Equipment

Mickelson has a new putter, grip at Bay Hill

Published

11 years ago

Mar 21, 2013

Phil Mickelson started 2013 with a cut-down SuperStroke 21-inch putter grip on his Odyssey gamer, which better accommodated the “claw” grip he started using in 2012.

A few weeks later, Mickelson ditched it for one of Odyssey’s new Versa putters and went back to his old grip. In true Phil fashion, the new putter only lasted a couple of weeks in the bag before he put a different putter back in the bag, still sans-SuperStroke.

This week at the Arnold Palmer invitation, Phil is back with a Versa putter and a SuperStroke grip, although different versions. Unlike the old SuperStroke grip, which had a 1-inch diameter, Phil’s new SuperStroke “Slim” grip has a diameter of 1.3 inches. It’s also lighter than his previous grip by about 30 grams.

The new Versa putter Phil is gaming has the same “white-black-white” paint scheme, but adds a white sight line in the back flange that is perpendicular to the Versa’s parallel lines and appears to have more offset than any putter we’ve seen Phil use in the past. It also has Odyssey’s slightly firmer “Metal-X” insert, which is anodized to be black instead of its usual silver to keep with the Versa’s black-and-white theme.

That’s not all. Mickelson also added a custom black-colored shaft to the Versa putter, giving it a totally custom look that gear heads will be hard at work trying to replicate in their garages tonight.

Specs: 34 inches, 3.5 degrees of loft and a 75-degree lie angle.

Check out the photos we snapped of Phil with his new putter at Bay Hill below, and Click here to read what members are saying in the forums.

Click here to read what members are saying in the forums.

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Related Topics:grips Odyssey putters Superstroke

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8 Comments

thomas murphy

Jun 14, 2013 at 8:37 pm

I am digging this putter. I don’t know if I buy into the white/black/white sandwich really helping with alignment but it looks great especially with that shaft. Amazing to see the fast ramp on SuperStroke even though the effect doesn’t seem to be lasting for Jason Dufner this year.

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Blanco

Mar 23, 2013 at 10:51 pm

Anyone else think Phillip has too much pride to ditch the heel shafted putters in favor of something that actually works with his stroke?

I have an idea for you Phil– get a Reuter Bullseye with the notch and throw a round grip on it. Problem solved.

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michael

Mar 22, 2013 at 12:47 pm

Phil mickelson is one of my favorite golf players; hence I’m a left hand golfer as well but…. as uncle si would say “good NIT!!!!” I mean common..I think is going a little over the top with the putter changing this season, I honestly think now it might be a compulsive disorder,…in the back of my head I see Phil talking to odyssey saying I want this with that ,black shaft,verdical and perpendicular alignment aids,1″ thicker super stoke grip, black shaft to reduce glare…odysseys response , umm ok Phil I guess, boys we got some work to do….what else can you put on a putter?

Phil is great, I just think he is over analyzing the putter, there all # 9 style putters, just work what you have and work on the stroke, + didn’t see much improvement on his putting yesterday

Reply Report comment
pooch

Mar 21, 2013 at 8:45 am

Phil’s got a Versa putter ,with a Metal X insert, a shaft from the Black ProType line and a Superstroke Grip. As an endorser he has the entire putter line in one putter. I thought maybe he would stay with the putter he won with at WM in AZ. Good Luck Phil. Is he back to a forward press too?

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GEORGE STEEN

Mar 20, 2013 at 6:26 pm

WHAT A PIECE OF CR@P = WONT BE WINNING ANY MORE MAJORS WITH THIS IN THE BAG

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- thomas murphy
  
  Jun 14, 2013 at 8:33 pm
  
  so what are you thinking about that now?
  
  Reply Report comment
  - michael
    
    Jun 16, 2013 at 1:40 am
    
    lol well said I hope he wins man…
    
    Reply Report comment
- George
  
  Jul 21, 2013 at 2:27 pm
  
  You must be regreting this comment now, what a wonderful performance of Phil on the green
  
  Reply Report comment

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Whats in the Bag

Ruixin Liu WITB 2023 (October)

Published

8 hours ago

Oct 3, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

Ruixin Liu what’s in the bag accurate as of the Walmart NW Arkansas LPGA Championship.

