What’s in the bag? It’s one of my favorite topics to talk about. Every club has a story, stemming from certain shots and experiences on the course. From the driving range and even the putting green around the pro shop, all of those experiences build the character of a club. Right now, for me, I am just starting to get into spring golf after the winter break; those winter tinkering thoughts come to fruition with the beginning of the season. 

When it comes to setting up the clubs in my bag, I want clubs that can deliver a functional ball flight that is going to work from calm conditions to a windy day. Controlling the landing angle is essential for me to plan how I want my clubs to perform. On a stock shot, it should be able to hold the green, or not run out too far off the tee. Hitting it higher or lower can be done on command, depending on the lie. There are non-negotiables.

Irons and wedges need to be able to handle firm conditions all the way to soft conditions. My wedges err on the side of matching the climate I am in, being the inland Pacific Northwest. I favor a higher bounce approach wedge and sand wedge with a low-to-mid bounce lob wedge. 

I made some changes to the bag setup over the winter, primarily with wedges and putter. I changed from Vokey wedges and am currently giving the Callaway Opus SP a try. Also, changing from a Scotty Cameron Futura 6M with a SuperStroke Pistol 2.0 to a Jailbird Cruiser Milled 38-inch counterbalance putter with a Garsen QuadTour 17-inch pistol grip.

With that preamble over, let’s dig into the bag.

Driver

I have played the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond since March 2024 with a Fujikura Ventus Black TR 7 X shaft. I have this driver tipped an inch, with a heavier 14-gram weight in the front and a 2-gram weight in the back. I want this club to able to launch mid to high with enough spin to stay straighter and not knuckle out of control. My miss is a tendency to hit a block to the right, maybe a fade amongst friends, so the driver loft is standard at 10.5 degrees, but I have it moved down a degree to 9.5 loft for those mishits on the heel, making the ball not slice so much to the right.

3-wood

I play a Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond 15-degree moved to 16 degrees. It’s club that should be versatile from tee to green. I like using my 3 wood to hit a higher, softer shot where you do not need the ball to run out, played more forward in my stance. For when the wind blows, I prefer playing the ball back and hitting a shot that pierces through the wind. I like the lower profile of this club, too; it can be hit from the rough in the right scenario.

7-wood

Tried and true! This Ping G425 Max has been in my bag for almost four years. I like the shaft in the club. It is shorter than a traditional 7-wood length and is tipped so the club does not balloon. I can hit the club with a lower or higher trajectory based on the lie or off the tee. It’s a versatile club for all different types of lies after a tee shot goes awry. 

Irons

Miura TC-202 (4-iron) and Miura KM-700 (5-PW) with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts have been in my bag for a couple of seasons now. With the addition of the TC-202 last year, the cavity back iron has been a great addition for off the tee and approaches. The more blade-like KM-700’s have been a consistent iron off a variety of turf conditions and fly very straight.

Wedges

I have been a Titleist Vokey player for the last six years and have tried other wedges here and there. This past winter, I gave the Callaway Opus SP a try. I have modeled similar loft and bounce profiles that I have used over the years. I use a higher bounce 50-degree wedge, then a 56-degree wedge with more heel and toe relief and higher bounce. From there, my 60-degree is lower- to mid-bounce. I like the look of the heel being a little closer to the ground at address when I open up the club around the green or in bunker shots.

Putter

Traditionally, I have used a Scotty Cameron Futura 6M mallet. Since 2018, in fact. Last season, I used a Scotty Cameron Newport 2+ and the Futura mallet with an added counterbalance. This year I have changed directions to an Odyssey Ai One Milled Jailbird T 38-inch. I am keeping the counterbalance feel, but something different to look at alignment-wise. The vertical optics stand out to me for the Jailbird and made it worth giving the putter a go. 

So, that’s the bag right now. I’ll report back as the season progresses!