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Fred Couples finally switches irons—after 10 years

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Fred Couples still moves the needle. For a Seattle-born gear junkie (me), pretty much anything the guy does is a big deal.

Earlier this summer, I wrote an article about the makeup of Couple’s bag. What you see is a player committed to feel and trust more than anything. He, like very few others, will stick with a club for years. His 3-wood is 12-years-old and his irons (at least a version of the same head) for over 10.

Until this week.

The part of his bag that I believe has made the biggest impact on his stellar play over the past decade was the switch to the Bridgestone golf ball (currently the Tour B RXS). It allowed Couples the ability to not tweak the overall DNA of his bag over the years, all while giving Fred the firepower and spin he needed off the driver and around the greens. Sometimes, players who love old gear can keep it current with a serious golf ball.

The PGA Tour Champions is in Phoenix this week for the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, and Fred paid a visit to Ping HQ on Monday to test some gear.

Brad Millard (Ping Tour Rep) was the man running the session, and in a Herculean effort, was able to spin Couples out of some old standbys and into a new driver and irons. Trust me, it’s no small feat. If you get Freddy to change nine clubs in one sitting, you deserve a medal. Not because he’s difficult, he’s just Fred Couples, and if he’s making a switch it’s gotta do more than just impress on TrackMan.

Regarding the switch into the new Ping G425 LST driver, Millard said this

“Fred loved the look and feel of the G425, his launch and spin were perfect (12.5 launch spin around 2300-2400) and we dialed in the flight he wanted.”

Driver: Ping G425 9 LST (Dot Setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue 65 TX (45 1/4″)

Couples cruises in around 108 MPH swing speed and 160-165 MPH ball speed—depending on how his back is feeling. 

The irons were the next frontier. Couples isn’t one to play around in that category and has tested (at home) different sets from time to time but hasn’t ever found that true replacement for the Bridgestone Dual Pocket CB he has loved for 10 years.

Photo courtesy of @fullyequippedgolf on IG

Ping I210 irons seemed to get his attention quickly, however. Not only do they resemble a club from his past (Ping Eye 2) but they have a few things Freddy loves. Offset, bounce, and a long blade length. Once Millard dialed in the lies, it was a no-brainer from there.

Fred Couples’ new iron setup

Irons: Ping I210 (3-PW)
Shafts: Aerotech Steelfiber I110 CW X

Std Lofts, +.25 inches, and 1 degree up.

Fred is also testing Ping Glide 3.0 wedges 54-WS and 58 and 60-SS. We will confirm if any or all go in play. All wedges with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.

 

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42 Comments

42 Comments

  1. Pingback: What’s The Best Golf Club For A Beginner? – The Annika Academy

  2. KingJames

    Dec 16, 2020 at 8:41 am

    Great article!

  3. Boom Boom

    Nov 15, 2020 at 3:56 am

    Maybe its my ocd but why is there a pic of two Tensei AV Raw shafts if Freddie is using a Tensei CK Blue 65 TX?

    On the other hand I was surprised to find out Freddie prefers offset and longer blade length.

  4. Pick it clean

    Nov 9, 2020 at 10:13 am

    Has Freddie ever been a staffer for anyone?

  5. Tom Duckworth

    Nov 8, 2020 at 10:12 am

    I would like that setup. The golf ball is interesting I think that many players could do well to look into what ball they play more.
    I based what I play on feel more than anything but I think I should throw that out the window and do some testing and just look at spin numbers. You hear complaints about low spin irons I would like to see more testers use different balls when they test. Hit the same iron with low spin and high spin balls.

  6. Jo Flo

    Nov 7, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    Paulo is a dck.

    • Pureswinger

      Nov 7, 2020 at 8:28 pm

      Biden is President now so it’s time to get along.

      • Paulo

        Nov 8, 2020 at 8:10 am

        Over the moon Biden did it. Thank god that lunatic is out of the house. My dads older than him and we don’t trust him with the tv remote , never mind the nuclear launch codes

        • Pureswinger

          Nov 8, 2020 at 10:53 am

          Didn’t you date Jennifer Anniston?

          • Paulo

            Nov 8, 2020 at 11:55 am

            If she’s your mom then yes I did. Many times.

            • Purseswinger

              Nov 8, 2020 at 1:05 pm

              That’s great! Maybe you’re my Dad? I do have some issues about that. There’s this crazy gene in me that makes me want to screw sheep. Guess I got that from you. LOL!

  7. Peter

    Nov 7, 2020 at 5:28 am

    No glove and now Pings! Two things that Fred and I have in common. Yay!

