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Wilson Staff Cortex wins “Driver vs. Driver 2” (in-hand photos)

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Designed by show contestant Evan Hoffman of San Diego, California, the Wilson Staff Cortex is the winning driver design of the second season of Driver vs. Driver.

The titanium-bodied Cortex features carbon panels and a sliding adjustable weight system.

Additional Cortex features

Fast Cage Technology — The company describes this as, a “weight-tuned titanium internal structure with an impressive 44% of its surface area covered in Carbon Fiber Panels. This Ti –Carbon construction allows for extremely precise distribution of weight and frees up additional weight for maximum adjustability.”

Wilson’s longest ever Slide Track — An eight gram sliding adjustable weight is positioned in the center of the head. Additionally interchangeable two and eight-gram weights can be adjusted on the sole and heel of the club.

Fast Fit Technology hosel system — Players have six adjustable options to dial in the loft of the driver in half-degree increments.

A Fujikura ATMOS Tour Spec shaft — red, blue, or black — is standard.

“Season Two of the show yielded two amazing finalists; the Cortex and the Rozwell,”
said Tim Clarke, President of Wilson Golf. “Ulimately, the Cortex came out on top with
its clean, classic shape, overall consistent performance results from a wide range of
player testers, and steady sound across the entire face of the club. We are excited to get
this driver into the hands of players at all levels of the game.”

Hoffman presented his original concept to Wilson LABS, and the engineers chose if from hundreds of submissions. After a nearly two-year process of refining, Hoffman is the winner of a $250,000 grand prize and the inclusion of his creation in the Wilson Staff Line.

The Wilson Staff Cortex will retail for $499.99 and will be available in 9-, 10.5-, and 12-degree models.

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86 Comments

86 Comments

  1. Tito Valencia

    Dec 3, 2018 at 5:21 pm

    Wilson has to find there key marketing component. Years ago it was the Fat Shaft. Callaway has the Jailbreak, Taylormade has the twist face, Ping Dragonfly tech, PXG has all the moveable weights, etc…etc… Wilson keeps making these non marketable clubs and think they can compete for our dollar. There is nothing new here..

  2. Tito Valencia

    Dec 3, 2018 at 5:13 pm

    I just hit this driver, it’s a dud. The quality and technology here is no different than anything else on the market. Wilson has missed the mark. So they create a show to design a driver that’s new, something to create buzz. They have a season long show about an r&d competition, and basically made a driver copying other manufactures, but with nothing to market. I would expect to see something like twist face, or jailbreak, some sort of marketing technology from Wilson here. Unfortunately there is none.

  3. Burnett Leonard

    Nov 18, 2018 at 1:07 am

    Pretty version of the Tailor Made M1. Much better looking than the Wilson Titan. Me won’t pay that price. I will get one from a hack for a fraction of the price.

  4. Steven Rodriguez

    Nov 16, 2018 at 12:20 am

    So many haters out there. Wilson has very skilled engineers including some ex guys from Adams and Callaway. Hit this driver today and it was better than my Rogue. I bought it right away, plus i can still get a decent trade in for my Cally. Kudos to the Wilson Team!

  5. engineer bob

    Nov 16, 2018 at 12:06 am

    fellas fellas…. there is no innovative engineering in these titanium drivers… it’s just an exercise in shapes and cosmetics. The only ‘engineering’ is manufacturing engineering done in Chi na… where titanium manufacturing is superior and cheaper.

  6. engineer bob

    Nov 16, 2018 at 12:04 am

    fellas fellas…. there is no innovative engineering in these titanium drivers… it’s just an exercise in shapes and cosmetics. The only ‘engineering’ is manufacturing engineering done in China… where titanium manufacturing is superior and cheaper. Somebody should tell POTUS his Ti-driver is made in China! 😀

  7. martin

    Nov 15, 2018 at 7:46 pm

    The driver looks similar to the Cobra F6+ on the bottom and carbon fiber crown from TM and Callaway. This is something we have already seen in other clubs unless it increases yards and ball flight I have very low confidence it will be a great seller and at that price point doubt it will. Probably by late March $399.99 or $349.99

  8. Scheiss

    Nov 15, 2018 at 5:20 pm

    They were too scared to go with the cool looking non-traditional one in the Bette designed and intriguing Rozwell so they went with the boring Taylormade one. Duh

  9. El'trick Woods

    Nov 15, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    5 bills?!! =D What’a riot!! That hunk ‘o tin prolly cost $12.42 tops to produce, and $1.02 of that went into the grip! It was fun watching
    the last DVD winner collect dust in it’s overproduced marketing station near the putting area!!! They didn’t even feature the monstrosity
    in the club section!

