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GolfWRX Interview Bridgestone Golf Clubs

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GolfWRX is proud to present an interview with Dan Murphy, Bridgestone Golf’s Marketing Manager and Danny Le Bridgestone Golf’s Club Marketing Manager.

To listen to the audio click here.

00:00 GolfWRX: We are here today with Danny Le and Dan Murphy from Bridgestone Golf. Guys, how are you doing today?

00:10 – Both: Great, how are you doing?

00:12 – GolfWRX: Excellent. We want to thank you for taking the time to talk to us and before we get started we are wondering if you could give us a little bit of background about your history in golf and with Bridgestone, as well.

00:19 – Danny Le: Definitely, I have been in the business since 2000. I worked on the retail side of the business from 2000 to 2006. I did various odd jobs there, repair work, club building. I was also the buyer and manager of the shop so a lot of experience on the retail side of the business where I interacted with a lot of consumers. So I had a lot of different needs from the consumer side that I understand. That has been a great help with my job currently. I came to Bridgestone golf in September 2006 in customer service, dealing with different accounts talking to those guys about what they are looking for, what we need to do improve our product in the United States. I recently just joined the marketing team with the help of Dan Murphy. It’s been a phenomenal experience and looking forward to building the brand up in the United States.

01:17 – Dan Murphy: I’ve been here for three and a half years. Bridgestone came here in August of 2004. The main mission for me has been to launch the Bridgestone brand. We were Precept previously, and January would mark our 3-year anniversary at Bridgestone. So it’s been a fun, fun ride and a good run. Previous to that I was with Maxfli and Dunlop-Slazenger group in Greenville, South Carolina. The business has been a lot of fun and looking forward to keeping the momentum going.

01:57 – GolfWRX: Excellent, I know you guys are building a lot of momentum and building a strong reputation among better players, especially. I was hoping you could tell us a little bit about the advantages backed by one of the biggest companies in the world provides you guys.

02:11 – Dan: I think it is a huge advantage and I think is one of the main things that sets us apart from our competitors. We are part of one of the biggest companies globally; certainly I think the biggest company that competes in the golf business. Bridgestone tire and rubber is bigger than Goodyear, bigger than Michelin, it’s a 30 billion dollar sales company, so it’s very, very large. We think it gives us advantages on three fronts. First, financially it gives us very strong depth and a strong position financially. We’ve all seen golf brands come and go in this market. We have the staying power financially to really continue a strong investment strategy and really get our name out among better players. So financially, I think is one area. The other one is engineering wise. The engineering strength of Bridgestone Tire and Rubber possesses 800 engineers focusing on rubber and polymer technology. A lot of that knowledge is transferable particularly to the golf ball side of the business. It allows us to produce a golf ball that’s the best in the business from our point of view. Then promotionally we think it’s quite a strong characteristic to be part of that company promotionally. We’ve got a lot of things going on. We’re the only equipment company that has a title sponsorship on the PGA Tour with the Bridgestone Invitational WGC up in Akron at Firestone Country Club. We’ve also gotten some tremendous things. We’re just a week or so after the Super Bowl that we’re talking about this. I think everybody saw – 144 million people anyway – saw the half time show sponsored by Bridgestone as well as commercials during that time. Although that is Bridgestone Tire and Rubber, there is a trickle down effect for us in the Golf Division as we try to establish our name as a high-tech, high-quality brand name in the golf sector. So it’s a huge difference to us, and one I think we’re very proud of.

04:20 – Danny Le: Definitely. One thing I’d like to add to that is when you think of Japanese product and Bridgestone product you think of quality. That’s what we’ve done with our clubs and our balls. We’ve preached quality and that’s what you see when you get to the marketplace.

04:35 – Dan Murphy: The culture of the company is very strong R&D based. I think what happens with the way tires develop and the amount of technology, thinking, and research that goes on there is also applied to how we develop golf products, be it clubs or balls. That whole culture of R&D, intellectual property, and such is a huge, huge asset to us and we’ll leverage it very much in the future.

05:02 – GolfWRX: Now can you tell us a little bit about how Bridgestone sees itself in the United States market?

