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What equipment are college golfers using? We polled 61 coaches to find out…

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Editor Andrew Tursky and I decided to set out to better understand what brands college players are using. In order to gather statistics, we created a survey and collected the following data from coaches:

  • What level of golf do you coach?
  • Do you coach men’s or women’s golf?
  • What best describes your attitude towards equipment?
  • Is it ethical for coaches to accept money from club manufacturers?
  • Among the top 5 players on your team, what drivers do they play?
  • Among the top 5 players on your team, what irons do they play?
  • Among the top 5 players on your team, what wedges do they play?
  • Among the top 5 players on your team, what putter do that play?
  • Among the top 5 players on your team, what golf ball do they play?

The survey was created using Survey Monkey and then placed on my business Facebook account. The survey was completely optional. In 48 hours, 61 college coaches responded to the survey. Of them, 78.6 percent of them coach Division I, 8.2 percent of them coach Division II, and 13.1 percent coach either DIII, NAIA or NJCAA. Of the respondents, 77 percent coach men’s golf, while 23 percent of the respondents coach women’s golf.

Of the respondents, 64 percent believe it was ethical for coaches to accept money from club manufacturers, 99 percent believe that players should play whatever they want, and 87 percent preferred that the product should be fit properly. Only 1 percent (one respondent), suggested that they try to influence players and their equipment decisions.

In terms of different equipment played by the top 5 players at these schools, here’s what we found out…

Drivers

  • 10 schools reported exclusively using TaylorMade
  • 3 schools reported exclusively using Titleist
  • 1 school reported exclusively using Ping
  • 1 school reported exclusively using Callaway

For the other respondents, we examined the percentage of players on each team using product:

  • 42 percent TaylorMade
  • 23 percent Callaway
  • 17 percent Titleist and Ping
  • PXG, Bridgestone and Nike combined made up 1 percent.

Irons

  • 7 schools reported exclusively using Titleist
  • 2 schools reported exclusively using TaylorMade
  • 2 schools reported exclusively using Callaway
  • 2 school reported exclusively using Ping
  • 1 school reported using exclusively Wilson Staff

For the other respondents, we examined the percentage of players on each team using product:

  • 30 percent Titleist
  • 20 percent Ping
  • 16 percent Callaway
  • 14 percent TaylorMade
  • 9 percent Mizuno
  • 4 percent Srixon
  • 3 percent PXG

Please note Miura, Cobra, Bridgestone and Nike were also mentioned, but made up less than 3 percent combined.

Wedges

  • 12 schools reported using exclusively Titleist
  • 2 schools reported using exclusively Callaway
  • 1 school reports using exclusively Mizuno
  • 1 school reported using exclusively Ping

For the other respondents, we examined the percentage of players on each team using product:

  • 34 percent Titleist
  • 21 percent Cleveland
  • 18 percent Ping
  • 16 percent Callaway
  • 9 percent TaylorMade
  • 2 percent rest of manufacturers

Putter

  • 8 schools reported using exclusively Scotty Cameron
  • 6 schools reported using exclusively Odyssey
  • 3 schools reported using exclusively Ping
  • 1 school reported using exclusively Bettinardi

For the other respondents, we examined the percentage of players on each team using product:

  • 34 percent Scotty Cameron
  • 24 percent Odyssey (including Toulon)
  • 19 percent Taylor Made
  • 17 percent Ping
  • 2 percent Edel
  • 2 percent Bettinardi

Golf Ball

  • 32 schools reported using exclusively Titleist
  • 3 schools reported using exclusively Bridgestone
  • 1 school reported exclusively using TaylorMade
  • 1 school reported using exclusively Callaway

For the other respondents, we examined the percentage of players on each team using product:

  • 33 percent Titleist
  • 27 percent TaylorMade
  • 25 percent Callaway
  • 10 percent Bridgestone
  • 5 percent Srixon
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Brendan Ryan, an entrepreneur and scientist, is a passionate golfer who loves his local muni. Armed with a keen interest in the game, a large network of friends in the industry, Brendan works to find and produce unique content for GolfWRX.

34 Comments

34 Comments

  1. ChipN'Run

    Mar 19, 2018 at 8:08 pm

    Possibly of interest to the golf merchandising crowd.

    But, we have no information on:
    * Shaft models and flexes
    * Actual models of irons and woods

    • Barfly

      Mar 18, 2023 at 4:35 am

      Golfers are like sheep. Whatever the new trend is they follow so whatever’s in Rory’s, Rahm’s, and Scheffler’s bag are most likely in these college teams bags. Minus the personal club rep and designer on call.

  2. Tom Medlin

    Mar 9, 2018 at 6:10 am

    Memories from the University of Maryland, mid 60’s. Our coach had an affiliation with US Royal, we were supplied with their ball for each match. They had a ” different ” dimple pattern that resembled that of a 1930’s ” mesh “‘ I don’t think anyone actually used them.

  3. jack baker 3

    Mar 2, 2018 at 10:47 pm

    Most golfers including college, play not whats best for them, but what the herd uses. Generally if you pay a loy of money for something its always the best.

