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On Spec FAQ: A guide to basic club fitting and building questions

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Each week on Instagram, I do a question and answer segment to allow golfers to reach out and ask questions about fitting, new equipment, specs, gear comparisons, and basically anything golf.

In doing these for close to a year now, I have been asked a lot of different questions, but there have also been many frequently occurring ones, which I have compiled, along with some other ones, from my most recent Q&A.

Where can you get extra OEM weights for drivers ie;  TaylorMade SIM, Callaway Mavrik, Titleist, etc? 

For those at home DIY tinkerers, most OEMs make extra weights available through a select number of accounts. If you happen to be close to one that has a focus on custom building with its own in-house shop, they might even have some in stock. But if you are looking for selection and can’t order direct from a manufacturer, Golfworks.com has a large selection of parts for both new and older OEM gear including weights and adapters.

Does grip size helping reduce single way misses?

The common belief used to be that a smaller grip made a club easier to turn over and “release” while a club with a bigger grip was hard to “turn over” because the size delayed the rotation of the hands. We now know this to be false.

The best way to choose a grip is to find what’s comfortable for you and go from there—don’t worry about the size, and instead focus on texture and what feels right to you. If you are curious to see how an in-depth test was conducted to prove this, check out Ping Golf Proving Ground: Effect of Grip on driver flight.

What is the best way to build a short set?

Oh, I love half sets!

They offer golfers the ability to be creative and can bring a lot more imagination into your game if you play the same golf course a lot. The best way to build one is to figure out which clubs are vital in your shot selection and go from there.

For a more in-depth description of how to figure out exactly what clubs should go into your half set, check out this piece I wrote earlier this year:  Building the perfect half set

Is it OK to use shims when building clubs?

Using shims is common practice when building clubs. Whether it be going from .355″ taper to .370″ parallel in irons, or .335″ to .350″ in woods, when done correctly it has no effect on performance. Check out the video below to understand how a shim is installed

What are the best brands for building combo sets?

2019 Mizuno MP-20 irons

When it comes to building your own combo set, every brand has great options, which at the end of the day is fantastic for the golf consumer. Ping, Mizuno, TaylorMade, Titleist, Srixon, PXG, Callaway, and even direct-to-consumer brands like New Level, Sub70, and Ben Hogan design their iron lines around building combo sets.

This was a trend that started around a decade ago, and to see the evolution of this design philosophy check out this piece from a few weeks ago: The most popular design trend in irons

Thoughts on one length clubs?

One length continues to be a highly debated topic, so I will be very blunt—I believe that one-length clubs can offer golfers greater consistency, especially those in a higher handicap range or who play infrequently. With that in mind, I still believe that based on the dynamics of delivery, variable-length clubs into the shorter irons and wedges will improve scoring.

To better understand my stance on the subject, check out this: One-length wedges are holding Bryson DeChambeau back

How does club weight and swing weight change my ball flight?

Swing and total weight can affect golfers differently, but the general rule is lighter with a higher balance point is easier to rotate and “turn over”—which is why XXIO does this in its Prime series to help golfers at slower speeds. Heavier and lower balance point clubs are more difficult to rotate and “stay open” more.

To see a blind test in action on this exact subject, just out the great video below from our friends at TXG.

 

 

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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.

10 Comments

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  8. Fyi

    Sep 5, 2020 at 4:25 pm

    Just an FYI, txg testing on YouTube of the grip size does not support your conclusion in this article.

    https://youtu.be/TzNJUG7Y6V0

    • Realist

      Sep 5, 2020 at 8:35 pm

      Gosh you internet watchers are trolls fyi. Go get a lesson

      • Duh

        Sep 5, 2020 at 10:47 pm

        A lesson in how to leave snarky comments on the internet?

        What’s wrong with you? That video is a direct test of grip size, an entire section of THIS article. And their tested conclusion was opposite this writers. Sorry that bothers you.

        Maybe the internet just isn’t for you.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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