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Rickie Fowler on his new 3D printed prototype putter (and iron shaft switch)

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Rickie Fowler, who once led the PGA Tour in strokes gained: putting (2016-17), currently ranks 184th in the same category. It’s no secret: Fowler hasn’t been putting up to his standards. In his first 12 events of the 2021-22 season, Fowler has finished inside the top 40 in just one event – a T3 at the 2021 CJ Cup – and missed the cut six times.

He’s not just sitting idly by and trying to get different results from the same approach, however. Fowler has been making frequent equipment changes to better suit his game and preferences.

In his latest changes ahead of the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, Fowler went back to his familiar KBS Tour C-Taper 125 S+ shafts in his irons, and he’s put a brand new Cobra King Stingray 20 prototype putter in the bag.

On Wednesday before the Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Fowler to get his takes on the new changes. Here’s what he had to say…

On going back to KBS Tour C-Taper iron shafts

Back in January 2021, Fowler switched into Mitsubishi’s MMT graphite iron shafts to help reduce spin and gain stability. Now, in May 2022, Fowler is switching back into KBS Tour C-Taper shafts that he played for years prior to switching into the MMT shafts.

On Wednesday, he explained why.

“Obviously [the shafts are something] that I’ve had plenty of success with in the past,” Fowler told GolfWRX. “I went to the (Mitsubishi) MMTs because I saw it was helping get spin down. Now, (with my swing) being back in a better delivery spot, I was almost too low on the spin spectrum.

“The C-Tapers help get me back to where I want spin to be at. And yeah, I can manipulate loft and stuff like that to get spin where I want and all that, but like I said, something I’ve had success with, know it works, so yeah, I’m just in a good spot right now equipment wise. Not that we were in the wrong spot by any means. The MMTs did what I wanted originally. As things continued to get better, I was looking to add a little bit of spin.”

On his new Cobra King Stingray 20 proto putter

Fowler’s Cobra King Stingray putter also has a different face on it compared to the retail model. It has a solid construction, rather than the retail insert.

Fowler, a longtime Scotty Cameron user, has been experimenting with a number of different putter styles and brands in the last few months and years. In 2021, Fowler used a Cobra putter for the first time in his PGA Tour career, and most recently, he’s been using a TaylorMade Spider GT putter.

This week at the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship, though, he showed up with a custom Cobra 3D-printed Stingray 20 that’s a bit different than the retail model. Can you spot the difference?

Here’s what Fowler had to say about the new flatstick:

“I was messing with the Spider for a bit, which has rolled great. One, I liked the stability part. Two, it was easy to line up. Everything was matching up well. I feel like I was in a spot where I was just struggling to trust where I was lined up, and trusting that it was going to start there. So just making better strokes.

“Then with the Stingray, the one that’s in line has some wings on it. So we made one without those just to condense it a little bit and make it a little more…I don’t like having too much weight in the rear. A lot of mallets, you get weight in the back, where I feel like I’m kind of dragging a lot of times if it’s not a face balanced putter, the face will swing open and I feel like it kind of stays there. So that was the reasoning taking those off. There is a touch of toe hang on it, just to where there is a little bit of swing. The guys at Cobra were able to make that up, and I spent the last two weeks with it at home…

“A little touch up. They’re 3D printed, so that’s what’s nice with a lot of that, and the technology where we’re able to make little tweaks. Instead of having to make a completely new head, they can put that data in and print it up.”

Check out more photos and reactions from GolfWRX members in our forums. 

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He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

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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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Equipment

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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