Equipment

Michelle Wie debuts Volt-colored equipment

Published

9 years ago

Jan 28, 2015

Michelle Wie is using a Nike RZN Black golf ball that’s a little different at the LPGA Tour’s Coates Golf Championship this week in Ocala, Fla.

Most professional golfers use white golf balls, but Wie is debuting Nike’s signature Volt-colored ball. She’s the first Nike golfer on the PGA or LPGA Tour to put the company’s Volt-colored ball in play during competition.

The RZN Black ball ($46 in White and Volt) uses Speedlock technology in its core, which is designed to interconnect the core to the compression layer to eliminate slipping, and thus energy loss, at impact. This results in more stability between layers, which creates more speed and distance.

MICHELLE WIE’S NEW TOYS: SHE’S ABOUT 2 HOURS FROM TEEING OFF W/ NEW ALL-VOLT NIKE VAPOR DRIVER & RZN BLACK VOLT BALL PIC.TWITTER.COM/VSGUXA1R4T

— RANDALL MELL (@RANDALLMELLGC) JANUARY 28, 2015

The Volt-colored crown of Nike’s Vapor Speed driver (pictured above) is a one-off design created specifically for Wie, but the technologies and specs are the same as retail models.

The Vapor Speed driver has a FlyBeam-reinforced Cavity Back and a Compression Channel behind the face to maximize ball speed, and uses FlexLoft 2 technology for wide-ranging adjustability.

Nike Vapor Speed driver with a customized Volt-colored crown.

Wie will be also debuting the women’s Nike Lunar Control shoes, which means she’ll be covered in the Volt color from (driver) head-to-toe this week.

Women’s Nike Lunar Control customized by Michelle Wie.

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

21 Comments

Reg Waggonef

Jun 17, 2015 at 1:51 pm

I would like to find some way to suggest to Michele Wie to think long and strong about trying to play through her pain. Think “Dizzy Dean”, hall of fame pitcher with St Louis Cards. He hurt his big toe – tried to pitch though it by adjusting his mechanics. It got worse an had to give up the game in his prime.

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jj

Feb 15, 2015 at 12:49 am

Growning the game! In 10 more years it will have grown into a 99.9% Asian tour. My club has been over run by these rude people!

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jj

Feb 2, 2015 at 3:25 pm

whaa whaa wee wee

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lefty

Feb 2, 2015 at 3:06 pm

Wont be available to public anyway, told from a Nike source, so you all shouldn’t worry about it!!!!

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Neil

Feb 1, 2015 at 2:36 pm

Wie.should worrie about playing better to win.not her bling.nikes biggest bust

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- Nicholas
  
  Feb 2, 2015 at 3:09 pm
  
  Last time I checked, I think she won two tournaments and had 13 top 10’s. Safe to say, she’s playing just fine. I’m pretty sure that she’s helping to grow the game well, too. I’m positive that it has nothing to do with her “bling”. She has nothing to “worrie” about, except the $2 million she made last year playing.
  
  Reply Report comment
- L4L
  
  Feb 4, 2015 at 6:12 pm
  
  So “volt” is a color! I just got that. Yea, they paid her far more than they will ever make back in increased retail sales…it was a risky gamble that NIKE could easily afford. She is good for the LPGA, no question, but equally no doubt that the deal did not turn out as NIKE hoped.
  
  Reply Report comment
Sargio_Gercia

Jan 31, 2015 at 7:20 am

Rocks

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chad ryan

Jan 30, 2015 at 5:37 pm

Perfect club option for the jean shorts wearing weekend golfer who doesn’t get enough attention hitting his ball into the group two fairways over

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Scott

Jan 30, 2015 at 10:08 am

One more in the rainbow of colors that is today’s golf equipment – – Michelle can pull off the look though

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Rusty Putter

Jan 29, 2015 at 7:23 pm

good concept ugly execution

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Dave

Jan 29, 2015 at 5:08 pm

Can we talk about her “Dope” art? What the heck is up with that??

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Cal Naughton Jr

Jan 29, 2015 at 10:35 am

love it!

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Enrique

Jan 29, 2015 at 9:54 am

I like it – I think it looks really good on her. She’s the perfect body type/hair color – look, etc… to use Volt.

What i mean is she can pull it off where Stacy Lewis may not be the right person to rock something so aggressive.

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slimeone

Jan 29, 2015 at 7:46 am

Nike marketing gurus: “We need a colored golf ball that will stand out on the course.”
Nike design team: “How about green”?
Nike marketing gurus: “Love it! Let’s run with it!”

On a side note – Michelle looks stunning in Volt!

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John

Jan 28, 2015 at 8:59 pm

Love Michelle Wie, always have. Also have loved Volt/Lime Green/Highligher Yellow since I was a little kid. Definitely gonna game the Volt RZN’s once they come out.

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b-wall

Jan 28, 2015 at 6:38 pm

Love the Volt color. Love the driver.

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RH

Jan 28, 2015 at 6:06 pm

PUKE

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Jeffrey Trigger

Jan 28, 2015 at 5:24 pm

While the color scheme of Nike’s new lineup is quite off putting, the step in the right direction for equipment looks like it is there. When the MMProto came out on tour, almost every Nike player started playing better. It looks as if Nike spent a good bit of time making sure these clubs were just right. It’s about time, because for all the money spent on marketing, the clubs should at least come close to the hype. Just wish Callaway and TaylorMade would get the message, and this coming from a TaylorMade guy.

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RValdez

Jan 28, 2015 at 4:22 pm

Loving that driver. Hopefully Nike puts that out there as a color option down the line.

Reply Report comment
- 1973
  
  Jan 28, 2015 at 6:18 pm
  
  Typical Nike – love it or hate it!
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

18 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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