Equipment

11 Revealing photos from the 145th Open Championship

Published

10 years ago

Jul 16, 2016

GolfWRX was live this week from the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. If you missed any of our photos from the week, browse all of the galleries in the links below:

It was a special week for GolfWRX, as this marks the first time we made the trek overseas to take photos at the Open Championship. That means we’ve finally completed the career Grand Slam (of photos at major championships). Exciting stuff.

But anyway, let’s reveal some photos from Royal Troon.

Leaderboard Bags

TaylorMade’s Commemorative staff bags for the 145th Open are nothing short of awesome, matching the iconic leaderboards at the event.

And Andy Murray won at Wimbledon. Well done.

Stimp Tunnel

How do they get a Stimpmeter reading when the Scottish wind begins blowing? Time to break out the plastic storage boxes.

Here’s to hoping they’re not running at a 14+ like the United States’ 2016 version of the Open.

The Equipment Switch Heard ‘Round the World

Charl Schwartzel made a major equipment switch this week. He changed sponsors and joined the #PXGTroops, putting mostly PXG clubs in the bag.

See his Open Championship WITB here.

Jackets and wedges

Jackets? What kind of jackets…Green Jackets? While Scotland has some odd names for potato preparations, they’re pretty creative with the dish names:

The Big Easy (Ernie Els)
Full Monty (Colin Montgomerie)
Victor Dupoisson (Victor Dubuisson)
Smokey Miguel (Miguel Angel Jiminez)

What’s going on here Vijay?

Where are the alignment aids, bamboo sticks, water bottles, Gatorade bottles, and all of the other range aids you normally use? And now that I bring it up, where is your golf bag??

It looks as though Vijay may be testing some equipment ahead of the Open Championship, figuring out what longer sticks he’ll have in the bag.

Going to hit a quick bucket of balls

Or should I say cage of balls.

The Wilson Gang

Throw up the “W” if you’re reppin’ Wilson Staff.

The Bogey Train

Royal Troon’s 11th hole, called “The Railway,” has a train track going up the entire right side of the hole. It played as the most difficult hole on the golf course in the 2004 Open, and it wouldn’t be a shock for it to play as the most difficult in 2016.

The players will definitely need to train themselves not to hit the ball right on this hole.

Postage Stamp

You can’t mail it in on Hole No. 8 at Royal Troon, nicknamed the “Postage Stamp” for how small its green is. There’s no bailout on this tee shot, despite it being the shortest hole on the course. It’s not often you’re guarding against making a huge number with a wedge in your hands, but don’t be surprised to see some “others,” and maybe even a double-digit number this week if the winds kick up.

Where’d the ball go?

Judging by where he’s expecting the ball to be and where it actually is, I’d say this ball hit the lip and went back into the bunker. As they say, pot bunkers are often stroke penalties, and this photo shows why.

For the kids

We all forget sometimes — even some of the best players in the world forget — but it’s all about growing the game and getting kids out on the course. Hey kid, nice move.

Equipment

Interesting clubs at top of bag – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, users are talking about top of bag setups that are non-traditional or thought-provoking in some way. Original poster @SuperSpurs106 inquired about other members who might use unorthodox set-ups to help with gapping issues or weak spots.

They wrote:

“I currently have a PING G430 driver, TM Qi35 3W and a TM Qi4D 7W. Driver and 7W are fine but can’t get on with my 3W and have always struggling with this club over the years. Thinking of adding a 2H which I know would look odd. Just wondering if anyone else had a weird set up at the top of their bag?”

Our members in the forum have offered up their thoughts and personal experiences with non-traditional top of bag set-ups, and their reasoning for thinking outside of the box to begin with. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

BowMain42: “Don’t worry about what “looks” odd. If the club does what you need it to do, it’s the right club.”
scooterhd2: “I cant hit 3 woods either. Thats why I roll with a unicorn XL Hibore 2 wood. 400 cc head at 16 degrees of loft and its just a monster 3 wood off the tee. Off the deck, we are playing the f6 baffler. 5 wood at 41.75 inches and its easy to control.”
phizzy30: “I had driver, 3 metal, 2/4 hybrid once upon a time as a higher ss player. 4 hybrid is gone and in place is a driving iron nowadays. I don’t think what you’re proposing is weird in anyway, however the yardage gap might be glaringly huge between driver and 2 hybrid. What is it about your 3 metal that has got you all messed up? You could always go 4 metal with shorter shaft and see if that works.”

Entire Thread: “Interesting clubs at top of bag”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Equipment

Members of the Mini Driver Club – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has gone searching for fellow users of a mini driver. In a post, @TightFade asked for other mini driver users to chime in with their weapon of choice, the reason for employing a mini, and what club follows it in the bag.

@TightFade asked:

“What mini are you playing? What spot in the bag did it take over? What’s the next club after it? For me: Elyte mini 13.5. Replacing 3w. Next up club looks like it’ll be 5w.”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own bag setups featuring the mini driver, and the various reasons they purchased one in the first place. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

RCGA: “Ping G430 Max 12* ‘Thriver.’ Next club is a 4w and 2i (I play a weird course).”
JMB3: “R7 at 12.75 with Diamana BB 63s. 3w replacement. Next Club: Elyte Ti 5w at 17*.”
ColdOkieGolf: “R7 15.5 turned down to 13.5 It replaces the 3w. I found it surprisingly easy to hit off the deck, and it’s very rare that I need or want to hit something beyond 250 from the fairway, so next club is my 7w.”
ChaosTheory: “I’m sub-90 MPH with driver. But I’m able to hit DOD. I have been wanting something like the R7 15.5, so I just ordered one. I have a spot in the bag so nothing has to go. But I could see it replacing my trusty 4 wood, which I never use for approach shots. Just tee shots and lay ups. If I drop the 4 wood, I will turn my 7 wood down to ~20 degrees and will have good gaps. I recently tried a thriver build: 12 degree driver turned to 14, with a heavier 44 inch shaft and added head weight. I hit it great. Very accurate and not overly high, but the problem was that it sometimes went as far as a typical drive. And that’s not what I needed. So I will probably turn the 15.5 up to 16.5 or even 17.5. It’s all theoretical at this point. ?”

Entire Thread: “Members of the Mini Driver Club…Check In.”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Whats in the Bag

Chris Gotterup WITB 2026 (June)

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Chris Gotterup had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Drivers: TaylorMade Qi4D (8 degrees), Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @8), Ping G440 LST (7.5 degrees)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS T1100 Handcrafted 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g