05:12 – Dan Murphy: Certainly our first step in creating – ultimately what we want to do is have a full line golf company with all products. As a market leader in Japan, we’d like to transfer that degree of presence into the U.S. market. But we know we have to do it as a step process. We know the first thing for us to do is establish our golf ball. In the three years we’ve been around we’ve made some pretty good steps doing that. We’ve got a full line of golf balls all the way up to tour professional level and some more recreational players. We feel good about that. The second step is to begin to establish our club business; but to do so in a way that gives us an identity in clubs and is a focused approach. Our focus on clubs is on the forged irons. I think Danny is going to talk in detail about the J36 line, which we’re very, very excited about. So we have a stepped approach to becoming a full line golf company. Also, as we enter the market, we know that we’ve got to offer something different, new, and completely better. One of the things we do with the balls and clubs is talk about getting the right product for the right player. Our thought is that there are a lot of big time companies we’re competing against that have perhaps an older mentality. Sort of an one-size-fits-all industrial revolution kind of mentality – produce a whole bunch of the same product and try to sell it to a lot of different players. Our approach is different in clubs. Ball wise, we’ve been doing a lot of ball fitting where we’re trying to educate consumers and get them into the right ball for their game. We’ve been competing against the market leader who’s got a one-size-fits-all mentality. That’s not our approach. Ours is a right product for the right player mentality. Same thing goes for clubs. We’re going to talk about our combo set. The combo set allows the player to design the set they want, not necessarily a set that was designed in some laboratory designed to fit a broad range of players. What we want to do is drill down on that and get a set of irons that fit a particular player.

07:39 – Danny Le: Exactly, it’s all about education. Like Dan mentioned, education about balls and education about clubs. As soon as we engage a customer we get to talk about the product that’s where I think we get them. Once we talk about the different ball refinement and the different clubs they’re playing, it establishes something unique and different from our competitors.

07:59 – Dan Murphy: Yeah. So if you want to summarize it, we’re the anti-one-size-fits-all brand.

08:08 – GolfWRX: Now can you tell us a little bit about your relationship with your sister brand TourStage in Japan and yourself in the U.S.? How as it changed in the three years since you got started?

08:19 – Dan Murphy: The TourStage brand is positioned at the very top of the Japanese market. The Japanese market is characterized by a very demanding consumer base. Consumers in Japan tend to be more research oriented and informed than U.S. consumers. In that way they’re more demanding in terms of quality and specification. The TourStage brand in Japan, what we can learn from that and apply to the U.S. is very valuable as we try to establish ourselves as a premium brand in the U.S. market. The attention to detail, the attention to quality, the attention to technology and innovation is a huge plus for us.

09:02 – Danny Le: On the subject of Bridgestone tires and their influence on balls, it’s kind of the same thing with clubs and the TourStage brand. We use a lot of their technology and R&D they come up with over there and we apply it to the U.S. market. For example, if you get an iron product from TourStage, they typically have a little more offset and are a little more square. When you bring it to the United States, the U.S. market is a little different; we definitely have a little less offset and a little more rounded club. So we definitely take that into consideration when we build a product for the U.S. market. We use a lot of what TourStage does and apply it to Bridgestone products.

09:43 – GolfWRX: Now you guys made some big news with the signing of Charles Howell. Your tour staff has really been growing in the past few years. What does adding someone like Charles Howell do for your company?

10:00 – Dan Murphy: I think he’s a great player and in addition to that a great guy. We’re very proud to have him join a very impressive tour staff already. I think he’ll add to the validation of our brand by going out there on Tour and playing well. We fully hope and expect that he will win with our products. He was drawn to our company because he saw us as a technological leader. If you know Charles, he’s very into the details and the background – the why, what, and how of his equipment. He’s always learning and always thinking. I think it’s a good match between our technological leadership and his technological approach to his game. So it’s a good fit. Obviously his ability is great, and he’s wearing our brand on his hat, he’s carrying the bag, playing the clubs, and ball as well. So it’s a good fit and good addition to an already strong team.

11:12 – Danny Le: It gives us instant credibility for our clubs. You’ve got a guy coming from Callaway who’s been playing these irons for a long time. He comes over to us and switches over to the J36 irons and it’s a seamless transition for him. That gives us a lot of credibility in our clubs side.

11:33 – GolfWRX: Can you give us a little info about what clubs Charles is playing right now?

11:38 – Danny Le: Right now he’s playing a combo set we have from the J36 series. When he first joined our staff we built him a set of stock combos – J36 Pocket Cavity 3-5 iron, J36 Cavity Back 6-8 iron, and J36 Blade 9-PW. That was his initial test run with them at the Merril Lynch Shark Shootout late last year. Right now he’s actually playing a set of J36 Cavity Back 3-6 iron, and 7-PW J36 Blade with Dynamic Gold X-100. Also he’s putting the WC designs 54 degree wedge into play as well.

12:16 – GolfWRX: Very cool, I know it’s interesting to see him adopt the stuff so quickly. It didn’t take him long to start playing the clubs at all.

