Equipment

An insider recap of the new Sun Day Red brand launch (plus Tiger Woods on his new “prototype” golf shoes)

Published

2 years ago

Feb 15, 2024

This week was one of the most fun weeks in golf gear that I can remember as a PGA Tour equipment writer.

To briefly recap, Tiger Woods, arguably the greatest golfer and businessmen-athletes ever, has teamed up with TaylorMade – an undeniable titan in the hard goods industry – to create an entirely new brand of apparel, footwear, and accessories, called “Sun Day Red.”

To announce the brand, and officially unveil the logo, Tiger and TaylorMade invited about 100-150 of the most influential content creators, writers and photographers in the golf and fashion world to attend the launch event, which was hosted in a second-story, luxurious event center in Pacific Palisades, and they had Erin Andrews host the event.

Yeah, Sun Day Red kicked things off in just about the biggest way possible.

They also revealed a slew of items at the event, from hats and headcovers, to gloves and ball markers, to shoes and shirts and windbreakers and hoodies. It’s clear that Sun Day Red will offer roughly everything that golf consumers tend to consume – aside from golf clubs and bags; that’s still TaylorMade’s territory.

We learned a lot about Sun Day Red on the night of the launch event, but we’ve learned way more since.

With all the talk of Sun Day Red being a “premium lifestyle” type of apparel brand on the night of the launch, it was easy to forget that Tiger is still a highly competitive golfer, who has forged a certain aesthetic on the golf course throughout his career. He was wearing a cashmere hoodie at the launch event – would he actually wear something like that during an event?! Also, he’s had a bit of drama in the last year when it comes to his footwear of choice on the course – you know, the whole Nike vs. FootJoy saga – so what shoes would he wear? And what would his new on-course look be with Sun Day Red? Would he make a drastic change in vibe, ala Jason Day? Would he go with the Freddie Couples-esque look with the footwear, and start wearing low-rise type golf sneakers?

As it turns out, all things considered, his new Sun Day Red apparel and shoes weren’t actually a large departure from his previous look.

On Tuesday, for his 9-hole practice round, Tiger was looking quite sharp in a black hat, black shirt, black pullover, white pants, and new black-and-red shoes. Everything was Sun Day Red, a.k.a. SDR.

Yes, even the shoes were Sun Day Red. That was the biggest surprise to me, at least.

On Tuesday, he wore an eye-catching pair of black-and-red shoes, surprisingly equipped with only soft spikes in the red-bottom soles. Usually, he wears a combo of soft and metal spikes, so the soft-spiked-only footwear on Tuesday was intriguing.

Tiger’s new @SunDayRed golf shoes @thegenesisinv ?

More info here: https://t.co/0RCtOXjWL3 pic.twitter.com/rnXFlTYEjP

— Andrew Tursky (@AndrewTursky) February 13, 2024

As soon as I saw the shoes, I knew I needed to learn more.

Were they FootJoy shoes with an SDR logo on them? Were they made by Nike, or Jordan, or another manufacturer? Were they entirely new prototypes? Are they retail ready? Can people buy them on May 1st when the first run of apparel drops?

So, I tracked down Charley Hudak, who, as I’ve learned, is the creative director for Sun Day Red’s footwear. I also spoke in-depth with TaylorMade CEO David Abeles about all things Sun Day Red, including the shoes.

After speaking with Hudak and Abeles, it became clear that Sun Day Red is designing its own golf shoes, and Tiger is highly involved in the design and feedback process. And, for now right, they’re still “prototyping” the shoes, and actively working on the design.

It didn’t take long for their points on “prototyping” to be proven: On Wednesday, Tiger showed up to his Pro-Am wearing a new pair of white shoes with red trim, equipped with a combination of soft spikes and metal spikes.

We saw the black/red versions yesterday. Now, what do you think about the white @SunDayRed golf shoes that @TigerWoods is wearing today @thegenesisinv? pic.twitter.com/otOyKU5IeZ

— Andrew Tursky (@AndrewTursky) February 14, 2024

Based on my comments and mentions in the X post above, it seems that the general public liked the white versions better than the red-and-black versions. Ultimately, the general public does have a say when it comes to retail success, so that’s at least somewhat of a factor.

As it turns out, the soft-spike-only construction from Tuesday wasn’t cutting it for Tiger. I can’t say I didn’t see that one coming, but either way, I asked Woods about the shoes in his Wednesday press conference.

“As far as the shoes go, had to make a slight adjustment yesterday, was putting some nails in for traction,” Woods said. “Being at home in Florida and testing in Florida was very different than coming out here [to Riviera C.C.] and playing off a slope, and playing off of wet grass and having the traction I needed. So I put some nails in yesterday and it’s been working.”

Of course, by “nails,” Tiger means metal spikes.

While the future of Sun Day Red is uncertain, I think it’s important that I pause here to remind everyone how cool all of this really is: Tiger Woods partnered with TaylorMade to create an entirely new brand called Sun Day Red, and on the week of his own event – the 2024 Genesis Invitational – Tiger is actively testing and prototyping new golf shoes, right in front of the eyes of the public.

Certainly, everyone is entitled to their own opinion on the apparel and footwear itself, or the name, or the logo, or the rollout, or the colorways, or the potential pricing, or the materials used, or whatever you want to get opinionated about. Everyone is allowed their own opinion.

But don’t tell me it’s not cool that Tiger Woods is basically designing new golf shoes on the fly, in the public eye.

Because it is.

And that’s my opinion on the matter.

More photos:

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

6 Comments

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Garland

Feb 16, 2024 at 10:56 pm

Nails? Tiger is one weird guy.

Reply Report comment
flyingwedges2

Feb 16, 2024 at 1:11 pm

He’s not designing shoes

Reply Report comment
Tyrone

Feb 16, 2024 at 12:11 am

You sound pretty opinionated.

Reply Report comment
M

Feb 15, 2024 at 6:29 pm

We’re bifurcated anyway, as the Tour pros are allowed to wear metal

Reply Report comment

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

9 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

9 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.