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Six “Next Big Things” in Equipment that Weren’t

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golf next

I hate to do this to you.

This being the beginning of the year and you all into new gear you’re sure will transform your game.

But it’s fitting to remember that The Next Big Thing isn’t sometimes. Just as every new social media site can’t be MySpace — sorry, I meant Facebook — some equipment fireworks fizzle. This Detroiter once owned a scarlet Edsel, so I know that a product of which they rave, “Once you’ve seen it, you’ll never forget it,” can become unforgettable for a whole other reason.

Which brings us to golf, where we’ve learned the Edsel lesson many times. Just for fun, a few products that were, briefly, the end all and be all. And then were not. Pan Am to Ipana, if you will.

Chime in if you remember others….

No. 1: Basakwerd Putter

Basakwerd putter

Of all of designer Jim Flood’s remarkable introductions—the graphite shaft, Odyssey putters, the PowerPod (more later), the wildest was the Basakwerd, manufactured by a company called Orizaba. Imagine that your putter was run over by, well, an Edsel, and now the shaft was on the other side of the ball, the face of the blade still looked at the hole, and you had the sensation of putting a left-handed putter upside down and right-handed (reverse all that if you’re a lefty). Though it’s hosel-to-toe design gave the feeling of possessing zero MOI, it was so different it made revolutionary sense to many. Johnny Miller and Gene Littler played it on tour, and tens of thousands gave it a try until embarrassment or their natural putting strokes got the better of them. They sold 7,000 of them in two days when Littler got hot with it at the ’83 Los Angeles Open. You can still find one on Ebay.

No. 2: Featherlites

Dave Pelz Featherlites

It’s hard to convey how hot Featherlites were back in the 1980s. Suddenly these lightweight irons, with swing weights in the mid Cs rather than Ds or even Es, were in the bags of tour pros and hackers alike. Golf made easy. Easy to swing. Easy to generate swing speed. And more in demand than anything since the Ping Eye-2. Designed by Dave Pelz, they were embraced by Golf Digest (and played by its longtime equipment editor, as I recall), tested by Tom Kite and Raymond Floyd, and put into the line of any number of manufacturers. But problems arose as quickly as a “whoosh” after a whippy swing. Some issues related to the lightweight materials: breaks in the shaft under the grip, for example. But more often it was that Featherlites proved, in reverse, the importance of feel during the swing. Golfers who found them easy to play when nothing was on the line couldn’t really feel the club head under pressure. Not a good thing. Featherlites are still out there, but what looked like a permanent change in our game were gone as fast as Flappy Bird. 

No. 3: The Chipper

The Chipper

The only club champion in our household, my wife Julie, still has one of these in her bag, but the popularity of chippers, or “putter chippers” as they are also known, has mostly gone the way of Shia LaBeouf. Hybrids today can accomplish what the chipper set out to do: Provide a highly lofted (30 degrees plus) mallet for around the green. Most hybrids are longer than chippers, however, and chipping with them can be tricky, which is why a putter-length utility club seems to make sense. Chippers seem perennially poised to stage a comeback — there was even an illegal one with opposing faces so you could use it left or right, if that ever came up — but oddly enough they are challenging to use. Do I employ a chipping motion? A putting stroke? And which club does it replace? A wedge? A 7-iron? My wife has one made by Callaway. Adams’ Idea a70S Chipper is the latest, and may make you want to give it another try.

No. 4: PowerPod driver

Power Pod driver

It’s probably enough to say that when I met the man who would become Golf Digest’s Worst Avid Golfer, Angelo Spagnolo, I noticed that his driver was a PowerPod. He swore by it. It was the ultimate anti-slice club at a time in the mid-1980s when adjustable drivers and movable head-weights were only a dream. No adjustment necessary with this club: It was designed for golfers determined to turn their bananas into a “power fade,” no matter how ugly the process became. And the PowerPod, even to those who swore by it, was pretty ugly. It was a purple, polyurethane, plumbing-like fixture aligned on the shaft so that it pointed toward the golfer to such an extent that a normal swing would deliver the ball off a right-hander’s left shin. But thanks to Angelo and slicers everywhere, more than a million were sold. Unfortunately, according to designer Jim Flood, “about a third came back broken” due to an overly delicate head. That sunk the original Pod. In 2011, however, Flood introduced the PowerPod 2, and you can still get one from Tiger Shark.

