Equipment
Ian Poulter spills the beans on Titleist’s AP3, 718 irons
Thank you, Ian Poulter. That’s how Titleist fans are feeling toward the Ryder Cup hero for spilling the beans on Titleist’s new 718 iron lineup, which looks to include an all-new model called the 718 AP3. His photos, which were posted on his Instagram account, also include photos of what appear to be the new 718 T-MB, 718 AP2 irons.
As in past years, Titleist is expected to officially release its newest equipment to PGA Tour players at next week’s Quicken Loans National. We’ll have our boots on the ground to capture more images of the clubs, which will allow us to make better educated guesses about the design of the all-new AP3.
For now, enjoy speculating on what Poulter posted below. You can see what GolfWRX Members are saying about the clubs in our forum here.
Discussion: See what GolfWRX Members are saying about Titleist’s new irons.
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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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Scott
Jun 28, 2017 at 10:27 pm
I think this time around its time to simply mix and match clubs to go in the bag. Looking forward to the fall the dial in on these. Curious to read about the testing.
Ira Shoff
Jun 26, 2017 at 2:11 pm
I still like the looks of the old 714’s the best.
Scott
Jun 25, 2017 at 9:45 pm
Just when Jordan finally wins with his 716’s…NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
Jevarn ONeal
Jun 25, 2017 at 10:06 am
I want!
Jim
Jun 25, 2017 at 9:26 am
Where is the 7 iron?
Luke
Jun 25, 2017 at 6:10 am
I think they could be a more forgiving long iron along the lines of the t-Mb but geared towards people not wanting hybrids or t-mb to replace the stock ap2 long irons. The sole looks super deep as wide as the t-mb. Don’t think I’ll love them at first look.
Tim
Jun 24, 2017 at 10:15 pm
Quicken Loans will be held at TPC Potomac this year.
TBM
Howard
Jun 24, 2017 at 9:43 pm
Just fell in love with my 716s anyways.
Shooter McGavin
Jun 24, 2017 at 7:41 pm
Yeah I’ll be keeping my 716 AP2 beauts. See you in 2019 Titleist.
golfraven
Jun 24, 2017 at 4:31 pm
I seriously went to Titleist site to peek at this years models because those don’t look like the new 718 range. Just judging by looks the Ap2s look like a throwback to the 914 model. The AP3s have a newer style but I am not stunned. Hope the CBs will look nicer.
Michael Constantine
Jun 24, 2017 at 3:45 pm
In logic the AP3 should be more along the lines of the CB model. As all prior AP2 are more player geared than AP1. So it would only make sense that for AP3 would have a more better player geared design and look. I think if Titleist did away with the CB and made the AP3 more like prior CB designs they would sell more of the CB type design. So basically what I’m saying is change the CB name to AP3 and there you go. Shake things up a bit.
SH
Jun 24, 2017 at 1:51 pm
Well done, Wilson Golf, I like what you’ve done with the new version of the FG6
Mat
Jun 24, 2017 at 8:21 pm
Bravo.
Mat
Jun 24, 2017 at 8:21 pm
Well done, Callaway. Your new Apex lineup looks fresh!
SV
Jun 24, 2017 at 11:26 am
Looks a little like a cross between the AP 1 and AP2 (1+2 =3).
Jack
Jun 24, 2017 at 11:03 am
718 MB irons hiding in the background as well. Not sure how the ap3 are more players clubs than ap2? The cavity looks pretty deep.
Rich
Jun 24, 2017 at 10:47 am
Looks like someone has copied from Mizuno .Just added chrome and a different badge .
Ccshop
Jun 24, 2017 at 10:57 am
Looks nothing like a Mizuno iron. Looks like the color of the 714 with the design of the 716.
Tom1
Jun 24, 2017 at 1:52 pm
everything looks like a Mizuno…even my dogs collar.
Gordy
Jun 24, 2017 at 10:35 am
Yawn..boring
Tom1
Jun 24, 2017 at 10:35 am
eeeEEew aaaAAAww