Opinion & Analysis
The top-10 biggest equipment changes of Tiger Woods’ career
No golfer’s equipment changes have been followed as closely, or with more scrutiny, than Tiger Woods. For some reason it just matters to us when he makes a change, and it influences the golf equipment world’s buying habits, too.
In his upcoming start in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Woods is expected to make some major equipment changes. After an extended period away from the game, and with Nike exiting the equipment business, Woods’ final decisions on golf equipment have been a frequent topic of conversation. The video below from a Sunday practice round for the event, however, all but confirms he will be using a TaylorMade M2 driver.
Related: Woods to use a Bridgestone B330S golf ball at the Hero
In honor of his return and expected equipment changes this week, we reminisce on the top-10 biggest equipment changes of Woods’ career.
10) A brief experiment
If Woods tees it up with a TaylorMade M2 driver at the Hero Challenge, it won’t be the first time he’s put a TaylorMade driver in play in competition. At the 2003 Deutsche Bank SAP Open in Germany, he used a TaylorMade R510 driver (7.5 degrees). Being that it lasted for only that week, it’s certainly one of the most surprising equipment changes Tiger ever made.
9) Swoosh in, Titleist “T” out
When you think of Tiger in his prime, surely you think of 2000-2001. And here’s a look into his bag during that period. He was bagging Titleist “T” irons (the T stood for Tour, not “Tiger,” which was the cause of much confusion). Woods eventually moved on from the T’s, however, when Nike cooked up these beauties: the Nike Forged Blades.
Ask GolfWRXers what the best blade iron ever made was (join the discussion here), and someone will eventually mention (as easyyy did) the Nike Forged Blades that replaced Tiger’s Titleist irons. He went on to win a slew of majors with the swoosh-stamped irons, using variations of the Nike Forged Blades until he switched to the VR Forged irons in 2009.
Related: The Top-10 Best Nike Equipment Ever Made
8) Tiger drops the Titleist 975D driver
Not only was Tiger bagging Titleist irons in 2000-2001, but he also played Titleist’s 975D (7.5 degrees) through his most dominant years. He switched to a Nike driver in 2002, which he used to win the Masters and U.S. Open that year. He returned to the 975D in 2003, searching for more fairways, but like his one-week switch to a TaylorMade driver, it was just a brief experiment.
7) The Victory Reds, made to order
Woods was initially reluctant to switch into the VR (Victory Red) Forged irons from the Nike Forged Blades that he used previously, despite the fact the new VR irons were developed with heavy input from Woods himself. He switched following his 14th major victory (and his left knee surgery), although conspiracy theorists claimed he never actually gamed the retail versions of the irons he designed. That would be a bit odd given they were designed for him, but just add it to the swirling conspiracies regarding Tiger and his golf equipment.
6) Tiger goes to Vapor, sends off Nike
In late 2010, Woods switched from Nike’s VR Forged irons to the company’s VR Pro irons, which are the irons we expect him to use this week at the Hero. He used the VR Pro irons to win five times in 2013, which made his switch to Nike’s Vapor Pro irons in late 2014 all the more shocking.
The Vapor Pro irons used what Nike called a “Modern Muscle Geometry” that moved weight toward the toe of the irons. According to Nike, it centered the sweet spot of the irons to improve performance… and they had a lime green swoosh.
The Vapor Pro irons were the final blade irons Nike released as a hard goods company, and Tiger never won a golf tournament with them in the bag.
5) A step down from steel
See all those “steps” in Tiger’s driver shaft in the picture above? He was one of the last professional golfers to switch to a graphite shaft in his driver. The one that stuck was a Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Blueboard shaft, which is likely the first time you ever heard the Diamana name. We bet it’s not the last you’ve heard of Diamana either, as it remains one of the most popular shafts in golf today.
You can thank Tiger, at least in part, for the popularization of ultra-expensive, after-market graphite shafts.
4) Shaft switch-up
Remember how we established that Tiger has supreme influence on the golf equipment world? Here’s another example. Before Tiger switched to Graphite Design’s Tour AD-DI 6X shaft in 2010, the company was mostly hanging its hat on the YS-series shafts. Today, the Tour AD series is available in more than a dozen models, and one of the most popular aftermarket shaft lines.
3) The putter before “the putter”
Arguably golf’s most famous putter is Tiger Woods’ Newport 2 GSS Scotty Cameron, which Tiger used to win 13 of his 14 major championships.
