Equipment

Top 5 drivers of all time: 400cc and under

Published

5 years ago

Oct 24, 2019

With modern driver technology, 460cc is the club head volume that reigns supreme. Even modern “tour” drivers being offered by OEMs are over 430cc, and those releases are becoming less popular as modern players are choosing total forgiveness over workability.

But there was a time not too long ago when 350cc was considered “a toaster on a stick.” As technology and manufacturing techniques improved, those 350cc toasters became 400cc “Volkswagen vans.” If you didn’t hear one of these phrases muttered when you pulled out a new driver in the early 2000s, you’re lucky!

The 400cc-and-under drivers of the early and mid-2000s shifted the way golfers now look at technology, and with let’s take a look back at the top five 400cc-and-under drivers of all time.

Taylormade R510 TP

The driver for which an entire half-decade of clubs were compared to. You couldn’t hit a driver or talk about new clubs without someone saying “is it as good as the R510 TP?”

TaylorMade’s dominance in the driver category didn’t start with the R500 series though, it was the previous 300 Series that was revolutionary in changing the way golfers looked at driver models to fit their game by offering three completely different heads (300, 320, and 360) to fit player types and preferences.

The R500 Series took the multi-release concept a step further with the 510, 540, and 580 drivers, but then came the “holy grail” R510 TP (Tour Preferred), and the rest is history; an open look from address, inverted cone clubface, a real-deal Fujikura 757 Speeder shaft (huge deal at the time)—this is a driver people still talk about, and for good reason.

Titleist 905S

With the massive popularity of the Titleist 983K and E drivers, it was going to take a LOT from the Titleist R&D team to convince both tour players and regular golfers to make another switch – but they did it with the 905 Series.

The 905 series, originally launched with the 905T (more pear-shaped ) and the 905S (deeper face) models. These were both eventually followed by Titleist’s first 460cc driver, the 905R.

The 905S was the direct replacement to the player preferred deep faced 983E and to this day is still considered one of the great designs in the 400cc era.

It had a strong titanium face insert to boost ball speed, and aluminum shaft sleeve to help push mass and COG lower into the head because they were still full bore through at the time. The shape of the 905S made it an easy adjustment for players coming from smaller drivers and was just so good looking from address. It came with a nice selection of stock shaft options and a very cool headcover.

Honorable mention to the 905T—a driver used by Steve Stricker for a long time with a ProForce V2 shaft

Cleveland Launcher 400

For Cleveland Golf, the Launcher brand was synonymous with “big” drivers and long drives. Beyond Tiger Woods, there wasn’t a hotter golfer on the planet in the mid-2000s than V.J. Singh, and he was also one of the longest on tour.

The Launcher 400 came after the original 330, and although from the outside it looked simple, from a technology standpoint, it had an extremely light crown that pushed CG as low as possible to offer forgiveness and low spin. At the time, Cleveland Golf was pushing the limits of thin-walled casting, which allowed them to push the driver to the 400cc, which also made it very forgiving.

You can’t forget it came stock with a matte gold finished Fujikura shaft that helped it stand out at retail and on the tee.

Ping ISI Tec

For a long time, the Ping Isi Tec was “THE driver,” and I have some fun facts about it.

It was the last Titanium Driver to ever be made in the United States, which also made it one of the most expensive drivers to ever hit retail shelves.

It was the number one driver on the long drive circuit, before other companies starting coming in and producing speciality heads for those competitors.

It had the first mass market adjustable hosel thanks to the plastic sleeve that could be ordered through the Ping WRX department. Each sleeve had a small code to signify the setting (RSS for example was Regular, Standard, Standard). The biggest issue was to be “adjusted,” it needed to be re-shafted, which wasn’t very economical.

Last but not least, the “loft” on the bottom wasn’t actually the loft at all, “ET” stood for effective trajectory, and like with anything Ping, there is a reason for this. The Isi Tec driver moved the CG a lot more forward that previous model. This made it lower spinning. The actual loft was about 1.5-degrees more than the ET. Ping wanted to make sure that players could keep the ball in the air with the new lower spin design—thus the birth of effective trajectory instead of loft to help players find the right head.

Mizuno MP-001

I’m sure you didn’t open this up expecting to see a Mizuno driver, but the 400cc MP-001 was a huge leap forward in driver technology, and like many things Mizuno, it slid way under the radar—just like the 460cc MP-600 that had the very first sliding weight track in a driver.

