Equipment

Wie trusts iron game, lucky ball marker in U.S. Open win

Published

12 years ago

Jun 22, 2014

Being a favorite to win a major championship, like Michelle Wie was this week at the U.S. Women’s Open Pinehurst No. 2, is usually more of a curse than a blessing.

It was especially daunting this week because of the USGA’s decision to play the tournament the week after the U.S. Men’s Open… on the same course. That brought more eyes to this women’s professional golf tournament than any in recent memory, making it all-the-more impressive that the 24-year-old was able to accomplish golf’s toughest feat.

Many expected her to win and she did.

Pinehurst’s greens were firm, fast and repelled everything but the best-struck iron shots. That was a huge advantage for Wie, who is one of the few women on the LPGA Tour who has enough swing speed and skill to play muscleback irons (7-PW) and slightly more forgiving forged cavity-back middle irons (5, 6).

She has her 6-foot-1-inch frame and David Leadbetter-approved mechanics to thank for that, and she hit towering cut shots into Pinehurst’s turtleback greens that — unlike most of her competitors — stopped pretty much where they landed. That helped her hit 50 of 72 greens this week, about 11 more than the field’s average.

Click here to see photos of all the clubs Wie used to win the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open.

Wie also averaged 263.5 yards off the tee this week, which doesn’t sound that impressive until you consider her conservative style. In her closing nine holes she hit only one driver off the tee, opting to use her 13-degree Nike Covert 2.0 Tour fairway wood for most of her tee shots.

Those who know a little something about golf equipment also know that most LPGA Tour players don’t often use fairway woods with so little loft. They’re tough to elevate and even tougher to stop on the green. That’s why Wie said she uses the club mostly as slightly shorter, straighter option than her driver, but it’s what she said next that’s more impressive.

“I hardly ever have a shot into a green that’s more than 250 yards, so I don’t really ever have to hit it off the ground,” Wie said.

Why not have two driving clubs then?

And of course there’s Wie’s putting, which most golf analysts have targeted as her weakness and the reason why she hasn’t won the dozens of tournaments they expected from the golf prodigy when she was barely a teenager. It was the best club in her bag this week, though, which might have to do with something she picked up in her home state of Hawaii.

In April, she grabbed her third LPGA Tour victory at the Lotte Championship in Hawaii, but also picked up a ball marker adorned with the Hawaiian state flag. She hadn’t used it since then, but she used it to mark her ball this week. The results? No three putts and the most clutch putting performance of her career.

Could a lucky ball marker really have helped Wie win this week? A better question is this: What happens when one of the LPGA Tour’s best ball strikers starts putting better and feels more confident about her game?

That’s the funny thing about luck. Winners tend to have it; losers don’t.

Equipment

Interesting clubs at top of bag – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, users are talking about top of bag setups that are non-traditional or thought-provoking in some way. Original poster @SuperSpurs106 inquired about other members who might use unorthodox set-ups to help with gapping issues or weak spots.

They wrote:

“I currently have a PING G430 driver, TM Qi35 3W and a TM Qi4D 7W. Driver and 7W are fine but can’t get on with my 3W and have always struggling with this club over the years. Thinking of adding a 2H which I know would look odd. Just wondering if anyone else had a weird set up at the top of their bag?”

Our members in the forum have offered up their thoughts and personal experiences with non-traditional top of bag set-ups, and their reasoning for thinking outside of the box to begin with. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

BowMain42: “Don’t worry about what “looks” odd. If the club does what you need it to do, it’s the right club.”
scooterhd2: “I cant hit 3 woods either. Thats why I roll with a unicorn XL Hibore 2 wood. 400 cc head at 16 degrees of loft and its just a monster 3 wood off the tee. Off the deck, we are playing the f6 baffler. 5 wood at 41.75 inches and its easy to control.”
phizzy30: “I had driver, 3 metal, 2/4 hybrid once upon a time as a higher ss player. 4 hybrid is gone and in place is a driving iron nowadays. I don’t think what you’re proposing is weird in anyway, however the yardage gap might be glaringly huge between driver and 2 hybrid. What is it about your 3 metal that has got you all messed up? You could always go 4 metal with shorter shaft and see if that works.”

Entire Thread: “Interesting clubs at top of bag”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Equipment

Members of the Mini Driver Club – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has gone searching for fellow users of a mini driver. In a post, @TightFade asked for other mini driver users to chime in with their weapon of choice, the reason for employing a mini, and what club follows it in the bag.

@TightFade asked:

“What mini are you playing? What spot in the bag did it take over? What’s the next club after it? For me: Elyte mini 13.5. Replacing 3w. Next up club looks like it’ll be 5w.”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own bag setups featuring the mini driver, and the various reasons they purchased one in the first place. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

RCGA: “Ping G430 Max 12* ‘Thriver.’ Next club is a 4w and 2i (I play a weird course).”
JMB3: “R7 at 12.75 with Diamana BB 63s. 3w replacement. Next Club: Elyte Ti 5w at 17*.”
ColdOkieGolf: “R7 15.5 turned down to 13.5 It replaces the 3w. I found it surprisingly easy to hit off the deck, and it’s very rare that I need or want to hit something beyond 250 from the fairway, so next club is my 7w.”
ChaosTheory: “I’m sub-90 MPH with driver. But I’m able to hit DOD. I have been wanting something like the R7 15.5, so I just ordered one. I have a spot in the bag so nothing has to go. But I could see it replacing my trusty 4 wood, which I never use for approach shots. Just tee shots and lay ups. If I drop the 4 wood, I will turn my 7 wood down to ~20 degrees and will have good gaps. I recently tried a thriver build: 12 degree driver turned to 14, with a heavier 44 inch shaft and added head weight. I hit it great. Very accurate and not overly high, but the problem was that it sometimes went as far as a typical drive. And that’s not what I needed. So I will probably turn the 15.5 up to 16.5 or even 17.5. It’s all theoretical at this point. ?”

Entire Thread: “Members of the Mini Driver Club…Check In.”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Whats in the Bag

Chris Gotterup WITB 2026 (June)

Published

11 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Chris Gotterup had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Drivers: TaylorMade Qi4D (8 degrees), Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @8), Ping G440 LST (7.5 degrees)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS T1100 Handcrafted 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g