Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Most iconic/best cult following driver of all time?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from Pert1862 who asks fellow members for their view on which driver is the most iconic and has the best cult following of all time. Our members delve into the driver’s they feel deserve the top spot in this category, with the Cobra L4V proving a popular choice.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- jrshields3: “Adams 9015D was THE cult following driver when I first joined this group. I had 3 with different shaft combos, still have one that I occasionally take out to the range.”
- pert1862: ” Cobra L4V driver. A legend that can be had for 50 bucks on eBay! My kinda club. I bet she still holds her own with the modern drivers.”
- Big A HG: “Has to be the Cobra L4V by GolfWRX standards. I rarely saw them in the wild, but I actually gamed two L4V’s because of the thread and finally got kicked out of the bag last year for me.”
- Krosch3: ” Superquad for me. It still is in my bag to this day. Have tried others, the Ping g400 LST was most recent. My accuracy with the R7 is unmatched and distance wise I can’t see myself getting much longer than I already get out of it.”
Entire Thread: “Most iconic/best cult following driver of all time?”
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- 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
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
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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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.
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?
View this post on Instagram
A true showman.
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?”
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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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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Patrick Reed WITB 2024 (May)
Patrick Reed what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Ping...
Club Junkie WITB, league night week 5: Another L.A.B. putter arises
We will be one quarter of the way through Thursday night men’s league season after this week. BK played much...
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Jon Rahm what’s in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. 15 clubs pictured. More photos from the event...
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Timmy
May 17, 2019 at 9:06 am
R7 Superquad. Wish I still had mine. Been scouring ebay for one in good shape recently.
Aztec
May 11, 2019 at 2:31 pm
Orlimar HIP 420 Ti.
Gino
May 18, 2019 at 9:50 pm
Kuch is a d bag
Mike Brincko
May 5, 2019 at 10:07 pm
Tour Edge Exotics Tour Proto, in another thread I stated my Rogue has been replaced by it. IMHO a much better driver for me at least, still a rocket launcher.
Brando
May 5, 2019 at 5:41 pm
Lot of Good choices in the comments. I am 39 so my first good driver was the original King Corba 9 degree deep face. Thing was a rocket with a unique sweet spot and Greg Norman and Tiger Used it. The Big Bertha war bird was awesome as well. 975d 905r 983e all very good. Yes Taylor Made 510tp First of the 757 Fujikura shafts and 580xd very good. I can’t seem to kick my 430 sldr with a 757 out of the bag . Tried 10 of the newer drivers can’t find one I like better. Maybe this year I will find something.
Scratchscorer
May 13, 2019 at 9:39 pm
I have an SLDR with the TP shaft and I cannot imagine replacing it with anything else. Might even purchase a backup of the same model and shaft combo.
Paul Latina
May 5, 2019 at 5:29 pm
975D. Best driver I ever hit and hit my longest drives ever with it. I had the EI70 x stiff shaft in it as well. Just beautiful and felt so good, maneuverable which ever way you wanted to go.
Jim Rockford
May 5, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Original titanium Great Big Bertha. That driver was the biggest single leap forward I think we will ever see. Maybe the first TM metal wood surpasses but that was just before my time to be able to make comment. Surely the GBB since the early 80’s though. And I hit the GBB with the terrible stock shaft. I can imagine that driver with a modern shaft likely being borderline game-able.
Greg
May 5, 2019 at 8:37 am
Anybody ever tested these against the current group? Particularly curious how the Adams 9015 stacks up on spin,forgiveness ect…
Mike
May 4, 2019 at 9:24 pm
I see more guys still using a TaylorMade Burner 2007 driver than any other.
Christian Larsson
May 4, 2019 at 9:16 pm
R510TP easily
TerryTMAC
May 4, 2019 at 9:25 pm
Of ALL time?
I’m going old school. Callaway Big Bertha – War Bird.
Best driver name too.
XLS CULT
May 4, 2019 at 6:47 pm
I’m going Cleveland Hi Bore XLS as well. Set up perfect, sounded nice, hit it nice distances and was a SERIOUS fairway finder. Why has Cleveland not made an adjustable version. I know people who still bag this driver…. nothing better.
Scratchscorer
May 13, 2019 at 9:41 pm
Agree with everything except the sound. That thing sounded atrocious lmao.
Greg Ellis
May 4, 2019 at 5:28 pm
Come on guy. Us old folks played persimmon. 1969 persimmon adapted with a very early adila graphite shaft and a “gamma fire” glass insert.
Dan Walker
May 4, 2019 at 4:05 pm
Nike Vapor Pro the blue and black version
Max R
May 10, 2019 at 11:46 am
“Supposedly” the best Nike driver ever built was the SQ2.
Timmy
May 17, 2019 at 9:09 am
Never owned one but tried and was very good. I had both red coverts. But the blue was just too fugly for 99% of buyers. RIP Nike golf equip.
Chris G
May 4, 2019 at 3:13 pm
Titleist 905S!
John Agnew
May 4, 2019 at 2:58 pm
Taylormade 580 XD …legal version…too easy to hit high and deep.
Jim
May 4, 2019 at 2:25 pm
2016 Taylormade M2 will go down as the best driver ever made
15th Club
May 4, 2019 at 2:07 pm
There actually is a rather clear answer that none of you are in thinking about.
Toward the end of the persimmon driver era, top players and collectors were madly buying up prime specimens of the MacGregor tour drivers from the late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s. The king was the Tommy Armour 693T, designed by Toney Penna. They sold, if you could find one, for upwards of a thousand dollars. A $1500 driver in 1977 would be more than $6000 in today’s dollars. The market was so frenzied that gold magazines were doing stories about it which only drove prices higher.