The MP-001 was the very first driver to use a carbon composite crown to help bolster mass properties and increase forgiveness. What this also did was make it sound muted and “thuddy” a sound that at the time was very different from other drivers on the market.

In traditional Mizuno style, the MP-001 was understated in its looks but had a lot of technology under the hood to earn its spot in the top five. A forged face helped reduced wasted material that could be positioned around the head to optimize flight. Unlike a lot of drivers at the time, it sat very square to the target making it a club preferred by better players.

What do you think GolfWRXers? Are there any 400cc-or-less drivers you think belong in the top five that aren’t included? Any that are included you don’t think should be? Have your say below!

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Ryan Barath

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

75 Comments

Caleb

Nov 18, 2019 at 5:03 pm

I had that ping up to 3 years ago, lots of vibs tho cause hit 300 yards now, went to g30 and that got to loud/hurt ears,. Now g400 lst matrix 82 grams shaft 1/2inch butt trim. I use to hit 275 with hat old driver straight a kid for like 20 years

Reply Report comment
Carp

Nov 7, 2019 at 4:21 pm

975jvs

Reply Report comment
- Bob Kendall
  
  Nov 10, 2019 at 10:36 am
  
  Ryran, I would add the Titleist 983E.
  
  Reply Report comment
Mike

Oct 28, 2019 at 2:45 pm

obviously someone born after 1990.
the game changers
– the first Taylormade burner driver-early 80’s
– the Callaway Big Bertha Driver- early 90’s
– the Callaway Great Big Bertha Driver- mid 90’s
– Titleist 975 driver- mid 90’s every good player had one
– Taylor Made R7- game changer with movable weight

Reply Report comment
Josh

Oct 28, 2019 at 6:47 am

Gotta have the Big Bertha on there as well as the Titleist 975d, Taylormade 360, and King Cobra. I agree on the ISI but think the others are a miss.

Reply Report comment
Dan

Oct 26, 2019 at 8:48 am

All time?
1. List is irrelevant without Callaway big Bertha.
2. J’s Professional Weapon for us older guys
3. Taylor Made Burner Plus w Aldila Tour Gold

Thanks for

Reply Report comment
- Ygolf
  
  Oct 26, 2019 at 6:21 pm
  
  MacGregor 693 circa 1950, GOAT.
  Then BB Memphis 10 shaft and half cord grip. It left the Taylormades in the dust.
  
  Reply Report comment
Deepred

Oct 26, 2019 at 7:31 am

Wilson Fatshaft Metal Matrix. As long as any driver I’ve ever hit even though it looks like a 3 wood today.

Reply Report comment
Fergie

Oct 25, 2019 at 10:39 am

Isi Tec was not a reliable fairway finder for me. Launcher 360 I liked for forgiveness, but otherwise unremarkable. Not on the list, but my favorite was Titleist 975J, as sub-400cc drivers went.

Reply Report comment
Noosh

Oct 24, 2019 at 10:37 pm

Me no likey kooche

Reply Report comment
- Mike T
  
  Oct 25, 2019 at 2:48 pm
  
  Kduooooooooooche, kduoooooooooooooooche, kduooooooooooooooooooche…
  
  Reply Report comment
turfrex68

Oct 24, 2019 at 10:16 pm

The Northwestern powerkick shaft driver was a beast!!

Reply Report comment
Ryan Barath

Oct 24, 2019 at 8:20 pm

Hi WRXer’s

Thanks for all the feedback and replies. Some of you have pointed out some amazing honourable mentions including the eZone, and the J33P ( I still have a J33r – 420cc model that comes out multiple times a year ) and others from cobra and callaway.

In fact the J33 was my 6th option since all that driver makes me think about is Stuart Abbleby mashing it around Kapalua in the early 2000s.

I realize that the title leaves something to the imagination as far as “any” driver under 400cc including persimmon but I was sticking to modern just under 400cc clubs. Appreciate all the great replies.

RB

Reply Report comment
- hollabachgt
  
  Oct 25, 2019 at 9:33 am
  
  Might I suggest then you change the name of the article. Something like “Greatest 380-400cc drivers made since 2000”
  
  Your last two “of all times” articles has greatly ignored anything made outside of the last 25 years, which is frankly ignoring a tremendous amount of all time greats.
  
  I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that when you make an “of all time” article about irons you’re going to include clubs like the MP-14, MP-29, and Taylor Made TP-MB but not include the originator of that design, the Hogan Precision.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Young Zach Morris
  
  Oct 25, 2019 at 2:54 pm
  
  Should change the title to say “last 20 years” or “recent” instead of “all time.”
  
