Equipment

Inside the stoutest bag on the PGA Tour

Published

1 year ago

Mar 14, 2025

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt of a piece our Andrew Tursky filed for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report in conjunction with our ongoing partnership. In it, Tursky talks with Aldrich Potgieter’s fitter, Nick Geyer, and the golfer himself on how (with his 125 MPH-plus swing speed) he sets up his bag. Read the full piece here.

According to Titleist fitter Nick Geyer, who works with Potgieter closely on his equipment needs, the 20-year-old rookie from South Africa uses clubs that are “probably some of the stiffest and heaviest out here” on the PGA TOUR. Case in point, Potgieter uses 132-gram X7 steel shafts in his Titleist MB 620 blade irons, and in his Titleist GT3 driver, he uses a Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft that weighs in at 85 grams.

Of course, Potgieter doesn’t use heavy-weighted shafts to boost club head speed; he uses them to maintain control.

Also, while most speed-chasing golfers work on increasing their angle of attack with the driver to hit it higher and with less spin, Potgieter actually does the opposite. Instead, he performs drills where he tees the ball lower – or even “off the deck” – to practice staying more on top of the ball.

He also uses a 2025 Titleist Pro V1x golf ball, which is the higher-spinning option between the Pro V1 and the Pro V1x. His fitter, Geyer, explains the uniqueness of Potgieter’s setup, and why it works for him.

“Obviously tons and tons of speed; the easiest 190-plus (ball speed) I think you’ve ever seen,” Geyer told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday at THE PLAYERS Championship. “So the setup is built for control, all the way down to his golf ball, the 25 Pro V1x … spin is his friend in terms of left-right, but we’re always trying to control the up-down. So you see things like X-Seven (iron shafts). You see things like Ventus Black 8X in his driver. That gives him the feeling of stiffness and stoutness that can control the speed. But we want left-right control, too, so that’s where 2025 Pro V1x comes in …

“I think that’s the cool part about the golf ball; super high-speed player, but he’s playing 2025 Pro V1x. Kind of unique, right? He wants the control, the spin, both around the greens and into the greens, and we’re going to control it with the golf ball.”

…Although he still has the T200 2-iron in the bag and says, “That’s not going anywhere,” he did recently add a Titleist GT2 13.5-degree fairway wood to his setup.

“Loving this thing at the moment,” Potgieter says about his new fairway wood. “(I) don’t usually play a 3-wood, but I’ve been hitting it well, so we put it in the bag.”

Mind you, the loft that’s printed on the head is 13.5 degrees, but Potgieter’s specific setup has added loft to create more spin.

“The 3-wood is interesting in the sense that it really is a driver-like weapon, but it’s got added spin to it for control,” Geyer said. “The 3-wood is probably really close to 300 (yards of carry). I think, again, when you’re trying to slow it down, we’re doing things with shaft weight. He’s in a 90-gram (shaft) in his 3-wood. We’re doing things with loft and head size, so (it’s a) bigger head. He’s in our 13.5 model, but we’ve added loft to it… to get that right window of, ‘OK, I’ve got a club that looks comfortable,’ but it’s got spin. It’s got control.”

Equipment

TaylorMade goes bigger with Spider ZT Max putter

Published

18 hours ago

Jun 4, 2026

Brian Knudson

In the zero-torque putter world the TaylorMade Spider ZT has carved out a great following of golfers who love it. So TaylorMade wanted to go bigger and it did, literally. This new Spider ZT Max features a larger body that is made from aluminum to allow for heavier steel and tungsten weights to move to the perimeter. Combining the weight distribution with the larger size increases stability and the putter will reduce twisting on toe or heel impacts.

TaylorMade kept the zero-torque design the same with a shaft that inserts right near the CG location and 34mm behind the face. Placing the shaft here keeps the putter balancing with the toe up, helping keep the face pointed towards the target throughout the stroke. Each shaft is bored into the head with a 2 degree forward shaft lean to help keep that toe-up design consistent.