    • Abbie @Golf Mario

      Nov 22, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      I like your comment! My husband is the same way. Here in Utah we golf a lot during the season and he is a no glove, Ping golfer! Made me laugh when I read your excited about having that in common, haha!

      • Peter

        Mar 8, 2021 at 2:38 am

        cheers! Does he also hear the commentator in his head as he stands over the shot?. “6th hole, Couples’ second to the green…”

  8. Mick

    Nov 6, 2020 at 9:03 pm

    Cink wins a few weeks back with Ping i210. The LPGA has a heavy usage of Ping i210 ( most amateur men should watch what they play) . Now Couples switches to them. They will go down as an all time great for PING.

  9. AG

    Nov 6, 2020 at 7:02 pm

    What’s with the weird Bridgestone golf ball ad thrown into the middle of the article?

    “Fred Couple switches irons… but first let me tell you how amazing this golf ball is!”

    • John Wunder

      Nov 7, 2020 at 8:09 am

      It’s not a weird ad, if you wanna know why a player can maintain older equipment for a longer period of time, the golf ball is the lynchpin of the whole thing. to not reference it is a discredit to the whole process. We don’t do weird ad’s in the middle of a players bag info.

      • Pureswinger

        Nov 8, 2020 at 12:15 am

        Your grammar sucks!

        • John Wunder

          Nov 9, 2020 at 7:16 am

          Well, thank god I have experts like you to track it all and make sure it’s called out.
          Thanks for reading.

      • Zach

        Nov 9, 2020 at 10:16 am

        Can we confirm what he bagged? I think the driver and irons were in there. What wedges?

        • FamousDave

          Nov 9, 2020 at 6:44 pm

          I’d guess Freddie has bagged a lot during his career. LOL!

  10. Mike Barnett

    Nov 6, 2020 at 5:46 pm

    Would you guys consider the Ping i210 irons a low handicap player set? I see they are high bounce.

    • Paulo

      Nov 7, 2020 at 2:45 pm

      Hi Mike. Fred can have them any way he wants. He’s one of the all time greats. His are probably hand forged unlike the retail models. What’s your index ? Ping might make you a custom set with your exact bounce spec. Drop them a line as they may have lost your contact details and club specs

  11. FamousDave

    Nov 6, 2020 at 11:07 am

    This confirms even more that Bridgestone is getting out of making clubs.

    • Paulo

      Nov 6, 2020 at 3:13 pm

      Excellent point and a huge shame. Still don’t understand the shift to ping irons though , obvious choice from Bridgestone would be hand made irons by whomever he wants to make them because he’s Fred couples after akt

      • Desert Hacker

        Nov 6, 2020 at 3:26 pm

        Yep, I would’ve expected the same. I have the 2015 version of those Bridgestone irons and I’ve been waiting for something to come along and replace them…might go back to Mizuno. Not going to be easy to take them out of the bag.

    • DJ

      Nov 19, 2020 at 10:51 am

      Bridgestone Tour 201mb and 201cb. We’ll see if they come to the US market.

  12. Imafitter

    Nov 6, 2020 at 10:03 am

    Very satisfies with my Ping i500’s, 3.0 Eye2 Wedges, 410 fairway & hybrids, and especially my G400MAX driver, which I shortened and re-weighted. Just outstanding equipment!

  13. Dave M.

    Nov 6, 2020 at 9:58 am

    I sold those bridgestones this year on eBay for $300 more than I bought them for in 2014…I guess they are good, I just hit them too much to the right

    • Dave M.

      Nov 6, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      I meant to the left

      • pureswinger

        Nov 6, 2020 at 4:47 pm

        You liberal golf you!

      • Paulo

        Nov 7, 2020 at 3:22 pm

        Maybe you were aiming there or presenting dynamic lie too upright or, Jesus H Christ it could be a thousand things but I promise you it was unlikely an inherent design defect in the iron head .

  14. Pingback: Morning 9: Sneds ahead in Houston | Why fans now? | Couples’ new irons – GolfWRX

  15. Delbert

    Nov 6, 2020 at 9:47 am

    What’s his specs? That would be cool to see. Didn’t he play a set off the rack once?

    • Pureswinger

      Nov 6, 2020 at 10:04 am

      They’re posted you dummy! Tiger should switch to these and give his body a break. With the Steelfiber shaft, they are great sticks. The driver is a beast. Anyone struggling with their game should seriously consider Ping for everything.