12:26 – Danny Le: Not at all. He’s really easy with irons. He liked the look and shape of the irons. The one comment he had was they felt incredibly soft. He could still work the ball, still maintain the little bit of forgiveness he wanted with our Cavity Back and Blade. It was nice that we were able to transition him so quickly from his Callaway iron into the Bridgestone irons. It literally took us – we were in the process of signing him, he came to our facility Monday and we built him several sets to try out and he immediately fell in love with the irons. Now he’s pretty much set with the irons for this year. We’re actually in the process of getting him some Pocket Cavities with a little bit less offset to try out because one of the things he wanted was to be able to turn over the ball with his three and four irons.

13:20 – GolfWRX: What sort of influence does your tour staff have on the design and production of your clubs?

13:28 – Danny Le: They have a tremendous influence. We have a motto here – “Tour inspired Tour tested.” Anything we come up with we first go out to the tour staff guys we have – Fred Couples, Stuart Appleby, Charles Howell now, Matt Kuchar, Snedeker, McKenzie, and a couple other guys out there. We’ll bring some product out there for example driver heads, fairway woods, hybrids, iron sets. We’ll let them hit it and get feedback from them as far as the shape of the club: if it’s too round, too square, how it feels, what kind of performance they’re looking for from the clubs. We take that feedback from the tour guys and bring it back to our R&D guys and say, “Hey this is what they’re looking for, let’s make this happen for them.” They produce another prototype for them and the prototype gets out there for them. We go from ten variations to two or three variation the tour guys will test out. Once they test it out and they’re finally set on something, we’ll bring it back to the R&D guys and say, “This is the final run of what we’re looking for.” Then they’ll build it. We work on the cosmetics the whole time while they’re testing the product to make sure it fits their eye and the market we’re in – the United States market.

14:51 – GolfWRX: That’s really neat. I know a lot of companies different routes they take from tour to retail. So it’s nice to see you guys stay so true to the clubs your tour staff uses.

15:02 – Danny Le: Exactly. We’re designed with better players in mind. What better players are there than the tour staff guys? We design for those guys first and then the final product you see on the marketplace is essentially the same thing that those guys are playing. Sure there are some prototypes out there that don’t become available to the public just because we don’t feel it’s going to meet the market here in the United States. So that’s why we’re able to go that route.

15:33 – GolfWRX: I know Bridgestone takes a lot of pride in the construction of your irons. Many club fitters comment you are one of the best OEM’s in terms of producing clubs on spec in terms of loft and lie. What separates your clubs from some of the other forged irons on the market?

15:49 – Danny Le: I appreciate that. It’s a matter of having a Japanese product, believing in our product, and having what’s best for our consumer. Basically everyone knows about Endo manufacturing and they are who we use for our forging. We’ve been using them for a long time now. There’s two points of difference we ask them to do for us which is a little different from our competitors. The first is how we press our irons. We press at 1600 tons of pressure. What that does is create a very precise forging. Also, at the same time we press them, we warm forge our irons. This creates a very smooth surface for less grinding, basically high precision. With the material it creates a more dense metal grain structure that creates a softer and more solid feel when struck. So those two points of difference we have due to our relationship with Endo makes the product we believe superior to any other product out there. Also, in the marketplace, the United States is a tough market to break into because of the different vendors. In Japan we produce the number one irons over there. We actually own the number two share in overall club market. So, we have a lot of backing from Japan and we bring that to the U.S. market where we offer a premium product at a price that’s not outrageous. Our new J36 irons will be out on the street with a price of $799 for a set of 3-PW; whereas our typical competitor will be at $849, $899, $999 and so forth.

17:42 – GolfWRX: Now before we go any further, a lot of people had some interesting things to say about the blue graphics on the new clubs. It’s a little bit of a departure for you guys. I was wondering if you could give us a little bit of your perspective on why that was included?

18:00 – Danny Le: That’s one of the things we had difficulty with, with the J33 series. It was a phenomenal product we put out there with the J33 Blade, J33 Combo Set, and J33 Cavity. The problem with that was we make a great product, but no one was buying it. The main thing we had to deal with was curb appeal. We looked at the J36 irons and asked ourselves, what can we do different that will come through at the retail shops? One of the main things we addressed was curb appeal – something that catches the eye of the consumer. As you know and are well aware of, I read GolfWRX too and see the different opinions about it. There are a lot more positive than negative about it. The quality of the image wasn’t portrayed properly on certain websites. But from what I’ve read, there are more positives than negatives about it. The main reason is curb appeal. When you walk into a shop and see all the forged irons stuck together, something sticks out and it’s that blue wave that sticks out at you.

19:17 -GolfWRX: Definitely, I think it’s a lot subtler in person than a lot of people expect.

19:20 – Danny Le: Yes, I love it now. It looks great, it blends in well among the three sets and it definitely pops out on the shelf. When we had it at the PGA Show, that’s one thing a lot of people commented on, “Wow, you can see these irons from far away.” That’s what we wanted – something that gives it a little more curb appeal and makes people say, “There’s a product, let me go see this.” Once they put the product down at address, that’s where we get the consumer. It’s a beautiful product, it feels great, and it was just a matter of getting it in their hands. That was the reason for the blue wave.

