

Equipment
GolfWRX Insider: The real story of Tiger’s Titleist 681T irons
The speculation around these irons (and every Tiger Woods iron thereafter) has been just shy of comical. Anything from “Mizunos stamped with different OEM logos” to “Miura secretly forging them in a cave full of kryptonite and fairy dust.”
It’s all entertaining, but in the end, a good conspiracy theory is typically just that: a theory.
I thought it was a good time to set the record straight—beyond doing it on my podcast over a year ago—with the man who was in the middle of it: Larry Bobka, VP of Golf Club Promotion during that time.
JW: How did the process begin, and specifically what was Tiger looking for?
LB: I was just finishing up my project with Davis and was asked if I could lend a hand with Tiger. Terry McCabe, VP of R&D, had few prototypes going, so there had been some conversations with Tiger before me. I went down to Isleworth, met with Butch and Tiger, and we discussed his current set…what he liked, didn’t like, and what would make a Titleist set better.
JW: What inspirations did you take from older clubs and how much did the design of his Mizuno irons influence the design?
LB: Having worked with players at Wilson (mentored by Bob Mendralla), I felt confident that we could make him a great set of clubs. His Mizuno set was important from a standpoint of watching ball flight and turf interaction. They make really good irons. Tiger had sent me a set of old Hogan Apex 1973 irons, as well, that had a lot more camber in the sole. I added a bit more…one of the tweaks added to the 681 forgings.
JW: How many different prototypes were made until you landed on the 681?
LB: Terry had made Tiger a couple of 5-iron prototypes. I left Isleworth with a simple plan: make Tiger three identical sets and let him choose the best 2, 3, 4-iron, etc. down through the bag—old school club making I learned from Bob Mendrella
JW: Like his P7TW, the 681 had a phase 1 that he put into play. The 1998/1999 model was a touch different than the 681, can you explain those a bit?
LB: His original sets were made from old Titleist forgings made by Hoffman Products (McCabe Design pictured below) and some blank forgings from Endo. After he liked the irons, we tooled up the 681’s at Endo.
JW: How much bounce did he like in his irons?
LB: If you look at the stock 681’s, they have a fair amount of bounce. His long irons are weaker than standard loft, which gave him more bounce in the 2- 5-irons.
JW: What older Titleist blades closest resemble the Tiger Iron?
LB: Titleist Tour Model (Box Blade). That’s what inspired his 5-PW.
JW: What was testing like—with no launch data?
LB: Old school club making. As Toney Penna told me once: look, listen, and copy—look at ball flight, turf interaction, listen to what the player says and doesn’t say, copy what’s in your head. We did have the Titleist Launch Monitor later when he came to Oceanside just confirm ball flight.
JW: Once and for all, who forged the Tiger Titleist irons?
LB: We did in Carlsbad from Hoffman and Endo forgings. Miura made a limited edition (pictured below) for Titleist Japan, but he never used them.
JW: Did he ever consider cavity backs at all?
LB: No, he hit Davis’ cavity forgings (below) a couple of times on the range at events.
681T (retail) specs below. All with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts tipped 1/4 inch.
Topic closed. If Larry Bobka doesn’t know, nobody does.
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (11/30/23): Artisan MB irons

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 set of Artisan MB irons.
From the seller: (@Brandan): “Artisan MB 4-P. Matte black modus 120s. Close to mint condition. $1800 OBO.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Artisan MB irons
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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Equipment
Will Zalatoris switches to L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max broomstick putter at Hero World Challenge

Prior to getting back surgery in April of 2023, Will Zalatoris had established himself as one of the premiere ball strikers in golf. In his last full season on the PGA Tour (the 2021-2022 season), he ranked 3rd in Strokes Gained: Total, 11th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, 1st in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green and 13th in Driving Distance.
Simply put, Zalatoris stripes the ball.
On the greens, however, Zalatoris has had well-documented struggles, especially on short putts, and he ranked just 103rd in Strokes Gained: Putting in the 2021-2022 PGA Tour season.
His putting has always been his big question mark, but during the seven-month recovery period from surgery, Zalatoris has taken measures to rectify those issues.
Following in the footsteps of L.A.B. Golf putter users Lucas Glover, Adam Scott, and Camilo Villegas, Zalatoris showed up to the 2023 Hero World Challenge using an L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max broomstick putter, as reported by PGATOUR.com.
Previously, Zalatoris used an armlock-style putter, but it seems that Zalatoris is hopeful for the new broomstick style, which helps with both his stroke, and alleviating pressure off his surgically-repaired back.
View this post on Instagram
“I ordered a couple armlocks [from L.A.B.], and they ended up sending me a couple of broomsticks, and it took me probably three months before I was actually able to start practicing with it,” Zalatoris told PGATOUR.com. “But immediately, I loved it. I can see the line so much better. It’s just more comfortable, too…I mean, I know I was a pretty streaky putter. I mean, I’d always be a zero-strokes-gained guy, but I’d blow a few short ones here and there. But so far so good…the misses are just so much better.”
As Glover, Scott and Villegas have found out themselves, the L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 Max putters use “Lie Angle Balanced” technology to ensure stability throughout the stroke. The winged-mallet putter heads are designed with a multi-material construction, consisting of 6061 aircraft aluminum bodies, and a 303 stainless steel midsection. They’re also individually weighted to help achieve lie-angle balance for each intended user, and the crowns have contrasting lines to help ensure proper alignment to the target.
Glover won back-to-back events at 2023 Wyndham Championship and the 2023 FedEx St. Jude Championship in August using the L.A.B. putter, and Villegas captured a win of his own at the 2023 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Maybe, just maybe, Zalatoris has found the answer to his putting woes, too. Surely he’ll need a few tournament reps before getting back into prime playing condition, but we’ll get a good look at his new broomstick putting stroke this week as he puts it to the test for the first time in competition following back surgery.
Head over to PGATOUR.com to read the full report on Zalatoris’ putter switch
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Equipment
What you need to know about Tiger Woods’ new Graphite Design Tour AD-VF driver shaft