But before that, Tiger employed a Newport Teryllium TEi3 putter from Scotty (a.k.a. “the one with the dots”), which was most notably in his bag to win the 1997 Masters.
2) Tiger tees up the swoosh
Tiger switched from Titleist’s Professional 90 (a wound golf ball) to a Nike Tour Accuracy golf ball in 2000 (a solid-core golf ball), and promptly won his next four majors… no big deal. Then in 2001, Nike released a Nike Tour Accuracy TW (and DD, for “David Duval”), capitalizing on the success of its two biggest stars.
Had he never teed up a Nike golf ball, this moment in sports history would have looked a bit different; and Nike would have been robbed of the ultimate advertisement for a product.
Some believe that Woods’ switch to a solid-core golf ball aided his runaway success in 2000-2001, as most Tour players were still playing wound golf balls at the time (Titleist’s Pro V1 wasn’t released to Tour players until October 2000).
1) The end of an era
After winning nearly every trophy available in the golf world with the Scotty Cameron Newport 2 previously mentioned, Tiger switched a new putter in 2010, the Nike Method 001. Many thought he would never switch, so it was huge news even to casual golf fans.
Tiger hasn’t won a major with the Method, but he did reel off five wins in 2013 to win PGA Player of the Year with it in the bag. Rumor has it, we might see the Scotty back in the bag at the Hero. Does it have any more magic left in it?
Surely we missed something on this list. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s LIV Golf Singapore betting preview: Course specialist ready to thrive once again
After another strong showing in Australia, LIV Golf will head to Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore looking to build off of what was undoubtedly their best event to date.
Sentosa Golf Club sits on the southern tip of Singapore and is one of the most beautiful courses in the world. The course is more than just incredible scenically; it was also rated 55th in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses in 2022-2023 and has been consistently regarded as one of the best courses in Asia. Prior to being part of the LIV rotation, the course hosted the Singapore Open every year since 2005.
Sentosa Golf Club is a par 71 measuring 7,406 yards. The course will require precise ball striking and some length off the tee. It’s possible to go low due to the pristine conditions, but there are also plenty of hazards and difficult spots on the course that can bring double bogey into play in a hurry. The Bermudagrass greens are perfectly manicured, and the course has spent millions on the sub-air system to keep the greens rolling fast. I spoke to Asian Tour player, Travis Smyth, who described the greens as “the best [he’s] ever played.”
Davis Love III, who competed in a Singapore Open in 2019, also gushed over the condition of the golf course.
“I love the greens. They are fabulous,” the 21-time PGA Tour winner said.
Love III also spoke about other aspects of the golf course.
“The greens are great; the fairways are perfect. It is a wonderful course, and it’s tricky off the tee.”
“It’s a long golf course, and you get some long iron shots. It takes somebody hitting it great to hit every green even though they are big.”
As Love III said, the course can be difficult off the tee due to the length of the course and the trouble looming around every corner. It will take a terrific ball striking week to win at Sentosa Golf Club.
In his pre-tournament press conference last season, Phil Mickelson echoed many of the same sentiments.
“To play Sentosa effectively, you’re going to have a lot of shots from 160 to 210, a lot of full 6-, 7-, 8-iron shots, and you need to hit those really well and you need to drive the ball well.”
Golfers who excel from tee to green and can dial in their longer irons will have a massive advantage this week.
Stat Leaders at LIV Golf Adelaide:
Fairways Hit
1.) Louis Oosthuizen
2.) Anirban Lahiri
3.) Jon Rahm
4.) Brendan Steele
5.) Cameron Tringale
Greens in Regulation
1.) Brooks Koepka
2.) Brendan Steele
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Cameron Tringale
5.) Anirban Lahiri
Birdies Made
1.) Brendan Steele
2.) Dean Burmester
3.) Thomas Pieters
4.) Patrick Reed
5.) Carlos Ortiz
LIV Golf Individual Standings:
1.) Joaquin Niemann
2.) Jon Rahm
3.) Dean Burmester
4.) Louis Oosthuizen
5.) Abraham Ancer
LIV Golf Team Standings:
1.) Crushers
2.) Legion XIII
3.) Torque
4.) Stinger GC
5.) Ripper GC
LIV Golf Singapore Picks
Sergio Garcia +3000 (DraftKings)
Sergio Garcia is no stranger to Sentosa Golf Club. The Spaniard won the Singapore Open in 2018 by five strokes and lost in a playoff at LIV Singapore last year to scorching hot Talor Gooch. Looking at the course setup, it’s no surprise that a player like Sergio has played incredible golf here. He’s long off the tee and is one of the better long iron players in the world when he’s in form. Garcia is also statistically a much better putter on Bermudagrass than he is on other putting surfaces. He’s putt extremely well on Sentosa’s incredibly pure green complexes.
