Equipment
12 Revealing photos from the 2016 Shell Houston Open
GolfWRX was live this week from the 2016 Shell Houston Open at the Golf Club of Houston, which is predictably in Houston, Texas. If you missed any of the photos from this, browse the galleries below:
J.B. Holmes is your defending champion this week, but the world’s now No. 2-ranked golfer Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson will be there to challenge him for back-to-back titles. Will one of the big names emerge victorious, or will a first-time winner break out of his shell at the Shell?
Now let’s see if we can stay away from the puns in this week’s Revealing Photos: Shell Shocked at the Shell Houston (not off to a good start)…
Congrats on 25 years!
In 1992, title sponsors changed hands, and the PGA Tour event in Houston became known as the Shell Houston Open. Maybe it doesn’t have the tradition of the Open Championship, but impressive still.
And three out of those 25 years, Vijay Singh was the Shell Houston Open champion (’02, ’04 and ’05).
How’s Veej getting on these days?
He’s still tearing apart PGA Tour ranges, and apparently engraining how to hook putts?
I think we forget Vijay is 53 years old and still out on Tour competing against the world’s best. And out-working them, too. As for the putting stroke, he’s tried just about everything there is to try. Maybe a snap hook will finally be the answer.
Fowler droppin’ dimes or dropping dimes?
There’s three possible meanings to this “drop dimes…” stamping:
- He’s placing the golf ball where it needs to be. In basketball, the same sentiment would mean he’s passing the ball well and he’d be recording a myriad of assists.
- He’s snitching. To “drop a dime” would mean to inform the police or another authority about illegal activity. That would be an odd thing to stamp on a wedge, but you never know.
- He breaks up with beautiful women. To “drop a dime” could mean he’s breaking up with a dime, or a woman with a subjective 10-out-of-10 ranking. Could be plausible, since he recently reportedly cut ties with Alexis Randock.
I’m gonna go with the first option, but again, you never know.
Tots Units Fem Forca
Or in English is, “United/Together we are strong.” It’s a phrase used in FC (Futbol Club) Barcelona’s anthem.
Barca fans are no joke about their soccer. And I’m pretty sure they don’t like me calling it soccer. Whoops, that’s twice. Sorry!
Omar Uresti’s sick Scotty with… athletic tape?
O-Man, that putter is sweet. I’m going to guess that the athletic tape is there as some kind of training-aid support. But don’t quote me on that.
Rust and Tungsten
The rust on these Callaway Apex irons achieves quite a mesmerizing effect, and as such you can see exactly where the tungsten plugs are placed in the sole.
And some more awesome rust on the SM6 wedges below.
Rust just never gets old, does it?
Herm, the Rocket and Johnny Wags
PGA Tour player Johnson Wagner (Johnny Wags isn’t his real nickname, but he can borrow it if he wants), ESPN NFL analyst Herm Edwards and former MLB strike-out King Roger Clemens were all on the same team for the pro-am.
You might know Herm from the “Miracle in the Meadowlands,” a play that spawned the victory formation in football. Or maybe for his coaching mediocrity if you’re a Jets fan (I am not). Or, most likely, you know him from his “you play to win the game” speech, which will live forever on the internet.
You might know Roger “Rocket” Clemens for his strikeouts in the MLB, of which he has more than 3,000. Or maybe you know him for his alleged steroid use and courtroom controversies. But if you’re a Mets fan (I am), you know him for throwing a broken bat at our guy Mike Piazza. People don’t forget, Roger.
A Scotty Cameron Titleist CB iron?
I recognize those trademark red dots. You can’t slip one past me, Scotty.
Speaking of Scotties, here’s a huge gallery of customs
I know, I know. I shouldn’t have. But I did.
In the gallery below, you’ll see Thongchai Jaidee’s gamer, his backup and his backup’s backup. There’s also a stealthy, blacked-out X5R that Dustin Johnson was testing this week, and a few dirty GSS and Tour-Only putters. Enjoy.
Love the hustle
Name another golf coach who’s gonna put it all on the floor (putting green) for his players? Throwing his body around for the loose balls with no regard for his khakis? We can all learn from his hustle, grit and determination.
Maybe March Madness has rubbed off on me a little too much, but you get the point.
3 wedges, 3 OEMs
And a prideful Texas Longhorns stamping on his Callaway Mack Daddy 2. The local Texas fans will certainly appreciate the school spirit, especially after getting upset by the University of Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAA March Madness.
Joey Logano rolls up to the Shell Houston
Let’s just hope Matt Kenseth wasn’t also invited.
Improvement
There’s digging it out of the dirt. And then there’s this.
Equipment
Interesting clubs at top of bag – GolfWRXers discuss
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
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)
- 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


Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Black TX 80 g

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana WB Wood Shaft 83 TX

7-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (21 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB Wood Shaft 83 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), Bridgestone Tour B 220 MB (4-9)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper 130 X


Wedges: TaylorMade MG5 (46, 52, 56, 60)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper 130 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Tour
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 2.0

Grips: Golf Pride Z Grip Cord
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X Mindset
Check out more in-hand photos of Chris Gotterup’s clubs here.
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Jeff
Apr 2, 2016 at 12:49 am
Dropping a dime goes back to pay phone days, so it means making a call. It has been used in noir lit to mean snitching, as in drop a dime on a criminal by calling the police. Also means calling a girl, whether to ask her out OR to break up. My guess is that Rickie has it dialed in, so he’s dropping dimes.
RG
Apr 1, 2016 at 5:54 pm
BOOM SHAKALAKA!!
Notseeingwhatyousee
Apr 1, 2016 at 4:32 pm
Pretty sure those are drill holes in the back of that CB iron….
Cody Carter
Apr 1, 2016 at 6:33 pm
They are. I’m pretty sure that’s Matt Dobyns set. His irons are single length so the holes are to help the head weights match.
Brian mccoy
Apr 3, 2016 at 7:41 pm
I don’t see any evidence of what your speaking of. I would love to see a WITB for Matt Dobyns,
Weekend Duffer
Apr 1, 2016 at 3:40 pm
Does this website have an advertising deal with Titleist?
Bobby
Apr 1, 2016 at 10:05 pm
No it just happens to be the best equipment in golf son… no go back to your max improvement irons…..
Alex Bedwell
Apr 1, 2016 at 1:57 pm
Who is that in the last picture?
Todd Grant
Apr 1, 2016 at 2:41 pm
Luke List.