Equipment

Inside the TaylorMade Tour Truck: What are the equipment changes being made for The Masters?

Published

6 years ago

Apr 4, 2018

For equipment junkies, there’s nothing cooler than tales from inside the tour trucks.

Chris Trott from the TaylorMade Tour Truck joined Two Guys Talkin’ Golf live from The Masters yesterday to discuss the latest equipment changes by Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods and more.

Audio was, as co-host Andrew Tursky put it, “sub-par and not in the good golf way,” so we’re collecting a few of the choicest morsels here.

On what the TaylorMade Tour Truck has been busy with this week

“A lot of wedges…heel grinding…getting the bounce right. Getting that channeling in the high toe for the bunkers…UDI 2-irons, UDI 3-irons.”

On Justin Rose’s new wedge

“Hi-Toe…launches it lower and spins a little more, but it’s got a sole that’s extremely versatile. Guys, like Justin Rose, that’s who I’ve done a lot of wedges for these past few weeks. He’s looking to find a grind that exactly works in the 64. He’s got the 60 right…he’s just tweaking the 64 a little, and I think the reason is he tweaked it to 62 in Houston last week, so when you take the loft off, that changes the bounce characteristics. So as a result, we’ve just deepend out that channel a bit…not too much, because obviously you need if for the fairways, which are cut into the player, but it’s enough to give it a bit more bounce out of the traps, which allows hit to hit certain shots. This flows back into his iron game, because it allows him to be more aggressive into pins when he knows he has a wedge that’s as versatile as we’re getting.”

On Jason Day’s switch to P730 irons

“Change in spin rates and descent angles into greens and just control with the spin [these are the reasons] he’s gone to the 730. He feels his can control the spin a bit more. He’s changed the lie angles a little bit…flattened them off a touch…People go, “that’s a big change.” It is a big change, but the thought, the detail, the measuring an remeasuring, the checking, the rechecking…the getting everything right, the TrackMan combination. That is a well-thought out tactical change….these things don’t just happened, it’s stuff that’s worked on and thought out….The shafts are Dynamic Golf X7s. That’s the same shaft he’s played.”

On the TW Prototype iron process

“It’s an ongoing project. I haven’t been involved in that project, but I know the engineers are working with him and enjoying getting his feedback…I know there’s been some findings as to what he needs that is quite different to what we’ve made. I think it’s a learning process for everyone, and we’re still on it…but it’s moving along. I don’t think it’ll be long before we have something else coming out here for him to test.

“We keep it to a very few people working with him on that. You get to see these guys and ask the questions, and there are certain things that he had, as you touch them, that are how he wants. And there are certain sights that he gets that are how he wants…but it’s a process…we went in there with what we might have put someone into to start, and then as we learn more about what he wants, what he likes to see, it’s a back-and-forth…but it’s been exciting to have the front-row seat.”

On Tiger Woods’ shaft change to the Tensei CK Pro Orange

“It was done off-site last week…there must be something he likes on that. I was actually around doing the Rory change when he went to Tensei Orange…it’s a counterbalanced shaft. You can add a bit of weight into the head, which in turn gives you, which gives you a bit more mass at that end of the golf club, which gives you a bit more speed. So, I’d be guessing that that’s what Tiger has done.

“When you go between the [Tensei] White and the Orange, this difference is counterbalanced versus non-counterbalanced. You can take the swingweight, which is the balance point, up, therefore it can give you more speed. It’s what we saw with Rory, and he gained five or six miles per hour on that…but for Tiger, he’s gone from a non-counterbalanced shaft to a counterbalanced shaft, so he’ll have to put a bit more weight in the head, which will give him more speed. It’s a nice shaft if you can handle all the weight, and I imagine he now feels like he’s got the speed, he’s gotten fit, and he’s got the feel back…and that’s the change he’s gone to.”

On Tiger ever switching to the Hi-Toe

“I know he’s had interest in Jason Day’s…Jason Day changed driver lengths, and I know they talked a lot about that, and he’s also shown an interest in Jason Day’s Hi-Toe…those top guys, they all talk…so I certainly expect that phone call to test out that Hi-Toe.”

On wedge stampings

“A lot of it is the personal touch…some of the guys request it…I think it’s nice and unique…but it also helps us identify. The stamping isn’t just for them…If you notice with the…Rahm stuff: Some of them get “Rahmbo” some of them get “JR”…we’re often working on things, and the only way to differentiate between grinds is to put a stamp on there.”

You can listen to the full conversation here.

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Whats in the Bag

Patrick Reed WITB 2024 (May)

Published

17 hours ago

May 16, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Patrick Reed what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.

Driver: Ping G400 (8.5 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125 MSI 70 Tour X

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 125MSI 80 Tour X

Check out more in-hand photos of Patrick Reed’s clubs in the forums.

Hybrid: Callaway Apex Pro (18 degrees)
Shaft: Aldila RIP Phenom Hybrid 100 TX

Irons: Titleist 716 TMB (2), Grindworks PR-202 (4), Grindworks PR-101A (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Check out more in-hand photos of Patrick Reed’s clubs in the forums.

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (50-10 Mid), Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (56-08M @55), SM10 (60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot RX Pt Customs No. 2

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride MCC

More photos of Patrick Reed’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

John Daly’s $750 custom irons and 10 must-see gear photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

Published

17 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

In the last two PGA Championships held at Valhalla, Tiger Woods won in 2000 – when he famously pointed his golf ball into the hole during the historic duel with Bob May – and Rory McIlroy won the 2014 event, basically in the dark on the final hole.

The point is, history shows that Valhalla tends to produce top-tier champions and plenty of drama.

