Equipment
Forum Thread of the Day: “Five handicap looking for new irons – What do you buy?”
Today’s Forum Thread of the Day comes from 2717B who is a five handicap, and he’s considering splashing out on some new irons. 2717B currently has Mizuno MX200’s in his bag, and our members have been giving their suggestions for what could be the best move for the five handicapper.
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.
- texcrom: “Titleist AP2’s – best combination of playability and forgiveness. Mizuno 919 Tour – Another great Mizuno forging. Ping Blueprint – hit these today. Only wish I were good enough to game these. Great feeling forging.”
- nosedive32: “Callaway Apex / Apex Pro. Taylormade P790. Ping I500. JPX 919 Forged or Hot Metal Pro. Pretty much my top picks in order unless you’re specifically looking for an extreme players or extreme game improvement iron. That’s pretty much the list of my favorite middle of the road clubs that have looks but some help to appeal to better players. I’m a mid to high single digit and I played P790s last year and have the CF19 Apex for this year.”
- Boydr12: “I’m a 2.5, and just switched from traditional players cavity backs which I have always played to the new Callaway Apex 19’s. I hit my irons very low with an insane amount of spin (don’t ask me how that’s even possible, I have no clue). The new apexes fixed all that and gave me almost two full clubs gained in distance. They are also very compact looking for what they are.”
- 518TitleistX: “I’ve played just about every iron in Titleist’s lineup. Ap1, Ap2, MB, CB… and all are great, but this year I switched to Mizuno JPX 919 Tours and picked up at least an extra club of distance and improved accuracy over my Titleist CB’s. Couldn’t be happier with this purchase.”
Entire Thread: “Five handicap looking for new irons – What do you buy?”
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Equipment
A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic
Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.
Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.
We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.
Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).
See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here
Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge
Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.
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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.
See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here
Turning Back the clock
Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.
But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.
For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.
Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.
The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.
The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.
Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter
Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.
Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.
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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.
If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.
Brilliant.
See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here
Stricker’s unrecognizable putter
Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.
Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.
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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates
Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.
Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.
It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.
Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines
Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.
Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.
FitzMagic teams back up
Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.
See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here
And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.
We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!
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Whats in the Bag
Alejandro Tosti WITB 2024 (April)
- Alejandro Tosti what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II LS (9.5 degrees @10.5)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black 80 TX
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Rescue (22 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 100
Irons: Srixon ZX7 Mk II (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID, 58-10 MID, 60-06 LOW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100, S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron
Grips: Golf Pride MCC Plus4
Check out more in-hand photos of Alejandro Tosti’s WITB in the forums.
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Whats in the Bag
Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
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Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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suncity online register 2020
Aug 11, 2020 at 6:29 am
Wow! Finally I got a blog from where I be able to
genuinely obtain useful facts concerning my study and knowledge.
Steve
Jun 8, 2019 at 4:32 pm
What kind of 5 Hdcp is this player. Is his home course short and wide open where he can just “bomb” his driver, leaving just a short iron approach. I have been that guy getting down to a 2 Hdcp. Then I moved to a new course that required a tactical approach. A reality check was quickly experienced. Blew up to a 6 Hdcp! Hence, while it’s a fun question to entertain, a valid response is impossible to give without knowing the player and his game. Even change just for the sake of change is purely personal.
s
Jun 8, 2019 at 10:59 am
Why would a 5 handicapper dump the iron set that made him a 5 handicapper? Lost the whole bag or just got tired of the look? I got my MP-37 when I was barely breaking 90 and now I’m hitting in the 70s. I have experienced a great amount of temptations for all those years but couldn’t find any excuses to switch. I still don’t know what to replace them with if my bag was stolen… MP-18, P7TW, or Wilson Staff Model Blades? Nah… probably MP-14 off of eBay, seriously.
joro
Jun 7, 2019 at 1:42 pm
Go hit them all and then decide. And, don’t ignore Wilson, they make fine Irons.
Peter
Jun 6, 2019 at 1:59 am
Muira irons
Any model, if you play to a 5 you might as well play the best
Richard Tucker
Jun 6, 2019 at 12:44 am
X Forged 18 5-PW, 4 Iron X Forged Utility.
Brandon
Jun 5, 2019 at 10:49 pm
Honma tw-x
John M
Jun 5, 2019 at 10:09 pm
Uhhhhh Seixon Z585/785 combo set. Butter soft, workable, forgiving
John M
Jun 5, 2019 at 10:11 pm
Sorry Srixon (typo)
Morris
Jun 5, 2019 at 7:32 pm
Everybody speak only about the head!!! Man, the most important part of a golf club is the shaft. So, go to a custom fitting centre and test only forged (carbon steal 1020 or S20C) heads for your handicap and change diferent shafts according to your desire ball flight. Then you will see the difference and you will understand what I’m trying to tell you.
Blades4life
Jun 5, 2019 at 6:15 pm
Goliath or northwestern blades be my opinion .
Dan
Jun 5, 2019 at 5:25 pm
I consider it a good thing that no one has mentioned the Srixon Z785 and Z585. Distance, accuracy and turf interaction with the club head is so damn good! I believe anyone who plays these has an advantage.
Alex
Jun 5, 2019 at 3:54 pm
Anything other than an mb.
J
Jun 5, 2019 at 3:13 pm
MP-18 MB split with JPX 919 Tour of course