Equipment
Not Dead: Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company announces restructuring
After rumors circulated this morning on social media that the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company had laid off all its employees and was going out of business, the company responded with a press release that calls the reports “greatly exaggerated.”
“While our organization does not look the same today as it did in 2016, we are confident that the changes we are making will make us a stronger and better company in the future,” said Ben Hogan Golf Equipment CEO Scott White.
According to the release, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company is going through a voluntary reorganization with the stated goals of minimizing expenses and streamlining operations — “approximately 30 [employees]” were laid off, according to Golf Digest, and “CEO Scott White said it hoped to rehire some as contract employees.”
“The company has not declared bankruptcy nor been foreclosed upon, and remains in the business of producing and selling the highest quality and most precise golf equipment in the world,” the press release said. Company representatives did not return calls from GolfWRX for comment.
The Ben Hogan Golf Company was re-launched under the leadership of golf equipment industry veteran Terry Koehler in 2014, who worked at the original company founded by nine-time major championship winner Ben Hogan. The company is best known for its lines of forged irons and wedges, which are sold in individual lofts (20-63 degrees) to help golfers improve their distance control and gapping.
Koehler stepped down as CEO this summer, and was replaced by Scott White.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.
TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.
The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.
One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.
Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.
See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:
MySpider Tour
MySpider Tour X
Equipment
Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory
In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.
McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.
So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?
Driver
2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)
McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.
What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)
The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.
Fairway woods
2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X
The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.
The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.
Irons
2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.
With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.
Wedges
2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.
Putter
2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X
Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.
Ball
2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)
As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.
Grips
2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC
Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.
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Mike
Jan 28, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Need to get some bags out on tour so people can see the name. Most golfers don’t know the history of Hogan clubs. Need someone to come in and help with business model
rex235
Jan 12, 2017 at 7:30 pm
Dead?
The “new” Ben Hogan Golf Company has always been RH Only.
Apparently they chose to ignore what Ben Hogan wrote in “Power Golf”.
JThunder
Jan 9, 2017 at 5:05 pm
“Restructuring” = keep CEO and mgmt pay high, lay off and cut back on everyone/everything else.
Never works, just delays the inevitable. Allows the “company” to be milked another year or two.
As with Scor, the necessity of having a club for every single loft is both costly for the mfr and stores, and confusing for the vast, vast majority of non-super-tweak-Golfwrx golfers.
In other words, it’s a fine business model if you want to corner a niche and make a fair income. A horrible, awful idea if you want to “crush the competition” and become major. According to every “business” thread on Golfwrx, the latter is the only reason to get into business. See: Toulon selling out, Miura selling out, Nike giving up… etc.
John Schwartz
Jan 9, 2017 at 12:19 pm
Anyone know where I can purchase a set of Fort Worth iron at a discount?
Mike t
Jan 4, 2017 at 9:49 pm
Tough market under best of circumstances. Big 5 dominates and traditional blades are a hard sell.
Pavel
Jan 4, 2017 at 2:27 pm
Sorry to hear about problems at BH.
I got a few SCOR wedges a few years ago, really liked them.
Heard about BH ramping up, got some mid-irons, really like them.
After working a bit of a deal with BH, replaced the SCORs with BH wedges, really like them.
Realized that some of the clubs had the wrong grip size, worked with BH, got the right grips and credit off a new VKTR hybrid, which I really like, to pay for local regripping.
Overall price was no worse than the Ping i15s I got when I (re-)entered golf back in 2010.
I’m a happy camper, BH-wise. I hope they succeed, but will play these clubs regardless…
My 0.02.
BIG STU
Jan 4, 2017 at 1:39 pm
I do know that all but one guy on another site that tested them has dropped them. I looked at a set at PGASS and did not like the way they sat period and I am a blade player. I do know some of the devoted classic Hogan fans did not like them either. But hey I wish the company all the luck in the world
Mat
Jan 3, 2017 at 10:55 pm
New tech? No.
New sales method? No.
New fitting method? No.
New look? No.
Bespoke design? No.
Wide range of no-upcharge shafts? No.
But damn it, we have BH and the loft on there!
Pulling a Nike in 5…4…3…
Boobsy McKiss
Jan 3, 2017 at 10:06 pm
ROFL at the creative banter in here. +1 to you fellas.
