Equipment
Spotted: PXG 0811X Driver
There’s a new PXG driver being tested in Hilton Head at the RBC Heritage this week. Called the 0811X, the driver is said to be 400-500 rpm lower spinning than the company’s original 0811 driver and offer slightly more draw bias, according to a PXG representative. And like the 0811, it measures 460 cubic centimeters.
PXG, an upstart golf equipment company that has generated an unprecedented amount of buzz for a variety of reasons — its billionaire founder Bob Parsons, its exclusiveness, the company’s unique technologies and high-profile PGA Tour staff, for starters — has reduced the amount of weight-adjusting screws used from 16 in the 0811 to 11 in the 0811X.
Related: What makes PXG irons and wedges so different?
Charles Howell III, a PXG Staffer, is said to be testing the 0811X at Hilton Head.
Related: See that clubs Charles Howell III is currently using.
More In-Hand Photos
Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the 0811X in our forum.
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Equipment
A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic
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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Whats in the Bag
Alejandro Tosti WITB 2024 (April)
- Alejandro Tosti what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Rescue (22 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 100
Irons: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID, 58-10 MID, 60-06 LOW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100, S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Check out more in-hand photos of Alejandro Tosti’s WITB in the forums.
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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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Pingback: Is next PXG driver on the way soon? USGA conforming list may hold clues | Golf
Sad Smizzle
Apr 12, 2016 at 2:23 pm
Great advertising for clubs that perform like every other. Nothing spectacular about it.
Ask your players to play with range balls if the clubs are that good, Mr Parsons. Because you know they all want to play Pro-Vs and it’s the ball not the club
Sad Smizzle
Apr 12, 2016 at 7:51 pm
Says the guy who knows all about it because he did it first
Sad Smizzle
Apr 13, 2016 at 2:49 am
Oy vey. I hope the moderators remove this idiot and block him from posting forever
Sad Smizzle
Apr 13, 2016 at 10:47 am
I’m going through a tough time right now but I plan on being out of my mom’s basement in six months
Loser Smizzle
Apr 14, 2016 at 3:03 am
Such a loser that he has to pretend to be somebody else because he doesn’t even know who he is when he looks at herself in the mirror
Sad Smizzle
Apr 13, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Yeah that’s why I started this thread and you’re at the back
Nick
Apr 12, 2016 at 12:38 pm
I’m not a big fan of the matte finish on the crowns. These clubs look fantastic up until that point. The price is obviously another thing. There is little to no prestige in this company, and although the history is in the process of being written, I don’t see how the golf community will embrace a manufacturer that charges what PXG does. Interested to see how the train rolls in the coming years.
stephenf
Apr 14, 2016 at 10:08 am
I think the premise is a big roll of the dice that goes something like this: We’re charging insane prices because our stuff is _that_ much better. If these things get out there and good players find out they’re really _not_ that much better — maybe about as good as the best any other premium company puts out — you’ll see the bottom drop out quickly after that.
It could be that if they’re really not noticeably better than anybody else’s best, selective perception will carry them for a while — as in, “Because I paid so much for them, I hear the angels sing every time I hit them.” So much of evaluating a new club is pure subjectivity, and that can be affected so much by the need to perceive value. Many players will remember the great shots, great feels, etc., and the bad ones won’t register (hey, it’s a new club anyway), at least for a while. (The same happens when somebody’s into a new instructional thing, too. You find what you want to find, for a while.)
Or, I guess, maybe they really are that good. I’ve just seen it before, with some big new thing. Everybody loses their minds, there’s a wave of “it’s clearly the best ever,” and then it subsides. But we’ll see.
stephenf
Apr 14, 2016 at 10:10 am
[Sorry — there were paragraph breaks when I wrote it. Don’t know what happened.]
Mark
Apr 12, 2016 at 12:29 pm
Are Ping taking them to court? A g25 with a few bits of welding and drilling.
Ben
Apr 12, 2016 at 1:51 pm
Pxg designers are from ping! They own the patents!
Beefhouse
Apr 13, 2016 at 7:04 am
I’m not an expert on US law, but typically IP rights vest with the company, not the employee. I expect the leavers will also be subject to non-compete/non-solicit restrictions that should prevent them from poaching Ping ideas and staff.
Charlie
Apr 12, 2016 at 12:05 pm
Conflicting images?
1st image shows 0811X with no marker on crown. 4th picture shows marker on crown.
Looks like the 0811x actually has the marker, and is deeper faced. Much like the Taylormade SuperTri and SuperDeep.