This season, Garcia has two runner-up finishes, both of them being playoff losses. Both El Camaleon and Doral are courses he’s had success at in his career. The Spaniard is a player who plays well at his tracks, and Sentosa is one of them. I believe Sergio will get himself in the mix this week. Hopefully the third time is a charm in Singapore.
Paul Casey +3300 (FanDuel)
Paul Casey is in the midst of one of his best seasons in the five years or so. The results recently have been up and down, but he’s shown that when he’s on a golf course that suits his game, he’s amongst the contenders.
This season, Casey has finishes of T5 (LIV Las Vegas), T2 (LIV Hong Kong), and a 6th at the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour. At his best, the Englishman is one of the best long iron players in the world, which makes him a strong fit for Sentosa. Despite being in poor form last season, he was able to fire a Sunday 63, which shows he can low here at the course.
It’s been three years since Casey has won a tournament (Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2021), but he’s been one of the top players on LIV this season and I think he can get it done at some point this season.
Mito Pereira +5000 (Bet365)
Since Mito Pereira’s unfortunate demise at the 2022 PGA Championship, he’s been extremely inconsistent. However, over the past few months, the Chilean has played well on the International Series as well as his most recent LIV start. Mito finished 8th at LIV Adelaide, which was his best LIV finish this season.
Last year, Pereira finished 5th at LIV Singapore, shooting fantastic rounds of 67-66-66. It makes sense why Mito would like Sentosa, as preeminent ball strikers tend to rise to the challenge of the golf course. He’s a great long iron player who is long and straight off the tee.
Mito has some experience playing in Asia and is one of the most talented players on LIV who’s yet to get in the winner’s circle. I have questions about whether or not he can come through once in contention, but if he gets there, I’m happy to roll the dice.
Andy Ogletree +15000 (DraftKings)
Andy Ogletree is a player I expected to have a strong 2024 but struggled early in his first full season on LIV. After failing to crack the top-25 in any LIV event this year, the former U.S. Amateur champion finally figured things out, finished in a tie for 3rd at LIV Adelaide.
Ogletree should be incredible comfortable playing in Singapore. He won the International Series Qatar last year and finished T3 at the International Series Singapore. The 26-year-old was arguably the best player on the Asian Tour in 2023 and has been fantastic in the continent over the past 18 months.
If Ogletree has indeed found form, he looks to be an amazing value at triple-digit odds.
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Opinion & Analysis
Ryan: Lessons from the worst golf instructor in America
In Tampa, there is a golf course that boasts carts that do not work, a water range, and a group of players none of which have any chance to break 80. The course is overseen by a staff of crusty men who have succeeded at nothing in life but ending up at the worst-run course in America. However, this place is no failure. With several other local courses going out of business — and boasting outstanding greens — the place is booked full.
While I came for the great greens, I stayed to watch our resident instructor; a poor-tempered, method teacher who caters to the hopeless. At first, it was simply hilarious. However, after months of listening and watching, something clicked. I realized I had a front-row seat to the worst golf instructor in America.
Here are some of my key takeaways.
Method Teacher
It is widely accepted that there are three types of golf instructors: system teachers, non-system teachers, and method teachers. Method teachers prescribe the same antidote for each student based on a preamble which teachers can learn in a couple day certification.
Method teaching allows anyone to be certified. This process caters to the lowest caliber instructor, creating the illusion of competency. This empowers these underqualified instructors with the moniker of “certified” to prey on the innocent and uninformed.
The Cult of Stack and Jilt
The Stack and Tilt website proudly boasts, “A golfer swings his hands inward in the backswing as opposed to straight back to 1) create power, similar to a field goal kicker moving his leg in an arc and 2) to promote a swing that is in-to-out, which produces a draw (and eliminates a slice).”