  4. Jimmy Ray

    Mar 2, 2018 at 10:48 am

    How would you like to be at that school that uses exclusively Mizuno wedges: “OK, guys, our colors are orange and blue, so we’re ALL gonna use these sweet blue Mizuno wedges, not to win tournaments, but to look cool. I don’t care if you can’t get out of a bunker with any of the grinds, just shut up and let me count my payoff cash…”

    • Nate

      Apr 11, 2018 at 5:03 pm

      Mizuno makes some pretty darn playable wedges. If someone offered me a new set of free mizuno wedges and told me I had to play with them, I highly doubt I would be having issues getting up and down with them, especially hitting a wedge out of a bunker… I think you could hand a good golfer any wedge in the sand and see positive results… That being said, Mizuno wedges are not considered to be the pro’s choice when compared to vokey or muira.

  5. HDTVMAN

    Mar 2, 2018 at 10:45 am

    Hey, have TaylorMade give me a seven figure check and my dog will use their equipment!

  6. Ben Jones

    Mar 1, 2018 at 5:22 pm

    We used to get 6 balls of our choice or 9 of the ones that the school budget covered. That Nicklaus yellow ball was horrible.

  7. Gomer’s Pile

    Feb 28, 2018 at 11:35 pm

    These guys need to get paid ASAP. They are so talented and do so much for our game. This is golf in its purest form. NCAA tournaments should have $100,000 purse minimum. Take from the rich sports and give to the poor. These golfers need cash more than football and basketball players.

    • ProD1

      Mar 1, 2018 at 12:58 pm

      That’s exactly what is happening. Basketball and football revenues subsidize all other sports for the vast majority of big time programs.

    • Thomas Murphy

      Mar 2, 2018 at 12:05 pm

      ??? they need more cash? purses? doesn’t that make it less pure? football and basketball have TV contracts and big donors. Every other sport is a leach and should be grateful.

  8. DaveyD

    Feb 28, 2018 at 10:27 pm

    It appears that Taylormade has the favoured drivers, but Titleist leads the iron/wedge/putter parade.

  9. Matt

    Feb 28, 2018 at 9:24 pm

    Those ball numbers should scare titleist like crazy….

  10. glfhsslr

    Feb 28, 2018 at 8:27 pm

    The players get clubs either free, or PUD pricing, Super cheap….a cameron per say is only like $180 total

  11. mr3puttz

    Feb 28, 2018 at 7:34 pm

    Wow thats a lot of Camerons. I guess college kids have a bit more cash than I remember having around.

    • Lk

      Feb 28, 2018 at 8:10 pm

      Not to sound snide, but it wouldn’t surprise me if over 75% of D1 college golfers grew up in a country club.

    • RS

      Mar 30, 2018 at 5:15 am

      If you golf in college $400 is not a lot of $ for a putter that will last 5-10 years. Really, cmon now.

  12. Brian

    Feb 28, 2018 at 7:31 pm

    No ball retriever or manual score counter?!

  13. Aaron

    Feb 28, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    Am I understanding the numbers correctly? Some schools “exclusively” use specific brands for different types of clubs? How likely is it that five players from one team all use TM drivers? Five players from another school all use Titleist irons?

    More recently I’ve heard of schools signing with one specific brand. But I’ve never heard of five players on any team all agreeing to use one brand of driver and another brand of irons.

    Or am I misunderstanding something?

    • Judge Smeills

      Feb 28, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      Not every school get deals or free clubs from every company

    • Brent

      Mar 1, 2018 at 12:32 pm

      Lots of schools sign with a brand and the coach receives a bonus if his starting players use that brand. Basically, some kids are forced into playing a brand.

  14. Joe

    Feb 28, 2018 at 4:38 pm

    Pro V’s suck and are over priced. TP5 TP5X and Chrome Soft Chrome Soft X are by far better golf balls.

  15. James T

    Feb 28, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    I am curious why coaches would think it’s ethical to accept money from manufacturers???

    • Thomas A

      Feb 28, 2018 at 4:38 pm

      How do you think football and basketball coaches get paid? Big East basketball coaches were paid millions by Nike, most of the time more than doubling their school salary. Happens at every school.

      • James T

        Feb 28, 2018 at 5:51 pm

        … still doesn’t make it ethical. I played college golf and if my coach had told me to play anything other than what I was playing I’d be pissed. Though I did appreciate the brand new sleeve of Titleists before every match.

        • Jack

          Mar 6, 2018 at 11:10 pm

          Well if I got a real custom fitting and free new clubs, it would be actually beneficial to my game and I’d do it. Just shoving off the rack clubs to players would definitely be unethical.

          This of course comes down to the same dilemma (to a lesser extent but still exists) for college players not being paid. Like basketball, they are amateurs and don’t make money. But really they should be paid directly by the brands rather than the brands paying the schools. What does amateur status really matter? That they can play in amateur tournaments? The NCAA just needs to changes their rules to allow pro student athletes to compete. It’s pretty simple if not for the school money grab and greed.

  16. Drive for Dough

    Feb 28, 2018 at 2:32 pm

    Don’t even play Titleist but will be the first one to say that they make the most solid equipment outside their Drivers.

    Not surprised by the breakdown tbh.

  17. Stump

    Feb 28, 2018 at 2:23 pm

    Can you break out the numbers for women golfers?

  18. Roger

    Feb 28, 2018 at 2:04 pm

    Those numbers are close for un-sponsored golf balls. Love to see that!

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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