Jose Maria Olazabal, Anyone Know? Options

[bowilbury]

I've seen a few bag shots of Jose Maria Olazabal's clubs in some vintage club posting (great stuff by the way).

Was wondering what he is gaming now? I know he's been MacGregor's main guy for years, really only one of 3 or 4 guys who actually are on staff with Macgregor. He also seems some what of a rarity that he hasn't changed his set up in after the technology boom. He still does the driver and 3 wood, and 2-SW LW and putter.

[mat562]

In the last bag shots I saw (Augusta in April) he was hitting some Titleist 690MBs,2-PW, with a couple of Spin Milled Vokeys in the bag. He also had a well-worn raw MacGregor wedge in the bag too, presumably as an alternative. Driver was a Cobra with a Matrix shaft and the fairway wood was covered up by a TItleist 906 series headcover.

Putter was some sort of Cameron.

The whole lot were plonked into a blank Taylor Made staff bag.

This post has been edited by mat562: Aug 12 2009, 08:53 AM

[Texsport]

I don't know what he's playing now, but I own one of his MacGregor sand wedges.

It's a hand ground Don White 56* with a wide sole and not much bounce. It's 2-3* flat and has an
FCM 7.0 RIFLE shaft in it.

He doesn't generally carry a higher lofted wedge than this.

Texsport

This post has been edited by Texsport: Nov 6 2009, 08:29 AM

[Gareth Williams]

In the last bag shots I saw (Augusta in April) he was hitting some Titleist 690MBs,2-PW, with a couple of Spin Milled Vokeys in the bag. He also had a well-worn raw MacGregor wedge in the bag too, presumably as an alternative. Driver was a Cobra with a Matrix shaft and the fairway wood was covered up by a TItleist 906 series headcover.

Putter was some sort of Cameron.

The whole lot were plonked into a blank Taylor Made staff bag.

At the BMW PGA at Wentworth he had a TM staff bag that was branded Titleist-I have a pic somewhere if you want? He was certainly gaming the 690MB's then.

[mat562]

Interesting.

From what I remember, the the blank Taylor Made bag he had at the Masters also had a butchered strap arrangement from a Callaway staff bag too. All very odd.

[Gareth Williams]

Interesting.

From what I remember, the the blank Taylor Made bag he had at the Masters also had a butchered strap arrangement from a Callaway staff bag too. All very odd.

Here you go;



Can't see the strap in that picture but the bag is clearly a TM design but it was branded "Titleist"

Even aiming at the Titleist board!!!



And the irons (with Dynamic Gold S400 Tour Issue shafts)/another bag shot;

[mat562]

Gareth.

Thanks for posting those pictures mate. Full marks.

I can't tell if it's bubble wrap or one of the patented Titleist/Cobra tour issue headcovers (aka a FootJoy sock) gracing that driver.

[jaskanski]

Nice pics - thanks for sharing. can't argue with JMO's taste in irons . It looks like he's from the Seve school of bag endorsement though.

[Gareth Williams]

Gareth.

Thanks for posting those pictures mate. Full marks.

I can't tell if it's bubble wrap or one of the patented Titleist/Cobra tour issue headcovers (aka a FootJoy sock) gracing that driver.

Thanks Mat.

From memory the driver had a headcover (not a bubble wrap) that was a "milky white" in colour and not sure about the brand. I "think" it was a Titleist 905 with a TP7x but cannot be certain.

[magnaspilas]

He has great shoes!!!

[Gareth Williams]

He has great shoes!!!

if you like tan that is, ahem....

[63Brummie]

I don't know what he's playing now, but I own one of his MacGregor sand wedges.

It's a hand ground Don White 56* with a wide sole and not much bounce. It's 2-3* flat and has an
FCM 7.0 RIFLE shaft in it.

He doesn't carry a higher lofted wedge than this.*

Texsport

* This is because he's short game is so great.. the man has magic hands!
I'm a huge fan


This post has been edited by 63Brummie: Nov 6 2009, 06:15 AM

[63Brummie]

Interesting.

From what I remember, the the blank Taylor Made bag he had at the Masters also had a butchered strap arrangement from a Callaway staff bag too. All very odd.

Could this mean he's on the move?

[Texsport]

I don't know what he's playing now, but I own one of his MacGregor sand wedges.

It's a hand ground Don White 56* with a wide sole and not much bounce. It's 2-3* flat and has an
FCM 7.0 RIFLE shaft in it.

He doesn't carry a higher lofted wedge than this.*

Texsport

* This is because he's short game is so great.. the man has magic hands!
I'm a huge fan

I'm a fan too.

I had a recent conversation with Dave Wood, former VP of R&D at MacGregor and owner/founder of the famous Wood Brothers. I got the JMO SW from Dave.

He described all the work Don Wood did to perfect JMO's 56* for him, including welding metal on where it didn't exist on their blank, bending, shaping, etc. to get the wedge just right.