  10. JP

    Nov 15, 2018 at 9:16 am

    Why? Just why? At $500, someone Should be looking for a new job.

    • David

      Nov 15, 2018 at 10:46 am

      Hit it yesterday. Looks very clean, sound is solid..muted. Low spin great shaft options. I’d put it against the rogue..ts3.

  11. retired04

    Nov 15, 2018 at 8:11 am

    Has Wilson made adapters and weights readily available this time around? Haven’t in the past, so those of us who have favorite shafts or prefer different lengths/swingweights have little or no interest-especially at $499.

    • Caroline

      Nov 15, 2018 at 6:28 pm

      Correct adapter for Triton not the easiest to find…

  12. Scheiss

    Nov 15, 2018 at 2:37 am

    They spent millions developing this show and the club, and all they could come with is a rip off the sliding weight mechanism and a cumbersome swapper weight on either side. Duh. They didn’t have to do the show to come up with that, surely?
    They should have gone with the Rozwell, because it was an intriguing design and different from all the rest.
    Now we are stuck with a TM rip off that will all be forgotten in a couple months.
    What a waste of time and money. Sorry Wilson, you failed again.

  13. Fail

    Nov 15, 2018 at 2:36 am

    They spent millions developing this show and the club, and all they could come with is a rip off the sliding weight mechanism and a cumbersome swapper weight on either side. Duh. They didn’t have to do the show to come up with that, surely?
    They should have gone with the Rozwell, because it was an intriguing design and different from all the rest.
    Now we are stuck with a TM rip off that will all be forgotten in a couple months.
    What a waste of time and money. Sorry Wilson, you failed again.

  14. Mr.1488 He did nothing wrong!

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:43 pm

    Can’t wait to try this one out! I personally love the look of it. Price is a little steep though.

  15. rex235

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:23 pm

    Congratulations to Evan Hoffman on his winning design.

    RH Only?

  16. Moses

    Nov 14, 2018 at 10:29 pm

    Can’t get Kotex out of my head. Cortex is a horrible name. Never touching that club. Many other options out there.

    • Johnny Penso

      Nov 15, 2018 at 12:51 am

      I hear if it has a cool name it goes 2 yards further.

  17. Ray

    Nov 14, 2018 at 10:28 pm

    Wilson is ruining themselves with this Driver vs Driver stuff. I want to think the best of the best engineers with all the best technology and tools built my driver, not Joe Blow off the street. May be a good driver but not too many people will be interested I imagine.
    Maybe they are making money on the TV show

    • Bill

      Nov 15, 2018 at 3:19 pm

      The Wilson engineers do a lot of work on these. The show spans a long period of time.

      • engineer bob

        Nov 16, 2018 at 12:08 am

        fellas fellas…. there is no innovative engineering in these titanium drivers… it’s just an exercise in shapes and cosmetics. The only ‘engineering’ is manufacturing engineering done in Ch ina… where titanium manufacturing is superior and cheaper. 😀

  18. RCC

    Nov 14, 2018 at 5:02 pm

    For real tho.. How many people want to plunk down premium money for a driver they know came from an amateur tinkerer? Also, if you work in Wilson’s engineering group, aren’t you looking for a new job at this point? They’re bringing people in off the street to do your job for you.

    • sam

      Nov 14, 2018 at 5:15 pm

      yes, because Wilson’s engineering group had nothing to do with the performance of this club…(insert eye roll and sarcastic voice)

    • Brad

      Nov 14, 2018 at 5:38 pm

      Karsten Solheim was an “amateur tinkerer” in the realm of golf. He only managed to create the most iconic and used putter design in the world, as well as one of the most popular iron designs ever. Both of these innovations changed golf club design forever. Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were college dropouts with no “formal” qualifications in computer science or engineering, but both led companies that created some of the most revolutionary products in their industry.

      Shall I go on?