  16. Kalle

    Nov 6, 2020 at 9:44 am

    The i210 are legendary. I may never abandon them.

  17. Karsten's Ghost

    Nov 6, 2020 at 6:03 am

    The i210 keeps getting more and more… it’s an all-timer.

    • Mark it Zero

      Nov 6, 2020 at 8:30 pm

      It’s cool to see the love for the i210 because I’ve had a lot of success with mine. But, obviously, I’m no Fred Couples, or other staffers who have had success with them. Also, aren’t they bound to be replaced soon? I’ve had mine for two years…

  18. Paulo

    Nov 6, 2020 at 12:17 am

    Is he a ping staffer now?

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Whats in the Bag

Chesson Hadley WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 TX

3-wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T200 (3), Titleist 620 CB (4, 5), Titleist 620 MB (6-PW)
Shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 105 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball
Grip: Odyssey

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Check out more in-hand photos Chesson Hadley’s clubs here.

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Whats in the Bag

Gary Woodland WITB 2024 (March)

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Driver: Cobra Darkspeed X (8 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 70 M5

  • The white circle that appears at the top of the face a removable sticker that’s used for launch monitor tracking, and Woodland removes it for competition!

3-wood: Cobra Darkspeed X (14 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

7-wood: Cobra LTDx LS prototype (20 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TZ5 GW100 Prototype

Irons: Wilson Staff (18 degrees), Cobra King MB (4-PW)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X

Wedges: Cobra SB (48), Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-08F, 56-14F), Cobra King (60)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper Limited X (48 degrees), KBS Tour V-Ten 125

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0P

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

See more in-hand photos of Gary Woodland’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Q&A: Martin Trainer on his Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers” putter, 6.5-degree driver, and “butter knife” 2-iron

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As unbiasedly as I can put it, Martin Trainer has one of the coolest club setups in professional golf. (At some point soon, I’ll put together a top-10 list of “coolest club setups on Tour,” but I know that Trainer will be in the top-10)

What a lineup. He plays a 6.5-degree Wilson prototype driver, a 13-degree Wilson prototype 3-wood, a true blade Wilson Staff Model 2-iron, and a Bobby Grace “Greg Chalmers Commemorative” putter!

 

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

I mean, look at this 2-iron from address…

To quote the great author R.L. Stine: “Goosebumps.”

On Wednesday at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open, I caught up with Trainer to learn more about his bag setup.

Here’s what he had to say:

You have the Internet going crazy over your bag setup, and your putter. Where’d you pick the Bobby Grace-Greg Chalmers putter up? How long have you had it?

MT: This was from when Bobby Grace came to my course in California: Cal Club. And for whatever reason, they just started having them in the shop. So then I took my buddy’s, started using it, and made, like, a million putts in a row, which is how every putter story begins, I guess.

And then, I bought a couple of my own, used it for years, got to the Tour with it, won on Tour with it (the 2019 Puerto Rico Open). Then, about a year later, started using another putter, did that for a couple years, but now it’s back in the bag.

When did it come back in the bag?

MT: December of this past year. So a few months ago.

What year would you say was the first time you threw that in the bag, or, like, when you bought it?

MT: God…Probably, 2016, maybe? 2018?

Do you remember how much you paid for it?

MT: I don’t know, actually. Maybe $100-150 bucks or something. I think that’s the only golf club I’ve bought between high school and now. Well, two, since I bought two of them.

The driver is interesting, too. What went into the prototyping process?

MT: That was a version of the current driver, but it was the prototype that they first came out with for Tour guys to try. And for whatever reason, I just never switched out to the new one.

It’s just 6.5 degrees, right?

MT: Yeah. Very low loft, yeah.

What kind of ball speed do you have with that these days?

MT: Like high 170’s.

Yeah, that’ll work. And then a 2-iron blade? We’re seeing fewer and fewer of those out here.

MT: Yeah. The butter knife.

Very cool thing to have in the bag. Have you done any testing with driving irons? 

MT: Yeah, I used to have a thicker one, but it was a little offset, and I never hit it that well. And then finally, I started messing around with the butter knife. And I remember the first time I looked down at it, I was terrified. And then I ended up getting used to it, putting it in play, and it’s been in place since. It’s a pretty good club for me.

How far do you carry that? 

MT: Like 235.

A good little wind club, I’m sure.

MTL Yeah, exactly. I can hit it very low. It’s great.

I love it. You have people shook looking at that. Thanks for the time, man. 

MT: Absolutely.

To see more photos and discussion of Trainer’s bag, click here.

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