Equipment
17 Revealing Photos from the LPGA North Texas Shootout
In this week’s LPGA Photos from the Volunteers of America North Texas Shootout, we get a different perspective on golf — one that’s fun, different and educational.
Nearly ever week on the PGA Tour, our photographer takes viewers inside the ropes to see the clubs PGA Tour players are using. The thing to remember, however, is that the majority of golfers shouldn’t be using the same clubs and shafts as PGA Tour pros. LPGA Tour players, on the other hand, have swing speeds more similar to average golfers, and compete on courses that are more similar in length to what the average male golfer usually plays.
For example, how often do you play a par-5 that measures 510 yards? Pretty often, right? PGA Tour players usually play 510-yard holes as par-4’s, and golfers such as Dustin Johnson, J.B. Holmes and other big hitters regularly hit short irons into them.
Golf bags on the LPGA Tour are also more eclectic than PGA Tour bags when it comes to brands, and they’re more colorful, too, as you’ll see below. Would you ever see a PGA Tour player with pink paintfill on their irons? Or a player wearing a Ping visor with a ponytail hanging from his back.
Well, actually, those were bad examples. Sorry Bubba and Miguel.
Bubba Watson’s Ping S55 irons with pink paint fill
Miguel Angel Jimenez, a.k.a., the “Most Interesting Man in Golf.”
We hope you enjoy this week’s Revealing photos from the LPGA North Texas Shootout at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.
Gerina Piller uses a bunch of Scor 4161 “wedges”
Scor Golf’s 4161 series were said to be “scoring clubs,” not wedges, which is why they come in low lofts that are usually reserved for 9 irons and pitching wedges.
That explain’s Gerina Piller’s the 42-degree “wedge.” If you ever hear an announcer say she’s hitting a wedge from what seems to be too far, you’ll know why.
Callaway’s Mack Daddy 2 wedge stampings on the LPGA Tour are electric
Certainly, the quickest way to make enemies is to have “Roll Tide” stamped on your wedges.
Lexi Thompson’s wedge stampings are dripping in positive energy
The “Nico” wedge stamping could be a reference to one of the following:
- This “Nico, Smile” YouTube video
- Nico, a German musician popular in the 1960s.
- A possible nickname for her brother Nicholas Thompson, who plays professional golf on the PGA Tour.
Regardless, it’s tough not to keep a positive attitude with these colorful, smiley-faced Cobra Tour Trusty wedges.
Insider update: Nico is the name of her nephew, Nicholas’ son. I was close… kind of.
#ScarfLife
Based on the photos, it was cold and windy on Tuesday during the practice round at Las Colinas. Michelle Wie even broke out a scarf — and why it’s not volt-colored to match her driver, golf ball and visor, I have no clue.
Here’s a fun game if you’re bored; Count the number of Nike “Swooshes” you can spot in the photo above (my answer below).
Here’s Azahara Munoz, who’s also bout that #scarflife. Her Ping bag and umbrella are also showing off Ping’s new logo lettering that’s exclusive to the LPGA Tour.
Answer to Nike swooshes: I spot 9. Anyone beat me?
Odyssey’s Limited Edition 2-ball Bear putter cover
Chella Choi’s head cover looks snuggly, and fuzzy, and the only place I can find it online is here. Apparently, they come in three different colors.
Choi is also using Fourteen Golf’s new RM-21 wedges, with a trailing edge grind on her 52 degree wedge, which has 10 degrees of bounce.
Pulled it!
This is merely a reminder how hard putting is. Even with training aids from 4 feet, no putt is a guarantee. Don’t you just love golf?
Any guesses on what this guy is texting while Natalie Gulbis is teeing off?
My guess is he’s texting one of his buddies: “About to tee off on the first hole with Natalie Gulbis. Have fun at work, sucker!”
I’ll bet he used this emoji, too.
Lydia Ko is really good at golf
She’s 18 years old and already has seven LPGA Tour wins. She also has a Callaway Big Bertha Alpha with a custom pink Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 5R shaft in play this week.
Katie Burnett switched to Titleist Vokey TVD wedges with a custom “raindrop” finish
Note: Those are real raindrops.
If you see a wedge company come out with a custom finish called “raindrops,” just remember you heard it here first.
Someone needs to show Bubba Watson this photo
Hey, Bubba. Here’s some sound advice: Get an all pink rainsuit! #urwelcome
Laura Davies with top-heavy Lynx Parallax irons
While most iron designs look to achieve a center of gravity (CG) that’s low-and-rearward or low-and-forward, these are the opposite.
According to Lynk’s website, the forged cavity back irons have a higher CG for more penetrating shots. If you hit the ball high with too little spin, these irons could be something to consider!
(That one’s for you, gear heads).
Ping’s LPGA golf bags, while sporting the new logo, still have turbulators
Surely the caddies appreciate the added foot speed.
Find the reference here in a recent Revealing Photos story.
Um, where’s your face?
If you can’t tell, this is Sadena Parks who was a part of Big Break Florida, a reality TV series on the Golf Channel.
She’s also playing clubs from golf’s most mysterious company in golf — Parsons Xtreme. We don’t know much about the clubs, other than they will be very expensive when they’re released and have a bunch of screws for adjusting weight and CG.
It looks like Parks prefers the CG in her driver more rearward judging by the positioning of her screws.
Check out photos from the rest of her clubs below.
Hannah Arnold’s bag is all business
Mizuno JPX-800 Pro irons and a stealthy Piretti Cortino putter? While she WD’d from pre-tournament qualifying, she didn’t leave without making an impact on the WRX photo galleries. Awesome setup.
Michelle Wie’s 90-degree putting stance…
… makes my back hurt every time.
