Tour News
John Daly to use Vertical Groove Golf driver
We filed a report November 17 that Vertical Groove Golf was bringing a driver with, not surprisingly, vertical grooves to market. They’ll also be bringing the driver to the PGA Tour and Champions Tour: John Daly is set to put the Vertical Groove Driver in his bag immediately and has signed a multi-year deal with the Boston-based company.
so glad to be on @vertgolf team! Driver is Simply AMAZING! #gripitandripit #stayverticalyall pic.twitter.com/qfqRAq6rjk
— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) January 10, 2017
According to a press release, Daly will serve as global ambassador for the company and will wear the VGG logo on his shirt collar and it will feature prominently on his golf bag.
“I’ve been hitting the ball further and straighter off the tee since putting the Vertical Groove Driver in my bag,” said Daly. “I’m hitting more fairways since switching to this driver and the sound of the club at impact is terrific. I’m looking forward to strong success in 2017 utilizing Vertical Groove technology on tour.”
“Having John Daly, a major champion and an acclaimed long driver, put our Vertical Groove Driver into play on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, is strong validation that this club performs at the highest level,” said Jeff Barry, Chief Executive Officer, Vertical Groove Golf, LLC.
Barry adds, “This is an exciting time for Vertical Groove Golf, and it’s only fitting that John Daly leads our stable of endorsees. Thanks to our leadership team of Rubin Hanan and Josh Miller, who were instrumental in this signing, I anticipate more exciting news from Vertical Groove Golf in the coming weeks.”
The USGA-conforming driver promises a 40 percent straighter ball flight on average, as well as more forward roll, and thus more distance.
The 450cc Vertical Groove Drive is available in both right and left-handed models. It is offered in 9.5, 10.5 and 12 degree lofts, and features a full range of Aldila NV2K series shafts as standard. The available flexes include: 45 gram L (Ladies), 50 gram A (Senior), 55 gram R (Regular), 65 gram S (Stiff) and 65 gram X (Extra-stiff). Suggested retail price of the Vertical Groove Driver is $399.99.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.
We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.
We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.
Check out links to all our photos, below.
General Albums
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #2
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Justin Thomas – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Rose – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Nick Dunlap – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Thomas Detry – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Austin Eckroat – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Jason Day – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Will Zalatoris – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Patrick Cantlay – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Ludvig Aberg – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Collin Morikawa – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Sam Burns – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Stephen Jaeger – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
Pullout Albums
- Wyndham Clark’s Odyssey putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- JT’s new Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Thomas testing new Titleist 2 wood – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey putter with triple track alignment aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Scotty Cameron The Blk Box putting alignment aid/training aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey Ai One Eleven T putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Christian Bezuidenhout – testing new Callaway Ti 340 mini driver – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele testing the Callaway Ti 340 mini driver & the DUW – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Byeong Hun An, two new L.A.B. Golf putter builds with “T” alignment – 2024 RBC Heritage
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Valero Texas Open
GolfWRX is on site this week at the Valero Texas Open.
The event has been around since 1922, making it one of the oldest on the PGA Tour calendar. Over the years, it’s been held at a variety of courses across the Lone Star State, but it’s found its home at TPC San Antonio in recent years. Some of the biggest names in golf have taken home the title here, including Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Lee Trevino, and Ben Crenshaw.
GolfWRX has its usual assortment of general galleries, WITBs and special pull-out albums. As always, we’ll continue to update the links below as more photos come in from TPC San Antonio.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Ben Taylor – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Paul Barjon – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Joe Sullivan – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Wilson Furr – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Ben Willman – SoTex PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Jimmy Stanger – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Rickie Fowler – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Harrison Endycott – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Vince Whaley – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Kevin Chappell – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Christian Bezuidenhout – WITB (mini) – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Scott Gutschewski – WITB – 2024 Valero Texas Open
Pullout Albums
- Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Ben Taylor with new Titleist TRS 2 wood – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Swag cover – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Greyson Sigg’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Davis Riley’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Josh Teater’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Hzrdus T1100 is back – – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Mark Hubbard testing ported Titleist irons – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Tyson Alexander testing new Titleist TRS 2 wood – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Hideki Matsuyama’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Valero Texas Open
- Cobra putters – 2024 Valero Texas Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.
