Equipment
WRX Spotted: Ping Glide 3.0, Glide 3.0 Eye2 wedges
Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and in the case of the golf world, we had been hearing rumblings of a new Ping Glide series for a while (since the introduction of the Blueprint irons, at least).
This week, at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, we now have an idea of exactly what’s coming with the beginning of Glide 3.0 wedges tour seeding.
Like a lot of initial releases, we don’t have the full tech breakdown, but I’ll make a few assumptions
- Material: Based on the popularity of the i210s and the feel they offer golfers (so soft), the new Glide 3.0s are made from the same steel and utilize the same 50-percent softer Elastomer CTP.
- Hydropearl 3.0? A finish designed to repel water and greatly improve consistency from the rough and wet conditions, its been working on irons and why stop there?
- COG Shifting: Looking at the cavity, Ping engineers have been playing with a LOT of mass around this head. That is one of the cool things about wedges is, beyond the putter, they are the heaviest heads in the set. More mass equals more COG relocation. It’s noticeable in the comparison below.
- Sole grinds: This is where Ping continues to step up there game in the wedge category. And like previous families of wedges, there appears to be a lot of options in design. We should see some TS options in the bags for players at the Open Championship if it’s dry and firm.
Beyond grind options, we also have totally different head options with a Glide 3.0 Eye2. Let’s be honest, this makes a TON of sense since other companies have been borrowing design traits from the Eye2 for the last couple years for their wedges. Why wouldn’t Ping utilize its own already popular design and update it for modern turf conditions?
We will have to wait and see how close we are to what the tech specs will be but like with most things Ping, the release to tour is usually a tell-tale sign that you should be seeing these in store, on shelves and ready to pre-order very soon.
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Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
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Equipment
Spotted: TaylorMade P-UDI driving iron
It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
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Whats in the Bag
Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)
- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
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Travisty
Jul 16, 2019 at 1:33 pm
Does this mean the iBlade’s are coming out with an update soon??
Tony Load
Jul 13, 2019 at 8:24 am
Took a big sh*t this morning!
James Sinclair
Jul 12, 2019 at 8:41 pm
Iam curious to see how many lofts they come out with the 3.0 eye 2 head
Beau
Jun 27, 2019 at 10:22 pm
Really reminds me of the ISI nickels. Happy to see them go back to this sort of design.
Jame223
Jun 26, 2019 at 3:11 pm
Can’t believe they haven’t remade the eye 2 irons with added modern day technology. Would be a gold mine.
Dan W
Jul 9, 2019 at 3:36 am
Ping will still make a set of Eye 2 irons if you want. They are a bit more expensive than the current irons but are available. Call Pings customer service. If you have an old set just give them the serial number on the hosel and they’ll duplicate them, or you can order a set custom. I think they’re $180 per iron.
Alex
Jun 26, 2019 at 7:43 am
Pings PM grind.
Darrin Lygrisse
Jun 26, 2019 at 3:16 pm
So being that Phil had Callaway copy his old Ping wedge to make the PM grind I would say you have it backwards. How about Callaways Eye2 grind?
Bro
Jun 26, 2019 at 9:12 pm
That sole profile sucks
Travisty
Jul 16, 2019 at 1:31 pm
So many people have no idea when it comes to golf clubs. Phil had Callaway copy his old Eye2 wedge when it was deemed non-conforming. Ping was the original that was copied.
DaveyD
Jun 25, 2019 at 9:42 pm
That Eye2 wedge is the Oyster’s Ice Skates.
Thomas A
Jun 26, 2019 at 11:05 am
Is that good or bad?
Funkaholic
Oct 15, 2019 at 6:46 pm
Yes
jon
Jun 25, 2019 at 8:20 pm
ive got all ping clubs except a PM lob wedge, they nearly got me with that eye2 wedge then they forgot to put the grooves all the way out to the toe.
HDTVMAN
Jun 26, 2019 at 4:32 pm
Exactly! I am all Ping except for my Callaway 54° & 58° 2.0 PM Grind’s which just replaced my original PM Grind’s. So many sand & lob shots hit out on the toe, and having the grooves extended is a savior. The angled grove in groove and second bounce on wide open shots is the “Cats Meow”! TM’s “Hi-Toe” is a copy and cannot be compared to the original PM wedges. If Ping extended the grooves they would go in my bag when they go on sale in August.
Doug
Jun 25, 2019 at 7:48 pm
Eye2 = Swiss Army Knife