Equipment

Golf 101: 5 Tips to building your golf bag with CH3 (+ Charles Howell III WITB)

Published

3 years ago

Dec 3, 2020

I think at this point it’s safe to say that Charles Howell III is the adopted son and patron saint of WRX.

Not only is he a member of the site and visits regularly, but he’s also an avid club nerd and tester. I’ve become friends with CH3 over the past couple of years and have had some fun gear geek sessions with him. Want to know the coolest thing of all? He’s still as passionate and curious about gear as we are and not just Titleist (who he is on staff with) he’s curious about it all.

So who better to ask about how to build a great golf bag than with a man who knows it, does, and plays for his livelihood week in and week out?

These are 5 Charles Howell III golden nuggets that any golfer can learn from—and oh yeah, his take on the future is spot on.

Rule #1: Stability over speed no matter what

“Even for the guys on tour, stabilizing the clubface is paramount to good driving. One of the reasons I love testing shafts so often is to see if there is that magic combo of speed and control. However, the stability of the clubhead and shaft have to be there—I could find a combo that’s 20 yards longer, but if it’s something I can’t control, it doesn’t have a place in my bag. Extra yardage is fun until it isn’t.”

Rule #2: Find wedges that can do it all

“I chose the Vokey SM8 M Grind in the 56 and 60, because as the grind spectrum goes, they fall dead in the middle for me but everyone is different. I discovered that finding a middle ground grind wise solves the “different wedges for different grass problems” some players find themselves in. Even at Augusta, there was more Bermuda sticking out than normal which made shots from behind 15 different for example a little trickier. Not only are you chipping back towards a downslope with water behind, but it’s also now into the grain. Knowing I had wedges to combat either scenario made it that much easier. As a player, you have to put all the grinds through the paces and see what one checks off the most boxes. It might be something you never considered.”

Rule #3 Forgiveness looks different for every player

“Iron set makeups have changed so much in recent years. Pay attention to the soles when choosing your irons, even in the longer irons. It would be easy to think that bigger heads wider soles would be a no-brainer to hit, but to be honest, it’s not that simple. Sometimes finding a sole that will help the club get in and out of the ground easily will get you that center contact you were looking for. Although guys on tour may choose beefier long irons, it’s pretty rare to find one with a really wide sole. Soles that large encourage a player to try and sweep it off the turf which is counter-intuitive with an iron in your hand. When getting fit, pay attention to attack angles and center contact with your longer clubs; you may find that thinner soles help you more than anything else.”

Rule #4 Enjoy the process of learning and testing

“Obviously playing for a living gives me the advantage of testing a ton of stuff, but it’s just as fun doing the research at home (online) and understanding what certain equipment can do and the idea behind it. I still rely on testing as much as I can to see what works but it’s the pursuit of knowledge that keeps it all fresh week in and week out. Technology is so good these days but like anything you have to ask questions, look around try some stuff and then make a decision. Remember it’s your golf bag, take some pride in demanding that every inch of it works for you.

Eyes on the future…

“I think as we go down this Bryson/distance chase, the ultimate result on tour will be a lot of two driver bags. Look at it this way, having a 47-inch driver for long bombs, and a 44.5 inch for tighter drives, and a 4-wood isn’t all that hard to imagine. Players can tweak lofts in the irons and wedges easily to adjust to gapping. It’s not rocket science, and I don’t think we are that far from seeing multiple players on tour doing it that way.”

Charles Howell III WITB

Driver: Titleist TSI3 (10.5 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD XC 6 TX

3-wood: Ping G425 LST (14.5 degrees)

Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 8 X

7-wood: Ping G425 Max (20.5 degrees @20)

Shaft: Fujikura Atmos Black Tour Spec 9 X

Irons: Titleist T100 (4-6) 620 MB (7-9)

Shafts: Project X LZ 6.5 (hard stepped)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M, 60-08M)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Putter: Scotty Cameron 009M

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

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18 Comments

Benny

Dec 5, 2020 at 7:21 am

JW- thanks for this article. Love it and love Chucky Hockey Sticks!

Few things that I learned here and couple I had been thinking. Like the wide sole mention. I am not a high ball hitter but have had a few sets that allowed me to hit high (for me). All those previous sets that allowed a higher ball flight had more player standard soles. Thin soles.

So while I went and found some longer irons this year to be like all these other guys hitting 190y 7i, I found it hurt me with flight and added length made things much harder.