15th Club
May 4, 2019 at 2:10 pm
Sorry “golf” magazines not “gold”. But still the greatest bubble market in the history of golf equipment.
Pelling
May 4, 2019 at 9:49 pm
I played Toney Penna persimmon (driver, 3 wood, 4 wood, 5 wood) throughout the 1980’s-1990’s. Have them still, but haven’t hit in about 20 years. Don’t recall paying that much, but Penna’s were the best!!
Jim
May 4, 2019 at 6:21 pm
You’re absolutely correct. Sad thing is that most of today’s golfers are 20-30 something and don’t know any history at all, only current “events”.
Nack Jicklaus
May 19, 2019 at 8:05 am
Enlighten us all on the details of mashies and niblicks then. Tell us about teeing up gutta percha on a mound of sand. What is the best hickory shaft? Everyone knows their own time period best, including you.
chad bilkins
May 4, 2019 at 1:39 pm
Superquad is money. I bought a new head on ebay and stuck an oban kyoshi white shaft in there. Destroyed the rogue on the launch monitor last year
bob carroll
May 4, 2019 at 12:54 pm
PING G2
JC
Jun 7, 2019 at 11:08 pm
Finally, someone else sees the light! I game one currently, can’t find anything that can beat it, most underrated driver of the mid-2000s IMO.
Regis
May 4, 2019 at 12:39 pm
R7 limited. Box set came with 3 shafts. Low Medium and high flight. All good shafts. Took adjustability to the max. Way before it’s time
Walt
May 4, 2019 at 12:25 pm
My favorite was the Taylormade with a bubble shaft. I still have it and although I don’t currently use it I am constantly tempted to bring it back into play
Fred schubert
May 4, 2019 at 12:22 pm
Powerbilt citition
MarioB
May 4, 2019 at 11:50 am
Looks like no one knows the meaning of iconic. Or we would get interesting answers like McGregor super eye o magic, Powerbilt Citation, Woods Bros All American, Taylormade Burner, Callaway Big Bertha, Titleist 975D etc…
Bryan
May 4, 2019 at 9:07 am
The 460 Cleveland Launchers were super popular back in the college days.
Richard Douglas
May 3, 2019 at 4:14 pm
Almost all of the comments are about drivers that are iterations of what changed it all. I suggest going back to these three that, in order and together, changed drivers forever:
1. Taylormade Pittsburgh Persimmon. The club that popularized metal drivers.
2. Callaway Big Bertha. The club that started oversize metal drivers.
3. Callaway Great Big Bertha. The club that popularized titanium.
Everything else comes from the genesis created by these three clubs. Every development since is an incremental change, but those clubs are the foundation.
Harry H Adam
May 4, 2019 at 12:01 pm
Spot on.
Dan mead
May 4, 2019 at 1:53 pm
This is the answer. Probably need to consider ping eye 2 driver which was really the first oversize driver in its time. Big bertha and great big bertha where ahead of their time and the change from getting a new driver was real back then. These days the next model does next to nothing
Chris
May 4, 2019 at 7:52 pm
Nailed it. I remember when the BB, Great BB (and then Biggest BB) came out thinking, “holy crap, how much bigger can they possibly go?” They definitely changed the game.
Of the more “recent” (I.e 460cc era) drivers, I loved the Bridgestone J33r. Such a clean, simple look and solid feel off the club face.
Scott
May 4, 2019 at 8:54 pm
Yes. My thoughts exactly
Richard Chon
May 5, 2019 at 12:50 pm
Shoot. I didn’t even play golf when I was younger, but I remember how exicted my hockey teammates were about the GBB.
jgpl001
May 3, 2019 at 1:18 pm
905R all day long
983K out of the dead middle was a serious driver too
Brian
May 3, 2019 at 9:09 am
I do have a soft spot for the L4V. Back in those days I had just started spending time on the forum and I definitely got caught up in the hype (which was very real, by the way). Threw a Protopype in it and everything. If we’re being honest though, going back a tad further, the Titleist 975D is the standard by which all other “cult classics” are measured.
Dennis Sweeney
May 3, 2019 at 8:00 am
07 Burner TP, still have one and still use it quite often.
Dave S
May 3, 2019 at 12:54 am
905R, see a lot on the board. The R 460 head that went straight. Titleist put enough spin in there to fix what TM and Cally couldn’t.
The dude
May 2, 2019 at 10:13 pm
TM Superfast TP….if we are being honest (for good players)
Brandon
May 2, 2019 at 8:56 pm
Cobra LTD pro, Cleveland Hibore XLS.
JP
May 2, 2019 at 6:50 pm
905R should be at the top of that list.
Of course the Big Bertha should be hailed for its greatness and trailblazing ways, but it didn’t have the following the 905R did.
Nack Jicklaus
May 2, 2019 at 6:38 pm
The only golf club name that I have EVER heard non-golfers know of or talk about is the Big Bertha. I would say that somewhat indicates the reach and status of that club during its time and way after.
S
May 2, 2019 at 3:56 pm
SLDR, of course! The best driver ever made, and what started it all
Scratchscorer
May 13, 2019 at 9:44 pm
Agree
Tim Dennis
May 2, 2019 at 2:38 pm
905R and 910D3, M2 would be there with a little more consistent hit. Just too erratic for the weekend golfer. 905R was long and straight.
Mike Rohmann
May 2, 2019 at 1:54 pm
R7 SuperQuad especially the 282 version. Slightly different hosel I think. I have one that is almost brand new.
Adam
May 2, 2019 at 4:54 pm
back in highschool when I was on the golf team the superquads were badass
Alec
May 2, 2019 at 1:54 pm
Cobra LTD is probably themost recent Cult Driver
Alex
May 2, 2019 at 12:34 pm
905r and R7 superquad hands down. Epic and M2 will be in this thread in 5 years.