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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

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.

 

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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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