No. 5: The Response Putter

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Jack Nicklaus’s victory at 46 in the 1986 Masters was miraculous for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was the putter he used to accomplish it: The Response. The creation of legendary designer Clay Long, MacGregor’s aluminum Response ZT 615 putter was a flat-stick version of enlarged type. It was gargantuan. Long told Golf World’s Mike Johnson that when Nicklaus first saw the putter he said, “Is this a joke?”  The putter dwarfed standard-sized putters Jack had used until then. The original Responses had virtually no grip, just a black cloth wrap, which made the experience of putting with it even weirder. Nicklaus added weight to his behind the face. And on April 13, 1986 he made five birdies and an eagle to shoot 30 on the second nine at Augusta and win by one over Tom Kite and Greg Norman. By noon the next day, according to Long, MacGregor had taken 5,000 orders for the club, and eventually sold 350,000. You can still find versions of it at Golfsmith. I also see there’s an “original” on eBay for $299.99. I have one of those first ones and putt very well with it indoors — where the wind can’t get at it.

No. 6: Square-headed Drivers

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Above: As recently as 2012, Lucas Glover was using a Nike SQ2 Sumo Tour square-headed driver on the PGA Tour. But like most other PGA Tour player, he’s since moved on. 

A friend of mine says that at his private club members are asked to operate by a simple rule: “Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.” In other words, even if the by-laws allow it, you may not want to think twice. Which is how some of us feel about those square-headed drivers that popped up — and then back down — a few years back. When the USGA set MOI rules, it drove manufacturers to maximize stability — and with it, perimeter weighting. The square shape made for a very stable driver, but you had to look at it 14 times a round to gain the benefit. Some amateurs also found that it was hard to, well, “square” these clubfaces at impact, making for a very unshakeable slice. They weren’t, for the most, particularly long. Eventually, with new materials and manufacturing methods, designers accomplished the same thing with heads that were nice to look at. And the nerdiest driver in history, like many of our “Next Big Things,” faded into memory.

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Bob Carney is a Contributing Editor at Golf Digest, writing for the magazine, its web site and sister publication Golf World. He’s an avid golfer and a single-digit handicap who has earned awards for his coverage of the industry and recreational golf. He is co-author, with Davis Love Jr. and Bob Toski, of How to Feel a Real Golf Swing. Prior to joining Golf Digest, Carney wrote for the Bergen (NJ) Record and contributed stories to People Magazine and Time, among others. He earned a B.A. From University of Michigan, attended Columbia University Journalism School, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, where he managed to get in one or two rounds of golf.

73 Comments

73 Comments

  1. Craig Russell

    Jul 26, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    How about onset irons. The J-stroke putter or the Gidar putter. A driver was produced but ruled illegal that was perimeter weighted only. Nothing in the center

  2. Tony Lynam

    Mar 25, 2014 at 8:13 pm

    Remember the Carbite ZG Polar Balance mallet putter? It was my first putter and the last time I bought a club off an infomercial.

    • Archie Bunker

      Mar 26, 2014 at 3:08 pm

      What about “The Hammer”? I thought Zolex was the next big thing in super metals.

  3. jim

    Mar 24, 2014 at 11:34 am

    my all time fave was the putter that was so big it stood up by itself so you could get behind it to line up putts…lmao made by condor or something

  4. joro

    Mar 19, 2014 at 7:27 pm

    I have seen it all in my 60 yrs and the Featherlites were the worst. I remember talking to Pelz at the PGA show and realizing he had no clue about how to build a club. They were so lite even a regular shaft played Xstiff in those heads. That is if the didn’t fall apart before you could play a round.

