Equipment

GolfWRX Insider: An exclusive look inside the bag of Fred Couples

Published

4 years ago

May 2, 2020

He’s my hero, my old man’s hero and my city’s hero. That’s all I need to say on the matter. I love this guy. With the help of the people who get clubs in his bag and the man himself, here is the what and the why of Fred Couples’ WITB.

Something to note: Fred is nuts about his sticks but not in the way we are at WRX. For the most part, he doesn’t pay much attention to the makeup of his clubs, just how they look and what they do.

It’s a fact the guy is a fanatic about them being right and not fussed with, but the how and why for Fred is irrelevant. The ball tells him what’s going on. I’ve heard stories of Freddie trying things on the range and tossing it out on one swing. That’s not arrogant its a commitment to only playing equipment that he loves. We should all be that picky.

And one other thing, if you aren’t in the inner circle (coach, caddie, or close confidant) don’t touch his clubs—that’s a serious no-no. He has never worn a glove, and like fellow Seattle legend Ken Griffey, Jr and his mitt, new hands mean potential grease, stretching, etc. Just don’t touch ’em.

As you can see, there isn’t a ton of new gear in his bag. He’s the kind of guy who could find a club he likes in a bargain bin as easily as he could find one on a truck. If it works of course.

God, I love this guy.

LFG.

Photo courtesy of @ytowns_prodigal_son on Instagram

DRIVER: TaylorMade M3 440 9 @9.5 (upright setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue 75 X (45.25 inches, D3)
Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap 58R “Logo Down”

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 08: Fred Couples his a shot from the 3rd hole during the final round of the Hoag Classic at Newport Beach Country Club on March 8, 2020, in Newport Beach, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

*Freddie hates clubs to look open and prefers the driver to sit square and a bit upright.

3-WOOD: Callaway FTI Squareway (15 degrees)
Shaft: Harrison Mugen Prototype 75 X (43-inches, D3)
Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap 58R “Logo Down”

*So how in God’s name did that 3-wood get into his bag and stay there for going on 12 years? The story goes that Freddie was on the range at 2008 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic at Silver Rock. The Harrison rep at the time was testing shafts with Fred and one of the samples was connected to this square-headed Callaway. Remember it’s 2008 and shaft reps usually had test clubs built up to speed the process up. There is no way Couples is gonna respond to the head beyond asking why it’s square but who cares? After hitting a few Fred turned to the guy and said “I love it,” the rep said, “great so what head do want it in?” Fred replied, “nope, I love the whole thing, thanks.” Here we are today.

HYBRID: TaylorMade R11 TP (19 degrees)
Shaft: AeroTech SteelFiber I95 X (40.5 inches)
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R “Logo Down”

*I’ve heard him refer to this as his “Ginty” in conversations with his caddie. In recent years Fred has messed with a 2nd and 3rd hybrid when he gets to Augusta, but typically it’s just this one with a mark dead nuts in the middle. The original shaft was an Aldila RIP 105 TX, but Fred has since switched into the SteelFiber.

IRONS: Bridgestone J15 Dual Pocket Cavity (3-P)
Shafts: Aerotech Steel Fiber 110cw X
Grip: Golf Pride CP2 Wrap 58R “Logo Down”

Photo courtesy of @fullyequippedgolf on Instagram

*Fred has been with Bridgestone since 2006 and started playing the dual pocket molds in 2010 (J38, J40, J15) the irons are identical to each other with the exception of the stamping. Fred likes a little offset in his irons and his lofts have gotten a little stronger over the years. PW loft is now at 46 degrees

Iron Specs: Loft/Lie/Length/SW

3-20/61/39/D4

4-23/61.5/38.5/D4

5-26/62/38/D4

6-30/62.5/37.5/D4

7-34/63/37/D4

8-38/63.5/36.5/D4

9-42/64/36/D4

PW-46/64.5/35.75/D4

WEDGES: TaylorMade ATV (54 degrees), Titleist Vokey SM7 (60-10S)
Shaft: Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (+1/8 from STD, 65 degrees lie)
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R “Logo Down”

Photo Courtesy of @fullyequippedgolf on Instagram

Photo Courtesy of @johnny_wunder on Instagram

*Funny story on the Vokey wedge: Fred was at the home of Bill Haas and saw this “beautiful” lob wedge in Bill’s staff bag. He ultimately felt that he needed it, and Bill was happy to give it up. So if you saw Freddie with a BH stamped on his Vokey, it’s because it wasn’t his. He has since had Aaron Dill build him some new ones. Also, look at the wear mark—who says you need to hit it outta the center?

PUTTER: Bettinardi FC Proto (37 Inches, 71 Lie, 3 degrees of loft with 17’ Lamkin Grip)

*Fred has had a great relationship with Bettinardi for eight years now. The putter is a “heavy-headed” counterbalanced beauty. He has tried mallets in the past but consistently ends up in this one.

BALL: Bridgestone Tour B RXS “Yellow”

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31 Comments

Hogan1953

Nov 11, 2020 at 7:51 am

The wear mark on that wedge is horrific. I actually find it hard to understand how a player of his calibre can do that.

Reply Report comment
- Michael
  
  Jun 10, 2022 at 12:34 pm
  
  It’s a lob wedge. Most of the time that club is in his hands the face is open, which moves the impact location towards the toe.
  
  Reply Report comment
Pingback: Fred Couples finally switches irons—after 10 years – GolfWRX
Larry Mooredale

Jun 3, 2020 at 2:19 pm

Those irons are J40s with different stampings… lol

Reply Report comment
DJ

May 11, 2020 at 10:41 am

Irons are J38 style built in 2015 when they did the J15 release.

