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Report: Tiger to use Bridgestone B330S golf ball, Monster Energy golf bag

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All eyes will be on Tiger Woods this week in the Bahamas, where the 14-time major champion will make his return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge. Speculation is rampant about how Woods will play, and also what he will play given Nike’s decision to shutter its golf equipment business in August, making the most famous golfer in the world an equipment free agent.

Woods has had months to test the latest gear, but it’s still not clear if even he is certain what he will use come Thursday. Based on reports, the smart money is on Woods using TaylorMade woods (driver, 3 wood and 5 wood), Nike irons (3-PW), Nike wedges (56 and 60) and the Scotty Cameron putter he trusted for 13 of his 14 major championship wins. We’ll wait to confirm those changes until we arrive at Albany later in the week.

There are two switches, however, that are appear to be locks this week.

The first is Tiger’s decision to use Bridgestone’s B330S golf ball, reported by Steve DiMeglio of USA Today. Woods was previously using Nike’s RZN Black golf ball.

Bridgestone's B330S golf balls sell for $44.99 per dozen.

Bridgestone’s B330S golf balls sell for $44.99 per dozen.

The B330S, also used by Matt Kuchar and Bryson DeChambeau, is one of two Bridgestone golf ball models played on the PGA Tour. It’s a four-piece design that has a slightly higher-spinning construction than Bridgestone’s B330, which is played by Brandt Snedeker.

The other change is Woods’ golf bag itself, which according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell will be branded with a Monster Energy Drink logo.

While it’s hard to imagine Woods chugging Monsters on the course, energy drink endorsements are nothing new to professional golf. Rickie Fowler, arguably the most well-known golfer outside the sport after Woods, has an endorsement with Red Bull. Jim Furyk has also been an endorser of 5-Hour Energy since 2012.

Related: See the clubs Woods in 2015

Woods has had six previous bag sponsors: Titleist, Buick, AT&T, Nike, Fuse Science and MusclePharm. MusclePharm was the latest, and disclosed in SEC filings that it paid Woods $7 million to carry the bag for two years, and paid the golfer an additional $2.5 million to terminate the deal in May.

According to Woods’ website, the golfer’s current sponsors include Nike, Hero, Kowa, Upper Deck, Rolex and a partnership with the PGA Tour.

Join the discussion: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about Woods’ equipment changes in our forum.

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31 Comments

31 Comments

  1. Sean

    Nov 29, 2016 at 4:18 pm

    No surprise. Bridgestone manufactured the Nike golf balls.

    • David Labbe

      Nov 30, 2016 at 8:18 am

      They were made in the same plant and Bridgestone had nothing to do with the design of the ball itself. Both companies have their own R&D department. This is very typical for not just golf balls but many products in many industries.

      • Ryan Butryn

        Nov 30, 2016 at 12:23 pm

        I understand what you are saying, but I think he was trying to say that Tiger has been perticularly picky about the ball he uses. So picky that most of the time, his ball never makes on to store shelves because a ball that spins that mich isn’t very marketable. So, since Bridgestone manufactured balls for Nike, Bridgestone knows the exact specifications of the ball Tiger uses. So now, Toger is using the same ball he has used for a while but now with a Bridgestone logo slapped on the side. It’s a win win for both sides, Tiger gets the ball he wants and Bridgestone gets great marketing.

  2. Matt

    Nov 29, 2016 at 9:16 am

    LOL! Perfect! Go Tiger!!!!

  3. Taylor

    Nov 28, 2016 at 7:31 pm

    Laddie.

  4. TM SOLD

    Nov 28, 2016 at 7:29 pm

    TIGER, JASON DAY, & 3 BACKERS ARE BUYING TM.

    • Tony Lynam

      Nov 29, 2016 at 8:26 am

      Bad time to be buying a golf equipment company. The amount of your own money that goes into it can destroy your wealth.

