape and muscle at the back. I am sure the MC and MB will gets lots of tour use
Hopefully all the Rocketbladz and Speedblade nonsense is thing of the past
Mat
Dec 2, 2013 at 4:44 pm
Got that?
Martin says so!
Glad that’s all cleared up.
Martin V.
Dec 2, 2013 at 4:38 pm
2014 MCs are not forged therefore they’re no good as the original 2011 TP MC.
The Speed Pocket is useless, it’s just marketing strategy.
Patrick
Dec 2, 2013 at 6:57 pm
I can’t believe that the MC is not forged… Need a forged version
Jack
Dec 2, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Half the set is forged. I’m not sure why they went with that, but if you want to hit cbs mighty as well go with titleist.
My question is do the cbs replace the speed bladez? They look very similar.
Alex
Dec 2, 2013 at 8:02 pm
I thought I saw a TM rep or someone say the CB will effectively be the “SpeedBladez Tour”
Jon
Dec 2, 2013 at 9:47 pm
The reason the 3-7 are forged is because you cannot put a speed pocket into a forged iron, you have to cast the slot. That is why the rocketbladez tour is cast. The CB’s do not replace the speed blade, the speed blades are more forgiving and easier to hit.
Mc
Dec 2, 2013 at 11:01 pm
It’s possible to possible to have a slot in a forged iron… Adams xtd forged iron, they are unreal!
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 1:36 am
no but the adams XTD forged irons are not a one piece forge, they are actually 2 forged pieces put together.
David Smith
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:16 am
The speed pocket is a gimmick anyway, they should do away with it and stick to the traditional sole and use a forged head instead of this nonsense speed slot/pocket gimmick-#ier thing.
It’s already been tested against and proven the speed pocket does NOTHING except dampens the sound a bit giving the “softer” feel as it was well known the RBladez are very loud, if the irons were forged the softness would be natural so the speedpocket/slot-#ier thing is not required.
I can’t stand the route TMaG has taken, I have loved their stuff for so many years but they’ve lost me as a loyal custom since after their 2011 TP line-up. They just produce plain old garbage now and unfortunately this TP line up isn’t any better; sad day 🙁
D
Jon
Dec 3, 2013 at 11:29 am
Its actually not a gimmick. The speed pocket allows the face to flex, which kinda turns it into a trampoline. You will actually see a 5-10 yard difference with the speed pocket. Maybe if you actually try their products you will see how they perform.
markb
Dec 4, 2013 at 9:15 pm
Ever since the days of Old Tom Morris, golf has been rife with both gimmicks and innovations. TMag is certainly responsible for some of each.
IMO, I the face angle “dial” on the bottoms of the R11-R1 drivers was pure gimmick. Unless you sat the club on a flat hard surface (unlike a grass tee box) it told you NOTHING! This fact was immediately evident to me after 15 minutes with the club.
What was also immediately evident to me is the fact that the Speed Pocket is real. I’ve seen it with my own eyes and felt its effects with my own hands. The results were so dramatic that it caused me to question whether the slot was actually legal and could remain that way in the future. Its affect on the golfball is certainly more dramatic and quantifiable than anything I’ve ever experienced with a belly putter or square-grooved Pings.
It’s also in its 4th generation and spreading to nearly every product in the TMag-Adams lines. If it’s a gimmick, gimme more!