Equipment
INSIDER EXCLUSIVE: Maverick McNealy on custom 1-of-1 Callaway Apex MB irons
Maverick McNealy was once the No. 1 amateur in the world playing for Stanford University, and he signed with Callaway Golf upon turning professional in 2017.
Since then, McNealy has been switching back-and-forth between Callaway Apex MB prototype irons and Nike VR Pro irons. He played Nike irons in college, and he hasn’t yet been able to make a permanent switch into Callaway irons.
Throughout 2022, McNealy has been opting for the Nike irons, and he uses lead tape to get the weighting and CG (center of gravity) right for his swing. McNealy prefers a long heel-to-toe length and a CG that’s farther away from the hosel.
When he showed up to the 2022 Byron Nelson, however, he had a completely new version of Callaway Apex MB prototype irons that he’s never used before, in addition to his old Nike irons.
On Tuesday, we caught up with McNealy to get his take on the new Callaway irons and how they came about.
GolfWRX: So we noticed that you have a new set of Callaway blades in the bag, in addition to the Nike irons. What’s the story behind the new irons, and can you tell me a bit about the process of getting them in the bag?
McNealy: So, this process started just over a year ago. I’ve been working really closely with Tim Reed (Senior Vice President, Global Sports Marketing at Callaway) on this. It’s really trying to fill a gap in the performance blade market. There really isn’t anything with that much length heel-to-toe and a center of gravity far enough from the hosel.
For me, getting that center of gravity out towards the toe, or should I say, getting that center of gravity further away from the hosel, gives me more club head awareness on the way down. It slows down the closure rate and keeps the club face square longer. I found out with other blades, because they’re so short heel to toe, and the center of gravity is so close to the heel, that I was shutting them down too fast for me. So these help keep the club face square on the way back and give me that awareness on the way through.
So, Tim and I are taking a deep dive. We’re hitting them and really trying to dial them in in every way possible so that they’re consistent from iron to iron all the way through.
We’re measuring offsets, impact height, location, lead groove height, there’s just so many little details that change the way you deliver the club, the way you feel it. The next thing we’re looking at is making sure every iron is spinning exactly the way we want through the bag especially with the new golf ball, the prototype golf ball (Chrome Soft X) that I’ve been playing from Callaway, which is awesome.
It’s pretty cool to get to match an iron and a golf ball to hit exactly the flight I want to through the bag.
Are you trying to match up the look with the Nike irons? From address, they look very similar in terms of grooves, offset and topline.
The Nike’s trained me. When I became a one sport athlete, those were the irons I was using. That’s what my eye sees, so there’s a few things that really help me line up the club, especially the PAR area. The lead groove height matters a lot for delivering the club consistently and getting the contact.
Then the 10 and 11 iron is a fun project for us because I almost never chip with a pitching wedge or gap wedge, and if I do it’s a bump and run, so I just want something that’s going to flow straight through from my short irons to my approach irons, or however you want to call them. I’ve seen them launch lower with a little bit more spin, which is great for distance control, and they feel just like my irons, which is a pretty exciting project.
Which of the Callaway irons will you put in play this week? The whole set?
4-7. The 8 iron is a maybe. Honestly, I just want to get some reps under competition and see how they perform. As you can see, I’m slow to change, so it’s a big deal for me to throw a couple of them in, and we’re going to keep iterating until they’re exactly right.
See more photos and join the discussion about McNealy’s new irons here.
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
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 TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
From the seller: (@lasallen): “For sale is a BRNR mini 11.5 deg head only in brand new condition. $325 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
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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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
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 Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.
From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.
Specs/ Additional Details
-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)
-Original Anser Design
-PING PP58 Grip
-Putter is built to standard specs.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
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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As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.
The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.
On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.
Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.
At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.
“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.
Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.
“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.
“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.”
In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.
On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.
According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.
“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.”
See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here.
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MarkM
May 12, 2022 at 11:26 am
Good info here! And after Maverick and Callaway get those just right I want see them come to market!
MVan
May 12, 2022 at 10:00 am
I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that this is the content we come here for.
ThreeJ
May 12, 2022 at 11:47 am
100% agree!
Wilber
May 12, 2022 at 9:37 pm
Speak for yourself, I come here for Gianni’s hot takes on things that happen on Twitter