19:58 – GolfWRX: Now you guys are employing an interesting new strategy to get these clubs to market. Can you tell us a little about the custom order method of getting these clubs to consumers?

20:12 – Danny Le: Basically what we’re doing is March 15 we’re launching the stock J36 Combo. It’s going to be a stock set J36 Pocket Cavity 3-5 iron, J36 Cavity Back 6-8 iron, and J36 Blade 9-PW. That will be available March 15. April 15 we will launch the J36 Blade, Cavity Back, and Pocket Cavity. At that time, once April 15 hits, you can order any combination you want. We’re calling it the Ultimate Combo Set. The reason we’re doing this is so we give the consumer the choice to mix and match whatever they want to. I hit a low ball, I’ve played in Texas pretty much my whole life. It’s really windy so I really needed to hit a low ball. Coming to Georgia now, these courses are a little greener, a little softer. There are different needs out here. What’s great about these irons is the J36 Pocket Cavity has the highest MOI out of all the three clubs. So 3, 4, and 5 irons have the problem of getting those up in the air. So now you can mix and match those in the air, the 3, 4, or 5 iron or whatever combination you want. Then you can transition over to the Cavity Back where it gives you a little more ability to work the ball and yet still has the forgiveness of a cavity back. I play that 6-PW now. We give the consumer the choice to mix and match whatever they want. This is exciting because it gets people to talk about our product, “This is what I would do.” We talked to several different retailers who had one guy wanting this and another guy wanting that. So now we give that choice to the consumers. It’s your game; it’s your choice. You probably, in Houston have different needs out there so definitely we can address those needs. Especially because the sets blend so well together, when you set it up at address, the Pocket Cavity is a little bit thicker, but not too bad where you can transition to a Cavity, and from Cavity to Blade it’s an easy transition. All the graphics match one another. We have the “Premium Forged” on the trailing edge, and the “B” mark that we’re heavily promoting this year, then the J36 and blue wave, and Bridgestone Golf on the hosel. So from the Blade, Cavity Back, to the Pocket Cavity they just blend in well together from the top point of view and also at address.

22:42 – GolfWRX: Now I know trailing edge relief is common throughout all the clubs. How exactly will this help golfers?

22:50 – Danny Le: It’s real simple. Basically it just gives you better performance from a variety of lies. So when you’re out of rough it basically has less resistance out of there. Plain and simple, it’s better performance from a variety of lies and less resistance out of the rough to sum it up.

23:05 – GolfWRX: Now the J33 line was really successful with better players. What exactly did you want to improve up on with the J36 line?

23:15 – Danny Le: Well we wanted to create an iron that appealed to a wider range of better players out there. The J33 series did a great job with the 0-10 handicap. So we wanted to expand on that from 0-15. J33 blade was definitely a tough club to hit. Very small sweet spot for the pure ball striker who’s looking to shape their shots, J33 blade was a phenomenal product. Same thing with the J33 Cavity Back: great product, we just wanted to improve aspects of the looks of the club and also how all three sets blend together. We created an identity with the ultimate Combo Set and we feel this is going to meet the needs of a wider range of players out there.

24:06 – GolfWRX: Now probably more than any other club in the line, the J36 Blade has received significant design changes from the J36 model. Why exactly were these changes made and what can golfers expect to see in the new model?

24:23 – Danny Le: The main thing you can expect to see, the J33 Blade had a very long hosel. What that did was raise the CG higher and closer to the heel. What we did with the new J36 Blade was shorten the hosel dramatically where now we can move the weight to the center of the clubface. What that does is create a little bit more forgiving club, and a little bit more solid club in that the ability to work the ball is now enhanced a little bit more with the J36 Blade. Also, the top line and sole is very thin just like the J33’s. That was the main difference right there. The whole purpose was to make it blend in well with other sets. Going from transitioning from the Cavity to the Pocket Cavity to the Blade. We didn’t want someone transitioning where the sweet spot was too small. We worked all three sets together so that’s the reason for the changes there.

25:29 – GolfWRX: What about the other updates to the J36 Cavity Back?

25:38 – Danny Le: The main update is we enhanced the muscle thickness in the back of the club. What that creates is a little more meat behind the ball. Now you get a better sense of feel and ability to feel the club behind the ball. That was really the main difference in that particular club.

25:58 – GolfWRX: Now the Pocket Cavity is probably the most exciting introduction in the line. Can you tell us a little bit about this product?

