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Tour equipment junkies rejoice! TaylorMade opens “The Vault”

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Last year, we discussed TaylorMade not selling the equipment that its professional staff use on Tour. And if you’re a GolfWRX forum junkie, you’ve likely seen this topic debated for years on our site.

Well, for those of you looking to get your hands on legitimate tour-issued clubs directly from TaylorMade, the wait is over. Or, more precisely, the wait has begun to see what the TaylorMade Vault holds.

The Vault (accessible here) is essentially an online store within the TaylorMade website. At undefined intervals, the company will release a limited amount of tour equipment.

As TMag’s website states:

The Vault holds rare, and collectable TaylorMade equipment you don’t come across every day. We’re talking about prototypes, limited-runs, one-offs and the occasional custom-build for a Tour pro. Most were built in our Tour Department in Carlsbad, California or our rolling, 18-wheel workshop that travels the PGA Tour. Quantities are always limited, so check back often and act fast.

So, that’s what The Vault is in theory. Let’s take a look at what it has looked like (and will continue to look like) in practice.

The Carlsbad-based company has already released an ATV prototype wedge and a very cool Ghost Tour prototype Monte Carlo 72 comparable to the model Jason Day used to win the WGC-Accenture Match Play earlier this year.

Upcoming releases include the following.

SLDR Tour Head: April 8

The head is lighter in weight than the standard SLDR, allowing a player to keep the club’s total weight down when using a heavier shaft. It appears price for this head has not yet been determined.

Screen shot 2014-03-25 at 9.28.02 AM

R1 V2 TP Head: April 1: $300

Again, like the SLDR head, the R1 head is lighter in order to accommodate a tour spec shaft. Screen shot 2014-03-25 at 9.29.14 AM

Itsy Bitsy Tour Prototype Putter: April 1: $350

As TMag’s Vault page indicates, “It’s not often a putter comes to you straight from the TaylorMade Tour department, and this face-balanced beauty is as rare as it is distinct in design.”

Screen shot 2014-03-25 at 9.32.43 AM

Tour Preferred MC Onset Irons (2011): Available Now: $1,200

When TaylorMade released the TP MC in 2011, Tour pros love the feel and workability of the club, however, as the company states, “a number of pros made a request: Give us the same head minus the offset.” Here is the result, available for your purchase.

Screen shot 2014-03-25 at 9.33.47 AM

TaylorMade junkies and lovers of all things tour issue will be champing at the bit to see what comes out of The Vault next, to be sure.

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21 Comments

21 Comments

  1. KK

    Sep 6, 2015 at 11:51 am

    Honestly, looks like mostly old tour stuff gathering dust that TM wants to unload. But hey, more options is a good thing for golfers.

  2. Larry

    Mar 29, 2014 at 6:27 am

    A few years ago on Vacation in Vegas I was playing with 3 young men that were all hitting the same driver…on the 16 hole they ask me if I would like to hit their driver…. it was a tour van (kids brother worked for Taylormade) made driver, when he handed it to me I could feel the most balanced club I ever felt…swing easy I was told and again wow, yes even a duffer like me could feel and see a huge difference… if you ever get a chance to hit a real “tour” club you will see we are buying some real junk off the rack….

  3. Mad-Mex

    Mar 26, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    So riddle me this Batman,,,,,,,,,,,, this equipment wont do me a bit of good unless,,,,my swing matches what this equipment was built for? And second, unlike other equipment, value will just,,,,,drop and become nothing more than a “look what I got” conversation piece?

    Please enlighten me if I am way off,,,,,,,,

  4. Nick

    Mar 26, 2014 at 4:42 pm

    If they actually begin to catch up to more current equipment, which it seems they are getting closer with the latest release of the SLDR coming, this will be very intriguing. If they continue to be months and even years behind the actual release it’s a total waste of everyone’s time.

  5. Charlie

    Mar 26, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    You guys are forgetting tour issue stuff on the black market has zero warranty. Hopefully with these prices full warranty will be in effect!

  6. LorenRobertsFan

    Mar 26, 2014 at 4:14 pm

    This will be a fail. Anyone who pays $1300 for TM irons is crazy, and this stuff is so much cheaper to buy elsewhere. And most of these are old models? That’s a slap in the face by a company that always tell us that their latest and greatest is so much better than previous models

  7. Double Mocha Man

    Mar 26, 2014 at 3:44 pm

    Just bought a tour-issue, COR tested Taylormade driver off ebay.

    • leftright

      Mar 27, 2014 at 11:26 am

      Buy an Adams XTD and save money. Better driver, better quality and more technology. Heck, Justin Honea from Adams is the guy behind SLDR anyway. Best business decision in golf was TM buying Adams and the only reason TM has a slot in it’s club. Adams owns that patent for 17 years.

