Equipment
Tour Insider: Inside the bag of Xander Schauffele
World No. 4 Xander Schauffele’s approach to his equipment is about as precise as can be. The quiet, measured 27-year-old from La Jolla, California, plays few games when it comes to his gear. For any component to be considered, it has to be dialed to the nth degree.
I went to my crew to get all the answers, and this is what Callaway tour manager Jacob Davidson, Odyssey’s Joe Toulon, and Vokey wedge master Aaron Dill had to say.
Xander Schauffele WITB 2021
Driver: Callaway Epic Speed Triple Diamond (9 degrees @8)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD BB 7 X (Custom Black)
Jacob Davidson: The Epic Speed Triple Diamond fit right into what Xander loves to see. He likes a slightly lower spin profile and something that helps eliminate the left side. Our Triple Diamond heads have a straighter top line and a more player-friendly (compact) shape that our staff loves.
- Loft (actual): 8 degrees
- Length: 45 1/2 inches
- Setting: NS
- Weight: 194.2-gram head weight, D3 swing weight
- Tipping: 1 inch
3-wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (15 degrees @14.1)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X
Jacob Davidson: The Rogue fairways seem to be something Xander always goes back to. In the past, he has tested and put in play some of our other models but always seems to fall back into this one. He not only loves the shape, but the leading edge has a bit more camber that lets him get into the turf a bit better.
- Loft (actual): 14.1 degrees
- Length: 43 inches (cut)
- Lie: 57.1 degrees
- Swing weight: D3
- Tipping: 1.5 inches
5-wood: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (18 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X (Black)
Jacob Davidson:
- Loft (actual): 17.7 degrees
- Length: 42 inches (cut)
- Lie: 56.4 degrees
- Swing weight: D3
- Tipping: 2 inches
Irons: Callaway Apex TCB (4-PW)
Shafts: Nippon NS Pro Modus3 Tour 130 X
Jacob Davidson: The Apex TCB is similar to the Apex Pro “dot” heads he had success with, but in this case, he liked the feel a bit more, and the longer irons gave him a few more RPM’s of spin, which is always welcome.
- Loft (4-PW): 22.5, 26.5, 30.75, 35, 38.5, 43, 47 degrees
- 6-iron spin: 6,600 RPM
- Swing weight: D1.5 (4, 5) D2 (6-P)
- Lie (4-PW): 60.5, 61, 61.5, 62, 62.5, 63, 63.5 degrees
- Length: Standard Callaway length
Wedges: Callaway Jaws MD5 (52-10S), Titleist Vokey Design SM6 (56-10 @57), Titleist Vokey Design SM8 WedgeWorks (60-T @61)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Jaws MD5 Specs
- Length: 35.5 inches
- Loft: 52 degrees
- Lie: 63.5 degrees
- Swing weight: D3
Vokey Specs
- Length: +1/8 inches over standard
- Loft: 57, 61 degrees
- Lie: 63.5 degrees
- Swing weight: D3
Jacob Davidson on (52-10S): “The MD5 JAWS 52-10S was a wedge Xander loved right away. This wedge gives him the ability to really flight it down on off-speed shots, which can be a tough combo to find.”
Aaron Dill on (57, 61): “A little back story: Xander and I started working together when he was a TaylorMade staffer at the Greenbrier in 2017.”
“On Monday, he and I spoke for the first time and he showed interest in working together and testing Vokey wedges. I was thrilled and said I would help him whenever he was ready. His schedule was limited so we didn’t get to work on wedges till Tuesday afternoon. We spoke and I made him some options.
“The same options I made him were good but needed to be lower in swing weight by two points. He said they were good. They went in the bag, and he ended up winning his first PGA Tour event that week.”
JW: Why do players like Xander stay in an older model as opposed to switching into the new?
AD: Most players who play and older model like Xander do for one of the following reasons
- They love the model too much to leave
- Nothing we make matches it close enough to justify a switch
- Superstition
In Xander’s case, he made it very clear he really liked this wedge. It had the look, feel, and performance he was looking for. I would not consider him to be the type of player to goof around much with his equipment—once he finds something good, it stays.
JW: From a grind preference, why do the S and T work for his delivery and needs?
AD: The grinds Xander has chosen have specific value and purpose. Most PGA Tour players spend time with me building a matrix and choosing specific wedges. Part of that process is me encouraging and sharing that having different wedges opens up shot windows they may not have. In this case, the 56-10S @57 carried the right number but also gave him a sole he could hit full but also chip with—a double threat.
Xander started with a 60M back in the day, but as time has gone by, we have tested some other styles of wedges to improve shots or reduce stress on shots where he may not feel comfortable. What we came up with is a 60T for when it’s firm and a custom 60-06K for when things soften. Both 56, 60-degree models serve as many purposes as Xander needs. The 60-degree models are decided based on the venue and the conditions that week.
