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Since switch, Ernie Els is the Tour’s best putter

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En route to this weekend’s fifth-place finish at the Quicken Loans National, Ernie Els gained 1.99 strokes on the field thanks to his work on Congressional’s greens.

Of course, it wasn’t long ago that Els agonizingly took six putts from within three feet on the first green at Augusta National, and several videos of other painful misses from close range made their rounds on the internet.

In what is perhaps the equipment story of the year so far, since switching to a SeeMore mFGP Deep Flange Nashville Studio Series (with SuperStroke Flatso 1.0 grip, left-hand low) during the third round of the RBC Heritage, Ernie Els has effectively led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting.

That’s right. Els went from a golfer so heartwrenchingly yippy from close range that some speculated his career could be over, to tops on the PGA Tour in putting.

Amazing stuff.

In 20 measured rounds with the SeeMore mFGP in the bag, Els has gained 24.08 strokes with his putter. And his average SGP over that time is 1.204, which is better than PGA Tour leader Jason Day’s work this season (1.145).

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An incredible turnaround, and strong support for the ever-tinkering ways of WRXers: Finding the right putter, and one which inspires confidence on the greens, can truly make a difference.

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GolfWRX Editor-in-Chief

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. Pingback: 2016 Open Championship Preview - The Fried Egg

  2. graymulligan

    Jun 29, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    There’s no question that the Seemore putters work for a ton of people, but I can’t get past the looks. Great stuff, but it just doesn’t fit my eye.

  3. RP Jacobs II

    Jun 29, 2016 at 2:10 pm

    Great to see the Big Guy back in the game. They don’t come any classier. Nice article Ben!! Stay well My Friend and Have a Great and Safe Fourth

    All the Best,
    RP

  4. Zeek

    Jun 28, 2016 at 10:59 am

    Great putter company. Great customer service!

  5. cody

    Jun 27, 2016 at 5:50 pm

    glad to hear it. Wish he had figured this out 3 years ago. Would probably won at least 3 events.

  6. ooffa

    Jun 27, 2016 at 10:25 am

    It has nothing to do with the type of putter. What he switched was his flawed thinking. Go get em Ernie. Time to own the second putt!

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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

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

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

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

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

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

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

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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