Equipment
Tour Insider: Tiger will rethink his bag (and 3 other equipment predictions for 2021)
1. Free agents are here to stay
More free agency. It’s become something we have seen more and more as each year passes. The day of the long-term big-money contract is dying away. NOW, it’s not to say the model is dead. There will be plenty of big-name stars who ink multi-million dollar contracts, but the appeal of freedom—especially for the player is the 35-45-year-old range—will be way more of a thing than it ever was.
You can thank Tiger for this. The reason being, prize money is through the roof. The necessity to have a club financial buffer doesn’t outweigh the risk of it going awry. What good is $150,000 per year from an OEM if you can’t make a cut?
The OEMs are seeing this too. To be honest, it means more for validation in some cases if a guy puts a club in play who doesn’t get paid than the other way around. Take Titleist and the TSi for example, how many top name players had it in play who were not getting paid to play it.
This week at the DP World Championship in Dubai for starters, Titleist doesn’t pay any of the below, but the free exposure in the hands of Fleetwood or Reed says a lot to the quality of the product. Point is, if it’s good, players like Fleetwood, Reed, Casey, Rose, Horschel, Koepka, and Fitzpatrick can call on the reps, get it in the bag and nobody gets to whine about it.
Patrick Reed (TSi3 9*)
Tommy Fleetwood (TSi3 9*)
Matt Fitzpatrick (TSi3 9*)
Thomas Pieters (TSi2 10*)
Marcus Kinhult (TSi3 10*)
Branden Grace (TSi3 9*)
Joost Luiten (TSi3 9*)
Kalle Samooja (TSi3 10.5*)
The poster boy for free agency is Koepka. Not only is he a free agent, but he continues to be after three majors and a truckload of money waiting for him if he wants it. So why not take it? Freedom and self-belief, basically. Players like BK will bet on themselves 12 times out of 10. So keep an eye out for more big names to go this way, not overnight, but you’ll see more black Vessel bags than you ever have.
2. More two-driver setups
Yes. Get used to it. I honestly see a ton of players testing this theory out on the west coast. If someone wins, it’ll be a serious thing at Augusta. A 47-inch missile launcher, 44.5-inch bb gun, and a 4 wood. So long 3-wood, folks. It actually makes a ton of sense for any players in the high 170+ ball speed category, where having a club that gets you to the high 180s on command is a serious weapon. If you cant out muscle Bryson, might as well take your chances with a bigger stick.
3. Tiger Woods will rethink his bag
Driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, 3-PW, 56, 60. Over and over for years and years. That’s the set makeup of Tiger’s bag. However, the one thing Tiger is not afraid of is knowing his limitations, and at this point in his career, he will have to start thinking about things in a totally different way.
In my opinion, it’s going to be something at the top of his iron set. 3 and 4-iron may go to a cavity back for more height. We may see a 7-wood, and a blind prediction would be adding a fourth wedge….that’s right. TW with a 52.
Call me crazy, it’s a just a hunch, but if a bag shakeup was going to happen, it will happen now. Granted to add a wedge, he might need to rethink the lofts on his irons. Will it happen? Who knows. I’m basing this whole theory on my following Tiger since junior golf and knowing his ability to accept change when change is needed. Basically, he’s stubborn about these things—until he’s not.
He still has plenty of gas left in the tank to win, but to compete through the air, he may have to look at the bag a bit. If I’m right, it’ll break the (golf equipment) net.
4. This will be the key driver battle
The whole town is on fire in the driver category. At this point, I’ve seen it all, and without giving away anything, I’ll say this: There will not be a clear cut best driver like we had in 2020. SIM dominated everything and rightly so, it was hands down the best stick. 2021 will be a bit different. Not only is TaylorMade bringing a serious hammer, but the rest of the market is following suit.
If anyone has a slight advantage, it’s Titleist having gotten to market first with their best offering maybe ever, but make no mistake, the rest of the OEMs have serious metal hitting early 2021, and in my opinion, the company that wins will be the one that conveys the best story, educates the masses, and pumps content into the atmosphere. These days, having a good product and telling a great story are both necessary. Let the games begin!
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View this post on Instagram
Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)
Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)
Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype
Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.
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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)
MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype
MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.
Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype
We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.
Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS
Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.
Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2
This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.
Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype
This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic
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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.
Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.
The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.
Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.
Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 Zurich Classic
- Check out in-hand photos of Daniel Berger’s full WITB here.
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Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)
View this post on Instagram A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx) Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)...
Daniel Berger WITB 2024 (April)
Daniel Berger what’s in the bag accurate as of the Farmers Insurance Open. More photos from the event here. Driver:...
Rasmus Højgaard WITB 2024 (April)
Rasmus Højgaard what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: Callaway Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (10.5 degrees)...
Rory McIlroy WITB 2024 (April)
Rory McIlroy what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic. Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus...
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19th Hole2 weeks agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
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19th Hole3 days agoJustin Thomas on the equipment choice of Scottie Scheffler that he thinks is ‘weird’
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
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19th Hole3 days ago‘Absolutely crazy’ – Major champ lays into Patrick Cantlay over his decision on final hole of RBC Heritage
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19th Hole2 weeks agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
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19th Hole1 week agoReport: LIV Golf identifies latest star name they hope to sign to breakaway tour
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19th Hole1 week agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
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19th Hole1 week agoBrandel Chamblee has ‘no doubt’ who started the McIlroy/LIV rumor and why
Delbert
Dec 15, 2020 at 10:02 pm
Why Wunder? LOL! Tiger should go with Ping. Enough said.
Dyson Bochambeau
Dec 14, 2020 at 10:52 pm
This wunder guy is a tool
delbert
Dec 12, 2020 at 10:25 pm
When Tiger changes his ego, the bag set up will change and he will win big.