  5. HoselRockets INC

    Nov 28, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    Hardly surprising. Fred Couples would have nudged him to this ball.. And its a putters ball for sure too..

  6. jlukes

    Nov 28, 2016 at 6:08 pm

    Golf Channel keeps showing a graphic that has Tiger playing the Bridgestone RX – that can’t be right, can it?

  7. setter02

    Nov 28, 2016 at 6:03 pm

    Hopefully the older version in the One Tour D era. Last time Nike made a good ball and was the best 330s’.

  8. HennyBogan67

    Nov 28, 2016 at 5:16 pm

    If he quits on the front 9 on Friday, Bridgestone will be blamed.

  9. Jack Nash

    Nov 28, 2016 at 3:44 pm

    I heard years ago that Tiger was using a Bridgestone ball with a Nike swoosh on it. He was on the range with Couples at the time and hit some and liked the feel. Nike didn’t have anything like it at the time, so this was an interim fix.

    • Moretti

      Nov 28, 2016 at 4:18 pm

      Bridgestone made Nike golf balls for a number of years. Nike hired Bridgestone’s head golf ball engineer when they started making the balls themselves.

  10. Real Logo

    Nov 28, 2016 at 2:49 pm

    He’s just going back to the ball that won him all those majors. At least now he doesn’t have to hide the logo with a Nike one lol

  11. Hook Whisperer

    Nov 28, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    Great ball around the green and off the tee.

  12. Uhit

    Nov 28, 2016 at 1:00 pm

    The picture shows the old 2014 version of the B330S…
    …I thought all the mentioned players use the 2016 version – no?

    • Uhit

      Nov 28, 2016 at 2:00 pm

      Thank you – now, the picture is showing the 2016 version…

  13. Dave R

    Nov 28, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    OUCH. The trunk

  14. Andy C

    Nov 28, 2016 at 11:59 am

    He should try to use Costco’s Kirkland’s balls. 🙂

    At least he can return the balls, if he is not completely satisfied with the performance (i.e. not winning the tourney)

  15. ooffa

    Nov 28, 2016 at 11:42 am

    They will look great in his trunk after the withdraw.

    • drkviolet

      Nov 28, 2016 at 11:48 am

      oooooh good one

    • Branson Reynolds

      Nov 28, 2016 at 12:27 pm

      And we’ll get a good view of it since 100 reporters will follow him to his car

    • Jamie

      Nov 28, 2016 at 4:39 pm

      you love this joke.

    • Tony Lynam

      Nov 29, 2016 at 8:29 am

      Yeah, but he gets them for free and free is good. But you and I will always be paying for our golf balls.

  16. Branson Reynolds

    Nov 28, 2016 at 11:05 am

    WITB is such a better topic when players have unique input. So boring when a WITB has the player gaming the latest equip from the sponsoring mfgr, Kevin Na style

  17. drkviolet

    Nov 28, 2016 at 10:19 am

    first

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UST Mamiya Dart V iron shaft review – Club Junkie Reviews

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Recently, graphite iron shafts have grown in popularity as technology has taken giant leaps forward. The old thoughts of graphite being too soft, too high launching, or too inconsistent have gone by the wayside. This new batch of graphite iron shafts has been played by all levels of golfers, from players who do need help with launch and spin to professionals who are looking for added control.

Today, we’re taking a look at one of these “new graphite iron shafts.” UST Mamiya Dart V irons shafts come out of the company’s TSPX Lab that creates the most cutting-edge designs and uses the latest materials.

Check out the full review on YouTube below or on any podcast platform.

UST Mamiya’s Dart V shafts are designed around Dual Action Recoil Technology that makes sure the entire shaft flexes consistently for much tighter shot dispersion. The Dart V shafts are offered in 90, 105, and 120-gram weight options to fit a wide range of golfers. UST Mamiya also has very tight tolerances and quality control to ensure that every shaft is the same in the set. Utilizing Torray M40X carbon fiber gives the engineers a material that is 30% better tensile strength and gives the shafts better feel with less harsh vibration.

