Equipment
The drivers used by the top-10 most accurate players on the PGA Tour
What drivers do the PGA Tour’s most accurate golfers use to find the short grass? Now that the 2017-2018 PGA Tour season is behind us, we can do a thorough examination.
First, here’s a tally of what the top 10 in driving accuracy on Tour are using by driver manufacturer.
- Callaway: 5
- PXG: 1
- TaylorMade: 4
But this is GolfWRX, so of course you want to know more. Below is a breakdown of the driving-distance leaders on the PGA Tour in 2017-2018, the available specifics of their drivers, shafts and how often their tee shots found the fairway.
10. Jim Furyk
Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero
Loft: 9 degrees
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 6.2X
Driving accuracy percentage: 69.77
9. Steve Wheatcroft
Driver: Callaway Rogue
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100
Driving accuracy percentage: 69.79
8. Emiliano Grillo
Driver: Callaway GBB Epic
Loft: 9 degrees
Shaft: Aldila NV 2KXV
Driving accuracy percentage: 69.89
7. Brian Gay
Driver: TaylorMade M2
Shaft: Aldila Rogue MAX 65TX
Driving accuracy percentage: 70.92
6. Kyle Stanley
Driver: TaylorMade M1
Loft: 10.5 degrees
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 757 Evolution
Driving accuracy percentage: 71.20
5. Brian Stuard
Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero
Loft: 10.5 degrees
Shaft: Project X EvenFlow Max Carry
Driving accuracy percentage: 71.21
4. Ryan Moore
Driver: PXG ZZ
Loft: 9 degrees
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD IZ-6
Driving accuracy percentage: 71.94
3. Chez Reavie
Driver: TaylorMade M2 2017
Loft: 9.5 degrees
Shaft: Aldila Rogue 60TX
Driving accuracy percentage: 72.09
2. Ryan Armour
Driver: TaylorMade M1 2017
Shaft: UST Mamiya Elements Proto 6F5
Loft: 10.5 degrees
Driving accuracy percentage: 73.58
1. Henrik Stenson*
Driver: Callaway Rogue
Loft: 9 degrees
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS 6.5 62
Driving accuracy percentage: 74.79
*Stenson, as we know, tees off with his beloved 13-degree Callaway Diablo Octane Tour 3-wood with a Graffaloy Blue shaft the vast majority of the time.
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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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Bruce
Dec 2, 2018 at 11:30 am
Need to see the list for the 10 worst as comparison. Also breakdown of all drivers on tour. Then the stats will be approaching meaningful
Matt
Nov 15, 2018 at 2:12 pm
If I didn’t know better I’d think this was a list from 2017. All the TM guys are using older models. Isn’t twist face supposed to be an “accuracy” technology? Imagine how straight they’d be with the new tech! Hopefully the sarcasm is coming through.
Scooter6
Oct 18, 2018 at 10:37 am
Would like to see a more useful field of pros- top in combined driving proficiency (length and distance). Also, I agree that driver length is a very useful piece of information since most PGA players use a SHORTER than factory length shaft.
Leftshot
Oct 17, 2018 at 1:19 pm
EVERY player has a different shaft and a different head. So, this seems like it argues for getting custom fit as opposed to favoring any product.
Second, since only 1% of us have a 110-130 MPH swing speed, the makes and models featured are even more irrelevant.
Now you could have made these points and others that would have made this article of some value, but you didn’t.
John Krug
Oct 17, 2018 at 11:39 am
10 drivers, each with a different shaft. This article is as useful as telling us the shoe size and width of the shoes worn by each player.
Stop whining
Oct 18, 2018 at 3:19 am
Stop with the shoe size analogy. You used that on the longest drivers article. Maybe go with hat size next time?
Pete
Oct 19, 2018 at 6:06 am
Hey, it works!
Alfonso
Oct 17, 2018 at 11:32 am
Interesting statistics. But not everyone in the amateur world have a perfect swing like these guys. I would like read what shafts are used by the average amateur.
Jim
Oct 17, 2018 at 9:27 am
How many wins from these guys vs. the top 10 longest hitters?
GMR
Oct 17, 2018 at 4:41 am
Interesting to note that not a single TwistFace on that list
Rob
Oct 17, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Exactly what I noticed!
GolfDude
Nov 3, 2018 at 8:06 pm
5/10 Top Money earners for last season were TwistFace players
Terry
Oct 16, 2018 at 10:03 pm
Its the Indian not the arrow
CrashTestDummy
Oct 17, 2018 at 2:31 am
It’s the Indian with a well fitted arrow.
Steve
Oct 17, 2018 at 8:22 am
If you’ve got swing flaws, fitting doesn’t help.
Tyler
Oct 17, 2018 at 11:26 am
False
clueless
Nov 29, 2018 at 10:42 am
as jackie burke would say. if a guy doesn’t have a clue, keep him in the dark. at the edge of the driving range. just keep him there clueless and hitting it crooked.
Brian
Oct 17, 2018 at 8:25 am
This isn’t an article about golf balls (i.e. the Arrow), this is about drivers which would correspond to the bow in that oft repeated, flawed analogy.
NormW
Oct 17, 2018 at 11:36 am
Agree, but it’s interesting to see their club choice and loft.
Ol' Gaffer
Oct 16, 2018 at 9:01 pm
I bet that the 10 most INaccurate players also play the same or similar drivers. If you wanna be more accurate don’t carry a low loft driver… get a BANG 12-14-16º driver and the added loft will defeat your slice and increase your draw height. I play a Ping G2 400cc, 15.5º driver and have a 200-220 yard carry.
kapooow
Oct 17, 2018 at 11:19 pm
if you don’t got a 275 yard driver carry you shud not be on this forum
West Phi
Oct 16, 2018 at 8:18 pm
3-wood is no way near the same as driver for Stenson…Stenson is actually a horrible driver of the tee with driver…
Craig
Oct 16, 2018 at 4:38 pm
wow what happened to twist face helping accuracy!!!
Tiger Noods
Oct 16, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Interesting to see what the short-knockers use. I’ll stick to Ping or TM, thanks.
Brad
Oct 16, 2018 at 3:54 pm
Stenson averages 291 yards off the tee, and he almost always uses his 3 wood. Yeah, he’s a real short-knocker…
Kev
Oct 16, 2018 at 2:11 pm
More importantly; what’s the shaft length of these drivers?
Alfredo Smith
Oct 16, 2018 at 3:20 pm
Excellant point!!
Tommy
Oct 16, 2018 at 1:56 pm
Maybe this article should have been titled, “The drivers used by the PGA Tour’s shortest hitters”. The reason most of these guys are on this list is that they don’t hit it very far by Tour standards. Just sayin’
BMoney
Oct 16, 2018 at 10:55 am
I thought Stenson finally got rid of the Octane 3 wood?
Jim
Oct 16, 2018 at 1:15 pm
Stenson tried to each year with a new 3W that is callaway’s current lineup but inevitably switchs back to the Octane. I read somewhere it is because he delofts the club at impact the extra loft from the 3w helps him. Surprised he never got into those higher lofted mini drivers.
Benny
Nov 22, 2018 at 7:19 pm
The oem’s want these guys on latest equipment. TMag is the worst and why every two years Sergio’s is a whole new bag. Because many of these Pros are supposed to be playing and promoting certain nrands or lines. Keagan for years played a Cleveland Classic (TI of course). But in any WITB articles it was always a Srixon driver and head cover. He literally carried the Srixon driver with him just in case there was photos. I am suprised the OEM’s don’t get back into disguising the clubs and shafts again. But maybe there is issues with this, who knows.