  Reply Report comment
- myron miller
  
  Nov 27, 2019 at 5:41 pm
  
  Thern why the title? It says best under 400cc, not best since 1990 (“with let’s take a look back at the top five 400cc-and-under drivers of all time.”). Grossly misleading and just flat out lousy writing to mislead people like that. Like others said, Big Bertha has to be on list as did the 975d. Way more classic of both of these than the mizuno or Ping.
  
  In fact, the 975d was the first meetal head driver that I switched to from wood heads. And I switched because it hit the fairway more often, not for the distance. It was overall shorter by about 20-30 yards from my persimmon driver but hit the fairway about 70-80% more.
  
  Taylor Made with Burner shaft is another all time revolutionary driver. Probably caused more people to switch to metal woods than any other club. But again it’s pre-1990.
  
  And I don’t see one Persimmon head driver on your list yet some of them were as revolutionary as anything nowadays. But it seems clear that you have limited experience with any drivers prior to 1990
  
  Reply Report comment
Moses

Oct 24, 2019 at 7:27 pm

R510TP and TecTI drivers were used to win ALOT of money back in the day. 😀 They were the longest drivers of the day without a doubt for me.

Reply Report comment
Pineapple

Oct 24, 2019 at 5:05 pm

RB: come on buddy!!!! you are missing here some Legendary Models
Callaway Great Big Bertha
Titleist 975D
Mizuno 300S
King Cobra DeepFace
among others. MP001??? hehehe no way!!!!

Reply Report comment
- BK
  
  May 9, 2020 at 7:42 am
  
  MP 001 absolutely warrented. Fantastic.
  
  Reply Report comment
Chuck Taylor

Oct 24, 2019 at 5:05 pm

Whaaaat!!! How’a bout the Northwestern driver from Target! That thing was bullet proof! Literally!

Reply Report comment
Ben

Oct 24, 2019 at 3:49 pm

300 series from Taylormade.

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David Wusstig

Oct 24, 2019 at 2:06 pm

You nailed it on the Ping TiSi driver… I replaced mine just a few years ago with the Ping G20. The G20 was not longer, just more forgiving. My ‘miss’ on the TiSI was left and needed the RSL hosel (I’m short and needed a lower lie angle) but Ping (at the Phoenix HQ) could no longer source the adjustable hosels as they were end of life and no longer stocked otherwise I might still be hitting it! As a ~5 HC, I’ve yet to find a newer driver that I hit better or longer than the G20 now (G400 was the last I tested).

Reply Report comment
t

Oct 24, 2019 at 10:40 am

This list without the Bridgestone J33P is just wrong

Reply Report comment
Kale

Oct 24, 2019 at 8:58 am

510 TP all day baby.

Reply Report comment
David

Oct 24, 2019 at 5:58 am

Uhhh. Callaway big Bertha! Cobra deepface!

Reply Report comment
Mike Barnett

Oct 24, 2019 at 5:56 am

975D. Driver deserves top spot in the hall of fame.

Reply Report comment
Bobby

Oct 24, 2019 at 5:40 am

Purespin Diamond face driver with the fat kevlar shaft

Reply Report comment
jgpl001

Oct 24, 2019 at 3:14 am

Great Big Bertha and 983K – 2 greats in their day

Reply Report comment
- Joe
  
  Oct 24, 2019 at 9:44 am
  
  I concur on 983K and Great Big Bertha. I picked up a mint 983K with an aftermarket 757 Speeder for $15 at a sporting goods store a few summers ago. Gamed it for a while and still scratch free. I remember dropping $400 back in the day on it. As for the GBB I had a sweet Red AJ Tech horizontally wound XFlex that used to rip.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - George
    
    Oct 24, 2019 at 2:23 pm
    
    Dude you nailed it. The 983 clubs were so solid, especially with the Fujikura 757 Speeder shaft. I got a 983E with the speeder shaft for like $20 preowned from golf galaxy and I let my buddy borrow it when he was having his driver replaced. He was hitting it 350 and I’m just a little bit shorter than him off the tee but we were both bombing it as far or further than clubs that were made 2 years ago. Just such a solid club I think about going back to it all the time!
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Dan
      
      Oct 26, 2019 at 8:54 am
      
      I still use my 905R w real 757
      Speeder and it’s still the longest driver I’ve ever owned. Longer than TM R1, M3, Callaways etc
      
      Reply Report comment
Matt

Oct 23, 2019 at 11:42 pm

Kuch sucks

Reply Report comment
- Mad-Mex
  
  Oct 24, 2019 at 4:18 am
  
  Give it a rest loooooooooser! Bet your one of the idiots who screams “mash potatoe” or other equally obnoxious drunken childish remarks during tournaments and is the only one who thinks it’s funny,,, get a life!
  
