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14-year-old hybrid in play at Q-School

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TaylorMade Old Rescue Hybrid

Australian Steve Allan finished first at the PGA Tour Q-School 12 years ago. He’s back at the Q-School Finals this year at PGA West in La Quinta. Calif., armed with a club that predates his Q-School win — a TaylorMade Firesole “Rescue” Hybrid with a “Bubble” shaft that was introduced in 1999.

Take a look at the almost 15-year-old technology Allan brought with him to the PGA Tour Q-School Finals this week at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif., as well as the photos below of what a Firesole Rescue looks like when it still has its paint and its stampings intact.

Click here to see more photos from Q-School, and Click here for more discussion in the “Tour/pre-release equipment” forum.

Click here to see more photos from Q-School, and Click here for more discussion in the “Tour/pre-release equipment” forum.

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22 Comments

22 Comments

  1. Dennis Clark

    Jul 8, 2014 at 2:07 pm

    If you’ve made it to the final stage of Q school good chance your equipment is working pretty well.

  2. Straightdriver235

    Jul 2, 2014 at 10:13 pm

    I don’t get it. What is the deal? There’s many old clubs superior to the newer ones. These pros are generally paid to play stuff, but many serious players use old equipment quite effectively. You are pretty much a fool if you are buying clubs not two or three years old at the least. My Sonartec 18* hybrid is older than this, well used… and looks much better. It has always striped the ball, so why would I want to change it? I was using a Tommy Armour Ironmaster from the late 1930s until recently. I simply found it better than any other putter I ever tried.

  3. hawkeye3743

    Jun 18, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    HMMM, so newer is always better. And that old Bubble Shaft was a great shaft, too bad they quit it. I have a few new heads. Probably worth Millions if he is a success. LOL

  4. West

    May 2, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    Wow, I’m just amazed at the fact he still uses the same shaft after all these years, in a stiff-flex no less. Also, that club face looks way closed? Anyways, to each their own, no “right” way to play the game…

  5. Max

    May 1, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    I still have on of those, in brand new condition. Never played it but will give it a try the next time.

  6. Walter

    Apr 22, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    I’ve been playing mine for years and when it started to look like this one I sanded the head. Looks awesome.

  7. grexa

    Nov 29, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    It shows the confidence in the equipment a player is comfortable with. It also shows how it’s the indian, not always the arrow.

  8. Tom McCarthy

    Nov 29, 2012 at 12:10 am

    Still playing my Taylormade Rescue club I bought on an American Express points promotion about 12 years ago. What a great club!

  9. 3putt18

    Nov 28, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    I had 2 of these clubs. I sold them both last year. They were/ are great clubs.

  10. northhighlandway12

    Nov 28, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but, weren’t the majority of clubs, way back in the birth days of golf,
    wooden shaped heads with lofts that resembled todays 7-irons, 6,5, etc. Why are people calling hybrids, new technology?

    • Shallowface

      Dec 16, 2014 at 7:52 pm

      You’re right, and we’re certainly headed back in that direction.

      I don’t think we’re too far from the day where the only iron in an average player’s bag will be a sand wedge. Everything else will be a hybrid of some sort.

      The long iron just wasn’t a good idea for most. I enjoy shopping thrift stores, and every now and then I’ll see a ladies forged blade two iron from the 1960s.

      What were they thinking?

  11. Dalton

    Nov 28, 2012 at 11:46 am

    I wish today’s hybrid’s were all as small profile as this original. I’ve still got one of these in my attic. May be time to break it back out!

  12. Omar R.

    Nov 27, 2012 at 10:04 pm

    needs to go to continental golf

  13. Greg M.

    Nov 27, 2012 at 6:19 pm

    maybe this hybrid is to Steve as the 7 iron is to Tin Cup! …old reliable

  14. Mike D.

    Nov 27, 2012 at 5:43 pm

    The groove rule doesn’t apply to clubs with less than 24 degrees of loft.

  15. Jake03331

    Nov 27, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    @Rick, the grooves back in 1999 were not of the same design as more recent years and those no banned under the “conforming groove” debate. Most irons still rocked V grooves, so this club would be good to go.

  16. Rick

    Nov 27, 2012 at 4:46 pm

    What about the recent rule on the grooves shape?

    Is this “Rescue” still conforming?

  17. Rus

    Nov 27, 2012 at 2:24 pm

    It looks like he lost the H/C in 2000… Put an old sock or somethin on it!

  18. CA

    Nov 27, 2012 at 12:22 pm

    +100000000000

  19. John

    Nov 27, 2012 at 10:36 am

    Says a lot about my addiction of buying into new equipment frenzy…My wife is absolutely right, I’m an idiot.

    • purkjason

      Apr 21, 2014 at 1:00 pm

      Haha … it’s the opposite in my house. My wife will always buy the new crap. Whereas I’m cool with my reliable Maltby Equipment.

      • Shallowface

        Dec 16, 2014 at 7:46 pm

        That Maltby gear is some of the best you’ll find anywhere. Great design through sound engineering principles.

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Whats in the Bag

Kris Kim WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.

 

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Welcome to the family: TaylorMade launches PUDI and PDHY utility irons

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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.

TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.

TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.

Can you see where this is going?

Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”

 

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TaylorMade PUDI

TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)

Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.

In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.

TaylorMade PDHY

TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).

Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.

Club Junkie’s take

Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.

For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.

PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?

TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:

  • PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
  • PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
  • Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
  • PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
  • PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family

Pricing, specs, and availability

Price: $249.99

At retail: Now

Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)

Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)

PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed

PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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