Equipment
Tiger Woods signs multi-year golf ball deal with Bridgestone
It’s official. Tiger Woods has signed a multi-year deal to play Bridgestone golf balls… more specifically the Tour B330S with the “Tour B” logo that’s available exclusively on Bridgestone’s website.
“After extensive testing I chose the best golf ball for my game,” Woods said in a Bridgestone Golf press release. “This golf ball is reacting identical with how I want to play.”
In 2000, Woods switched from a Titleist golf ball to a Nike Tour Accuracy, and he has used a Nike golf ball ever since. He won 13 of his 14 career majors with a golf ball that had a Swoosh on it, but when Nike announced that it was exiting the hard goods business in August, speculation swirled about what golf clubs and golf balls Woods might play next.
“The night immediately following [the news of Nike exiting the hard goods industry], we received request from Tiger’s camp for samples,” said Elliot Mellow, Marketing Manager of Fitting at Bridgestone. “We sent him both the B330 and B330S golf balls, and he took awhile to evaluate both those golf balls, and balls from other companies… Between the two golf balls [B330 and B330S], the S has the softer cover, allowing Tiger to play the short game shots he’s used to.”
After more than a year off from competitive golf due to injuries and doubts about his game, Woods returned at the 2016 Hero World Challenge on December 1 where he used a Bridgestone Tour B330S golf ball.
Woods has confirmed that he will tee it up on the PGA Tour at the Genesis Open February 16-19 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California.
The terms of Woods’ contract with Bridgestone Golf were not disclosed.
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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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Whats in the Bag
Matthieu Pavon WITB 2024 (May)
- Pavon’s WITB accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 Max (9 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 10 X
Irons: Ping i230 (3-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: Ping Si59 (52-12S, 58-8B)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Ping Cadence TR Tomcat C
Grip: SuperStroke Claw 1.0P
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Check out more in-hand photos of Pavon’s gear here.
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Equipment
Spotted: Tommy Fleetwood’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X Prototype putter
Tommy Fleetwood has been attached to his Odyssey White Hot Pro #3 putter for years now. However, this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, we did spot him testing a new putter that is very different, yet somewhat similar, to his current gamer.
This new putter is a TaylorMade Spider Tour X head but with a brand new neck we haven’t seen on a Spider before. A flow neck is attached to the Spider head and gives the putter about a 1/2 shaft offset. This style neck will usually increase the toe hang of the putter and we can guess it gets the putter close to his White Hot Pro #3.
Another interesting design is that lack of TaylorMade’s True Path alignment on the top of the putter. Instead of the large white center stripe, Tommy’s Spider just has a very short white site line milled into it. As with his Odyssey, Tommy seems to be a fan of soft inserts and this Spider prototype looks to have the TPU Pure Roll insert with 45° grooves for immediate topspin and less hopping and skidding.
The sole is interesting as well in that the rear weights don’t look to be interchangeable and are recessed deep into the ports. This setup could be used to push the CG forward in the putter for a more blade-like feel during the stroke, like TaylorMade did with the Spider X Proto Scottie Scheffler tested out.
Tommy’s putter is finished off with an older Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 grip in blue and white. The Mid Slim was designed to fit in between the Ultra Slim 1.0 and the Slim 3.0 that was a popular grip on tour.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
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ND Hickman
Dec 26, 2016 at 5:02 am
He only won one major with Titleist balls?
Chunkie Buck
Dec 16, 2016 at 6:22 pm
Someone hold back my keyboard courage!!! Jamie, you’r an idiot! It was code speak to skirt the site mods. Read the words backward you krod!!
Dat
Dec 15, 2016 at 5:52 pm
So, you must play the tour F?
dAVE fROM aCCOUNTING
Dec 15, 2016 at 4:39 pm
Normally a big fan of your sardonic humor, but this was a little lame. Gotta bust the chops of the chop buster once in a while. Keep you on your toes.
dAVE fROM aCCOUNTING
Dec 15, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Plus, if frosted flakes hasn’t come knocking yet, no one will. Bridgestone B330s…Tiger Woods says, “They’re Grrrreeeeaaat!” Now that’s a marketing dream team.
dAVE fROM aCCOUNTING
Dec 15, 2016 at 6:29 pm
Heck, there’s always FUBU.
-The other Dave
Chunkie Buck
Dec 15, 2016 at 3:28 pm
Next thing you know he’ll be doing argaiV adds talking about how he’s “6 regnol.
Jamie
Dec 16, 2016 at 4:52 pm
english much?
McPickens
Dec 15, 2016 at 2:25 pm
bridgestone has been the best ball for years, they just aren’t willing to pay every tour player to play them like Titty
ooffa
Dec 15, 2016 at 1:25 pm
They should have signed a multi week contract. He will be lucky if he can get through a month without a WD
Woof
Dec 15, 2016 at 11:46 am
Is this the new style now, with the hat looks like it was washed in the machine? I guess that’s what happens when he doesn’t have a nice wife to do the washing for him lmao
Rich
Dec 15, 2016 at 9:46 pm
As if he washes his hats!
Brad
Dec 15, 2016 at 10:23 am
Guess he’s not buying TMAG….
cgasucks
Dec 15, 2016 at 11:20 am
Guess not..if he was still in the TMAG buying mix with that Bridgestone contract in force…that would be a huge conflict of interest as TMAG makes balls too (obviously).
Jared Bouchey
Dec 15, 2016 at 10:05 am
Bridgestone was making the Nike ball anyway so it’s basically the same
cgasucks
Dec 15, 2016 at 11:22 am
Yeah…for all I know Tiger is still playing a Nike Ball with a Bridgestone logo slapped on it..
ksb
Dec 15, 2016 at 6:12 pm
I was told by someone in the know that he was always playing the B’stone B330 with a Nike logo slapped on it.
1badbadger
Dec 16, 2016 at 2:28 am
Bridgestone manufactured the balls, but Nike designed them. The ball Tiger played previously was a Nike designed ball and was not the B330 or B330-S with a swoosh stamped on it.
jim
Dec 15, 2016 at 9:44 am
cant believe he didn’t go with the K-sig
DJ
Dec 15, 2016 at 8:11 am
More evidence that titleist isn’t the only ball out there. Good for Bridgestone
The Dude
Dec 15, 2016 at 11:36 am
Whack!