  Reply Report comment
  - beamanandwalkthecourse
    
    Oct 24, 2019 at 3:16 pm
    
    Winners spell potato without an e! ….ps Kutcher should not have been so cheap and ungrateful. The Mexican caddy helped Kutcher get back on the winning track!!!!
    
    Reply Report comment
- Not Mad Mex
  
  Oct 24, 2019 at 4:56 am
  
  No man, he’s a winner. Keep it up with the Matt Kuchar insults, like on every comments board. I like reading them. Kuchar is a fake tool anyways. I come to the comments section to read the stupid stuff. Love seeing people actually get bent because someone took 2 seconds to throw some shade. Deal with it.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Erik Morden
    
    Oct 24, 2019 at 7:52 am
    
    Matt is the Golf WRX troll. You could write something about anything in the golf world and he would hate it. You could be God himself and he would hate you. Like a previous poster said he is a tool his last name maybe Craftsman or Kobalt or SnapOn.
    
    Reply Report comment
    - Not Aaron Judge
      
      Oct 24, 2019 at 8:57 am
      
      World needs Trolls too.
      
      Reply Report comment
      - Mad-Mex
        
        Oct 25, 2019 at 8:30 pm
        
        Wish their parents had used birth control,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
        
        Reply Report comment
        
        Not on my bridge
        
        Oct 26, 2019 at 9:44 am
        
        Pretty soon, the trolls will take over. They are the terminators of the future. People like you will explode and become non existent. They will be washed out by the power of the troll movement in the 2020’s…
        
        Reply Report comment
  - Jeremy
    
    Nov 11, 2019 at 9:59 pm
    
    I totally understand thinking the internet is funny, but what you’re missing is that this is a website about golf. And you’re trolling. It is basically showing that you are not cool or smart or funny enough for 4chan, and come troll on a golf website. Gg.
    
    Reply Report comment
Rich Douglas

Oct 23, 2019 at 9:30 pm

Big Bertha, because it started the whole revolution towards bigger driver heads.

Great Big Bertha–titanium.

Any driver that was constructed contrary to good engineering–the Pod, Hammer, and whatever that hard (low-COR, it turns out) driver MacGregor came out with.

Reply Report comment
Matt

Oct 23, 2019 at 8:33 pm

For me it was the Titleist 975J, but it might have been the after marked graphite design ys7 shaft that made it work so well for me. However I did try a golf buddies 510tp around that time and it was the first time I remember flying the bunker on my home courses 15th hole. Need less to say it left quite an impression but so did the seven hundred dollar price tag!

Reply Report comment
lnholly

Oct 23, 2019 at 7:57 pm

Bridgestone Whopper

Reply Report comment
tom

Oct 23, 2019 at 7:22 pm

No original Callaway Great Big Bertha Warbird???????? This is the driver that changed everything.

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Fhartt Dikkwater

Oct 23, 2019 at 7:21 pm

Today I learned golf started in 1995. There were no good drivers before this. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer used catapults for their tee shots then used blade irons, which they were the only ones in the galaxy legally allowed to play. Also learned thats its humanly impossible to use a 56* wedge for around the greens. Have to have a 60* with a special grind on it to accomplish this task.

Reply Report comment
- Blowfeldher
  
  Oct 23, 2019 at 8:30 pm
  
  I like your name. I could see that on a Korn Ferry leaderboard right next to Sepp Straka the Bond villian.
  
  Reply Report comment
Curt

Oct 23, 2019 at 7:07 pm

Nobody could out drive me and my blue nike 400. Just made others mad and out of bounds.

Reply Report comment
- Wish I was Jack Hamm
  
  Oct 23, 2019 at 8:28 pm
  
  Jack Hamm could.
  
  Reply Report comment
James

Oct 23, 2019 at 7:06 pm

MacGregor M85, Cleveland TC15, Powerbilt Citation, Wood Brothers Texan?

Titleist 905S? Seriously? 975D long before.