    • CrashTestDummy

      Nov 14, 2018 at 5:39 pm

      This one looks like it has the standard settings for customizing flight patterns. I know what you mean. I am pretty sure that all golf companies use industrial designers to create the look of the drivers, but they work closely with engineers though. . On the next season (if they have one) should pair each designer with an engineer that is working or worked in the golf industry.

  19. Sam

    Nov 14, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    So what makes this driver overpriced compared to those other low spin drivers out there now? If you take the labels off this driver what do you find? You get a driver that has a carbon crown(some carbon in the sole), movable weights for shot shape bias, a track and weight system to control spin/launch along with an adjustable hosel plus a plethora of no up-charge premium shafts. Now if you apply these kind of technologies to any other brand what do you expect to pay….probably that $449-499 range if not more depending on the shaft added. I think it is probably a fair price to ask for when you have all that proven tech. Now as a whole i think driver prices have maybe gotten out of hand but that’t the market we live in today, heck premium shafts go for $500-600 and some cases over $1000. If it performs as well as others do i don’t see a problem with them asking for $499.

  20. Chris

    Nov 14, 2018 at 4:19 pm

    I play Wilson Staff ci 11’s and they are great clubs and sexy as hell with an all black finish with that said I am a Wilson staff fan. I also love the Duo balls but my god how can they put the same Wilson logo on a $499 club that they do on a 125 starter set that you can buy at Walmart. I thought this was the whole reason they use the Wilson staff brand to differentiate themselves as serious players clubs.

  21. Bruce

    Nov 14, 2018 at 4:06 pm

    Would be interesting to know the swing weight and if they will be offering any heavier weights for those of use who might want to trim it down a half inch. Saw stock length was 45 inches. But nothing else as for specs on their website besides the different shafts.

  22. Bruce Jenner

    Nov 14, 2018 at 3:59 pm

    I must admit, its a good looking driver. The polished head has a high end luxury look to it. It sounds like it will perform well, based on the reviews from the show. The bottom does remind me of the Taylormade M1, so nothing too exciting there. The holo caust was a hoax. Other than that I can’t wait to try it out and put it in the bag!

  23. Tom

    Nov 14, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    WOW, a club designed by hobbyists off the street…..what a joke the equipment industry has become….save ur money!!!

    • Play Ping

      Nov 14, 2018 at 5:04 pm

      Ask any of us with the first one, the Triton, had I paid more then $79 for it I would have been very upset. No way a Wilson “Made for TV” driver is worth $499….check and see how many tour pros have had success with the first one….bet you will not find to many Triton drivers on any tour..They may pay one of their pros to play one the new ones in a tournament or two…chances of it staying in the bag after promotion money are very slim…..

      • Rob

        Nov 15, 2018 at 7:31 am

        The driver was changed massively by the Wilson engineers. Watch the bloody show before ripping the driver. You don’t like it because of the brand, because you are brand snobs.

      • Bill Cavanaugh

        Nov 15, 2018 at 3:22 pm

        Most tour players play the driver they got paid the most for. It’s how Taylor Made keeps their number 1 position. They pay the most money

        • Rico Strong

          Dec 3, 2018 at 5:03 pm

          Taylormade no longer just pays guys to just use their driver. They are in the biz of only doing full bag contracts now..

  24. retired04

    Nov 14, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    OK-Old guy’s shafts are different-just checked the fujikuragolf.com site and there are no reg or sr. Atmos white/red shafts listed, however the Wilson.com site lists both for “Red” minus the “tour spec” designation. Have to wonder what is really under the white/red paint job on the reg and sr. shafts. Oh well, all the test results I have seen so far tell me I should be playing the Cleveland Launcher HB anyway. Saw the $499 Cortex price and bought a mint Launcher to mess with for $149 (and the miyazaki sr. shaft is 1/2 white to boot-‘course I don’t know what’s under that paint job either.) Isn’t golf (equipment) fun?

  25. Jeff Andreas

    Nov 14, 2018 at 3:14 pm

    In a few months it will be $99 because it will not sell.

    • Keith R

      Nov 16, 2018 at 12:17 am

      in 3 months it will be sold out, and at the $499 price range. hit it today. it is awesome. Well done Wilson team!

    • TRUE

      Nov 18, 2018 at 1:55 pm

      Heard a rumor that there were only 10,000 heads produced, and that 9,200 are spoken for already. I was impressed when I hit it yesterday. I am going back for another session when they get the correct shaft that I should be using. I only buy a driver about every 5 years or so, and play about 100 rounds a year.