I went with the Dart V 105 F4 (stiff) shafts as I have found more success with lighter shafts as I have gotten older. Building these shafts up with a set of Vega Mizar Tour heads was very easy and didn’t take a lot of tip weights. I think the 7-iron needed a small 2g tip weight and the rest were installed without any weight at my desired D1 swing weight at standard length with standard size grips.

Out on the course, the first thing I noticed was how tight the Dart V 105 feels. Every swing feels like the shaft is under complete control, no matter if you take a partial or went after it. Stout is a great term for the shafts as they definitely play true to flex, but they aren’t harsh feeling. While the Dart V plays stiff, it still does a good job of reducing vibration and keeping joints or injured body parts free from additional shock.

You can feel the shaft load during the transition to the downswing, but it has a stiffer feel of less flex than some other graphite shafts. Some players like this boardier feel and will get it with the Dart V. Feel at impact is similar to the loading where you are going to feel some kick at the bottom of the swing, but it won’t be as aggressive as other shafts. On center strikes the Dart V offers a very solid feel with great, soft feedback. When you mishit shots with these shafts you get immediate feedback with some additional vibration that feel players will really like. The mishits aren’t too harsh on the hands but still let the head give you the louder click that your ears will want.

Ball flight for me was lower than I expected with UST Mamiya listing the shaft as more mid-launch. I would consider my launch with the Dart V mid-low launch with a more penetrating flight. Better players will like the ability to flight shots, with any club, higher or lower in order to get the ball close to the hole. The penetrating flight helps in windy conditions as it offers a stable trajectory that doesn’t waver from your aiming point.

Shots that you mishit off the toe or heel go pretty straight and you don’t see big curvature that causes you to really miss the green. Most of those misses come off the face fairly straight and leave you with a fairly easy chip or pitch shot to the green. Distance control is consistent and repeatable as I found on the range that well-struck shots have a very tight carry distance window and I have yet to see some wildly long or short shots show up.

Overall, the UST Mamiya Dart V iron shafts are solid options for players who are very particular about performance. Like other shafts among the new breed of graphite iron shafts, the Dart V delivers the type of shots you need when you need them.

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/8/24): Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter.

From the seller: (@kcsf): “Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna. -I will regret this one selling for sure. It does have one small nick on the face near the toe as shown, otherwise in amazing new condition.  -BOS reconditioned and received last month. Oil can finish as done new by BOS when this putter was released many moons ago. -Head cover is authentic SC and shows age. Velcro is worthless of course, but does stay closed.  -Length is 34.25 inches, original shaft. -Grip is old and needs replacing. I can have my pro do it prior to shipping at an additional cost of the grip only. -$475.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Art of Putting Laguna putter

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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Mitsubishi Diamana WB: What you need to know + club build, on-course testing

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GolfWRX’s Resident Club Junkie, Brian Knudson, was naturally excited to get his hands on Mitsubishi’s new Diamana WB shaft.

In this video, BK gives you a brief overview of the new WB, builds up a driver, and takes it to the course for some testing.

With the rebirth of the iconic Whiteboard profile, Mitsubishi didn’t just re-issue a classic, but rather infused all the company’s latest tech into a new shaft, paying homage to the original with its quintessentially Hawaiian-inspired stylings. A summary of that impressive roster of technology, below.

  • 80-ton Dialead pitch fiber: Positioned in the handle, Dialead is designed to deliver greater ball speed via better energy transfer.
  • Aerospace-grade MR70 carbon fiber adds additional strength, and 46-ton fiber in angle plies in the tip section reduce torque for tighter shot dispersion.
  • Consistent Feel Design: Engineers target minimal variance across shafts (butt OD, weight, and balance point) to make the fitting process easier.
  • Xlink Tech Resin System: Engineers continue to reduce resin content and increase carbon fiber volume for greater feel without sacrificing strength and durability.
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