26:10 – Danny Le: Yeah, we’re excited about this product. This is where we feel it’s going to be a great success in the marketplace. Basically it’s a two piece forging. What we’ve done is forge out the face first and the back piece is welded together. What that does is create a pocket – that’s why we call it the Pocket Cavity. What this pocket does is we were able to move discretionary weight around giving it a higher MOI, giving it the feel of a premium-forged club. I definitely wouldn’t call it a game improvement club. I would call it a game enhancement club. For the guy who’s maybe a 5-15 handicap who would want to play the full set of Pocket Cavities or maybe a mixed set, he has the ability now to play a club that has the feel of a premium forged club.

26:55 – GolfWRX: Definitely, I know it feels incredibly good. You can’t tell there’s any kind of pocket behind the ball. It really feels like a more solid, traditional forged club.

27:06 – Danny Le: Exactly, that’s another area we address – how is that going to look when a player addresses that club? We worried about it popping out to the player’s eye. Better players don’t want to see the back of the club. So we addressed that issue to where we put it on the club now when you set up you don’t see the back of the club at all.

27:25 – GolfWRX: Now what kind of custom options can golfers order in terms of shafts and grips?

27:34 – Danny Le: We’ve expanded our options tremendously this year, especially on the grips side. The stock grip will be the Tour Velvet with the Bridgestone logo. We’ll offer some new grips, the new Decade Multi-Compound in yellow and black and blue and black. We’ll offer the Tour Velvet Ribbed, of course the Tour Velvet Full Cord with the Bridgestone logo on there, Tour Velvet midsized, and a couple new grips from Lamkin, the Crossline and Crossline Cord. With Winn we continue to use the Winn midsized and oversized. We’ve added the standard size and also a new grip from Winn called the PCI Hybrid. It’s a phenomenal grip, which you will see commercials with Butch Harmon and John Daly doing the PCI Hybrid – different players, different needs. So it kind of fits into our motto – your game your choice.

28:28 – GolfWRX: Now the J36 Hybrid seems to share a lot of design features in common with the Gravity Chamber model. What changes were made to it?

28:40 – Danny Le: We took the best of the J33 Hybrid and the GC Hybrid and combined that into the J36 Hybrid. You can attest to how it looks and how it feels. Basically with the GC Hybrid we had a two-tone color, which a lot of players were hesitant to use. We addressed that issue making it a jet-black hybrid just like the J33. Also, the profile of the J33 was too wide so we narrowed the profile to the GC profile where it’s a little bit deeper and not as wide. Therefore we created a club head you can hit high and straight and land soft. Also we’ve added the VS Proto as a stock shaft which gives it a very neutral feeling. The weighting is neutral in the J36 hybrid also, which gives the player the ability to work the ball in any direction he wants to.

29:50 – GolfWRX: Now I know there’s a channel in the bottom cut out of the sole of the club, what does that accomplish?

29:57 – Danny Le: Basically it moves discretionary weight around – being able to move the weight more to the perimeter of the club, higher MOI. That’s the point of the channel cut in there.

30:12 – GolfWRX: Now is the lie angle of the hybrid adjustable? Also you mentioned the VS Proto is the standard shaft, are there going to be other options available?

30:22 – Danny Le: To answer your first question, the Hybrid is not adjustable. We’re looking into this product as being adjustable in the future, but right now it is not adjustable. To the second question about the shaft options, of course the VS Proto is going to be stock. We’ve also added a UST V2 Hybrid as a custom option. As of right now we’re going to increase the number of custom options available in the near future. We’re just testing out a lot of shafts out there to make sure they work in that head. Those are two shafts that work really well in that head. Like I said, look for more stuff in the near future.

31:00 – GolfWRX: Now I know the West Coast Design Wedges were a big hit. What changes were made to the new Liquid Copper ones?

31:10 – Danny Le: We’ve had great success with the West Coast Design Wedges. Two things we did to this particular wedge was of course the finish. We call it a “Liquid Copper” finish. It frames the ball a little bit better and will come off over time and will rust giving the club better feel. The second thing we did was add a milled face. What this milled face does is actually increases spin around the green so now that 30 or 40 yard shot around the green or in the rough catches the milled face which imparts a more spin. So it will spin a little more than the old West Coast Wedges around the green. The neat thing is that when you mill a face, it actually decreases full shot spin. For the guy who has a sand wedge or a gap wedge and is hitting a full shot from 80 or 100 yards, it actually imparts less spin with a milled face. So we’re really excited about this product. A lot of positive reviews from various websites, especially your website. So we’re excited about this product taking off in 2008 for us.

32:18 – GolfWRX: That’s really interesting. I know a lot of people are concerned with controlling spin on full shots but still maintaining it around the green when they’re short-sided so . . .

