Equipment
ECCO releases G-Mac Special Edition golf shoes
On Monday, ECCO released G-Mac Special Edition golf shoes to commemorate Graeme McDowell’s 2010 U.S. Open victory at Pebble Beach. The company released 284 pairs, matching McDowell’s winning score of 284 (even-par) when he captured his first and only major championship.
The lavish shoes, designed by McDowell in collaboration with ECCO CEO Dieter Kasprzak, are handcrafted by artisans in Portugal.
Their waterproof constructions are made with a leather upper, a premium leather outsole, Second Skin full-leather lining and a removable covered leather inlay sole with ECCO’s Comfort Fibre System, said to increase air circulation.
[quote_box_center]“Combining trend-setting silhouettes, remarkably-premium materials and advanced technologies, this is a luxury golf shoe in the truest sense,” McDowell says. “It perfectly complements my personal style and performance criteria.”[/quote_box_center]
The soles come with gold metal spikes, but offer interchangeable Q-LOK spikes by CHAMP, as well.
G-Mac’s special-edition shoes, now available on ECCO’s website and in select retail stores, are offered in three saddle-style colorways — (White/Denim Blue), (Concrete/Shadow White) and (White/White) — for $500.
Buy them here on ECCO’s website.
Equipment
Building the Bag: How Neal Shipley’s switch-up on spin has developed his setup
Neal Shipley survived “Golf’s Longest Day” to qualify for the U.S. Open next week at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, and is set to make his first appearance at his national open since he earned low amateur in 2004. So what better time to be featured in another edition of “Building a Bag.”
It’s also a significant time for Shipley to have a breakdown of his setup featured here at GolfWRX, as the Ohio State alum has been through some substantial gear changes over the past few months to combat one thing – over-spinning the golf ball.
So let’s dive into Shipley’s setup:
Big changes start with the ball
Shipley’s major bag update for this season has been a change in golf balls. Initially, in the Titleist Pro V1, Shipley had to remove loft from his long irons to tackle the fact that he overspins the golf ball. But after testing and transitioning to the Pro V1x Double Dot, he was able to find the right numbers and also launch the ball higher.
“I’ve struggled with spin for a long time and I was battling that, especially in my longer irons and had to take a lot of loft off,” Shipley told GolfWRX. “So I struggled when I got the irons in the right spin rates in the right spin windows, not getting enough height. So I was able to go to this ball and add loft, get the lunch I need, without really adding too much spin.”
The lower-launching and lower-spinning Pro V1x variant is a golf ball that transformed Cameron Young’s game and plenty of players have tested it out on Tour, including Kris Ventura and Jhonattan Vegas.
“It’s been nice to kind of launch the ball a little bit more and get some height more with my launch rather than with the ball downfield,” Shipley added. “So it’s been a nice addition. It’s really good in crosswind. It’s great off the tee.”
Soft stepping experiment
From 5- to 9-iron, Shipley plays Ping’s Blueprint T irons, of which he believes are “one of the cleanest looking blades out there.”
The model has been in his bag even before they even went to retail. What’s most interesting about his iron setup, though, is what he’s doing with the shafts.
Shipley plays Dynamic Gold X100 120 shaft, a pretty common shaft out on Tour. What he and the Ping team have begun experimenting with is soft-stepping, for a few reasons.

“Trying and get a little more, just touch, more height and spin on the ball, a little more deflection,” Shipley said on the process of changing the stiffness of a set of irons by putting the lower-numbered iron shaft throughout the set and changing the distance from the first step in the shaft to the hosel. (ie. The 8-iron shaft is put in the 9-iron and so forth.)
Essentially, the shift makes the shaft slightly weaker by cutting more off the butt end of the club. The change aligns with the ball swap, with Shipley’s freedom now to launch the ball higher with loft without it overspinning. Shipley has also done the same to his i240 4-iron.
No need to de-loft
Shipley plays some of the lowest-lofted clubs out on the PGA Tour. His older Ping G440 LST has just 6.8 degrees of loft – yes, you read that correctly!
Now with the ability to add more loft, thanks to the golf ball change, Shipley’s current driver is at 7.6 degrees. The 9-degree LST head is cranked down on Big Minus on the Ping adapter hosel.