As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.
General Albums
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Monday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #1
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #2
- 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Thorbjorn Olesen – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ben Silverman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jesse Droemer – SoTX PGA Section POY – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- David Lipsky – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Martin Trainer – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Zac Blair – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Jacob Bridgeman – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Trace Crowe – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Daniel Berger – WITB(very mini) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Chesson Hadley – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Callum McNeill – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Rhein Gibson – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Patrick Fishburn – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Raul Pereda – WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Gary Woodland WITB (New driver, iron shafts) – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Padraig Harrington WITB – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Pullout Albums
- Tom Hoge’s custom Cameron – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Piretti putters – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Ping putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Kevin Dougherty’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Bettinardi putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Cameron putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Erik Barnes testing an all-black Axis1 putter – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
- Tony Finau’s new driver shaft – 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.
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Rich Douglas
Jan 11, 2017 at 10:34 pm
Grooves don’t affect ball flight with the driver. If they did…
… spin rates could be affected by different groove patterns, but you don’t see differences in grooves touted by ANY other manufacturer, until now.
… the square groove controversy would have included examples from woods made non-conforming, but all anyone every looked at and talk about were irons.
… you don’t want more backspin from grooves–you get plenty from the ball as it is.
… if grooves affect spin, then sideways grooves would add…wait for it…more sidespin! And who doesn’t want that? (It would be the antithesis to their whole argument for this club.)
I’m pretty open-minded to new technologies. In irons, for example, TM brought about the first real advancement in them with their slotted heads since Ping brought us perimeter weighting. But this looks like a cosmetic hype job. Besides, no one could pry loose from my hands my Burner Bubble woods! 🙂
Uhit
Jan 12, 2017 at 8:11 am
Some Bridgestone driver have special grooves:
http://www.bridgestonegolf.com/product/clubs/jgr-driver
Now, a driver face is curved in several axis and not flat, like a iron head…
…thus, depending on the impact position on the clubhead,
you have a different loft and a different face angle, than within the middle…
…this is causing deviations of the flight path of the ball – additional to the spin.
If you are clever, you combine those effects, to get the desired ball flight…
…this includes the possibility to use the effect of grooves in Addition to the geometrical aspect of the face curvature and the face deflection, which changes the curvature and angles during Impact.
If all is said and done,
I would not dismiss the posibility, that this head design, with its vertical grooves works…
…whether it works as advertised is something we can find out during a test.
Mad-Mex
Jan 15, 2017 at 5:39 pm
Actually, Wilson reflex irons had the “slotted” heads in their irons back around 1978, TM first club was a driver in 1979-80 time frame. I do think their “bubble” shaft was greatly under rated.
Deadeye
Jan 11, 2017 at 8:26 pm
Well, nothing against John. Just have to keep an eye on his driving stats this year. Looks like hype. Can’t believe the big manufacturers missed this one. A couple of years ago John was playing a bag full of Nike clubs at the Texas open. I was ten feet from him and his caddie. He was not wearing their clothes. Maybe they would not fit. Or maybe Nike only wants slim fit looking pros getting paid to wear their stuff. Ever notice that?
Jeff
Jan 11, 2017 at 10:40 pm
Carl Peterson.
Dave R
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:02 pm
Go get em John I wish you all the best on the greying tour.
Steve S
Jan 11, 2017 at 4:05 pm
An old idea that’s been around at least 10 years. The patent is D515,642, a design patent that is form “form” not function. The only claim is “The ornamental design for a metalwood type golf club head, as shown and described.” If this were actually a “technology” based claim, a regular patent would have been filed to defend the improved technology or vertical grooves.
This is marketing hype. If you hit this driver straighter it may be due to the shaft, better weighting or an expanded “sweet spot”. All of which would cause better strikes. But everyone else is doing those things so VGG wouldn’t “stick out”. Indeed, the Killer Bee driver had the same grooves, also licensed from the inventor.
PT Barnum said or supposedly said, There’s a sucker born every minute”. I think most of them are golfers.
Thomas Hertwig
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:48 pm
you are so right……answering machine at their home office……said manufactured in Florida……maybe assembled but no way manufactured……whole operation is a scam……….can’t believe the press, what a bunch of idiots.
