Equipment
Spotted: Mizuno GT-180 Driver
Is this Mizuno’s new driver?
Fresh off the heels of Mizuno’s launch of its new MP-18 irons, S18 wedges, and CLK hybrids in the U.S., a photo of a new GT-180 driver leaked on Instagram. The user, MSTGolf, is a retailer based in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam. That raises the question, “Will this driver be released in the U.S., or is it a club for the Asian market?
Mizuno hasn’t offered any details about the driver to this point, but there’s some chatter about potential launch dates and another new driver from the company in our forums. See what GolfWRX Members are saying.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
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- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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Scottie Scheffler WITB 2024 (March)
Photos from the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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Spotted: Bettinardi irons at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)
Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here. Driver: TaylorMade...
WITB Time Machine: Jordan Spieth’s winning WITB, 2022 RBC Heritage
At the 2022 RBC Heritage Jordan Spieth defeated Patrick Cantlay on the first playoff hole after nearly holing his greenside...
Jason Day WITB 2024 (April)
Jason Day what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees @10) Shaft: TPT...
Ludvig Åberg WITB 2024 (April)
Ludvig Åberg what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)...
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Mat
Aug 26, 2017 at 8:50 am
There’s more to it… the hole in that “draw” slot would make it non-conforming.
Dan in Nam
Aug 22, 2017 at 7:41 am
I’ll be in Nam next week will try to find it…looks a little overboard looks like something you would see at Bushwood C.C.
Heich
Aug 20, 2017 at 3:02 am
It’s got SP700 on the face, so I am assuming this would be like the Titleist C16 type price? Unless it gives me 18 yards extra I’m not buying it :-p
Jimbo
Aug 19, 2017 at 1:21 pm
I would like to see more weight adjustment from heel to toe for fade and draw adjustments.
Sid
Aug 20, 2017 at 6:25 pm
So what you really want is weight adjustment in all three axes — X-Y-Z.
A driver with all those weights would mean there are 3^2 or 9 possible combinations.
How would you do that, trial and error and error and error?
The dude
Aug 19, 2017 at 1:55 am
Stick with irons Miz
Tom Duckworth
Aug 18, 2017 at 4:01 pm
I look forward to the day when we don’t feel the need for gizmos all over the bottom of a driver. Ping has the right idea make different drivers that fit what you want to do and keep it clean and simple. I don’t really think sliding weights will save a bad swing anyway.
If this driver was made to fit in with the MP-18 irons it misses the mark for me it looks out of place with the classic looking irons.
Scott
Aug 18, 2017 at 5:53 pm
Ping dont have it right…..3 different drivers = 3 times the development costs and production moulds. Adjustability still the way to go. Its not designed to be a MP driver…..
Christopher
Aug 19, 2017 at 4:53 pm
There’s only so much you can do with sliding weights, I’d imagine you’d be equally happy with a well fit Ping driver that are specifically designed to do what they do.
Teaj
Aug 21, 2017 at 9:35 pm
im assuming his point was that the cost for ping to R&D, list and manufacture 3 different drivers is greater than a single driver that can do most if not all functions the 3 ping drivers do.
Al Humphrey
Aug 18, 2017 at 10:49 am
Have seen the head at Mizuno’s Braselton, GA assembly operation. Larger visual footprint; relocated CG; more forgiving….really a diamond in the rough…..with MRC stock shafts. Expecting longer, straighter.
Bester
Aug 19, 2017 at 5:07 pm
The driver head hits the ball but that’s about it. It’s the swing that creates the speed to send the head into the ball. No swing speed, no length no matter what kind or brand of driver head. Jeez it’s simple golf science.
Teaj
Aug 21, 2017 at 9:43 pm
so you should learn to swing that individual driver rather than adjust your driver to adapt to your specific swing mechanics? you do realize that Pro’s have had their clubs adjusted for years prior to all the weight and loft adjustments by way of hotmelt, loft and lie hosel bending, this is the manufactures way of bringing these adjustments to the masses so they can swing a club that better suits their swing mechanics. really the only argument is that most people using these drivers are not set up to maximize performance but at least they have the opportunity to do so.