    The bassakward and Power Pod was make be a good friend who was very interesting and had some good theories that worked. His little David Irons were pretty good and he made a mini sized fairway Wood called the Ball Buster that hit it a ton. He always felt 300cc was the ultimate size for a Driver, which was the size of the Callaway VFT, which is still a Rocket Launcher.

    Nicklaus response Putter was showed he was a hypocrite when it came to him. He said more than once it should be illegal it was so good, yet he used it and won. When it came to grooves he was one of the 4 that bitched Ping which they said were illegal, yet his Putter was OKAY. I still have one and it is huge. (it was given to me and never used)

    There were many clubs on the market that were “odd” that worked very well, like the Cleveland VAS, funny looking but very good in design along with the square Woods, perfect balance and even weight;, but like most things, ugly. This is a subject that could go on for hours.

  5. dmabe

    Mar 19, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    I loved the Polara slice reducing balls and a Wilson Whale driver. Also, my Jerry Barber shankproofs competed with my Browning .44 irons. A Console wedge and Thing putter rounded it out.

  6. Dan

    Mar 18, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    I can’t believe they didn’t mention the “Hickory Stick”

  7. Archie Bunker

    Mar 18, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    Shakespeare clubs with the black fiberglass “Wondershaft”. Gary Player endorsed them, but hated them so much, he replaced them with steel shafts painted black (to fool the public). I really wanted a set back in the 1960’s!

    I have the replacement for the PowerPod, which was the PolyRocket. Same plastic material in a more conventional club head design. The same plastic was used to make the first Odysey putter inserts.

    • Archie Bunker

      Mar 18, 2014 at 4:30 pm

      LiquidMetal golf clubs! Remember the demo on how long a dropped ball would continue to bounce on a liquidmetal face compared to a conventional metal? Guess it didn’t matter. And how about TaylorMade balls vacuum packaged to protect them from distance-robbing moisture?

  8. Rich

    Mar 15, 2014 at 1:05 am

    What about that mini cube shaped putter. It was no bigger than a ball. Can’t really say it was the next big thing but certainly out there. Or the ping balls with half mini putt color and half white? What was that about. Agreed this speed slot thing or whatever it’s called is pure gimmick exaggerating the benefits. Long before Nike came out with a square head there was another one, I think it even had holes through it for air flow. Not sure of the name. Diamond face wedges were pretty ridiculous and the fat shafts should definitely have made the list. Interestingly enough, Wilson had some nice currie putters back in like 2005 that had counter balancing in the shaft, now it’s all the rage, maybe see it on this list circa 2015?

    • Dave

      Mar 15, 2014 at 8:12 am

      The ping ball was for putting practice. I still have one and use it sometimes to practice my stroke. You can tell if you are rolling it true or not.

      • Craven

        Mar 16, 2014 at 7:58 pm

        I have a half dozen ping balls as well. Perfect for putting drills.

  9. Dave

    Mar 14, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    Tommy Armour Ti-100 irons. All titanium and the size of a dinner plate. No chance to hit them on the sweet spot. Apparently they designed them, produced them, and rushed them to the store…. without ever hitting them.

  10. Art

    Mar 12, 2014 at 12:11 pm

    Great memories of some of these flops. My favorite personal flop was from the late 60’s or early 70’s – The “Top Dog” driver. Innovative for it’s time because it had a graphite shaft AND a totally graphite head (Gee Whiz!).

    It was supposed to be ultra long and accurate (naturally)and deliver a huge increase in club head speed because of the ultralight head. Of course, it was a total piece of junk. You could launch it 270 yards easily but 200 of the yards was into the woods.

  11. melrosegod

    Mar 11, 2014 at 8:12 am

    Fat Shaft!