It looks as though she took the popular instruction “get your eyes over the ball” way too literally, but then again, she’s putting better than ever and won her first major last year — the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open — with this seemingly back-breaking style.
Wie is currently using a Nike Method MC04W Center-shafted prototype putter with a SuperStroke Flatso 1.0 grip.
Is that a BioMech Tech Deck I spot?
These half-pipes are showing up in bags and on practice greens of both the PGA and LPGA tours. I’m beginning to think I should give one a try…
Just like Uncle Tiger, Cheyenne uses the Two-Tee putting drill
And is her index finger really long or is it just me?
- LIKE94
- LEGIT6
- WOW1
- LOL14
- IDHT2
- FLOP4
- OB7
- SHANK24
- 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.
- LIKE3
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK0
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.
- LIKE3
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK2
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.
View this post on Instagram
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
- LIKE42
- LEGIT5
- WOW2
- LOL2
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK4
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Justin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
Report: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
Neal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
What we know about Bryson DeChambeau’s 3D-printed Avoda irons
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:...
Matthieu Pavon WITB 2024 (May)
Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Ping G430 Max (9...
WITB Time Machine: Rory McIlroy’s winning WITB, 2015 Wells Fargo Championship
Then-No. 1 player in the world Rory McIlroy began the week at the Wells Fargo Championship at 3-1 odds, if...
Akshay Bhatia WITB 2024 (May)
Akshay Bhatia what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. Bhatia is deciding between drivers. More photos...
-
19th Hole3 weeks agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoLET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
-
19th Hole5 days agoReport: LIV star turns down PGA Championship invite due to ‘personal commitments’
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoGary Player claims this is what ‘completely ruined’ Tiger Woods’ career
-
Equipment4 days agoDetails on Justin Thomas’ driver switch at the Wells Fargo Championship
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks agoTeam McIlowry (Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry) winning WITBs: 2024 Zurich Classic
-
Whats in the Bag5 days agoKeegan Bradley WITB 2024 (May)
joey5picks
May 2, 2015 at 3:47 am
Call a 510-yard hole a par 5, a par 4, a par 3 or a par 6. It doesn’t matter. Lowest score wins whether it’s -10 or -6 (which is the difference between calling that hole a par 4 or par 5). I find the infatuation with what the “par” is on a hole amusing. Players are going to want to make a 4 on that hole no matter what its “par” is.
Chuck
May 2, 2015 at 1:39 pm
Another 510-yard Par 5 is…
… wait for it…
…how many guessed it already…
The 13th Hole, “Azalea,” at the Augusta National Golf Club.
8thehardway
May 1, 2015 at 11:56 pm
Good move, great article. Looking forward to more.
snowman
May 1, 2015 at 10:36 pm
Lexi and I are still playing the 2010 Cobra S2 Forged Irons, a nice forged cavity back iron.
RG
May 1, 2015 at 3:02 pm
Best yet Andrew! Eclectic and colorful is why WRX should cover more LPGA and Champions than PGA. I’m just sayin’.
Brett H
May 1, 2015 at 2:03 pm
Fun Fact: I’m sort of related to Laura Davies and used to play with a set of her old irons that she just had put away in a closet. Had a really hard time learning on those…
I’ve been watching a ton of LPGA lately and really think the level of talent is just astonishing, a lot of fun watching them play right now.
brian d
May 1, 2015 at 12:26 pm
I am kinda digging those parsons irons…. very sharp
Mike
May 1, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Laura Davies’ irons look like some 15 year-old Lynx Parallax knockoffs! Seriously, how is Golfsmith not all over this?
Justin
May 1, 2015 at 7:38 am
“Sorry Bubba and Miguel.”
BustyMagoo
May 1, 2015 at 1:02 am
But can someone fix the css for paragraph text please? A bit heavy on the eyes in ALL BOLD letters.
BustyMagoo
May 1, 2015 at 12:59 am
Good article. Nice to see WRX going out on a ledge and covering things nobody else is. Well done and interesting read. And yah, it’s fun looking at pics of Michelle Wei. She’s quite easy on the eyes. lol.
mr.Smith
May 1, 2015 at 12:55 am
Golf has turned into such a lame look at me narcissistic batch o barf!
Chuck
Apr 30, 2015 at 9:41 pm
It hurts too much to watch Michelle Wie putt. I say that as someone who loves women’s golf and who loves to watch LPGA players play, and who is extremely interested in equipment news from the women’s tours. Thank you GolfWRX for continuing to bring us news and photos from the LPGA; keep it up. I’m just sorry for Michelle Wie, with her spectacular golf swing, being reduced to putting like a cripple.
RG
May 1, 2015 at 2:58 pm
A cripple? That “cripple” will beat you like a drum ant day of the week and twice on Sunday. She went to that stance because she’s so tall and it helps her to see the line. Remember Chuck, it is better to be silent and be thought an idiot than to post comments and remove all doubt.
Chuck
May 2, 2015 at 11:23 am
Her results are fine; that much you’ve got right. She’s currently 29th on the ladies tour; putting (statistically) like… Lydia Ko!
But as for being somehow forced into that unwatchable stance by her height… she’s 6’0″. (Being 6’0″ myself and having stood next to her, I don’t believe the 6’1″ listings in various places. I think she’s a shade over 6’0″.) She’s not taller than a number of other LPGA players with better-looking stances, and she’s nowhere near as tall as lots of male tour players with normal stances.
Rich
Apr 30, 2015 at 9:23 pm
Yes it is verrrrrry long!
Brody
Apr 30, 2015 at 9:11 pm
Andrew,
Nice article!
greg
Apr 30, 2015 at 7:00 pm
Once again, great job AT. This one is your best one, so far. Look forward to seeing these each week. Best feature on GolfWRX.com