Now, let me tell you something, there is this law of the universe which says “energy can either be created or destroyed,” so either these guys are defying physics or they have no idea what they are taking about. Further, the idea that the first move of the backswing determines impact is conjecture with a splash of utter fantasy.
These are the pontifications of a method — a set of prescriptions applied to everyone with the hope of some success through the placebo effect. It is one thing for a naive student to believe, for a golf instructor to drink and then dispel this Kool-Aid is malpractice.
Fooled by Randomness
In flipping a coin, or even a March Madness bet, there is a 50-50 chance of success. In golf, especially for new players, results are asymmetric. Simply put: Anything can happen. The problem is that when bad instructors work with high handicappers, each and every shot gets its own diagnosis and prescription. Soon the student is overwhelmed.
Now here’s the sinister thing: The overwhelming information is by design. In this case, the coach is not trying to make you better, they are trying to make you reliant on them for information. A quasi Stockholm syndrome of codependency.
Practice
One of the most important scientists of the 20th century was Ivan Pavlov. As you might recall, he found that animals, including humans, could be conditioned into biological responses. In golf, the idea of practice has made millions of hackers salivate that they are one lesson or practice session from “the secret.”
Sunk Cost
The idea for the worst golf instructor is to create control and dependency so that clients ignore the sunk cost of not getting better. Instead, they are held hostage by the idea that they are one lesson or tip away from unlocking their potential.
Cliches
Cliches have the effect of terminating thoughts. However, they are the weapon of choice for this instructor. Add some hyperbole and students actually get no information. As a result, these players couldn’t play golf. When they did, they had no real scheme. With no idea what they are doing, they would descend into a spiral of no idea what to do, bad results, lower confidence, and running back to the lesson tee from more cliches.
The fact is that poor instruction is about conditioning players to become reliant members of your cult. To take away autonomy. To use practice as a form of control. To sell more golf lessons not by making people better but through the guise that without the teacher, the student can never reach their full potential. All under the umbrella of being “certified” (in a 2-day course!) and a melee of cliches.
This of course is not just happening at my muni but is a systemic problem around the country and around the world, the consequences of which are giving people a great reason to stop playing golf. But hey, at least it’s selling a lot of golf balls…
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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans betting preview
The PGA TOUR heads to New Orleans to play the 2023 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. In a welcome change from the usual stroke play, the Zurich Classic is a team event. On Thursday and Saturday, the teams play best ball, and on Friday and Sunday the teams play alternate shot.
TPC Louisiana is a par 72 that measures 7,425 yards. The course features some short par 4s and plenty of water and bunkers, which makes for a lot of exciting risk/reward scenarios for competitors. Pete Dye designed the course in 2004 specifically for the Zurich Classic, although the event didn’t make its debut until 2007 because of Hurricane Katrina.
Coming off of the Masters and a signature event in consecutive weeks, the field this week is a step down, and understandably so. Many of the world’s top players will be using this time to rest after a busy stretch.
However, there are some interesting teams this season with some stars making surprise appearances in the team event. Some notable teams include Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris and Sahith Theegala as well as a few Canadian teams, Nick Taylor and Adam Hadwin and Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners.
Past Winners at TPC Louisiana
- 2023: Riley/Hardy (-30)
- 2022: Cantlay/Schauffele (-29)
- 2021: Leishman/Smith (-20)
- 2019: Palmer/Rahm (-26)
- 2018: Horschel/Piercy (-22)
- 2017: Blixt/Smith (-27)
2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans Picks
Tom Hoge/Maverick McNealy +2500 (DraftKings)
Tom Hoge is coming off of a solid T18 finish at the RBC Heritage and finished T13 at last year’s Zurich Classic alongside Harris English.
This season, Hoge is having one of his best years on Tour in terms of Strokes Gained: Approach. In his last 24 rounds, the only player to top him on the category is Scottie Scheffler. Hoge has been solid on Pete Dye designs, ranking 28th in the field over his past 36 rounds.
McNealy is also having a solid season. He’s finished T6 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and T9 at the PLAYERS Championship. He recently started working with world renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, and its seemingly paid dividends in 2024.
Keith Mitchell/Joel Dahmen +4000 (DraftKings)
Keith Mitchell is having a fantastic season, finishing in the top-20 of five of his past seven starts on Tour. Most recently, Mitchell finished T14 at the Valero Texas Open and gained a whopping 6.0 strokes off the tee. He finished 6th at last year’s Zurich Classic.