JW: He was in a LB K grind for a good while, what did he gain by going into the T?
AD: The 60T was an option discussed when Xander told me he had difficulty in firm conditions. Most would say the 60-06K is a fairly low bounce option already but sole width increases bounce as you open the face and this was exactly the style of shot Xander had trouble with. He wanted to open the face and have the wedge hug the ground and create some confidence to slide under the ball with ease. The K wasn’t able to do this and what he saw visually forced him to change his technique.
Putter: Odyssey O-Works #7 CH Red
Specs
- Model: O-Works Red 7 CH
- Loft/lie: 3.5/71.5 degrees (backup putter is at 4 loft)
- Alignment: Top and tracers in white
- Insert: White Hot
- Length: 34 3/8 inches to end of grip
- SuperStroke Traxion 2.0 Tour (10 grams)
- Swingweight: D7.5
- Weight: 516.5 gams
- Shaft: Black stepped shaft
*His loft varies week to week depending on grass/green conditions. He works on Quintic with his putting coach Derek Uyeda to determine what loft is necessary each week
Joe Toulon on Xanders Odyssey
JW: What about the O-Works CH #7 does he respond to?
JT: Alignment features. The top line and back tracer lines really work with his eyes. The CH provides him a little bit of toe hang and it matches up nicely with his path and arc. He’s used face balanced options in #7’s before and will typically only use something with little-to-no toe hang.
Ball: 2020 Callaway Chrome Soft X
Grips: Golf Pride Z Grip Cord
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Equipment
Titleist launches Pro V1, Pro V1x and Pro V1x Left Dash balls with enhanced alignment
Titleist has today introduced Pro V1, Pro V1x and Pro V1x Left Dash golf balls featuring enhanced alignment.
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Equipment
Cobra launches 3D-printed LIMIT3D irons
Cobra released its first commercially available 3D-printed steel putter in 2020. Now, the company is bringing its first 3D-printed irons to retail with new LIMIT3D irons, which Cobra’s vice president of product architecture, Jose Miraflor, calls “the most significant technological advancement to happen to the category in the past 20 years” and “a look into the future of golf club design and performance.”
Cobra leveraged the expertise of computational design software firm nTop to create an ambitious design: a compact players blade that offers similar forgiveness as a larger, game-improvement style club and forged iron feel.
Speaking on the partnership, Mike Yagley, Vice President of Innovation & AI, Cobra Golf said, “nTop’s computational design tools integrated with 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allowed us to create an incredible new design that looks and feels like a forged blade but performs like a larger, game-improvement iron. No one has done this before, and we’re excited to introduce these unique irons to the world.”
As Cobra explains, more forgiving irons are traditionally larger and sacrifice feel. Due to the limitations of casting and forging, creating a more compact, better-feeling iron that still delivers forgiveness was only possible with 3D printing. The resulting profile of Cobra’s LIMIT3D irons is smaller than Cobra’s King Tour irons.
LIMIT3D irons are 3D printed for 316L stainless steel with an internal lattice structure, which allowed engineers to position 33 percent of the iron’s overall weight to the exterior for greater MOI. 100 grams of tungsten is positioned in the heel and toe of each clubhead for low CG for ease of launch and high MOI for greater forgiveness.
Additionally, using nTop’s design software and additive manufacturing allowed for a substantially faster prototyping process, which enabled engineers to test more designs and mass placements for a superior finished product.
Cobra LIMIT3D irons: Pricing, specs, availability
- 350 individually numbered sets available in the U.S. and Canada (500 sets total worldwide)
- Available for custom order June 7
- Price: $3,000
- Set: 4-PW, RH only
- Full range of aftermarket shafts, grips
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/14/24): Mizuno Pro 241 Azalea Edition irons
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a set of Mizuno Pro 241 Azalea Edition irons.
From the seller: (@ayc25): “Brand new in box / plastic. 4-PW. Custom shaft bands, grips, ferrules. Dynamic Gold S200 Tour Issue. NO TRADES. Ships next day UPS Ground from Northern Virginia. $1695 shipped or best offer.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Mizuno Pro 241 Azalea Edition irons
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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W
Feb 7, 2021 at 11:13 pm
Should’ve removed them crappy Vokeys today, they failed him all over the course
Chris b
Feb 7, 2021 at 9:58 am
This an absolutely phenomenal witb , well done wrx , well done
CrashTestDummy
Feb 6, 2021 at 11:35 pm
Vokey wedges are still excellent and have the best options for sole grinds in the business. However, I am not a big fan of how they switched and started makin them more mid-size wedges a several years ago. Prefer a small tour-sized clubhead. They swing differently (mainly on chipping and pitching), react with the turf differently, and feel different.
Benny
Feb 7, 2021 at 6:35 pm
Well said.. older models looked so much better
Tim
Feb 6, 2021 at 9:33 pm
Rogue fairways are great. Haven’t found better.