This week at the 2024 PGA Championship, GolfWRX got its first up-close look at what some of the LIV Tour players have in their bags in 2024. We also caught back up with a few PGA Championship legends, such as Rich Beem and John Daly, and we dove into the bags of PGA Sectional qualifiers, too.

In total, we captured 47 different photo galleries this week, including 32 individual What’s In The Bag (WITB) forum threads. Click here to see all of our photos from the event, or continue reading to see my 10 equipment highlights from Valhalla.

1) Brooks Koepka’s new putter

Koepka was previously using a Scotty Cameron T5.5 putter with a slant neck, which he used to win at the beginning of the month in Singapore on the LIV tour. This week, however, he tried a T5.5 with a plumbers neck instead of the slant neck, and it’s immediately going in the bag. According to Scotty Cameron Tour rep Drew Page, Koepka already loved the head, and now finds the plumbers neck a bit more familiar to the blade-style putters he’s used throughout most of his career.

See Koepka’s full WITB here

2) The lead tape king returns, with putting goggles

Phil Mickelson has always been one of the GOATs when it comes to lead tape usage, so it was no surprise to see his 64-degree custom Callaway wedge slathered with slabs of lead tape on the back.

The big surprise was that lefty was spotted using ProAim putting training goggles on Wednesday during his warm-up session.

The ProAim goggles are helpful to find center lines and ensure proper alignment to the target.

See Phil Mickelson’s full WITB from the 2024 PGA Championship

3) Dobyns’ old-school gamer setup

Speaking of lead tape, check out Matt Dobyn’s old Titleist 718 T-MB irons, which are so loaded with lead tape that the club is nearly unrecognizable.

Respect.

The head professional at Meadow Brook Club is making his sixth start in a PGA Championship, and he’s using a throwback Callaway GBB Epic driver with MOI-boosting lead tape and adjustable weight placements.

As GolfWRX Forum user “InTheBag” pointed out in our Matt Dobyns’ WITB thread, he has the type of setup that makes you want to hide your wallet: “I don’t know Mr. Dobyns, but one look at that bag tells me he can take your money,” writes InTheBag.

Spot on.

4) John Daly’s custom Sub70 irons and wedges

We first saw John Daly using $750 direct-to-consumer Sub70 659-CB irons and TAIII wedges at the 2023 PNC Championship, and he still has them in the bag, but he’s since stepped up the customization on the Sub70 clubs.

Does Daly ever NOT keep things entertaining?

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

A true showman.

See Daly’s full WITB

5) DJ’s custom putter

Dustin Johnson has always been one to test multiple putters week-to-week, and he has a keen eye for different alignment lines and crowns. This week, he’s opting for a completely gray TaylorMade Spider Tour “T3.0” prototype with a short slant neck.

See the rest of DJ’s WITB from the week here

6) Patrick Reed still rocking GrindWorks irons

Patrick Reed knows his stuff when it comes to equipment, and he’s a prolific tester. Still, however, the GrindWorks PR-101A irons are squarely in the bag after his departure to the LIV tour.

The most notable new addition to Reed’s bag is this Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond 3-wood.

Click here to see Reed’s full WITB from this week

7) Beem’s Scratch set

Rich Beem, who won the 2002 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National, came to the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla with a bag full of Scratch Golf irons, which are loaded with lead tape and equipped with some of the coolest custom ferrules in professional golf.

See Rich Beem’s full WITB here

8) Jon Rahm’s 10-iron

Before going to LIV, Rahm was using a Callaway Apex TCB pitching wedge.

Now, he’s using a Callaway Apex TCB “10 iron.”

He’s also since upgraded to three Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke metalwoods, and fresh stampings on his Jaws Raw wedges. Click here to see Rahm’s full WITB from the 2024 PGA Championship.

9) “Why so serious?”

Tyrrell Hatton, another LIV player in the 2024 PGA Championship field, channels his inner Joker to ask everyone, “Why so serious?”

See Hatton’s full WITB here

10) Block’s “Proto” iron, from address

As you probably know by now, Block switched out of his old TaylorMade Tour Preferred MC 2014 irons, and into a full set of TaylorMade’s new “Proto” irons. We’ve already seen the Proto 4-iron in the bags of Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa, but this is our first look at the higher-lofted irons in the set.

Here’s a look at the 7-iron from address:

See what GolfWRX members are saying about the Proto irons in our Forums

And, with that, we say goodbye to Louisville, and the second major championship of the 2024 season. We’ll see you next week at the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas after a champion has been crowned.

Until then, don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week at the 2024 PGA Championship!

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Whats in the Bag

Club Junkie WITB, league night week 5: Another L.A.B. putter arises

Published

21 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Brian Knudson

We will be one quarter of the way through Thursday night men’s league season after this week. BK played much better last week, so he is hoping to continue that success and post another good score.

Here are the 14 clubs that will hopefully win him some skins!

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops (9 degrees, neutral setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 X (2024)

3-wood: Cobra Dark Speed LS Titanium (14.5 degrees, set +1)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD IZ-7x

Fairway: Callaway Apex UW (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura ATMOS Tour Spec Blue 8 X

Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops 4h (22 degrees, Flat Setting)
Shaft: KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype 85 S

Irons: TaylorMade P770 Phantom Black (5-PW)
Shaft: KBS Tour 120 Stiff

Wedge: PXG Sugar Daddy II (50-13 BP)
Shaft: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 Stiff

Wedge: PXG Sugar Daddy II (56-13 BP)
Shaft: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 Stiff

Wedge: PXG Sugar Daddy II (60-13 BP)
Shaft: Nippon Modus3 Tour 120 Stiff

Putter: L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max
Shaft: Accra x L.A.B. White

Ball: Titleist ProV1 Enhanced Alignment

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