Dave said JMO doesn't want a lot of wedges in his bag and can hit any shot necessary by adjusting ball and hand positions with a 56*.

One telling comment was that everyone, including Tiger and Phil stop to watch JMO practice his wedge shots. JMO doesn't watch them.

I'd love to find a grinder who could duplicate the JMO wedge I have. It's still in great shape now but am afraid of wearing it out by using it much.

It's quite interesting to experiment with the club, trying to figure out how JMO hits all those shots he has. There doesn't seem to be much video or written descriptions of JMO's techniques anywhere.

Do you know of any instructional stuff from JMO? Maybe/hopefully there's some in Europe that we don't get over here.

Texsport

[Texsport]

He has great shoes!!!

Does he wear Footjoy or Nebuloni shoes?

Texsport

[petter7]

He was using this driver at the Costello Masters 10/23/09:



Back of left hand and clubface angles spot on......



Just like this pic....pretty cool looking......LAG!!!!



This post has been edited by petter7: Nov 6 2009, 12:14 PM

[forgedforever]

I don't know what he's playing now, but I own one of his MacGregor sand wedges.

It's a hand ground Don White 56* with a wide sole and not much bounce. It's 2-3* flat and has an
FCM 7.0 RIFLE shaft in it.

He doesn't carry a higher lofted wedge than this.*

Texsport

* This is because he's short game is so great.. the man has magic hands!
I'm a huge fan

I'm a fan too.

I had a recent conversation with Dave Wood, former VP of R&D at MacGregor and owner/founder of the famous Wood Brothers. I got the JMO SW from Dave.

He described all the work Don Wood did to perfect JMO's 56* for him, including welding metal on where it didn't exist on their blank, bending, shaping, etc. to get the wedge just right.

Dave said JMO doesn't want a lot of wedges in his bag and can hit any shot necessary by adjusting ball and hand positions with a 56*.

One telling comment was that everyone, including Tiger and Phil stop to watch JMO practice his wedge shots. JMO doesn't watch them.

I'd love to find a grinder who could duplicate the JMO wedge I have. It's still in great shape now but am afraid of wearing it out by using it much.

It's quite interesting to experiment with the club, trying to figure out how JMO hits all those shots he has. There doesn't seem to be much video or written descriptions of JMO's techniques anywhere.

Do you know of any instructional stuff from JMO? Maybe/hopefully there's some in Europe that we don't get over here.

Texsport

Texsport: I hadn't thought about this before, but you are spot on about there not being much video or written analysis of Olazabal's techniques. I, for one, would be very interested if there is. He was always such a joy to watch as he planned a shot and then went on to execute it!

[mat562]

That wedge sounds very interesting. I know Olazabal played a stock Mizuno TP-9 sand wedge for several years, right from his first days on the European Tour back in the mid '80s. I had a good luck at one of his Maruman wedges when he first changed contracts in the early '90s and I swear that the thing was an exact copy of his trusty Mizuno, stampings excepted or, dare I say it, a Mizuno that had had a Witness Protection Program-esque identity change at the Maruman factory.

As you say, he's always been a man for just a couple of wedges, not three or four, and has always had one of the very best short games out there. Very similar to another Spaniard really; who also managed to pretty much do it all with a mid-lofted sand wedge.

I've always been a big Ollie fan. Aside from the wondrous short game skills and putting that makes me green with envy, he's also a bit of a smooth operator with a one-iron and one of the increasingly rare breed of pros who still carry a big iron.

As for the strap situation, from memory it looked as though it was some sort of ad hoc arrangement that had been knocked up to incorporate a dual strap system on the bag. Lord knows why you'd use a white and oragne Callaway-branded strap with a black staff bag, but there you go.

Olazabal's always had a link with Titleist, as a ball player, and I know he experimented with a Titleist set of irons a few years ago when he left Maruman and was out of contract. I'm surprised, even with his limited schedule, that he hasn't been able to broker some sort of deal with someone when it comes to having a name on the bag.

[petter7]

I don't know what he's playing now, but I own one of his MacGregor sand wedges.

It's a hand ground Don White 56* with a wide sole and not much bounce. It's 2-3* flat and has an
FCM 7.0 RIFLE shaft in it.

He doesn't carry a higher lofted wedge than this.*

Texsport

* This is because he's short game is so great.. the man has magic hands!
I'm a huge fan

I'm a fan too.

I had a recent conversation with Dave Wood, former VP of R&D at MacGregor and owner/founder of the famous Wood Brothers. I got the JMO SW from Dave.

He described all the work Don Wood did to perfect JMO's 56* for him, including welding metal on where it didn't exist on their blank, bending, shaping, etc. to get the wedge just right.

Dave said JMO doesn't want a lot of wedges in his bag and can hit any shot necessary by adjusting ball and hand positions with a 56*.

One telling comment was that everyone, including Tiger and Phil stop to watch JMO practice his wedge shots. JMO doesn't watch them.

I'd love to find a grinder who could duplicate the JMO wedge I have. It's still in great shape now but am afraid of wearing it out by using it much.