  12. BamaPhiSig

    Mar 10, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    In a year or two “Speed Slots” will be added to the list.

  13. Nagar

    Mar 9, 2014 at 4:20 am

    What about Wilson’s Killer Whale . Biggest Headed Driver I. It’s day at a sopping 280cc.

    • Tony Lynam

      Mar 25, 2014 at 6:57 pm

      I used one of those, bomber back in it’s day.

  14. Tom

    Mar 8, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    How about Copper Beryllium irons, Pelz 3 ball putter made out of plastic
    and Sounder hollow head irons.

    • mark b

      Mar 17, 2014 at 3:01 pm

      BeCu irons would still be around today if the EPA hadn’t banned the casting of the alloy. And a set of 25 year old Ping Eye 2 BeCu’s can fetch $300 to $500 on Ebay. Hardly a flop.

    • Dan

      Mar 18, 2014 at 4:03 pm

      I still use my Ping Eye 2+ BeCu Lob Wedge and it’s the best looking club in my bag.

  15. maslie

    Mar 8, 2014 at 11:28 am

    I’ll say gripless shaft! .600 butt with no grip. Redirect slice for another +17 yards. Who won’t like it?

  16. Tanner

    Mar 8, 2014 at 7:26 am

    graphite/steel shafted clubs

  17. Tanner

    Mar 8, 2014 at 7:25 am

    About 10 yrs ago there was a graphite and steel shaft in one club. Do not recall who made it.

    • Ross

      Mar 10, 2014 at 11:34 am

      it was an adams golf set of irons that had a steel tip, however graffaloy still make a shaft the bimatrix. Bubba watson games it

  18. Square

    Mar 8, 2014 at 5:48 am

    The Alien Wedge and the Perfect club were good calls within the past 20 years. However, I didn’t see a mention of the Jerry Barber Shank Proof irons. Also, if I see one more commercial for the true roll putter and that creepy guy kissing his club while saying “Money” I think I’ll puke.
    And that cheezy fake ball which makes it’s way to the hole….come on! I will say the best informercial cult classic clubs were the Orlimar trimetals. Those things flat out worked….

    • Carey Freeman

      Mar 14, 2014 at 12:58 pm

      LOL on the creepy guy! Every time I see that commercial I think, “If anyone sees this guy around a school, please call the cops?”

    • Brian Stowell

      Mar 19, 2014 at 6:16 pm

      That has to be one of the dumbest ads of all time. When he kisses the putter I think it is because no woman would have him. Just like no real golfer would want that putter after seeing the ad.

  19. Joe Golfer

    Mar 8, 2014 at 1:55 am

    Here’s another fad that didn’t last. It was probably in the late 1980’s or thereabouts.
    I can’t recall the name, but there was a shaft that was very thick at the grip end, though the wall thickness was very thin. This was too eliminate the weight of a grip. Instead of a standard grip, one simply wrapped some sort of thin tacky tape-like grip onto the shaft to help hold onto it better. I recall several top pros actually using this fad for a brief period, though it didn’t last.
    These were expensive shafts (at the time) and were not some cheapo infomercial thing.
    Perhaps someone knows the name of these shafts from that fad.
    One company that used something similar was called Goldwin Golf, which had a shaft called AVDP, which stood for some French word like Avec Dupois??? regarding the weight distribution, as one was supposed to feel the majority of the weight in the clubhead.

    • John Muir

      Mar 10, 2014 at 9:22 am

      That was the AJ Tech “Gripless”. Their shafts are still the best (though hard to come by). Low 50g and 2.5 torque. Nobody has come close to something that light and low torque.
      John
      clubmaker-online.com

  20. RG

    Mar 7, 2014 at 9:30 pm

    You are all forgetting “The Perfect Club.”

    • billy

      Mar 19, 2014 at 10:02 am

      Ill defend the “Perfect club” a bit…gamed the original for 2 seasons (got it off Craigslist for $25) and it was deadly from 160 – 170 out on most any lie. It was a precursor to the modern hybrid’s of today and was easy to hit.