Reply Report comment
Paul

Oct 23, 2019 at 6:18 pm

The Cobra 370 SS unlimited was phenominal in its day, still by far the longest driver I’ve ever hit

Reply Report comment
Joseph Runtz

Oct 23, 2019 at 5:32 pm

The Tony Penna Innovator- Cobalt was longer than the great Big Bertha, the Cleveland Launcher was a close 2nd as was Titleist’s 983
Head to Head the Innovator took all challenger at that time.

Reply Report comment
Old Zach Morris

Oct 23, 2019 at 5:07 pm

Opting for the 905S over the OG 975D is a travesty.

And for the rando pick, they should have went with the Goldwin ADVP.

Reply Report comment
- Patrick M.
  
  Oct 23, 2019 at 5:56 pm
  
  975D was great until 983 came out and then the 905s.
  
  975D was the best driver of the 1990s.
  
  Reply Report comment
TG

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:54 pm

Not including The Great Big Bertha is Hard to understand. So many tour pros played this in the late 90s.

Reply Report comment
Bernie Mac

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:49 pm

Jack Hamm, HAMMER driver. Nuff said.

Reply Report comment
Ol Skool

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:48 pm

Titleist Howitzer and Starship were gamechangers. However the Jack Hamm endorsed “Hammer” brought 400 plus yard drives into our bags.

Reply Report comment
Jim

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:37 pm

Titleist 975D – Just ask that Woods guy.

Reply Report comment
Jim

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:31 pm

“Of all time” should be removed from the title of this article, as it really means just the last 30 years, while conveniently ignoring clubs of the classic era of golf.

Reply Report comment
Mardukes

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:19 pm

Toski CZAR 270cc

Reply Report comment
Jim

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:07 pm

I would take “of all time” out of the title so people will know you are focused only on metal-woods of the last 30 years or so and completely ignoring the classic persimmons of the past.

Reply Report comment
Jeremy Thompson

Oct 23, 2019 at 4:06 pm

Well the GBB and BBB were all north of 400cc so can’t be included. No original Big Bertha is a serious omission, the driver that was a complete game changer and industry changer. And no 975D either???

Reply Report comment
- Mark it Zero
  
  Oct 23, 2019 at 6:58 pm
  
  +1 on both counts. But an interesting read.
  
  Reply Report comment
- NA
  
  Oct 23, 2019 at 9:48 pm
  
  No they werent. BBB was 300cc
  
  Reply Report comment
Vas

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:49 pm

Leaving off Callaway is just trying too hard. Also, if you’re going to go Titleist, you’d need to go 983-series instead of the 905s. The 983E with the EI-70 Tour X was a game-changer for me, but most of my friends preferred the K.

Agree about the E Zone 380. Unreal.

Reply Report comment
- joe
  
  Oct 23, 2019 at 10:39 pm
  
  My 983E is still the best ever for me. GD Ys stiff shaft. I could really put it out there comfortably, and I could work it nicely.
  
  Reply Report comment
Jeff E

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:42 pm

I played a Titliest 975D for years, and it was head and shoulders above the 983 and 905. Loved that driver, and hit it better than the 510TP from Taylor Made as well…. I’d put it #1 on this list.

Reply Report comment
PC

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:31 pm

Yonex E Zone 380…. the best head ever made.

Reply Report comment
Ray Bennett

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:26 pm

I am surprised that the KZG PFT 300 didn’t get a mention.

Reply Report comment
Kevin kelly

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:23 pm

The original Bobby Jones driver was as long as any driver I hit in my lifetime. I played a long time with persimmon and was very slow to switch to metals. Their 7.5 was awesome.

Reply Report comment
Jose

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:22 pm

Actually I liked the Mizuno MP-001 375 driver because I could hit it of the deck fairly well.

Reply Report comment
Tiger Woods

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:19 pm

Cmon man — no Great Big or Biggest Big?

Reply Report comment
EgdewRich

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:18 pm

KZG CHII with Fujikura Vista Pro shaft. Smaller head but right there with TM 500 series!

Reply Report comment
Ed LeBeau

Oct 23, 2019 at 3:16 pm

You left out Callaway’s Big Bertha
That’s a serious omission

Reply Report comment
drjacko

Oct 23, 2019 at 2:59 pm

Ryan, this is a great series! There is always a temptation to build a classic set out of your lists.

Reply Report comment
A. Commoner

Oct 23, 2019 at 2:35 pm

RB: Give it up.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

15 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

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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