Joel Dahmen is having a resurgent year and has been dialed in with his irons. He also has a T11 finish at the PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass which is another Pete Dye track. With Mitchell’s length and Dahmen’s ability to put it close with his short irons, the Mitchell/Dahmen combination will be dangerous this week.
Taylor Moore/Matt NeSmith +6500 (DraftKings)
Taylor Moore has quickly developed into one of the more consistent players on Tour. He’s finished in the top-20 in three of his past four starts, including a very impressive showing at The Masters, finishing T20. He’s also finished T4 at this event in consecutive seasons alongside Matt NeSmith.
NeSmith isn’t having a great 2024, but has seemed to elevate his game in this format. He finished T26 at Pete Dye’s TPC Sawgrass, which gives the 30-year-old something to build off of. NeSmith is also a great putter on Bermudagrass, which could help elevate Moore’s ball striking prowess.
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Jason Day on his recent switch into Srixon ZX5 and ZX7 Mk II irons
Tom
Dec 1, 2016 at 11:29 am
puttin a lot of emphasis on one club…. not the guy using it.
Daniel
Nov 30, 2016 at 1:54 pm
The 983K and 905R were the best ever. I never understood why top level pros move on from Titelist.
Deep Pockets
Dec 14, 2016 at 5:54 pm
$$$
baudi
Nov 30, 2016 at 11:55 am
Don’t forget the very short adventure with the Grafalloy steel tip fairway wood shaft.
And the bent 3 iron (into a 2I) with a Pxi shaft.
Nike Forged Blades – super solid heads indeed. Although I remember Tiger’s model being named the Nike Proto. What I do know is the Tom Stites and Tiger took ±9 months to come the final result.
Gene
Nov 29, 2016 at 11:46 pm
The big omission was his Titleist pro trajectory (PT) 3 wood which he referred to as, “my baby.” Tiger had a bore through shaft in his which was aftermarket? Had a big cult following and Titleist later reissued with bore through shaft. When he switched to graphite shafted driver he said he needed to switch to a 3 wood with a graphite shaft.(Nike, either sq or ignite)
Tony Rich
Nov 29, 2016 at 11:10 pm
Tiger held onto the Vokeys for a while after the 2002 iron switch. It was a year or so later, word was that Vokey
forged those wedges and Tiger waited until he could match the feel and spin he had with the Voke’s. Would love to see some prototype Tiger SM6 blacks in his bag.
Azman Long Hamid
Nov 29, 2016 at 7:25 pm
The influence that he made to the golf industry is astounding, but I bet you he could actually play with any brand of equipment and still get away with it base on talent and skill that he has.
Markallister
Nov 29, 2016 at 5:58 pm
best driver ever: titleist 975j
Uvag
Nov 30, 2016 at 4:27 am
983K
Jdog
Nov 30, 2016 at 6:02 am
Nah, J all the way. Great driver.
Markallister
Nov 30, 2016 at 8:30 am
that was very good also.
Tyler Brown
Nov 29, 2016 at 4:12 pm
That 58 Vokey was bent to 56* with 6* of bounce. The 260.06/260.08 were great grinds from vokey. I think he won the 1997 Masters playing Cleveland 588 TG’s in 56 and 60.
Chunkie Buck
Nov 29, 2016 at 2:04 pm
Ahhhhh…..the 975D! Fond memories! That thing resembles a modern day 5 wood!
Yervag
Nov 29, 2016 at 1:05 pm
Shoes?
Justwellsy
Nov 29, 2016 at 12:55 pm
Great article, really enjoyed this. In my mind, if he regains his confidence with the Cameron back in the bag, everything else will fall into place. He was never an accurate driver of the golf ball and still dominated, so I don’t think he needs that part of his game. Especially since he’ll be nowhere near the top in driving distance these days.
ooffa
Nov 29, 2016 at 11:16 am
Did they all fit in his trunk
carlsheen
Nov 29, 2016 at 10:45 am
love this. The biggest was his putter change leaving the cameron. It was the last to go and for a reason. He was a monster with that cameron.
The Mad Bomber
Nov 30, 2016 at 1:03 am
$$$ is right. That was a shocker.
FSUBASEBALL21
Nov 30, 2016 at 3:01 pm
Everyone knows PXG is making superior equipment. If your not playing PXG’s your at a disadvantage. PERIOD, end of story.