Reply Report comment
Benny

May 9, 2020 at 11:24 am

So true Greg. JW thanks for the hreat article. Especially when its so hard to find new talks without any golf.

Boom boom is the man. If it works don’t fix it!

Reply Report comment
BC

May 7, 2020 at 2:09 pm

those are not j15 cb’s, they are j38 dpc’s with a j15 stamp.

Reply Report comment
Imafitter

May 4, 2020 at 8:52 pm

I’ve followed Freddie at tournaments, watched his shots in slow motion, and still can’t figure how that effortless swing causes the ball to go as far as it goes and where it’s aimed! One of my favorites! Plus, I’m a big Bettinardi fan. I just don’t understand why more pros don’t use their putters.

Reply Report comment
Bob

May 4, 2020 at 1:09 pm

Whenever I see an article about Couples club make up I have to scratch my head and wonder why I drank the Kool-aide from the major mgf’s that makes me want new clubs.
IF IT WORKS KEEP IT.

Reply Report comment
Jack Nash

May 4, 2020 at 12:15 pm

Just when you think Stenson owns the atomic 3 wood design, along comes Freddie with a Callaway Squareway? OMG Lol.

Reply Report comment
matt

May 4, 2020 at 10:54 am

interesting that one of the most famous faders of all time doesn’t like to see any openness at address. just goes to show you how nuanced all these little things are

Reply Report comment
- Nodoubles
  
  May 5, 2020 at 2:29 am
  
  Makes sense. People who fade the ball need it to start left. Tiger famously closes the face a little at address when he’s hitting a cut, and opens it a little when he’s hitting a draw. Face angle determines starting line, path determines curve.
  
  Reply Report comment
Doug Roe

May 3, 2020 at 6:28 pm

I thought I had read that Freddie had gone 4 and even 5 hybrids in recent years to save the back ????

Reply Report comment
Stanley

May 3, 2020 at 2:50 am

That wear on the wedge is the most interesting thing I have seen in some time. I mean that is consistent.

Reply Report comment
- yumarous
  
  May 4, 2020 at 1:25 am
  
  Added a comment in @3puttterritory ‘s question.
  
  Reply Report comment
Tom

May 2, 2020 at 11:15 pm

@ John Wunder does Freddie Pure his shafts?

Reply Report comment
Greg

May 2, 2020 at 6:42 pm

On further thought, Freddie finds clubs that work for his swing. He doesn’t try new clubs and hope to change his swing.

Reply Report comment
3puttterritory

May 2, 2020 at 6:41 pm

Is there any technical explanation for that wear mark on the toe? Never seen anything like it.

Reply Report comment
- yumarous
  
  May 4, 2020 at 1:23 am
  
  I’ve done some testing when I worked for the JP golf media once and found that there are a bunch of tour pros that deliberately strike their wedges on the toe to increase spin and decrease ball speed, especially on partial distances. Since the toe is moving at a slightly faster speed than the heel/neck, the face impacts the ball with more speed causing the ball to compress a bit more than the heel, but at the same time due to the very low MOI of the wedge head that speed decreases almost instantly after the strike causing it to lose ball speed and the ball to come off the face more dead. With the combination of those two aspects, it actually does make the ball have more spin with a dead ball speed off the turf. This wasn’t the case for bunkers as the face doesn’t really come into contact with the ball.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - billjack
    
    May 4, 2020 at 3:48 pm
    
    That is how you hit the low bounce stop.
    
    Reply Report comment
Philip Okita

May 2, 2020 at 6:18 pm

Any info on how that ATV 54 got into the bag? I’m only curious because I love that same wedge (but bent to 55) and haven’t been able to find one that I like better for my sand wedge.

Reply Report comment
- John Wunder
  
  May 2, 2020 at 6:23 pm
  
  To be honest its a turf interaction thing. Never got the real info but in the past he has liked quite a bit of bounce in his FW wedges.
  
  Reply Report comment
Vess Hollingsworth

May 2, 2020 at 5:36 pm

Huge Freddie fan here. Love this post. Never find enough info on Couples’ clubs. This is great!!!!!

Reply Report comment
BodineJCS

May 2, 2020 at 4:42 pm

Looks like he uses CP2 Wrap grips (Blue cap) , not CP2 Pros (Red Cap) … Do WRX editors even play golf

Reply Report comment
- John Wunder
  
  May 2, 2020 at 5:59 pm
  
  Fixed it. Sorry to offend. Yes we play golf. Thanks for reading.
  
  Reply Report comment
Matt

May 2, 2020 at 4:37 pm

That putter is delicious….I find it odd so many touring pros have a 46 or 47 degree pw and then the next wedge is 54 or 55 degrees? Guys that confident with opening up with the pw? Seems like always a large gap 7-10 degrees sometimes..

Reply Report comment
- gwelfgulfer
  
  May 2, 2020 at 11:26 pm
  
  Shouldn’t be odd at all, they actually play to yardages, unlike how we think we play to yardages. I’m sure their ability to play a 3/4 shot is a bit better as well.
  
  Reply Report comment
Matt Ciganek

May 2, 2020 at 12:49 pm

If you don’t mention Tom Watson’s former wife Linda Watson’s 3-wood Freddie used for years, the article is not complete!

Reply Report comment
CB

May 2, 2020 at 12:45 pm

RXS ball? Wow. Never would have thought he would play that ball over the Tour B series.

Reply Report comment
- makaveli
  
  May 6, 2020 at 6:32 am
  
  It is a Tour B series, the Tour B RXS
  
  Reply Report comment
Greg

May 2, 2020 at 12:44 pm

Ha! Freddie has a shank proof wedge.

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Equipment

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

Published

3 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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