Equipment
Poulter signs with Titleist, FootJoy
Ian Poulter announced on his Twitter account that he will become a Titleist and FootJoy staff player for the 2015 season.
Seriously pleased to announce I will be a full staff @Titleist@FootJoy staff player for 2015 season. So excited. pic.twitter.com/baeNv7NrhL
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) October 21, 2014
Based on the photo Poulter tweeted, he can be expected to use a full bag of Titleist clubs and a Titleist ball in 2015. He will likely wear one of FootJoy’s premium shoe models.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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dunn2500
Nov 1, 2014 at 4:04 pm
Good for him….titleist is solid!!!…gonna be weird seeing him in titleist hat!
Golfraven
Nov 7, 2014 at 10:24 am
Actually you wouldn’t because it’s IJP all over his cap, cloths and golf bag. Still using Odyssey flatstick http://www.pgatour.com/content/pgatour/equipmentreport/2014/11/06/ian-poulter-new-odyssey-putter.html
Pingback: ???????????????Titleist?? - SYUMII
Curt
Oct 23, 2014 at 1:29 pm
Titelist still makes something other than a ball? Wow and people use it.
B-man
Oct 22, 2014 at 2:40 pm
Hey all: to all the Poulter critics: He may look like more flash than substance at times outside of the ryder cup,but I think he’s a good guy overall from what I’ve seen and golf does need some personalities out there. As far as his new Titleist/Footjoy deal is concerned I’m not surprised he signed with them considering Cobra golf was owned by the same parent company as well as he say’s the new Titleist balls are great. Ad to that he can still wear his own clothing line.
Snufles
Nov 15, 2014 at 9:40 am
I agree, dude has a lot of energy and in the right direction.
S Phillips
Oct 22, 2014 at 11:25 am
Now your with the big boys. Don’t act like an A-Hole like you’ve done in the past. Win a Major and you might get the respect you dearly want. DON’t BE A TOOL IP.
Golfraven
Oct 22, 2014 at 2:08 pm
+1 – yep, you say my words
Forsbrand
Oct 22, 2014 at 4:40 pm
Hmmmmmm that’s a little harsh. After not having a glowing Amateur playing record like so many of the worlds elite golfers Poulter has done exceedingly well for himself both in victories, prize winnings and respect for a four handicap shop assistant! Not sure why you have to win a major to be classed as a great, mark calcavecchia, Ben Curtis, Todd Hamilton…………….
Ryan Lyons
Oct 22, 2014 at 5:46 pm
Ben Curtis has a major
Forsbrand
Oct 23, 2014 at 2:28 am
Yes Ben Curtis Todd Hamilton and calc all have majors my friend but would you classify them as greats?
KK
Oct 23, 2014 at 2:52 am
So does Todd Hamilton, Shaun Micheel, Paul Lawrie, Michael Campbell, and countless other one and dones. I think his point is that just because you have a major doesn’t make you a great player.
Forsbrand
Oct 23, 2014 at 9:04 am
Affirmative realistacly there have been. A few one off winners that have just got across the line, no disrespect to them winning, but to be a true great you have to be a multiple major winner, winning The Open and one of the other majors in the US, shows you have all the shots and can compete with the very best.
????
Oct 26, 2014 at 5:02 pm
Playing with Titleist clubs makes you one of the “big boys”? I would say he´s been with the big boys for quite some time…16 professional wins, Ryder Cup legend, close to winning the Open a few times and so on. And I wonder how you can call the man a tool…do you know the guy?
FTWPhil
Oct 22, 2014 at 9:49 am
Does this mean he will finally win on the PGA tour?
TheFightingEdFioris
Oct 22, 2014 at 12:42 pm
Granted, one was match play and the other was HSBC in Asia, but he has two PGA Tour wins to his credit.. both WGC events over huge contenders.
enrique
Oct 21, 2014 at 4:12 pm
GREAT NEWS> Glad to hear it. Great player and a great brand.
Joel
Oct 21, 2014 at 2:33 pm
I wonder what that means for his putter. I may behind in Poulter news but last I remember hearing was that he was using the Odyssey Damascus putter.
adolfo
Oct 21, 2014 at 2:47 pm
I think Titleist will let him use Odyssey just like Stricker
Ctmason98
Oct 21, 2014 at 2:27 pm
And collectively, the world shrugs.
enrique
Oct 21, 2014 at 4:17 pm
alone in your bathroom, you shrug.
Golfraven
Oct 21, 2014 at 2:17 pm
Yeah, he probably will be most pleased to wear Footjoys again. He had la garage full of the Classics in all different colors vack in 2008/09. There was an older interview with him probably a year befor he went to Puma/Cobra. This add was classic too – thats the way my wife looks at me when I but another pair of FJs. http://youtu.be/5htXkaqv8Sw
Golfraven
Oct 21, 2014 at 2:35 pm
He can certainly dig out all the Icon models. Not much changed in the last 5 years. Here is the interview – fast forward to min 2 – http://youtu.be/RbkikeJI4Ek
JIMMY
Oct 21, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Does Titleist (acushnet) still own Cobra golf? I know they used to.
Zak Kozuchowski
Oct 21, 2014 at 2:05 pm
No. Puma owns Cobra. Titleist and Footjoy are owned by Fila.
MHendon
Oct 22, 2014 at 1:11 am
“Titleist and footjoy are owned by Fila” so is Acushnet still in business?
K
Oct 22, 2014 at 3:09 am
Well, it’s Fila Korea, actually, no real Fila exists any more, it was acquired and became Fila Korea. So Acushnet and Titleist are all Korean-owned now.
bradford
Oct 23, 2014 at 12:28 pm
So yes, eventually you will be playing Samsung golf balls.
Ty Webb
Oct 21, 2014 at 1:58 pm
Please NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
snowman
Oct 21, 2014 at 1:52 pm
Slow news day.
Oldplayer
Oct 22, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Great comment. Lol.
bradford
Oct 21, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Yeah, no real surprise there
adolfo
Oct 21, 2014 at 1:32 pm
not a real shock there. Good for IJP!!!