Equipment
Adams Blue: Drivers, Fairways, Hybrids and Irons
Adams’ Blue line was made with only two words in mind — higher and farther.
There’s no gadgetry on the clubs — the hosels aren’t adjustable, and there aren’t any sole weights or sliding weights, either. But the clubs are packed with designs to help golfers get more height and distance from every club.
To do this, Adams designed inherently draw-biased clubs with three consistent technologies throughout the line:
- A Velocity Slot that increases ball speeds across the face for greater consistency and distance on off-center strikes.
- A Low and “as far back as possible” center of gravity (CG) to help shots launch higher and carry farther.
- SlimTech shafts, which are made in tandem with Aldila (metal woods) and True Temper (irons). The shafts have thinner tip diameters to create a lower kick point that helps to boost spin and launch angle.
Adams’ Blue drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons will be in stores on April 3.
See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Adams Blue line in the forums.
Adams Blue Driver
The Adams Blue driver is the company’s first driver release since the 2014 XTD, but unlike that model the Blue is a game-improvement club made for higher-handicap golfers.
The driver head is made from 6-4 titanium, with a face that’s larger than previous Adams models for more forgiveness. Its crown shape also sits lower in the back to facilitate the movement of weight lower and more rearward, improving forgiveness on off-center hits and helping golfers deliver the club at impact with more dynamic loft. That makes it easier for golfers to hit high-launching drives that will want to turn over.
The Blue’s 55-gram stock SlimTech shaft has a 0.320-inch tip diameter — thinner than most other driver shafts on the market — to give it a lower kick point for higher-launching drives.
[quote_box_center]”Think of the shaft like fly-fishing,” said Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade’s Senior Director of Product Creation. “The lower kick point helps the player whip the shaft into the ball, helping them draw it and launch it higher.”[/quote_box_center]
Adams Blue driver sells for $299.
Driver specs
See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Adams Blue line in the forums.
Adams Blue Fairway Woods
Higher-handicap golfers with slower swing speeds find it especially difficult to get the ball airborne from the turf using fairway woods, but Adams’ Blue fairway woods are designed to reduce that struggle.
Like the Blue driver, the fairway woods have a low, rearward CG that makes them more forgiving than previous models, and their updated Velocity Slot gives their ball speed a boost — particularly on shots contacted low on the face.
The Blue fairway woods are made from 17-4 stainless steel, and come stock with stock 55-gram SlimTech shaft, which have 0.320-inch tip diameters. They sell for $199.
Fairway Wood specs
Hybrids
Hybrids are Adams’ bread and butter, and the Blue hybrids are the easiest to launch the company has made, according to Bazzel.
While the Adam’s new Pro Red hybrid may perform better for golfers with higher swing speeds or those who want to tinker with weight and trajectory, the Blue is designed for golfers with slower swing speeds who need a higher-flying trajectory.
The stock 55-gram SlimTech shafts come have 0.335-inch tip diameters. The hybrids are available in four models — 3, 4, 5, and 6 — will sell for $179.
Hybrid specs
Irons
If you’re a high-handicap golfer who’s tired of hitting low, slicing iron shots — the ones that either come up short of the green or bounce over them — then the Blue irons were designed for your game.
Like the metal woods, the one-piece cast irons are made with low and rearward CG. And like other super game-improvement irons, they have a wide sole, which improves forgiveness and launch. Wide soles can create troublesome turf interaction for certain players, which is why they have a unique “cut,” or relieved area on the back of the sole to help the wide soles better glide through the turf.
The stock Blue iron shafts are made with thinner tip diameters (0.350 inches) to help raise launch angle.
The combo iron-hybrid sets will sell for $699 with steel shafts (True Temper DynaLite SlimTech 85) and $799 with graphite shafts (Aldila SlimTech 55 grams). A matching AW (50 degrees) and SW (55 degrees) are sold separately.
Combo Hybrid/Iron specs
See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Adams Blue line in the forums.
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- 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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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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D Louis
Apr 4, 2015 at 11:21 am
Bye bye Adams…it was good for while, just like Nickent
Chris C
Apr 1, 2015 at 9:24 am
Adams is attempting to fill the niche vacated by Wilson when Wilson opted to resume building high quality clubs for those who golf more than once a year. Adams prices suggest that they have not completed their transition to boxed sets. I look at this release and picture a boxed set of woods consisting of driver, 3 wood and 5 wood selling for $249.95. This could be matched with a boxed set of two hybrids and five irons selling for $399.95. These boxes will fit nicely into Walmart, Target, Sports Authority, Dick’s and Cabella’s. indeed, even large golf stores could afford to keep a few boxes hanging around to sell to the first time golfer invited to the company golf outing. These clubs do not even have to be updated for at least 3 to 4 years. Alas, it may be 20 years before we read about Adams attempting to arise from the bowels of big box stores and shake off the shackles of fishing gear and yoga mats.