A unique sole design is incorporated into the putter to work with the center shaft so the putter doesn’t rock when it is soled on the green. Engineers looked at many different angles and putting strokes to make sure that the putter sits square behind the ball so alignment is easier. While you don’t see the bright white True Path alignment feature on the top of the putter, it is there in milled form. Milled lines on the top of the putter are the exact same width of a golf ball in order to help create better center face contact. The Pure Roll insert on the face is made from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum for a soft but solid feel. Forty-five degree grooves provide immediate forward roll and consistent speed on shots that don’t find the center of the putter.

Golfers can get the new Spider ZT Max in standard length, counter balanced, and in a long model. Offering the putter in these options lets players who find an alternative putting stroke better an option to get a high MOI mallet. The standard length models with get the same KBS CT 120 steel shaft as the new Spider Tour Torched putters while the CB and Long putters will get a KBS Graphite shaft that is heavier (155g & 210g). A Super Stroke Off-Axis Tour 2.0 and a Super Stroke 3.0 17″ grip are stock on these Spider ZT Max putters.

Spider ZT Max Pricing

Standard: $449.99
Counter Balanced: $499.99
Long: $549.99

Equipment

TaylorMade launches Spider Tour Torched putters

Published

20 hours ago

Jun 4, 2026

Brian Knudson

TaylorMade has dominated the mallet putter market with their expansive Spider putter line over the last few years. From players on professional tours to us everyday players, you will see a lot of Spider putters in bags. For 2026 TaylorMade is updating the Spider line with the new Spider Torched series that features a new torched PVD finish and some new head shapes.

The first thing you will notice about the Spider Torched putters is the bronze color finish. This finish takes inspiration from Rory’s custom Spider that is heated with a torch to get a multi-color bronze finish. When you heat stainless steel to around 600°F to 900°F it will change to this bronze color in a process called temper color. This happens because very high temperatures cause the metal’s surface to react with oxygen in the air, creating a thin transparent layer that gradually becomes thicker over time. Instead of using the time-consuming torching process, TaylorMade went with a more durable PVD finish to get a similar look.

Rory’s TaylorMade Spider Tour X

With the new launch we get the familiar Spider Tour head shapes that we know and love with the Spider Tour and Spider Tour X. Both are offered with different hosels as well to give looks that golfers will love and influence the toe hang of the putters for fitting different putting strokes. It doesn’t stop there as TaylorMade is also giving us the new Spider Tour V and Spider Tour F shapes that offer a different look and alignment at address. All of the heads stay true to being a Spider by their high MOI design for stability and forgiveness. A sole plate with updated graphics moves weight away from the center of the club head and out to the perimeter.

“The Spider Tour putter family represents the very best of what we do at TaylorMade. Nearlytwo decades of engineering, refinement and Tour feedback have gone into building thisfamily—and this new finish brings a level of visual sophistication that matches theperformance underneath it. These are putters that belong in the hands of the best players inthe world, and they’re proving it every week.”–Andrew Oldknow, Senior DirectorProductCategory and Design

More Photos of the TaylorMade Spider Tour Torched Putters

For lining up the putter we see the tried and true True Path alignment that TaylorMade has been using on Spiders for what feels like forever. This high contrast line makes it faster and easier to get the putter pointed towards your target for more accuracy. You can also see the legendary Pure Roll insert that is made from white TPU for a softer feel. Each insert contains horizontal 45 degree grooves that put more forward roll on the ball and reduce hopping and skidding. Behind the insert is a Hybrar Echo Dampener that will reduce unwanted vibrations for a softer feel and sound at impact. On the sole TaylorMade kept the TSS weights so that you can dial in the head weight in order to get the perfect feel out of your Spider Tour Torched.

Spider Tour

Spider Tour F

Spider Tour V

Spider Tour X

Spider Tour Counter Balanced

More Photos of the TaylorMade Spider Tour Torched Putters

All of the new Spider Torched putters are offered with a premium KBS CT 120 putter shaft that features a gloss black finish. This upgraded shaft features a stiffer feel and low toque for added stability and consistency. The stock grip is a Super Stroke Pistol 1.0 while the counter balanced models get a Super Stroke 2.0 XL grip that is longer, 13.75″, in order to grip it further down easily. A new brown head cover has a leather texture and looks really good with the brown and light blue accents on it.