32:30 – Danny Le: Definitely, it’s one of the issues people say, “I spin the ball too much.” Especially with the better players, there are some players that definitely can’t spin the ball. This wedge will spin the ball a lot compared to anything else on the marketplace.

32:44 – GolfWRX: Why are the West Coast Wedges cast rather than forged like the J33 models?

32:50 – Danny Le: Do you want the real answer or the fake answer? (laughing) Just kidding. Basically it comes back to tour input and what those guys want out there as far as their wedges. Wedges have been cast if you look at the top guys out there – Cleveland and Titleist. They’re 8620 mild carbon steel, they’re cast heads. Those guys are used to it out there. We basically produced these heads based on tour feedback. Appleby plays a couple of versions, so does Howell, and a couple of other guys on staff out there. Like the earlier question you had on tour influence – that’s definitely a tour influenced wedge. That’s why we use the cast versus the forged heads.

33:40 – GolfWRX: Now is there any chance we’re going to see Bridgestone go in the putter business in the near future?

33:48 – Danny Le: We’re not ruling anything out, but as of now, we’re an iron company first and producing quality products there with wedges, hybrids, fairway woods, and driver to complement the line. Right now we have no plans with putters, but you never know.

34:07 – GolfWRX: Now I know your J33 Drivers have a big cult following and we were curious to know if we’re going to see any new drivers in the spring?

34:18 – Danny Le: Stay tuned. We’ve had great success with the J33 series and establishing ourselves with a driver that’s very low spin. We do a lot of testing with different products, with tour guys and different player around here. What we’ve found is the J33 is still working well for the better player looking to lower their spin. It’s definitely still a presence here in 2008 and we always have product out on Tour testing. We should eventually come out with a new driver, but this product is so phenomenal that we’re continuing in 2008. You should see something new in 2009 for sure.

35:08 – GolfWRX: Since this is GolfWRX we can’t let you leave without finding out what’s in your bag?

35:14 – Danny Le: Well, I’ve got a bunch of prototypes I can’t talk about . . . (laughing) just kidding. In my bag right now is a J33R 460 Driver, 9.5 degrees loft with a VS Proto in there. The fairway woods, I have a three wood 15 degree, and five wood eighteen degree. Right now I have a J36 Hybrid three iron replacement which is 22 degrees with the stock VS Proto shaft in there. I’m playing a mixed set of irons. I’m playing the Pocket Cavities 4-6 iron and Cavity Back 7-PW. I also mix in blades, 9-PW on certain days when I chip around the greens and West Coast Wedges, 52, and 56 degrees, the new Liquid Copper finish. Putter rotates out every week, but that’s my bag right there. Then I play the B330 golf ball and the E6+ golf ball.

36:17 – GolfWRX: Excellent. Well we really appreciate your time today. We know you guys have been really busy throughout the spring and it means a lot that you’re taking the time to answer all our questions here.

36:30 – Danny Le: Definitely, we appreciate that you guys look at us and look forward to continuing this relationship with GolfWRX.

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3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. basics

    Apr 1, 2014 at 1:19 am

    Any time I’m investigating Real Estate around Chuburna, I check out Yucatan Dream Properties.

  2. Mike

    Feb 28, 2008 at 6:10 pm

    I agree with you matt..I have a J33R 460 in 10.5 now that was given to me with a diamana whiteboard in it…Love it…

    Probably my favorite setup I have hit…Looking to buy another J33R for a backup soon with the same setup..Maybe just a 9.5…

    If it gets any better than the spin rate on this head, I will be shocked

  3. Matt

    Feb 19, 2008 at 1:44 am

    Can’t wait to see what they come up with, driver-wise, for next year.

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SuperStroke acquires Lamkin Grips

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SuperStroke announced today its purchase of 100-year-old grip maker Lamkin Grips, citing the company’s “heritage of innovation and quality.”

“It is with pride and great gratitude that we announce Lamkin, a golf club grip brand with a 100-year history of breakthrough design and trusted products, is now a part of the SuperStroke brand,” says SuperStroke CEO Dean Dingman. “We have always had the utmost respect for how the Lamkin family has put the needs and benefits of the golfer first in their grip designs. If there is a grip company that is most aligned with SuperStroke’s commitment to uncompromised research, design, and development to put the most useful performance tools in the hands of golfers, Lamkin has been that brand. It is an honor to bring Lamkin’s wealth of product innovation into the SuperStroke family.”

Elver B. Lamkin founded the company in 1925 and produced golf’s first leather grips. The company had been family-owned and operated since that point, producing a wide array of styles, such as the iconic Crossline.

According to a press release, “The acquisition of Lamkin grows and diversifies SuperStroke’s proven and popular array of grip offerings with technology grounded in providing golfers optimal feel and performance through cutting-edge design and use of materials, surface texture and shape.”