Jeff
Jan 11, 2017 at 10:43 pm
That’s borderline scandelous. I mean if it were in a different industry. And they wonder why sales are down, when the golfer demographic has been fleeced and re-fleeced for 50 years.
Mike Honcho
Jan 11, 2017 at 12:44 pm
I stumbled across a copy of JD’s endorsement deal with Vertical Groove. They aren’t paying him in money. Instead its smokes, Diet Coke and 5gal buckets of gravy.
Scooter McGavin
Jan 11, 2017 at 10:47 am
I’m surprised there are still people that actually care what John Daly does anymore…
Ron
Jan 11, 2017 at 9:58 am
If I design a new club, can I get John Daly to play it? How much you think? A sleeve of ProV1 x-outs do it?
Ryan
Jan 11, 2017 at 1:39 am
Aahh.. Let me feed oofa too. Open up ! Blast !
Killer-B
Jan 10, 2017 at 8:26 pm
Just go pick up a Killer Bee B-Sting Driver from the used driver bin at your local golf shop. They are pretty much the exact same club.
Otho DuBoise
Jan 11, 2017 at 3:08 pm
Not exactly, they’ve used a few other things to help keep it straight. The head shape is supposed to do something, not sure what. They also said that theyve moved back the center of gravity and created some sort of curviture to the face. As a whole, not the same driver. If you want to use it, have a couple of guys request to have a demo in your area. But from the videos (non sponsored) i’ve seen- it looks pretty legit.
Thomas Hertwig
Jan 11, 2017 at 6:50 pm
fool
Guia
Jan 10, 2017 at 7:22 pm
I read an article several years ago that claimed lines on a driver were decorative only and had no effect on the ball.
I would like to see test done on drivers with lines and those without. Seems like another gimmick to me, until proven otherwise.
Otho DuBoise
Jan 11, 2017 at 3:10 pm
Thats definitely not true. The lines help “grip and push” the ball in a certain direction, thats why you have drivers the have different groove designs and microgroove technology (Bridgestone) to benefit certain levels of players.
jc
Jan 10, 2017 at 7:02 pm
Have you heard about the new driver with grooves that point to the North East and South west..It makes your ball gade. And there is another model where you can rotate the face to change the direction. Coming soon.
jc
Jan 10, 2017 at 7:00 pm
what happened to warrior golf which was on his bag last year?
they were almost free, just ask for one.
John would wear a watermelon on his head for money.
MT
Jan 10, 2017 at 5:39 pm
Ok John, we look forward to having you playing great again with that driver. And we will be watching stats and keeping fingers crossed that you really hit it longer. Good luck and hit it hard man:-)!!
John
Jan 10, 2017 at 3:51 pm
I bought one for myself as a Christmas present. After hitting it on a simulator I can honestly say for me that it’s every bit as long as other drivers I’ve hit (Ping G that day) with the benefit of being straighter. I struggle with driver with half of my drives finding trouble & second shot being a punch out of trouble etc. With this driver I hope to limit the damage off the tee. I look forward to beginning 2017 with this driver in my bag. And no I do not work for VGG.
S Hitty
Jan 10, 2017 at 2:43 pm
Good price, too
Mason
Jan 10, 2017 at 2:19 pm
If vertical grooves are so revolutionary why haven’t any of the big companies with their expert engineers done it? Doesn’t make sense to me how something so simple like that could yield such straighter and longer shots.. Would love to try the club out myself and see if its true or not
Ryan
Jan 10, 2017 at 1:57 pm
Lol m’mizzle ! I’m honored to feed the troll ! Open up ! Blast !
Ryan
Jan 10, 2017 at 11:40 am
Solid golf club. I got to hit one about a month ago, flat trajectory and straight. Loved it. Trying to get my hands on one as soon as possible.
Joe
Jan 10, 2017 at 2:03 pm
I always get a kick out of guys trying to call others out for working at a place when they can’t even use their real name on a site.
LD
Jan 10, 2017 at 3:51 pm
you_must_be_new_here.jpg
ooffa
Jan 10, 2017 at 5:58 pm
My real name is Mr. Vertical. Ryan you left your office door here at Vertical golf open. Did you forget your keys again? PS your bonus check for commenting on our company has been direct deposited.