  26. big jones

    Nov 14, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Still swinging my Nike VR Pro and driving 300+. Why pay $499 for something that will be worth 1/3 in a year.

    • the dude

      Nov 14, 2018 at 3:05 pm

      good deal “Big Jones”…..so you’ve heard that they DID max the COR about 14 years ago…..congrats!

      • big jones

        Nov 14, 2018 at 3:14 pm

        gotta like the shaft though. That’s the engine.

  27. SG

    Nov 14, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    Honestly, kudos to Wilson for flexing a little muscle with the driver vs driver show. The rapid prototyping and offering that kid a job. I mean sure people want to play TM because of the mass appeal, but I would like to see what this club can do. I hope they incentivize their tour pros to play these because to some degree drivers are so comparable today.

  28. Clint

    Nov 14, 2018 at 1:38 pm

    This is a good looking club and will probably perform just as well as other top name brands. Wilson has put out some solid irons and wedges as well. The driver market is just oversaturated so everyone saying they can get it for $129.99 next season, that applies to about every driver. Are you paying for performance or the name? It’s a tough market, just ask Nike.

  29. Deegee

    Nov 14, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    For all you ‘its an M1 driver’, yes it may look the same with regards to the weight track but the titanium cage is very different and the main reason it’s so consistent across the whole face.

    Before you make negative comments, give it a fair chance and try it- it may surprise you.

  30. susan

    Nov 14, 2018 at 1:17 pm

    That is one polished potent big black head… power and pulchritude in one package.. OoOoOoh

  31. Ron

    Nov 14, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    A deep-faced Wilson Cortex driver with all that sole weight and shaft adjustments you will be able to dial out a banana slice, a duck hook, a sky ball and a worm burner… a cheap price to pay for driver perfection!!

  32. Brandon Black

    Nov 14, 2018 at 1:06 pm

    If you’re going to compare it to TaylorMade, don’t forget to add the $250 shaft upcharge for the Atmos TS. That is an amazing shaft for a standard offering. It’s a great deal when looking at a $750 TM driver.

    • Ron

      Nov 14, 2018 at 1:13 pm

      If you can’t afford to pay; you can’t play….

      • pdq

        Nov 14, 2018 at 1:59 pm

        If you can afford to pay but can’t swing it then you still can’t play.

  33. Doug Roberts

    Nov 14, 2018 at 12:49 pm

    It looks fabulous. Great specs every which way. What is needed for a home run is some noteworthy utilizers. I have gotten off the new driver every year train. Once you have done that and shop resale market…Last years product is very reasonable. I will test this Cortex out.

  34. Johnny Long

    Nov 14, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    The company describes this as, a “weight-tuned titanium internal structure with an impressive 44% of its surface area covered in Carbon Fiber Panels. This Ti –Carbon construction allows for extremely precise distribution of weight and frees up additional weight for maximum adjustability.” I hate blacks and Jews.“Season Two of the show yielded two amazing finalists; the Cortex and the Rozwell,”said Tim Clarke, President of Wilson Golf. “Ulimately, the Cortex came out on top withits clean, classic shape, overall consistent performance results from a wide range of player testers, and steady sound across the entire face of the club. Muslims suck too. We are excited to get this driver into the hands of players at all levels of the game.”

  35. Patrick

    Nov 14, 2018 at 12:39 pm

    Great looking driver. but not the right pricing. I would expect this price from Callaway,Taylormade and Titleist.if you want to sell a lot of these $299.00 to $349.00. The ping G400 Max is $399.00 . Come in less than the big guns,more people will have to give it a try, due to this driver being a value for the price. IE… Cleveland Golf Soft Putter line or The 2019 Tour Edge Exotics Driver Line. You almost just have to give it a try with the same technology being offered at a price you can’t resist. That should be the marketing strategy.Once people compare after hitting the established versus Wilson Cortex, they will not see that much difference to warrant purchasing the big brand name.

  36. Mike Casari

    Nov 14, 2018 at 12:12 pm

    For $499 you’d think they could come up with something a little better for a headcover. I have socks that look better than what they’re offering.

  37. vince guest

    Nov 14, 2018 at 12:06 pm

    Truth is, the competition is too fierce for Wilson at this price point but the driver looks really good.