CEO Bob Lamkin will stay on as a board member and will continue to be involved with the company.

“SuperStroke has become one of the most proven, well-operated, and pioneering brands in golf grips and we could not be more confident that the Lamkin legacy, brand, and technology is in the best of hands to continue to innovate and lead under the guidance of Dean Dingman and his remarkably capable team,” Lamkin said.

Related: Check out our 2014 conversation with Bob Lamkin, here: Bob Lamkin on the wrap grip reborn, 90 years of history

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Tour Rundown: Pendrith, Otaegui, Longbella, and Dunlap soar

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Take it from a fellow who coaches high school golf in metro Toronto: there’s plenty of great golf played in the land of the maple leaf. All the greats have designed courses over the USA border: Colt, Whitman, Ross, Coore, Mackenzie, Doak, as well as the greatest of the land, Stanley Thompson. I’m partial to him, because he wore my middle name with grandeur. Enough about the architecture, because this week’s Tour Rundown begins with a newly-minted, Canadian champion on the PGA Tour. Something else that the great white north is known for, is weather. It impacted play on three of the world’s tours, forcing final-round cancellations on two of them.

It was an odd week in the golf world. The LPGA and the Korn Ferry were on a break, and only 13/15 of the rounds slated, were played. In the end, we have four champions to recognize, so let’s not delay any longer with minutiae about the game that we love. Let’s run it all down with this week’s Tour Rundown.

PGA Tour: TP takes TS at Byron’s place

The 1980s was a decade when a Canadian emergence was anticipated on the PGA Tour. It failed to materialize, but a path was carved for the next generation. Mike Weir captured the Masters in 2003, but no other countrymen joined him in his quest for PGA Tour conquest. 2024 may herald the long-awaited arrival of a Canadian squad of tour winners. Over the past few years, we’ve seen Nick Taylor break the fifty-plus year dearth of homebred champions at the Canadian Open, and players like Adam Hadwin, Corey Conners, Adam Svennson, and Mackenzie Hughes have etched their names into the PGA Tour’s annals of winners.

This week, Taylor Pendrith joined his mates with a one-shot win at TPC Craig Ranch, the home of the Byron Nelson Classic. Pendrith took a lead into the final round and, while the USA’s Jake Knapp faltered, held on for the slimmest of victories. Sweden’s Alex Noren posted six-under 65 on Sunday to move into third position, at 21-under par. Ben Kohles, a Texan, looked to break through for his first win in his home state. He took the lead from Pendrith at the 71st hole, on the strength of a second-consecutive birdie.

With victory in site, Kohles found a way to make bogey at the last, without submerging in the fronting water. His second shot was greenside, but he could not move his third to the putting surface. His fourth was five feet from par and a playoff, but his fifth failed to drop. Meanwhile, Pendrith was on the froghair in two, and calmly took two putts from 40 feet, for birdie. When Kohles missed for par, Pendrith had, at last, a PGA Tour title.

DP World Tour: China Open in Otaegui’s hands after canceled day four

It wasn’t the fourth round that was canceled in Shenzhen, but the third. Rains came on Saturday to Hidden Grace Golf Club, ensuring that momentum would cease. Sunday would instead be akin to a motorsports restart, with no sense of who might claim victory. Sebastian Soderberg, the hottest golfer on the Asian Swing, held the lead, but he would slip to a 72 on Sunday, and tie for third with Paul Waring and Joel Girrbach. Italy’s Guido Migliozzi completed play in 67 strokes on day three, moving one shot past the triumvirate, to 17-under par.

It was Spain’s Adrian Otaegui who persevered the best and played the purest. Otaegui was clean on the day, with seven birdies for 65. Even when Migliozzi ceased the lead at the 10th, Otaegui remained calm. With everything on the line, Migliozzi made bogey at the par-five 17th, as his principal competitor finished in birdie. To the Italian’s credit, he bounced back with birdie at the last, to claim solo second. The victory was Otaegui’s fifth on the DP World Tour, and first since October of 2022.

PGA Tour Americas: Quito’s rains gift title to Longbella

Across the world, superintendents and their staffs will do anything to prepare a course for play. Even after fierce, nightime rains, the Quito TG Club greeted the first four groups on Sunday. The rains worsened after 7 am, however, and the tour was forced to abort the final round of play. With scores reverting to Saturday’s numbers, Thomas Longbella’s one-shot advantage over Gunn Yang turned into a Tour Americas victory.

64 held the opening-day lead, and Longbella was not far off, with 66. Yang jumped to the top on day two, following a67 with 66. He posted 68 on day three, and anticipated a fierce, final-round duel for the title. As for Longbella, he fought off a ninth-hole bogey on Saturday with six birdies and a 17th-hole eagle. That rare bird proved to be the winning stroke, allowing Longbella to edge past Yang, and secure ultimate victory.