Driver: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (9 degrees @8)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana

3-wood: Titleist TSR1 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw White 55 S

Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R

Hybrid: Ping G430 (22 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R

Hybrid: Ping G430 (26 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 75 R

Irons: Titleist T200 (6-PW), Titleist T150 (7-PW)
Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber i95

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (48-10F), WedgeWorks Proto (54-M), Miura MG-R01 (58)
Shafts: AeroTech SteelFiber i95 cw (48, 54), UST Mamiya Recoil 95 (58)

Grips: Golf Pride MCC, Grip Master

More photos of Ruixin Liu’s WITB in the forums.

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Whats in the Bag

Will McGirt WITB 2023 (October)

Published

10 hours ago

Oct 3, 2023

GolfWRX Staff

Will McGirt what’s in the bag accurate as of the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees @9.5)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

3-wood: Ping G430 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7 X

5-wood: Ping G430 Max (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X

Irons: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X

Wedges: Cleveland RTX6 Tour Rack (50-10 Mid, 54-12 Full, 58-09 Full)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 125 Wedge

Putter: Scotty Cameron prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Victory Cord

More photos of Will McGirt’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Club Junkie Review: Graphite Design Tour AD VF wood shaft

Published

13 hours ago

Oct 3, 2023

Brian Knudson

Graphite Design has been a legendary brand in the world of premium golf shafts since the company was founded in 1989. Graphite Design has had some popular shafts over the years, but they are probably most well known for the Tour AD DI that was released in 2010. Today we are talking about the newest shaft in the Graphite Design lineup, the new VF. The letters do stand for something, Victory Force, and according to Graphite Design every victory requires force! For a more in-depth review, please check out the Club Junkie podcast below or on any streaming platform. Just search “GolfWRX Radio.”

Out of the box, the VF has a very familiar look with a red handle section and a black tip section that are separated with the traditional 10 silver rings. The color combination is definitely more subtle than some of the other Tour AD shaft combinations. Graphite Design doesn’t make too many low-launching shafts, so the VF is filling that need. The VF will suit players looking for low/,id launch and low spin shaft to put in their driver or fairway wood.

The shaft profile is a firm+ handle section, it matches the stiffest handles Graphite Design shafts, with a stiff midsection, and finally a very stiff tip. Exotic materials are used along with MSI Design to maintain stability and consistency. Graphite Design uses Torayca M40X carbon fiber in the handle section to make it stiffer and enhance control of the shaft. Ultra-high modulus Torayca T1100G is used in the middle and tip section for added stability without losing that smooth feel.

I built up the VF shaft using a universal tip system that allows me to use the shaft in any driver head. The building went extremely smoothly as every Graphite Design shaft I have ever installed has a consistent tip diameter and I have never had any issues with a sloppy fit. Once the VF was cut to length and installed, the shaft has a great look that doesn’t jump out as distracting or eye-catching. If you are playing a TaylorMade Stealth 2, then the shaft blends in naturally and they look to visually be great partners!

You would expect a smooth and responsive feel from any Graphite Design shaft and you will get just that with the VF. For me the shaft was exactly as Graphite Design describes, being mid/low launch and offering a very penetrating ball flight. The Tour AD XC might launch a touch lower, but I like the feel and consistency I get from the VF just a little bit more. No matter what driver head I used, the VF seemed to offer ball flight in a similar window, slightly lower than the Fujikura Ventus TR Blue I was using. Even shots into the wind showed no real signs of rising or ballooning. Spin was also lower than I expected with the VF shaft. On the course, I noticed a penetrating, boring flight no matter where I hit the ball on the driver face. Shots struck low on the face held a good amount of distance and even the low heel strike seemed to launch lower and carry further.

I even took a couple of driver heads out to the range with a launch monitor and noticed that I rarely saw a spin number with a “3” in front of it. Almost every shot, good and not so good, seemed to spin around that 2,600 RPM number. With many fittings and shaft tinkering, that is usually on the lower end of what I find with my swing. As I said with the shaft being mid/low launch I was seeing an average of around 11 degrees while using a couple of 10.5-degree driver heads. On course, the VF was very straight and consistent and while it seemed easier to square up than I expected, it did not want to go left as easily as some other shafts. I would consider the flight just slightly fade biased but if you release the club properly you will be rewarded with a straight shot down the fairway.

Overall, the Graphite Design Tour AD VF is a really solid mid/low launch and low spin option with a smooth feel. It is starting to gain some traction on the professional tours and could be a great shaft for your swing as well.