  38. Fred Garvin

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:54 am

    I’m sure the top photo of laying the driver on the railroad tracks isn’t the mental image Wilson wants readers to be having….

    That said, lot’s of Wilson haters here. Most likely trying to defend their purchase of an equivalent driver at 50% higher price. I can get them cheap on ebay too ya know.

  39. Mike Honcho

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:24 am

    I like how they have the episode in Lake Tahoe were celebrities and pro athletes are roping the club out 330. Maybe Wilson should sell a model called the “Altitude Adjustment”.

  40. cullen davis

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:24 am

    $499 for a wilson driver, they when you go to trade it in its worth $29

  41. Jay Taylor

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:21 am

    I like it! The glossy black on it looks very sharp in my books. $499 is really pricey considering its a Wilson. Hopefully the performance is out of this World. P.S. I don’t like black people that much.

  42. J Mytro

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:20 am

    I think it would sell well at $299 but $499 is a tough sell…I know a retailer that has 5 stores and they are bringing in 12 units for all stores…Maybe they can sell 6 of them.

  43. John Agena

    Nov 14, 2018 at 11:16 am

    Looks like the Mizuno 850 Driver to me

  44. Its True

    Nov 14, 2018 at 9:50 am

    It’ll be $149.00 by Spring, just like the last shows winner.

  45. Rob

    Nov 14, 2018 at 9:44 am

    It’s not Coretex, it’s Cortex. Come on guys, it says the name on the driver in the pictures!

    • J bone

      Nov 14, 2018 at 9:50 am

      I think they misspelled it on the driver

    • Ben Alberstadt

      Nov 14, 2018 at 10:59 am

      Smh. No excuse. Headline’s been fixed.

      • ray

        Nov 14, 2018 at 7:08 pm

        It’s still spelled CoreTex in the title of the thread in the Tour and Pre-Release sub forum.

      • Ray

        Nov 15, 2018 at 12:16 am

        Any reason the Cortex thread started by WRX in the Tour/Pre-Release thread in the title still says CoreTex?

  46. Greg V

    Nov 14, 2018 at 9:23 am

    Way too deep face for me – I like shallow faced drivers.

    • db

      Nov 14, 2018 at 3:06 pm

      might be nice driver. i like….yet 500 is a lot for anything with zero resale…

      good thing about the tm titleist and cally drivers if you spend 500 you can resale within a couple months for 350….then down the line for 250……

      my wilson triton i think i sold for 89$ within the 1st year….

      c300 forged best irons ive ever owned. just too long for me…yep too long…but ive never ever seen an iron so forgiving on toe hits.. absolutely amazing.

  47. Dugan

    Nov 14, 2018 at 9:03 am

    This is a great looking driver. It’ll get some hate cause of the brand. If you don’t have big name players being paid to use it, it won’t make it far. Just the way society works.

  48. Brian McGranahan

    Nov 14, 2018 at 8:50 am

    Wow. They invented a Taylormade Driver. Pure genius.

    • dat

      Nov 14, 2018 at 9:20 am

      Came here to post this. How is this any different than the M1 with one track? $500? HA!

      • Rob

        Nov 14, 2018 at 9:48 am

        If you watch the programme you’d see what makes it different. It may look similar to others, but there is lots that makes it different. Guessing you guys are the type that only buys a driver because it’s a certain brand or popular model or a certain pro uses it. None of that should matter when picking the best club for yourself.

    • Paul

      Nov 14, 2018 at 10:45 am

      You mean I can get a driver as good as a Taylormade for cheap? Sign me up!

  49. Benny

    Nov 14, 2018 at 8:16 am

    I am interested in this driver. Wilson’s irons, especially the v4’s, are some of the best irons I have ever used. Their PMP wedges look legit and I would love a set of their raw v6’s. I may go full blown Wilson that is how confident I am with their gear. Only problem is if I decide to move away once committed I will lose my shirt on resale.

    • BRENT

      Nov 14, 2018 at 12:29 pm

      You are correct! Wilson has to start somewhere…again. I love the brand myself but younger people don’t get it. They may have caused the problem by selling recycled soda cans at Wal-Mart during the 90’s-2000’s but… That doesn’t take away from the Staff line in my opinion.