      Just say’en

  21. Tommy Truth

    Mar 7, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    The biggest gimmick was that company called Taylor Made that sold all those garbage clubs to suckers. Remember the “white headed driver” and the “Rocketballz” that promised 17 more yards? LOLOLOLOL. And that driver they called “SLDR”.

    • Calemardo

      Mar 23, 2014 at 4:30 am

      HAHAHAHA couldn’t agree more! I used to love TM but after the Rocketballz BS i’ll never buy another. I’ll keep my R9 and love it!

    • Tony Lynam

      Mar 25, 2014 at 8:05 pm

      Yeah, and remember those idiots at PGA golf tournaments would yell out “ROCKETBALLZ” when a TMAG player would tee off? Seems just like yesterday.

  22. Shotmark

    Mar 7, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    Low profile irons. Cleveland VAS irons (mark 1& 2).

  23. Ryne

    Mar 6, 2014 at 9:29 pm

    I’m just thinking of all of the products I’ve seen in infomercials, even from reputable manufacturer’s. TaylorMade Firesole, Carbite Putter, Pure Spin Wedges, the Hammer (POW!!!), and my personal favorite, the Adams Spin Controlled Driver.

    • Joe Golfer

      Mar 8, 2014 at 1:21 am

      My bro-in-law still plays TaylorMade Firesole fairway woods.
      He’s tried numerous other fairway woods over the years, and he owns several others, but he always stays with those old Firesoles, so they must have some value to them.
      My best friend was given “the Hammer” driver. We both tried it a few times at the driving range. We both considered it to be a piece of junk. But that guy in the infomercial sure could hit it 🙂

      You’ve come up with a good list of junky clubs to add to the list.
      I also like the one by the guy who noted the Cleveland VAS irons.
      A buddy owned them, the original version. They actually hit the ball decently, but looking at them was no treat.

    • joro

      Mar 19, 2014 at 7:34 pm

      Don’t forget “The Incredible Alien” off the rock in the middle of the lake. The darn thing was really good though, but nobody had the balls to carry one. lol

  24. ajc

    Mar 6, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    I still use a square driver. Whatever. I paid less than $80 for it now that they’re discontinued.
    If the primary arguments against it are that it “looks weird” and has been replaced by adjustable weighting and hosel technology on drivers that cost 3-6 times what I paid…then I’m ok with that 🙂

  25. Magna ball

    Mar 6, 2014 at 5:44 pm

    Easier to find!

  26. Greg

    Mar 6, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    Still have my Featherlites and the Response putter…. collecting dust in the garage! 🙂

  27. Clay

    Mar 6, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    Yea, well only one of these products won a major championship and only one was rooted in good physics. Oh, and only one of these was used by the greatest player of all time for over ten (10) years. So…as you saw the three ball putter reinvented as the two ball putter (best selling putter of all time)don’t be too surprised if you putter doesn’t grow one of these days as well! I may be biased but…..

    Clay Long

    • Joey

      Mar 6, 2014 at 9:58 pm

      Still have mine that I actually bought and was using before Jack won the Masters if I’m remembering right.

  28. Tim

    Mar 6, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    I had a yonex graphite driver, it sounded very odd but the ball went miles, unfortunately it started disintegrating within about 3 months and I took it back and exchanged it for a Callaway big Bertha warbird.

  29. Fred

    Mar 6, 2014 at 1:20 pm

    I don’t have time to read this, I’m off to play 18. Can’t wait to tee up my oversize Top Flite Magna ball, and hit it with my nitrogen-filled Powerbilt driver. Gonna be my best round ever.

    • Joe Golfer

      Mar 8, 2014 at 1:24 am

      Doesn’t Powerbilt still use some nitrogen gas in their clubheads, supposedly to increase Characteristic Time?

