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 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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19th Hole
Vincenzi’s 2024 LIV Adelaide betting preview: Cam Smith ready for big week down under
After having four of the top twelve players on the leaderboard at The Masters, LIV Golf is set for their fifth event of the season: LIV Adelaide.
For both LIV fans and golf fans in Australia, LIV Adelaide is one of the most anticipated events of the year. With 35,000 people expected to attend each day of the tournament, the Grange Golf Club will be crawling with fans who are passionate about the sport of golf. The 12th hole, better known as “the watering hole”, is sure to have the rowdiest of the fans cheering after a long day of drinking some Leishman Lager.
The Grange Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 6,946 yards. The course features minimal resistance, as golfers went extremely low last season. In 2023, Talor Gooch shot consecutive rounds of 62 on Thursday and Friday, giving himself a gigantic cushion heading into championship Sunday. Things got tight for a while, but in the end, the Oklahoma State product was able to hold off The Crushers’ Anirban Lahiri for a three-shot victory.
The Four Aces won the team competition with the Range Goats finishing second.
*All Images Courtesy of LIV Golf*
Past Winners at LIV Adelaide
- 2023: Talor Gooch (-19)
Stat Leaders Through LIV Miami
Green in Regulation
- Richard Bland
- Jon Rahm
- Paul Casey
Fairways Hit
- Abraham Ancer
- Graeme McDowell
- Henrik Stenson
Driving Distance
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Joaquin Niemann
- Dean Burmester
Putting
- Cameron Smith
- Louis Oosthuizen
- Matt Jones
2024 LIV Adelaide Picks
Cameron Smith +1400 (DraftKings)
When I pulled up the odds for LIV Adelaide, I was more than a little surprised to see multiple golfers listed ahead of Cameron Smith on the betting board. A few starts ago, Cam finished runner-up at LIV Hong Kong, which is a golf course that absolutely suits his eye. Augusta National in another course that Smith could roll out of bed and finish in the top-ten at, and he did so two weeks ago at The Masters, finishing T6.
At Augusta, he gained strokes on the field on approach, off the tee (slightly), and of course, around the green and putting. Smith able to get in the mix at a major championship despite coming into the week feeling under the weather tells me that his game is once again rounding into form.
The Grange Golf Club is another course that undoubtedly suits the Australian. Smith is obviously incredibly comfortable playing in front of the Aussie faithful and has won three Australian PGA Championship’s. The course is very short and will allow Smith to play conservative off the tee, mitigating his most glaring weakness. With birdies available all over the golf course, there’s a chance the event turns into a putting contest, and there’s no one on the planet I’d rather have in one of those than Cam Smith.
Louis Oosthuizen +2200 (DraftKings)
Louis Oosthuizen has simply been one of the best players on LIV in the 2024 seas0n. The South African has finished in the top-10 on the LIV leaderboard in three of his five starts, with his best coming in Jeddah, where he finished T2. Perhaps more impressively, Oosthuizen finished T7 at LIV Miami, which took place at Doral’s “Blue Monster”, an absolutely massive golf course. Given that Louis is on the shorter side in terms of distance off the tee, his ability to play well in Miami shows how dialed he is with the irons this season.
In addition to the LIV finishes, Oosthuizen won back-to-back starts on the DP World Tour in December at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the Mauritus Open. He also finished runner-up at the end of February in the International Series Oman. The 41-year-old has been one of the most consistent performers of 2024, regardless of tour.
For the season, Louis ranks 4th on LIV in birdies made, T9 in fairways hit and first in putting. He ranks 32nd in driving distance, but that won’t be an issue at this short course. Last season, he finished T11 at the event, but was in decent position going into the final round but fell back after shooting 70 while the rest of the field went low. This season, Oosthuizen comes into the event in peak form, and the course should be a perfect fit for his smooth swing and hot putter this week.
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Opinion & Analysis
The Wedge Guy: What really makes a wedge work? Part 1
Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.
Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.
But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.
To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.
Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.
If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.
In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.
Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.
While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.
So, what about grooves and face texture?
Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.
Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.
But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?
The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.
So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.
And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.
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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.