Awesome as always JW, thank you!

Reply Report comment
ChpNRun

Dec 4, 2020 at 7:47 pm

On Forgiveness:
“It would be easy to think that bigger heads wider soles would be a no-brainer to hit, but to be honest, it’s not that simple. Sometimes finding a sole that will help the club get in and out of the ground easily…”

My Tour Edge CB Pro Tungstens do this. Due to heavy tungsten sole weighting to aid launch, the soles themselves are not all that wide. And, the beveled leading edges lessen chances club will hang up in turf.

Reply Report comment
Randy Allen

Dec 4, 2020 at 5:06 pm

Two drivers in the bag? Why not just build a 2w again?

Reply Report comment
Pelling

Dec 4, 2020 at 4:58 pm

Charles is so good he has one career top ten finish in a major. One.

Reply Report comment
- Joe
  
  Dec 5, 2020 at 9:50 am
  
  Well he’s maintained a Tour Card for damn near two decades. I’m sure that’s better than most people have done in the game (yourself included).
  
  Reply Report comment
Frank Crowe

Dec 4, 2020 at 11:28 am

Great comments from CH3. His bag is different with a 7 wood and no low irons. I agree chunky soles just don’t cut it!

Reply Report comment
steve

Dec 4, 2020 at 11:19 am

Howell seems like a good guy and I know this article has the best of intentions. However, I find it difficult to believe a local shop is going to take the time to allow an individual consumer to come in to demo numerous shafts, club heads, combo’s etc. Heck, even the “Super Shop” in Sacramento, California, allows only one club to be taken out for demo at a time. And the only way they will put you on any kind of monitor is if you are willing to pay an additional fee. Even with that, I’m sure they are trying to get you in and out as quick as possible. Oddly enough, We don’t all have unlimited access to manufactures tour truck. CH3’s advice just doesn’t really apply to the general public.

Reply Report comment
- Jacob
  
  Dec 4, 2020 at 11:26 am
  
  That’s a shame – I’m in the middle of north central Iowa. You would assume there would be a lack of fitters and folks who would allow demos out. Quite the contrary. Great golf around us, plus we have a few local options for fitters (one particular-Hanson’s Golf) that have no problem letting you take a club out to the course or come in and hit several different options depending on what’s available.
  
  Reply Report comment
- Matthew
  
  Dec 4, 2020 at 11:30 am
  
  You’re right, most will not. It’s something most pro shops at private clubs will allow you to do though. Another option is finding a ‘demo day’ near you where multiple oem’s will show up with all the components as well as launch monitors and allow you to try whatever you want in any combination you desire.
  
  Reply Report comment
- ChipNRun
  
  Dec 4, 2020 at 7:44 pm
  
  I know two shops where you can do this. You just have to schedule a fitting, rather than show up at noon on Saturday. They’ll let you try all the stock shafts.
  
  Reply Report comment
makaveli

Dec 4, 2020 at 9:42 am

what is CH3’s handle in the forums here?

Reply Report comment
Kyle EricSon

Dec 4, 2020 at 3:27 am

And yet another pro who’s longest iron is a 4 iron and carries a 7 wood, yet I continually see comments and YouTube reviewers talking about how good they are and how they can’t play hybrids and/or 7 woods but “prefer a 2 iron instead”. A lot of ego involved in this game …

Reply Report comment
Bryant Gumble

Dec 4, 2020 at 1:59 am

Yes, great insight and solid information!

Reply Report comment
Karsten's Ghost

Dec 3, 2020 at 3:07 pm

One of the best pieces on this site ever. Bravo.

Reply Report comment
Sam Larson

Dec 3, 2020 at 2:21 pm

I tested TSI fairway woods….they were forgiving, hot and straight. Wunder why he chose Pings over the TSI? TSI reminds me of the old Cally
Steelheads which CH3 played for years.

Reply Report comment
DukeOfChinoHills

Dec 3, 2020 at 1:26 pm

Rule #1: Stability over Speed is VASTLY underrated. Wise man.

Reply Report comment
- Paulo
  
  Dec 3, 2020 at 2:06 pm
  
  Almost like he makes a living playing this game ? Very wise man
  
  Reply Report comment
- Craig
  
  Dec 4, 2020 at 1:52 pm
  
  Absolutely agree! So much for longer, faster, lighter BS!
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

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

Published

1 hour 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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