Equipment
The biggest switch Justin Rose made this week…that no one will notice
Gold medal and a 99. Justin Rose has been in a 2017 TaylorMade TP ball with that stamping (or version) for almost five years. In following this compelling equipment story closely, I started to realize that there are certain markers to look at when a player like Rose switches anything.
Let’s be really clear here, besides Tiger Woods, there is no one on tour as in-tune with his equipment as Rose. I have had conversations with those who work with Rose, and the stories are very Tiger-like. Noticing minor grip size differences, RPM rates in the minutia, wedge flight windows down to the foot. It’s nuts. The reps on tour earn every nickel of their pay when they get a club in Rosey’s bag.
So here we are, the rumors of the switch are all over the place, speculation of the why and how is running wild. Let’s forget about the business side and just deal with the gear for a minute.
Knowing Justin’s equipment as I do, I know that there are things to track when big changes happen. In this case, I noticed new iron shafts, significantly different iron shafts. KBS C-Taper 130X to a Project X 6.5 in 4-PW, 52, and 56.
This tells me two things: He is trying to find controllable spin, and a golf ball switch might be going down.
Being the golf junkie that I am, I watched intently this morning to see if there was a close up of his golf ball. Low and behold, BOOM. As he stood up to his 5-wood chip off of the green I saw exactly what I was looking for: A 2019 TaylorMade TP5 ball.
As I mentioned before, I know exactly how hard it is to get anything in and out of Rose’s bag, let alone his security blanket. The 2017 TP ball is one he ascended to No. 1 with, won a gold medal, and for a good while, was arguably the best iron player in the game (until TW checked back in).
Justin Rose is a player who narrows ball performance down to the difference between a 10-footer and a 6-footer. It’s not a distance thing or even a wind thing. It’s down to his ability to shape all of his shots into a 6-foot bucket. Point is, the ball he had was doing that for him, so to switch into the TP5 ‘19 suggests that it’s not only better, but this ball—in combo with the new irons, shafts, etc.—Rose has found something that feels like home…but only better.
In this case, beyond ball speed increases across the bag (by nature of the new tech), my hunch tells me that he is cutting spin on mishits to tighten dispersion.
We have yet to hear from anyone on the ground or involved with his testing, so stay tuned to see what transpires, but this is the biggest switch he is making in my opinion.
Justin Rose WITB
Driver: TaylorMade SIM (10.5 degrees @ 8.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 70 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade SIM Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Kuro Kage XTS 80 TX
5-wood: Cobra SpeedZone Tour (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 X
Irons: TaylorMade P730 (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 (52, 56 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design Prototype K Grind (60 degrees)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (52, 56), Proto Hi-Rev 135X (60)
Putter: Axis1 Rose
Grip: Flat Cat Svelte
Ball: TaylorMade TP5 ‘19 (No. 1)
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Pw
Mar 7, 2020 at 10:22 pm
Decent article until you said he was arguably the best player in the world until TW checked back in…. that’s hilarious.
Benny
Mar 7, 2020 at 7:40 am
Mr Coz is onto something. Peter Kostas tweeted PXG and Honma let go their players due to poor results. Not sure if this is true but when these outside OEM’s want to grow they need hungry players ready to fight tooth and nail. Maybe JR was let go from bad play after the first year?
Petercybulskipp
Mar 6, 2020 at 1:12 pm
Is this not just another TM fluff piece?
Matt
Mar 6, 2020 at 10:43 am
If he’s this particular about his equipment it makes one wonder why he would sign a big multi-club contract with a company like Honma that would seem to lack the resources necessary to meet his expectations. I’m honestly shocked there aren’t a lot more equipment free agents on tour, especially those who have plenty of money made and are particular about their equipment.
Tom Newsted
Mar 6, 2020 at 7:16 am
I do find it interesting that Honma got kicked out so quickly. This is clearly not a sponsorship issue but an issue of Justin wanting the absolute best tools for his game. I just wish I could be as exacting as he is and be able to tell the difference between spin rates and feel. Then again that is one of the reasons he gets paid to play and I still pay to play. The only thing I can say about his gear is those Project X shafts are the same shafts I play and they are fantastic.
bobbygolf
Mar 6, 2020 at 5:32 am
The difference is so minute it’s more about confidence and what’s going on in his head. I’d like to see a placebo test where the new ball is marked as the old one and vice versa and due to the many factors involved during play, he wouldn’t know the difference.
Kerk
Mar 6, 2020 at 2:06 am
Honma bits the dust…overpriced anyway….
Nate
Mar 5, 2020 at 7:13 pm
My hunch, project x spin a little more than c-taper for me = 2019 tp5 spin less and he is just trying to keep the same.
Curious
Mar 5, 2020 at 3:57 pm
Why does he have a 15 degree 3 wood and a 16 degree 5 wood?
James
Mar 5, 2020 at 3:32 pm
When is Adam Scott’s 2015 Pro V1 going to be talked about?
Jafar
Mar 5, 2020 at 2:14 pm
Nice to see the KuroKages, they work really well in fairways
William Boulton
Mar 5, 2020 at 1:42 pm
What happened to his contract with Honma?
Was it 1 or 2 years?
M.Coz
Mar 6, 2020 at 4:10 am
It is believed that he broke the contract as in mot complying with the agreement which likely just severed him from any monies that he was supposed to be paid. He may have to pay some back if he was paid in advance in some way. Sergio did something similar with Callaway. His problem started with the Callaway ball which went thru some very bad problems with inconsistencies in it’s manufacture some of which became public. As a producer they couldn’t deny the issue and Sergio was able to move on from the ball he was originally hired to promote. how his club deal disappeared could have had something to do with that. Apparently Callaway let me leave without any fighting. Interestingly these two guys 10 years ago was the backbone to the TaylorMade staff and they have both left within a short time of each other and then both backed out of the their next equipment deals in less than 6 months of each other.