Tiger Woods is making his PGA Tour return at the 2023 Hero World Challenge this week, which marks the first time we’ll see him tee it up in competition since the 2023 Masters.
On Tuesday, we spotted Woods in the Bahamas using a new, unreleased TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver prototype equipped with a new Graphite Design Tour AD-VF 6 X red and black shaft.
? https://t.co/0pyqrJZKUP pic.twitter.com/iIz0CjZZIQ
— GolfWRX (@GolfWRX) November 29, 2023
Back in September, if you remember, Justin Thomas switched into a Graphite Design Tour AD-VF 5 X shaft in his Titleist TSR3 driver. Thomas wanted a longer driver option, and he found 15 more yards thanks to the new 45.625-inch driver.
This week, Woods showed up with the same shaft model (just slightly heavier and stiffer, due to the shorter length compared to Thomas).
So, what is it about this AD-VF shaft that’s attracting top names such as Thomas and Woods?
According to Graphite Design’s website, the AD-VF metalwood shafts have a “FIRM+” butt section, a “STIFF” mid-section, and a “VERY STIFF” tip section.
The “VF” stands for “Victory Force,” and the design promotes a low/mid launch, with low spin. The shafts, which are designed and manufactured at the Graphite Design Japan Factory, use “TORAYCA M40X” pre-preg material in the butt section, and “TORAYCA T1100G” pre-preg in the mid/tip sections to produce better control, stability, and feel.
Here’s how the AD-VF shaft compares to other shafts in the Graphite Design family, according to the company’s website, and as you can see, it’s as stiff as anything Graphite Design offers across the butt, mid, and tip sections. Reductively, you could call it the “stiffest shaft in the lineup.”
As a reminder, Woods most recently gamed the Fujikura Ventus Black with a TaylorMade Stealth Plus head at the Masters in April.
Woods is set to tee off on Thursday at 11:52 a.m. EST alongside Justin Thomas.
See Tiger Woods’ full WITB at the 2023 Hero World Challenge
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stanley
May 1, 2020 at 10:44 pm
sometimes you wonder if tiger is going to spill all the beans after he retires or something. endo? miura? what is it?
Steve
Apr 22, 2020 at 10:21 pm
So who made the production 681’s? Endo? I’ve got some Custom Grinds that I rather enjoy.
Cory
Apr 19, 2020 at 10:15 am
Looking at the lofts he is playing, they are the same loft set up that guys on tour are still playing. Just will different numbers stamped on the heads.
Randy Ball
Apr 18, 2020 at 1:10 pm
Titleist put out some beauties in early 2000’s. They had Phil 731pm, 681,690,680’s. Not bad when your staff was Tiger, Phil, Duval, Love, Adam Scott, and Ernie Els.
Paul
Apr 18, 2020 at 8:39 am
So it’s mock conspiracy theories and then admit to conspiracies? Got it.
ht
Apr 18, 2020 at 9:11 am
you sound offended paul. eat a snickers
the dude
Apr 17, 2020 at 3:16 pm
uhhh…kinda breezed over those cavity back’s….like to see them!
The Lefty
Apr 17, 2020 at 11:54 pm
Ummm yeah. Can we get the next topic on those Davis cavity backs, never heard of nor seen those. Where they been my whole life? Titleist put out some sneaky good iron sets for Phil (Titleist PM731) and Tiger in early 2000’s. At one point they had Tiger, Phil, Ernie, Davis, Duval all gaming their irons and winning tournaments.
Odnamra
Apr 17, 2020 at 3:07 pm
LMAO so it was ENDO….mic drop.
All yall mfs who have built up the MIURA mystique been lyin to everybody…
I bet Miura-san is very grateful to all of you.
dat
Apr 17, 2020 at 9:22 pm
Preach!
Paulo
Apr 18, 2020 at 4:08 am
I’m pretty sure it’s been known / suspected for a while tigers irons were endo forgings. Miura does some other guys but tiger was always endo. What makes the debate pointless though is 99.9999999% of golfers couldn’t tell the difference between an iron forged by Miura v the same iron shape cast by some back yard club maker. I really think people just don’t grasp the level of feel the worlds best have. We are not the worlds best
Rascal
Apr 17, 2020 at 12:03 pm
First story in a long time I clicked on something above “lol”!
Dyson Bochambeau
Apr 17, 2020 at 10:30 am
The P790TI 7 iron has the same loft as tigers 5 iron
Gunter Eisenberg
Apr 17, 2020 at 9:56 am
Please have this permanently pinned on the front page of golfwrx.com to end the speculation for now and for the future.
Brandon
Apr 17, 2020 at 9:41 am
Is Hoffman still in business?
Charlie
Apr 17, 2020 at 2:43 pm
He closed his doors in early 2000’s. Made some great irons over the years though. Scratch were the last guys to do something similar in USA.
MBA-J
Apr 17, 2020 at 9:21 am
Grand opening, grand closing. Great job getting down to the bottom of this. Top marks.