Robert G
Mar 30, 2015 at 11:53 pm
If there are no .320 after market shafts available, the customer will need to return the club to the vendor to fix it.
Mad-Mex
Mar 31, 2015 at 12:31 am
I think a shim would take care of it,,,,
Travis Tibbs
Mar 31, 2015 at 8:52 am
A shim is to make a smaller shaft fit into a bigger hosel, not the other way around.
Mad-Mex
Mar 31, 2015 at 6:05 pm
My bad,,,,, wonder if hosel think enough to drill out?
Mad-Mex
Mar 30, 2015 at 10:46 pm
If they had just put a TM logo, all the bashers would be creaming their shorts and screaming like Beiber fans about wanting them and about how “great” they were.
Bobby
Mar 30, 2015 at 10:01 pm
TM just killed Adams and shoved them into total game improvement territory. Glad I got my XTD forged irons and original Idea Pro hybrids.
slider
Mar 30, 2015 at 8:52 pm
a design that takes some time to get use too not sure about it
Denunzio
Mar 30, 2015 at 8:08 pm
Hideous!!!
Salesman
Mar 30, 2015 at 7:50 pm
Might as well start this one off at $149 for the driver…$129 for the fairway…and $99 on the hybrid
Craig
Mar 30, 2015 at 6:49 pm
It should be 0.320 inch.
0.320 millimeter would be pretty small
The Blue fairway woods are made from 17-4 stainless steel, and come stock with stock 55-gram SlimTech shaft, which have 0.320 millimeter tip diameters
Jon
Mar 30, 2015 at 5:51 pm
Oh, man, these Adams are such a far cry from my last Adams purcharse, e.g. LS XTD hybrids, 3 wood, and driver, all with the excellent Kuro Kage shafts. These light shafts with extra-thin tips don’t inspire confidence in dispersion..
kloyd0306
Mar 30, 2015 at 6:48 pm
Slower swing speeds can benefit from such “livelier tip” technology.
The most important thing about golf clubs is NOT the club – it’s the golfer.
If your swing speed is such that poor dispersion is a factor, you won’t benefit from a livelier tip.
But to deny someone with a slower swing speed the opportunity of higher launch plus increased carry and distance based upon YOUR swing, fails to recognize that we are ALL different.
Big “thumbs up” for Adams.
Batman
Mar 30, 2015 at 5:48 pm
I see Walmart and Target are getting upgrades in the sporting goods aisle.
west
Mar 30, 2015 at 7:13 pm
Haha! Nice!!!
Dave S
Mar 30, 2015 at 5:09 pm
I guess TM is relegating Adams to the GI sector… that’s fine, so long as they keep making awesome hybrids!
west
Mar 30, 2015 at 7:14 pm
What’s so awesome about their hybrids?
Scooter McGavin
Mar 30, 2015 at 8:35 pm
Nothing really, anymore. They used to be some of the best on the market, but over the last few years Callaway, Ping, and Titleist hybrids have surpassed them easily.
Dave S
Mar 31, 2015 at 8:55 am
Maybe so, I guess I haven’t been in the market for a hybrid for a while. I still play the Adams Idea Pro A12 and it’s one of the best clubs I’ve ever owned.
Weston
Mar 30, 2015 at 3:18 pm
They look like great products for the GI/mid sector. I’d echo the hope that a players line continues. I’ve always been impressed by their products and innovation. And I thought the same thing when I saw the F!
cb
Mar 30, 2015 at 3:01 pm
does anyone else think the “f” on the fairway wood head cover looks like the facebook logo?
DOug H
Mar 30, 2015 at 3:43 pm
Yes i just said that WHY!
Shawn K
Mar 30, 2015 at 2:05 pm
Labatt’s or Molson?
Brian
Mar 30, 2015 at 2:04 pm
Should we assume that there will also be a “Red” line of clubs coming that are low launch/spin, geared for better players? They have the red hybrid out and I noticed some of their tour players have the word, “Red,” on their Adams hats. I for one hope Adams is not relegated to hybrids and game improvement only. I’ve really enjoyed some of their offerings in the past 5 years.
other paul
Mar 30, 2015 at 2:02 pm
Look like toys. Makes me sad. Loved the xtd look.
Gary
Mar 30, 2015 at 1:37 pm
Great, now golf repair shops have to stock another tip diameter shaft for metalwoods (.320, .335, .350). Golf shops that are not aware of this tip dia. change will tell customers “no problem to reshaft”….yeah, right. I can just see some guy grinding a .335 tip down to fit a .320 hole in the head.
Tom
Mar 30, 2015 at 3:40 pm
I can’t find any info on 0.320 diameter shafts. Must be made for shafts.
Bobby
Mar 30, 2015 at 1:07 pm
This actually looks like a respectable product line coming from a company associated with TaylorMade.
yoodisbepat
Mar 30, 2015 at 1:02 pm
Great looking clubs!