  50. J bone

    Nov 14, 2018 at 7:59 am

    The President of Wilson Golf clearly has no idea what he’s doing. $499 for Wilson’s version of the M1. I can’t imagine more than 100 get sold.

    • Brandon

      Nov 14, 2018 at 8:24 am

      Truth too funny
      I can’t wait to pick one up on eBay for 99 shipped

    • Dugan

      Nov 14, 2018 at 9:33 am

      Real deal atmost ts in it makes it a good deal. Don’t you think?

      • J bone

        Nov 14, 2018 at 9:48 am

        For that price and a Wilson head they should offer every shaft option on the planet.

        • Edley

          Nov 14, 2018 at 11:43 am

          From Mygolfspy.com “That $499 does include some nice no upcharge options. Along with the full array of Atmos Tour Spec shafts, you can also select the EvenFlow Black or Blue or the HZRDUS Black or Red from Project X, or the UST Mamiya Recoil. In addition, a full array of Lamkin, Winn, and Golf Pride grips (including the Align) are available, also at no upcharge”

        • Marc Tebo

          Nov 14, 2018 at 12:17 pm

          Isn’t that Tour Atmos like $300 by itself? If so, Wilson sure needs to market things differently to justify the price tag.

        • Jeff

          Nov 14, 2018 at 2:26 pm

          Great looking club, overpriced. I agree with Jbone, would need every shaft option to substantiate price…

    • Bald Eagle

      Nov 14, 2018 at 5:30 pm

      Would you like to bet $1000 on that or are you just running your mouth

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (3/28/24): L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft

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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 L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick putter with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft.

From the seller: (@hibcam): “L.A.B. GOLF Mezz.1 Max Broomstick- LA Golf Paige Spiranac Shaft- 44″/79.5. Brand new, never used brown leather cover. The head was professionally anodized from Orange to Blue (Orange looked bad with the Pink shaft so I had it changed). Only a few rounds on this combo. Please see last pic- slight ding on back corner. 8.5-10 condition. THE SHAFT COST $475/ THE PUTTER $625. $799 shipped in the US. ONLY $699 SHIPPED.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max Broomstick with LA Golf Paige Spiranac shaft

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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Equipment

Spotted: Tony Finau’s driver shaft change at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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Tony Finau has always been known as one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, but he has recently been working on adding a little more distance. Last year, Finau averaged 118.3 mph club head speed and 178.08 mph ball speed, all while playing a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX driver shaft. This year, he has increased his club head speed to 123.93 mph and his ball speed to 183.32 mph.

However, Finau’s overall distance has decreased by two yards in that time. From a fitting perspective, something was amiss. We asked Tony about the shaft change at the Texas Children’s Hospital Open.

“[I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin. My driver’s been a little high spin for me over the last month or so, and so I just figured it was time to probably check out the equipment,” Finau said. “And it definitely showed me that I was using a shaft that’s maybe a little too tip-stiff for me, the way I load the club now. [I’m seeing] better numbers with the spin.”

Finau switched from the Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX into the Diamana GT 70 TX. The newer Diamana GT has a slightly different profile than the D+ Limited with the stiffest handle section in the Diamana lineup. The mid sections between the two are similar stiffness but the tip is just slightly stiffer in the Diamana GT. Both shafts are within one gram of each other in the 70 TX. The torque rating on the GT is 0.1 higher than the D+Limited’s 2.7 measurement.

Mitsubishi lists the Diamana GT as a shaft between the mid-launching Diamana TB and the new low-launch Diamana WB shafts. For most players, it would be considered a mid/low launch and low-spin shaft option. Mitsubishi’s Xlink Tech Resin System makes sure the maximum carbon fiber content is there for smooth feel without reducing the strength of the shaft. MR70 carbon fiber is used for reinforcing the shaft and boron is used in the tip for its high strength and compression properties.

Finau is still using his trusty Ping G430 LST driver in 9 degrees and has the adjustable hosel set to -1 degree of loft (standard lie angle). Finau’s long-time favorite Lamkin UTX Green grip is installed. He definitely has a few extra wraps of tape under that grip as you can see the bulge down where the grip meets the shaft.

One final note: Per Ping’s PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates, Finau’s driver is also adjusted to play with an additional degree of loft to help dial in his desired launch.

We’ll see how he fares with the new setup this week in Houston!

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