    • Ganzoo

      Mar 10, 2014 at 5:40 pm

      Love it! Well played sir…

    • Carey Freeman

      Mar 14, 2014 at 1:02 pm

      I found a Top Flight Magna on the course the other day. Had to do a double take.

  30. E

    Mar 6, 2014 at 1:05 pm

    Cleveland Golf has just made a new chipper, the Smart Sole C.

  31. hebron1427

    Mar 6, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    first thing that came to mind was the square head driver. probably should have put graphite head drivers on the list too

  32. Rob

    Mar 6, 2014 at 12:15 pm

    C4 driver was supposed to be the next big thing and it also destroyed Callaway

  33. James

    Mar 6, 2014 at 12:02 pm

    I agree with other that you could add “bubble” shafts to this list among other things. Golf is littered with all sorts of gimmicks guaranteed to shave 5-7 strokes off your game. I should be shooting 55s by now with all that stuff.

  34. Chris

    Mar 6, 2014 at 11:33 am

    John Daly’s PGA championship win sold a lot of those Cobra drivers that were ceramic. And how can we have a list like this without the HAMMER Driver??? BOOM!!!!

    • Martin

      Mar 6, 2014 at 2:37 pm

      That was a Ping driver back then.

    • Christopher

      Mar 6, 2014 at 6:03 pm

      Wasn’t his driver made of Kevlar? I remember him mentioning he tried to blow a few of them away with a .45.

    • matt

      Mar 10, 2014 at 7:59 am

      driver was called Cobra Ultramid, was white with a red titanium shaft

  35. Spit

    Mar 6, 2014 at 11:31 am

    Apparently they missed the covert driver….

  36. ChuckWeber

    Mar 6, 2014 at 11:18 am

    I have a brand new set of featherlite in the ladies flex. A very nice looking club, to bad it had problems.

  37. ND Hickman

    Mar 6, 2014 at 10:29 am

    If we’re looking at TaylorMade then the white headed driver. They dropped that for no discernible reason. I cannot understand why they dropped that.

  38. Colm

    Mar 6, 2014 at 9:47 am

    What about – “Space Age Technology” = Ceramic Driver !
    I had a friend who had one way back, it went miles but sounded odd – never took off though

  39. Danny

    Mar 6, 2014 at 9:45 am

    Bubble shafts?

    Cavity back drivers?

    Those Top Flight balls that you matched with a Burner Bubble to increase gear affect?

    • Rob

      Mar 6, 2014 at 10:50 am

      I had a Ti Bubble 2 back in the day. It was pretty sweet. I actually just got it out of my parents basement to see how it feels 15 years later.

  40. McQuezo

    Mar 6, 2014 at 9:40 am

    What about the 1990s Tear Drop putter, with “roll face technology”.

    • Taylor Zalewski

      Mar 6, 2014 at 12:09 pm

      Tear drops were incredible putters. I may have to reshaft mine and put it back in the bag.

  41. SwingerWinger

    Mar 6, 2014 at 9:27 am

    What about the Bubble Shaft in 1990’s TaylorMade drivers. I saw them everywhere for a while, never understood them, and then they disappeared.

    • Dan

      Mar 18, 2014 at 4:00 pm

      My buddy received one from Hale Irwin about 2 yrs before they were available retail. It felt amazing vs the retail.

  42. Drew Farron

    Mar 6, 2014 at 9:12 am

    Excellent article ….I remember the Featherlite craze!
    Glad to find out that you are a fellow Detroit’er!

  43. LorenRobertsFan

    Mar 6, 2014 at 9:07 am

    Might as well go ahead and add the SLDR Minidriver to this list

    • paul

      Mar 6, 2014 at 8:31 pm

      Ha ha, best comment so far. I still think the best idea I saw that never was, was the driver with the shaft in the middle of the head. Instead of on the heel.

      • Dave

        Mar 6, 2014 at 10:58 pm

        What about the Alien wedges? Guaranteed to get you out of a bunker (with zero technique).

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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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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