It's quite interesting to experiment with the club, trying to figure out how JMO hits all those shots he has. There doesn't seem to be much video or written descriptions of JMO's techniques anywhere.

Do you know of any instructional stuff from JMO? Maybe/hopefully there's some in Europe that we don't get over here.

Texsport

Texsport: I hadn't thought about this before, but you are spot on about there not being much video or written analysis of Olazabal's techniques. I, for one, would be very interested if there is. He was always such a joy to watch as he planned a shot and then went on to execute it!

Here's some stuff I stumbled upon with a quick google search.

http://www.oneplanegolfswing.com/oneplanem...zabal/index.jsp

http://www.oneplanegolfswing.com/oneplanem.../jose_video.jsp

This link is to Butch Harmon on the Golf Channel. Scroll down to the Harmon & Olazabal link and that
will take you to a video of a past Golf Channel Academy with Butch and Jose.

http://www.thegolfchannel.com/nevada-golf-...s/butch-harmon/

Here's a nice High Speed Video of Jose hitting a driver at the Masters...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZGRHimW_D0...feature=related

[Texsport]

I don't know what he's playing now, but I own one of his MacGregor sand wedges.

It's a hand ground Don White 56* with a wide sole and not much bounce. It's 2-3* flat and has an
FCM 7.0 RIFLE shaft in it.

He doesn't carry a higher lofted wedge than this.*

Texsport

* This is because he's short game is so great.. the man has magic hands!
I'm a huge fan

I'm a fan too.

I had a recent conversation with Dave Wood, former VP of R&D at MacGregor and owner/founder of the famous Wood Brothers. I got the JMO SW from Dave.

He described all the work Don Wood did to perfect JMO's 56* for him, including welding metal on where it didn't exist on their blank, bending, shaping, etc. to get the wedge just right.

Dave said JMO doesn't want a lot of wedges in his bag and can hit any shot necessary by adjusting ball and hand positions with a 56*.

One telling comment was that everyone, including Tiger and Phil stop to watch JMO practice his wedge shots. JMO doesn't watch them.

I'd love to find a grinder who could duplicate the JMO wedge I have. It's still in great shape now but am afraid of wearing it out by using it much.

It's quite interesting to experiment with the club, trying to figure out how JMO hits all those shots he has. There doesn't seem to be much video or written descriptions of JMO's techniques anywhere.

Do you know of any instructional stuff from JMO? Maybe/hopefully there's some in Europe that we don't get over here.

Texsport

Texsport: I hadn't thought about this before, but you are spot on about there not being much video or written analysis of Olazabal's techniques. I, for one, would be very interested if there is. He was always such a joy to watch as he planned a shot and then went on to execute it!

Dave told me that JMO almost always is trying to make his pitch and chip shots, and is very upset whenever he doesn't get it up and down inside of 100 yds--every time!

And here's a good idea--------JMO plans to always leave himself with an uphill, right-to-left putt after his chip.

That does take some planning and skill!

Texsport

This post has been edited by Texsport: Nov 6 2009, 08:22 AM

[Texsport]

Here's an example of his chipping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdObhohQbY4

Texsport

[Jay4]

I have a question. Jose is playing 690MB, for us consumer we can only get used clubs, because OEM have discontinue selling to the masses. Can a PRO get a new set of discontinue clubs from the OEM?

[petter7]

Here's an example of his chipping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdObhohQbY4

Texsport

Not too many guys get in this position.......

[mk920]

As always petter great pics~~~~

[zmaz]

He was using this driver at the Costello Masters 10/23/09:



Back of left hand and clubface angles spot on......



Just like this pic....pretty cool looking......LAG!!!!

Played in a charity event with him some years back, just after he came back from the back/foot issues. Fantastic guy, and a great, great iron/wedge player. His driving was so bad, that I feel comfortable saying it was worse than your average 3 handicapper. Really awful. Short and crooked. Still, he could play from everywhere, and got the ball in the hole like crazy. Anyway, posting pics of Ollie hitting a driver is like posting pics of Watson putting in the early 90s. They should probably be labeled NSFW.

[Gareth Williams]

Here's an example of his chipping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdObhohQbY4

Texsport

Not too many guys get in this position.......

....with good reason!!!!

[petter7]

Here's an example of his chipping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdObhohQbY4

Texsport

Not too many guys get in this position.......

....with good reason!!!!

But, it does look a bit familiar.

[Texsport]

Great finds petter7--as usual!

Texsport

[petter7]

The other guy that comes to mind that achieves this transition position is Chad Campbell.
Here he is just a tick of time short of JMO's position....



Here's Chad from an UTL (up the line) view. Both of these shots are with a 3 wood,
so there is a different angle of attack with the ball teed lower than he would have
with a driver and the ball teed higher.

[lead]

Did you guys see him play the Mallorca Skins Game this year? He was on fire!

I'd say we see him back as a winner on tour next year.

/lead