      • John

        Mar 31, 2014 at 9:59 am

        I agree it was a good idea, it puts a quality manufacturer behind a quantity manufacturer…where you’re slightly off though is the patent…I’m not sure how long they hold the patent for the slot, but it is irrelevant…companies can license that technology from them if they like, in some cases without a licensing contract…the reason other companies don’t is because there are better ways to maximize COR in metal woods, so the rest if the industry is allowing tmag/Adams to have that as their “claim to fame” because it doesn’t really provide any real benefits that others can achieve in other ways…taylormade/Adidas is a global marketing company first, golf oem second….they market the crap out of their equipment so that you (hypothetically) buy their stuff before you even hit it…someone gains one yard on a drive, they say to themselves “oh well I’m not that good so I can’t expect a whole 17 yards everytime, so I’ll take it!!!” Then they’re taylormade suckers for life…I used to work in the industry, and my god do I wish I could tell you all the cost to taylormade of manufacturing one club, it would blow your minds…btw I am no taylormade hater, I’ve used an r9 3 and 5 wood since they came out, and a couple drivers since, I just like understanding how things work and made it a point to figure out the hype behind taylormade, as well as the “haters” because I hear the word “fanboy” religiously on this site and it makes me cringe everytime I hear it mostly because it just sounds childish and dumb, but they are “fanboys” because taylormade molded them that way, consciously or subconsciously, they were dooped into brand loyalty for the wrong reasons…”Sweet, now I can by the same club DJ plays?!”…gets out credit card and pays $60o for a stock “tour club”…there is no difference other than they spend more time balancing the club and hotmelting the face, both of which have always been available to the public if you get a real custom fit

  8. Rich

    Mar 26, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    Played TM at one time till I found out from a TM endorsed player that my “tour” irons weren’t even made of the same steel let alone the same design. Was I naive, absolutely. But coming from the tennis world where the equipment is the same construction for the same model, that was completely unacceptable. This isn’t a surprise move. TM has always had a “we know what’s best for you and it happens to be more profitable” stance on equipment. “But we’ll paint them white so they’ll feel like pros.”

    • johnleg

      Mar 27, 2014 at 7:11 pm

      every company does that, derp.

    • KK

      Sep 6, 2015 at 11:49 am

      Just because someone has an equipment endorsement doesn’t mean he suddenly becomes an equipment engineer and expert. The vast majority of pros choose equipment based on feel and ball flight and know/care very little about the tech because honestly, it doesn’t matter all that much to their games. Pro V1X, DG X100, blades or AP2/AP2 equivalent, Scotty or Odyssey, TM/Titleist/Ping driver. Bam, that’s like 98% of all PGA wins. The different is in the fitting. Most guys are too cheap to go for a normal fitting. I doubt they (or you) would pony up for a tour fitting which is probably worth a few grand at least. And you don’t have a pro’s game. Why do you even want the exact same equipment that pros play?

  9. Gerard

    Mar 26, 2014 at 6:15 am

    Would love to see the comments change tune if a Titleist or a Ping did this…

    • Mike

      Mar 27, 2014 at 4:42 am

      of course they do, we’d be naive to think they didn’t.

  10. Chuck

    Mar 25, 2014 at 10:24 pm

    Bookmarked.

  11. Curt

    Mar 25, 2014 at 6:53 pm

    Come on TM. Dont put left over, old product, in the Vault. It has to be current for this to be of value to the consumer, otherwise, its just a BS way to capitalize on stuff that cant be used by pros or TMAG.
    Only newbie idiots will fall for that BS……………

  12. steve

    Mar 25, 2014 at 4:43 pm

    Seems like this is not current tour issued equipment, except for the sldr

  13. Blake

    Mar 25, 2014 at 4:29 pm

    I think this is great. I have been gaming r9 460 and r9 supertri tour issue heads for a year now (i switch back and forth between 8.5 and 10.5 degrees of loft depending on conditions). I can definitively say my tour issue heads spin significantly less than the retail r9 heads I previously owned. My swing weights also feel much better with the tour issue heads given i was fit for a 77 gram vts shaft. Tour issue heads aren’t for everyone but can make a big difference in the right person’s bag.

  14. mike

    Mar 25, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    seems to me like they’re just pushing clubs that are left over tour issue models

  15. Dumb

    Mar 25, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    WOW. I can pay double for pretty much the exact same product.

  16. J

    Mar 25, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    Overpriced equipment that can be had for cheaper on the street.

    Bravo.

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Whats in the Bag

Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)

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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)

Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype

Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.

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Putter Roundup: 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)

MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype

MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.

Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype

We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS

Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.

Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2

This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.

Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype

This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.

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Spotted: Project X Denali hybrid shaft

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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.

Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.

The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.

Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.

Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!

 

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