Equipment
Tiger to wear new Nike TW ’17 golf shoes at Hero World Challenge
Tiger Woods will be wearing Nike’s new TW ’17 golf shoe this week at the Hero World Challenge, which is designed to accomodate the golfer’s revamped golf swing.
According to Nike, Woods has been working on the design of the shoe with Tobie Hatfield, Nike’s Senior Director of Athlete Innovation, since July 2015. The inspiration for its design was Woods’ new swing, in which Woods has shifted his dominance from his left leg to his right leg.
“This shoe is an absolutely integral part of my return to the sport I love and have missed so much,” Woods says. “Nike really got in the zone with me. I knew Tobie and I were on to something special back when I tried on the first prototype. I feel supreme support from this shoe which leads to the utmost confidence when I step onto the course.”
The most intriguing part of the shoe’s design is what Nike calls its “duo’s strapping system concept,” which was added to keep Woods “secure and locked down in his shoe.” According to Nike, the TW ’17 is the only golf shoe Woods has worn since undergoing two back surgeries in the fall of 2015.
The TW ’17 will be available in Spring 2017.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Equipment
Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird
With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.
On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.
Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?
Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’
So that’s why I went back.
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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?
It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.
Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.
It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.
Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.
Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.
So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?
Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.
Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play?
Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.
There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.
It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.
Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.
And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?
Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’
If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’
My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’
I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”
And you’re going with it this week?
Hundred percent.
Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week.
Thanks, man.
See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here
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Pickitup
Dec 1, 2016 at 8:58 pm
I just got to the point that I could stomach a Nike TW Golf shoe. I bought the last two models. Now this…..? Oh well back to fJ or Adidas. No way this is the shoe they are going to try and sell!
Malibu
Nov 30, 2016 at 9:35 pm
The First Tee of Detroit endorses these
Roger A
Nov 30, 2016 at 2:05 pm
They look like the shoes that you see the mall walkers wearing.
Mad-Mex
Nov 29, 2016 at 8:23 pm
Hey NIKE, please stop! want to stand out?!?! Go back to offering wingtips and saddle show combos, black on white, brown on white, classy not trashy like what you been dealing out!
Wizardofflatstickmountain
Nov 29, 2016 at 3:05 pm
Pretty sure it’s Tinker Hatfield. Unless Tobie is his less successful brother.
Wizardofflatstickmountain
Nov 29, 2016 at 3:10 pm
Despite my jest, I was completely correct. Those make FJ icons look like they’re from the future
new stuff!!
Nov 29, 2016 at 2:29 pm
sorry Woods – crazy respect for your golf game and hope you come back big – so you don’t have to spend time trying to design golf shoes. seeing the way you dress off the course – god gave you golf game not fashion sense
Dr Troy
Nov 29, 2016 at 8:23 pm
+100
Greg
Dec 1, 2016 at 10:09 am
I’m with you. I am pulling for him as a golfer. Just don’t try to sell me anything. His credibility is worthless now.
Rex
Nov 29, 2016 at 12:17 pm
Velcro nurse shoes
Sneaker
Nov 29, 2016 at 11:21 am
Wow! This injury is apparently far more serious than I ever thought it was.
RAT
Nov 29, 2016 at 10:06 am
Well at least there isn’t a 6″ swoosh on the toe platform .
G
Nov 29, 2016 at 10:00 am
They don’t look that bad in black
Adrien Jenot
Nov 29, 2016 at 9:53 am
I seriously think they are trying to get Tiger to quit Nike so they can stop the bleeding lol These are the worst things I have ever seen! What happened to focus group testing? Under Armour and Footjoy will be licking their chops at the site of these lol….
Mike
Nov 29, 2016 at 10:34 am
Have you seen UA shoes? If they want my dad to wear them, they’re doing things the right way…
Adrien Jenot
Nov 30, 2016 at 3:33 pm
I tough the tempo hybrids we’re quite nice. I like the sporty casual look and fit of them but to each there own right. These are moon boot though I think we can agree on that. Cheers
COGolfer
Dec 1, 2016 at 12:53 am
Footjoy will continue to control their market share. Undar Amour is quite a ways from making a shoe that is worth while. To be fair, shoes are not their strength. Much the same way that Nike couldn’t make clubs.
MR B
Nov 29, 2016 at 9:36 am
they look awfully similar to the old Dennis Rodman Nike Air Shake Ndestrukt…which is niiiiiice.
OH
Nov 29, 2016 at 9:32 am
In the words of Charles Barkley, “Those are turrible, man…turrible”.
D
Nov 29, 2016 at 9:24 am
Yikes