HKO
Dec 12, 2020 at 9:57 pm
wait. so the prediction on tiger’s bag was based on Wunder’s arse? what a bait…
John Wunder
Dec 13, 2020 at 9:55 am
It’s a prediction. Just my opinion on what I think could happen. Supposed to be fun no?
ChristianR
Dec 12, 2020 at 6:30 am
mmm…that thing of the two drivers is an hot topic but I’m wondering why they cannot simply stick to a 3 wood considering at that speeds they are anyway around 300yds, and lot more control and shot shaping.
Todd S
Dec 11, 2020 at 11:09 pm
hey johnny, you mention free agents using titelist tsi driver, but which driver is most popualar on tour amongst those not paid to play? My money is on Ping…thoughts or stats to back it up?
John Wunder
Dec 13, 2020 at 9:58 am
Hard to say as free agent would mean a FREE bag 100. Koepka TM Fleetwood TSi Reed TSi Rose TM Fitz TSi Sergio TM Casey TM Horschel TSi and the use if TSi was to explain free exposure not that its the go to.
Alex Howe
Dec 11, 2020 at 10:22 pm
SIM as the best driver hands down last year? Ummm
matt
Dec 11, 2020 at 6:15 pm
I really can’t believe Tiger still carries that 3 iron. I mean its ridiculous, he’s playing a game that doesn’t exist anymore, i could understand if he ever hit it off the tee, but when’s the last time you saw that?
The two drivers thing is very real. I remember chuckling at Phil when he did it at the US Open (which one was it again). But it just makes a lot of sense, 3 woods are really hard to justify when you could go this route and pop in a 4w like you say. DJ has officially brought back a limited wedge set as far as I’m concerned. Get a nice versatile lob wedge, one you like in bunkers and can hit distance wedges with. Then go get something in the 53-56 degree range. Learn to feel your distances. This isn’t for everyone, but I think I’m this kind of golfer. It just so happens to open up a spot in the bag too.
Rory
Dec 11, 2020 at 8:54 pm
Tigers 3 iron loft is pretty close to most other guys 4 iron loft.
stephen
Dec 12, 2020 at 11:26 pm
Rory hits a 3 iron
Speedy
Dec 11, 2020 at 5:30 pm
It ain’t the arrow.
matt
Dec 13, 2020 at 9:26 am
Rory dropped the bladed 3 iron for something with launch assistance.. P770ish type club. If Rory wanted to carry one that’s fine, Rory has tons more speed than Tiger. DJ carries a blade 3 iron I think, again he’s one of the rare guys who is a terrific striker with massive speed. Tiger was obviously once that guy, but those days are long gone.
The loft point is valid though.. still think that club needs to go though.
Brandon
Dec 11, 2020 at 5:10 pm
What color is the top of the Sim 2?
Travis
Dec 11, 2020 at 3:52 pm
He definitely will never change the bottom of his bag. He has decades of feel with those wedges. Adding a 52* and changing his PW would do nothing but force him to re-feel different lofts and shots. He would have to have mounds of data showing his proximity is significantly worse when using a weak PW versus a 46/52 or 48/52 setup.
Tiger will also never change to CB irons. He’s said time and time again he both trusts and likes the look of blades. He won’t be able to have confidence in a CB iron the same way.
However, he’s been on record to say he’d have no problem adding a 7W when the time is right. I specifically remember an interview with him years and years and years ago where he said he added the 5W because he couldn’t really hit his 2-iron the way he wanted to anymore. In that interview he said, when he feels he can’t hit the 3-iron anymore, he’ll add a 7W, then a 9W, etc.
E
Dec 11, 2020 at 2:51 pm
why would Tiger add a 52* when his PW is 49*/50*?? makes no sense
John Wunder
Dec 11, 2020 at 2:57 pm
If you read the whole article, you’ll see I try to explain what might happen…its just a theory.
Gianni still sucks
Dec 11, 2020 at 4:19 pm
Your theory sucks, just like your articles. This is just keyboard conversation, acting like it’s an inside tip.
John Wunder
Dec 13, 2020 at 10:01 am
There’s my Troll!!!!! Wouldnt be an article without yah. God bless.
CT
Dec 14, 2020 at 9:20 am
I would take this with a grain of salt. He thinks a lot of things suck. I’m sure he’s a gem on the golf course too.
Eric Draven
Dec 11, 2020 at 8:46 pm
Tiger is still by far the best player in the world 5 Iron down, it’s not even close. His distance control is impeccable so why would he change the wedge setup? And just because you’re here on the west coast doesn’t mean you have any idea what you’re talking about bruh.
John Wunder
Dec 12, 2020 at 12:11 pm
Im not on the West Coast and this article was just a fun exercise of what ifs. Not gospel by any stretch.
George costanza
Dec 11, 2020 at 10:52 pm
One of your free agents will be off the free agency board. Sit back and wait for the news. Also John guys like Thomas Pieters and Brendan Grace don’t move the needle. Irrelevant as far as what is in their bag. Just a FYI bud!
John Wunder
Dec 13, 2020 at 10:00 am
True on the Pieters and Grace, the point was to show that having your driver in a non staffer bag doesn’t hurt your cause.
Paulo
Dec 12, 2020 at 5:10 am
So aggressive and unnecessary. . The point E made was completely valid !
John Wunder
Dec 12, 2020 at 12:12 pm
I don’t understand this one. What was aggressive and unnecessary?
AC
Dec 31, 2020 at 9:50 pm
Ping is for kids! Not specifically tailored towards highly skill Players.
AC
Dec 31, 2020 at 9:56 pm
Different Bounce… makes a lot of sense.