PGA Tour Champions: Dunlap survives Saturday stumble for win

Scott Dunlap did not finish Saturday as well as he might have liked. After beginning play near Houston with 65, Dunlap made two bogeys in his final found holes on day two, to finish at nine-under par. Hot on his heels was Joe Durant, owner of a March 2024 win on PGA Tour Champions. Just behind Durant was Stuart Appleby, perhaps vibing from his Sunday 59 at Greenbrier on this day in 2010. Neither would have a chance to track Dunlap down.

The rains that have forced emergency responders into action, to save hundreds of lives in the metro Houston area, ended hopes for a third day of play at The Woodlands. Dunlap had won once previously on Tour Champions, in 2014 in Washington state. Ten years later, Dunlap was the fortunate recipient of a canceled final round, and his two days of play were enough to earn him TC victory number two.

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Morning 9: Pendrith’s maiden Tour win | Morikawa back with former coach | Brooks victorious

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Monday morning, golf fans, as the PGA Tour gives us yet another breakthrough winner.

1. Pendrith wins first PGA Tour title

AP Report…”Taylor Pendrith took advantage of Ben Kohles’ final-hole meltdown to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on Sunday for his first PGA Tour title.”

  • “Kohles overtook Pendrith with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 for a one-shot lead then bogeyed the 18th after hitting his second shot into greenside rough. After having to chip twice from the rough and already looking stunned, Kohles missed a 6-foot putt that would have forced a playoff.”
  • “Pendrith two-putted for birdie on the 18th, holing a 3-footer for a 4-under 67 and 23-under 261 total at the TPC Craig Ranch. The 32-year-old Canadian won in his 74th career PGA Tour start.”
Full piece.

2. Koepka takes LIV title in Singapore

S.I.’s Bob Harig…”Brooks Koepka became the first player to win four times as part of the LIV Golf League, shooting a final-round 68 at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore on Sunday to beat Cam Smith and Marc Leishman by two strokes.”

  • “His timing wasn’t bad, either.”
  • “A few days after offering concern about his game in light of a poor Masters performance, Koepka stepped up and won the LIV Golf Singapore even to give himself a boost heading into the defense of his PGA Championship title in two weeks.”
  • “The year’s second major begins on May 16.”
Full piece.

3. Otaegui wins Volvo China

AP report…”Adrian Otaegui overturned a five-shot deficit to win the Volvo China Open on Sunday, the Spaniard’s fifth tour title.”

  • “Otaegui had been trailing the in-form Sebastian Söderberg after Friday’s round – Saturday’s was cancelled because of thunder and lightning – and he shot 7-under 65 in his final round to win by one shot from Guido Migliozzi, who finished runner up with a 67.”
Full piece.

4. ICYMI: Teen Kim makes the cut

Guardian report…”English teenager Kris Kim became the youngest player to make the cut on the PGA Tour in 11 years after a birdie at the last saw him get through to the weekend of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas with a shot to spare.”

  • “Amateur Kim, the son of former LPGA player Ji-Hyun Suh, made a second-round four-under-par 67, which included a run of five birdies and one bogey over his front nine.”
  • “At 16 years and seven months he became the youngest player to make the cut on tour since 14-year-old Guan Tianlang at the 2013 Masters, and, according to the PGA Tour, the fifth youngest in history.”
Full piece.

5. Winner in a rainout

AP report…”Scott Dunlap was declared the 36-hole winner of the Insperity Invitational when rain washed the final round Sunday, giving Dunlap his first PGA Tour Champions title in nearly 10 years.”

  • “Devastating rain in the Houston area previously washed out the opening round Friday. Players managed to play 36 holes on Saturday, and Dunlap posted a 2-under 70 to take a one-shot lead over Joe Durant and Stuart Appleby.”
  • “That proved to be the winning score when rain soaked The Woodlands Country Club. It was the second 36-hole event in the last three weeks on the PGA Tour Champions because of weather. The other was in the Dallas area.”
Full piece.

6. Morikawa back with former coach

7. Winner’s bag: Taylor Pendrith

Presented by 2nd Swing

Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)

Shaft: ACCRA TZ Six ST

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green Small Batch 80 6.5 TX

7-wood: Ping G430 MAX (20.5 degrees)

Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green Small Batch 90 6.5 TX

Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-9)

Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 6.5 90, 6.5 100 (2-3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 Tour Rack (46-10 Mid, 52-10 Mid, 56-10 Mid, 60-9 Full)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: Odyssey Jailbird Versa

Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Flatso 1.0

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

Ball: Srixon Z-Star Diamond

Full WITB.
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