Equipment

GolfWRX Insider: Week one on tour with the new Titleist TSi metal woods

Published

4 years ago

Sep 10, 2020

The cat is outta the bag! After more than two years since the launch of the TS series metal woods, Titleist has cooked up something new, and from the response and comments on the Tour, this thing is a heater.

I had a chance to catch up with my buddy and Titleist Tour rep J.J. VanWezenbeeck while he is on a West Coast/East Coast whirlwind testing tour, and this is what he had to report.

JW: Overall, how are players responding to the new TSi drivers?

JJ: TSi launch has been a long time coming…but despite fires, heat, COVID-19 restrictions the product is coming out above it all. It has been 27 months since players have seen a new lineup from Titleist, so they were overly excited about seeing what we have been working on.

We have been working through playoffs, scheduling, travel restrictions, COVID rules/regulations, and safety needs to try and see as many players as possible, including this week in Portugal and Napa.

JW: In simple terms, what makes this driver unique/special vs other models?

JJ: TSi drivers have shown up in a big way from look, to feel, to launch monitor performance. Almost all players have to see ball speed increases out of the gate, but the stability of the head is what really is showing off—players are seeing incredibly consistent spin, speed, and direction numbers—this has let players find another gear (see Mark Blackburn post of Charley Hoffman TPI testing).

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New @titleist TSi Woods launched this week @safewayopen! Here’s a closeup of my man @charleyhoffman ‘s TSi3 ???????????????????????? #itsnotatrenditsatitleist @mypdev @greystonegcc @academies.swingu @titliest @footjoy @vokeywedges @scottycameron . . . #golf #putting #golfcourse #golfer #juniorgolf #collegegolf #swingu #golfchannel #whyilovethegame #golfgods #golfclub #pga #pgatour #golfislife #golfpro #golfswing #golfinstruction #golflife #golfcoach #golfpractice #golfdigest #golfmagazine #golflesson #golftips #golffitness #golfdrills #golfswinganalysis

A post shared by Mark Blackburn (@blackburngolf) on Sep 9, 2020 at 5:34pm PDT

JJ Contd: We are incredibly excited about week one and what the coming weeks are going to bring with this product. The overwhelmingly positive comments from our staff is incredible. I would look out for some early and often success. Stephanie Luttrell and our R&D team did a phenomenal job. I can’t wait for all our Tour Staff and the rest of the golfing world to experience this product.

JW: How many players will most likely have it in play this week?

JJ: With players all over the globe, COVID-19, and scheduling challenges, we have not had a chance to see all our staff as we like to present the product in person and answer questions for them and get them fit perfectly. We have our worldwide teams on the road and seeing all of our staff over the coming weeks. This week, we have seen some early adopters on social media in Portugal after working with Liam McDougal, and we will have 15-plus players using the new metals in Napa after seeing them for the first time this week.

JW: Charley Hoffman has a white line down the face of his TSi3, what’s the reason?

JJ: Charley Hoffman has been drawing a vertical line on his driver for a while just to allow him to set up more centered. He was instrumental in helping with the new face graphics and felt like it framed the ball so well he may not need it. After discussing, he decided better to have and not need than not have.

*Tommy Fleetwood has also made the switch in Portugal, and from what I hear from my source, he’s killing this thing.

Driver: TSi3 9 @ 8.25 (D2 Surefit Setting) w/ Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X

(Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

From early reporting from Napa, these players will have TSi drivers in play: Blaum, Bramlett, Brown, Campos, Cauley, Duncan, Haas, Hadley, Hoffman, Hubbard, Kizzire, Ledesma, Malnati, Pan, Shelton, Spieth, Streb, Taylor, Uihlein.

And on the Euro Tour, beyond Fleetwood, Haotong Li is most likely putting in play as well.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

9 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

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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