It’s still a stout build, however, as Shipley plays a Fujikura Ventus TR 7x that has been tipped at 2 inches. He also uses the heaviest high-density tungsten back weight available at 35 grams.
More than just the stamps
Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley said. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
There’s more to just the stamping. He’s stuck with the S159 wedges since graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour, as he feels confident in the head shape.
“I prefer the shape a little bit more of the leading edge, not as rounded of a leading edge, a little bit more straight on,” Shipley added.
The added confidence helps him with adapting to the different grinds needed week-in-week-out on Tour. Shipley is happy to game three different grinds with his lob-wedge.
“Primarily use the T, the H, and then I’ll do a 58S,” Shipley said. “These are actually at 59 degrees. I’ll do the 58 strengthen to take a little bit of bounce off in the S grind and then we’ll shave some trail edge and heel edge relief. Just helps act as like a higher bounce essentially. So kind of stick with those most of the time.”
Heavier the better
The final piece to Shipley’s puzzle is his custom Ping PLD Anser 4D. It’s somewhat of a gentle giant, featuring a heavier-than-usual head, but a custom aluminium insert.
“It’s a little bit heavier, I think this one’s 355 to 360 grams, so a little bit heavier head,” Shipley said. “So the heavier head I feel like has helped me on some of the shorter putts with a little bit of stability.
“But the insert, I think, has been helpful in some of the longer putts. Just kind of slowing the ball down with the softer insert in the grooves.”

Shipley’s one of the few players left on Tour playing an actual Anser blade, having said in the past that he naturally sets up to the right on putts and allows the face to rotate through. Something which he hasn’t been able to mimic with a mallet.
Shipley’s full bag:
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @ 7.6)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7X (45 inches, tipped 2 inches)
Mini driver: Ping prototype
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 8X
3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (13.5 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore+ 8X
Irons: Ping iDi (3 @ 19.25), Ping i240 (4), Ping Blueprint T (6-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 X100 (4-9 soft-stepped)
Wedges: Ping s159 (46-12S, 50-10S, 54-12S, 60 T or H @ 59)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold 120 X100 (46-50), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (54-60)
Putter: Ping PLD Anser 4D
Grips: Golf Pride ZGrip Cord
Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot
Whats in the Bag
Hannah Green WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 53 S

3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 63 S

7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, C1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Designs Tour AD DI-6 SR

Irons: Srixon ZXi5 (4), ZXi7 (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Steelfiber i80 CW

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack (50 MID-10, 56 MID-10, 60 LOW-06)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro 980GH D.S.T. R

Putter: Scotty Cameron Xperimental 3.2 Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: Srixon Z-Star Diamond
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Tour Issue Ping G440 LST
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who 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, @Slinger24 is selling a tour-issued Ping G440 LST driver head. The item, verified by the club maker, has nine degrees of loft.

From the listing:
First up is a tour issue PING G440 LST 9 degree head. Head-cover included. Has been verified by PING with the serial number and you can see the spec sheet from PING as well. This thing is an absolute spin killer. I just can’t hit it high enough. Asking $380 shipped in the lower 48 UPS for the head.
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.
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Jonny B
Jun 15, 2015 at 8:09 am
G-Mac? Oh yeah, that overrated guy who sucks at golf now. Snooze…
golfpro
Jun 14, 2015 at 3:56 pm
What a beautiful shoe! Seems its a limited edition, which might explain the price.
The blue and white one is so beautiful i would rather have it on my office desk than on my feet.
Carlos Danger
Jun 12, 2015 at 9:08 am
$500????
Ha! I love Ecco’s as much as the next guy (2 pairs in my locker right now) but I will just buy these on Golf Anything .com in a year from now for $199
Alex T
Jun 10, 2015 at 5:49 pm
I’m glad they’ve released these, always loved G-Mac’s style, but I’ve checked here in the UK and no signs of availability… Surely they wouldn’t release a shoe, designed by a Northern Irishman and probably best suited to British courses (metal spikes), that isn’t available where his biggest segment of fans exist, would they?
Golfraven
Jun 10, 2015 at 2:16 pm
Thought most clubs banned metal spikes already. This model looks slightly chunky compared to the Icons which I wear. There is no better style then the Saddle in my opinion. ecco very much copied older FJ Classics with the Saddle style (with the punctured top line near the laces) and the leather sole which I don’t think is en vogue nowadays considering the weight of modern shoes. Think FJ Icons are certainly a better choice – you likely can buy two oairs of Myjoys for on pair of Gmac one.
brian d
Jun 10, 2015 at 1:14 pm
about 5 years late on this one
slider
Jun 10, 2015 at 11:26 am
the spikes are nice probably better grip than a lot of the shoes on the current market
ML
Jun 9, 2015 at 9:58 pm
Yawn
G- who ???
Aaron
Jun 9, 2015 at 4:27 pm
Metal Spikes!