Would not want to be in the business of making golf equipment these days. Have to move a lot of clubs to pay for all that overhead and R&D. Sounds like Hogan didn’t have much of the later though.
Rich Douglas
Jan 3, 2017 at 9:50 pm
I loved my Hogan Edge irons, the first cavity-back forged iron offered by a major manufacturer. But that was 1992. What’s changed? Individual loft numbers instead of club numbers? Really? That’s just a gimmick, and not a very good one. After all, you might find yourself tweaking lofts on a normal set anyway, and you can’t possibly know which exact lofts will provide the distances and gaps you need; you might find yourself tweaking these lofts, too.
I sold them when I realized I needed more help (I was a 16 back then, a 6 now) than those barely-cavity almost-blades could provide.
The company is going to need something else.
Jack
Jan 4, 2017 at 2:33 am
LOL yeah who remembers the loft of their 7 iron? and all 9 other irons? Terrible idea that required people to relearn something that made the game even more difficult.
farmer
Jan 3, 2017 at 9:26 pm
I have hit the new Hogan irons, and they were fine. There’s the problem, there are a bunch of irons that feel fine, with real distribution networks, a presence in the retail world. Hogan has none of these. Remember when Scratch was all the buzz? Same issues, and Scratch is no more, even though they made fine irons.
Lowell
Jan 3, 2017 at 8:38 pm
As everything else in life you either reinvent your product to attract new buyers or be left waiting for the traditionalist to buy your product. I loved Hogan clubs back in the day but lost touch and never had a reason to go back. I hope they make it but somebody is starting to write on the wall. I give them a dumb and dumbest chance. Go Loyd!!!
KK
Jan 3, 2017 at 6:50 pm
Anyone really surprised? Ben Hogan Golf Co. is trying to sell 80s clubs in 2016.
Buck
Jan 3, 2017 at 8:24 pm
By 80’s clubs, do you mean ones you can’t hit? Just kidding.
I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with the clubs themselves. As others have already stated, it was their business model that sealed their fate.
Matt
Jan 3, 2017 at 6:15 pm
They seem to be very expensive.
Lowell
Jan 3, 2017 at 8:40 pm
I remember in the early 2000’s when a buddy of mine flew to their home office, got fitted and left with a new set of clubs. I think it was somewhere in the neighborhood of $3000. Not sure what else you got.
bogeypro
Jan 3, 2017 at 4:09 pm
If they would just put iron numbers on their clubs….I’d probably look at them. Great equipment with a weird idea.
Brian
Jan 3, 2017 at 4:13 pm
They started doing that last year, in addition to the lofts.
McPickens
Jan 3, 2017 at 5:39 pm
“…started doing it…” poorly. Awful looking etch job. Should have stayed with traditional numbering with custom lofts.
John H. Brink
Jan 3, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Trying to deal with them directly was exasperating at best. Those who offered to help open sales territories were basically ignored. Flawed sales strategy and clubs priced to line someone’s pockets.
Feel the Bern
Jan 3, 2017 at 3:36 pm
Seems to me Ben Hogan would be rolling in his grave if he were still alive.
Captain Obvious
Jan 3, 2017 at 3:45 pm
Seems to me that if he were still alive, he wouldn’t be in his grave.
Double Mocha Man
Jan 3, 2017 at 3:47 pm
Ah, living up to your username, I see.
RanchoBob
Jan 3, 2017 at 4:02 pm
Actually, if he were alive he’d be in his grave scratching at the lid.
*ba dum tss*
Feel the Bern
Jan 3, 2017 at 5:02 pm
Just seems that news like this would make good ol’ gentle Ben glad he isn’t around to see his name tarnished.
Hawk
Jan 3, 2017 at 5:21 pm
I don’t believe that the word “gentle” was ever used to describe Hogan. Gentle Ben Crenshaw, yes. Gentle Hogan? Not quite.
the bishop
Jan 3, 2017 at 5:35 pm
A guy I know relayed a personal Ben Crenshaw story that might make you rethink the term “Gently Ben” as well.
Feel the Bern
Jan 3, 2017 at 9:06 pm
He’d be pretty ornery if he heard you say that. Hope he doesn’t have the internet in heaven.