News

Q&A with Wesley Bryan, 18Birdies new ambassador

Published

9 years ago

Oct 25, 2017

18Birdies, mobile technology startup, just signed Wesley Bryan to a multi-year partnership.

Bryan will be featured as an 18Birdies ambassador by wearing the brand logo on his apparel, using the app to post “Live Rounds,” as well as other exclusive content in the app’s golf-focused social feed and making special personal appearances.

Since launching in 2016, 18Birdies has seen rapid growth and now claims more than 750,000 users. The app seeks to gamify the game of golf, as it were, and foster a social community. From GPS, to shot tracking, to stats, to custom recommendations in its Premium mode, 18Birdies is an impressive app.

Bryan certainly makes sense as an endorser, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

Ben Alberstadt: Taco Bell, Skechers, now 18Birdies. You’re amassing a unique stable of sponsors. Is there a tie that binds? What do you look for in a sponsor relationship?

Wesley Bryan: I’m fortunate enough to partner with companies that share the same vision that I do. I’m all about making golf fun, enjoyable and approachable. It’s important to me that brands I represent on Tour have that same approach.

BA: Considering YouTube, which is among other things an app, raised your profile and helped you earn a living before making it on the Web.com Tour, you have a unique perspective on apps among pro golfers, no?

WB: Technology is really an amazing thing – being able to connect with fans all over the world is something that I love doing. I recently played my first Tour event in Asia last week in Malaysia – it was incredible to hear so many fans referencing the content I’ve done with Dude Perfect!, amongst other things.

BA: Do you think apps like 18Birdies have a role to play in the growth of the game?

WB: Absolutely. We need to find a way to keep younger audiences interested in the game and one way to do that is integrating more technology and social media into it, which 18Birdies does a great job of. Kids these days are tech savvy and are used to being able to do everything on their smartphones, so an app like 18Birdies fits well into their lifestyle.

BA: Social media was/is obviously important to the Bryan Bros, but what motivates you to stay active and connected to fans now that you’re a PGA Tour winner and have no need for self promotion?

WB: Having the ability to impact even just a single fan of the game is huge. If nothing else, I hope that I can help grow the game’s appeal as I continue my pursuit of wins on TOUR.

BA: How important is shot and stat tracking to you as tour pro?

WB: Very. It’s what helps us improve as Tour players. We’re lucky that the Tour provides detailed analytics for us so that we really know what areas of our game need a little bit more attention than others. With 18Birdies, weekend warriors can devote that same level of detail to their games, too. I really think that taking detailed stats on the app will help players understand what they need to work on, rather than just practice without purpose.

BA: Do you think the average golfer can plan for upcoming rounds aided by 18Birdies?

WB: I’ve been impressed with the accuracy of their GPS rangefinder. It’s a pretty cool way to “walk” the course before you arrive to get a sense of how you should play it and what you can expect.

BA: Why should golfers download 18Birdies?

WB: They have a lot of useful features that golfers can take advantage of on the course from an awesome GPS rangefinder to score/stat/round tracking to distance and shot tracking and a virtual caddy that provides custom club recommendations.

Not only that, they do a good job of promoting a golf community by incorporating social into the app. I’ll be posting Live Rounds in the app throughout the season, so fans can follow my rounds in real-time and interact with me.

I really like what they are doing with their DreamGames campaign as well. Rewarding people for just going out and playing golf is a great incentive to go out there and play.

News

Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider

Published

2 days ago

May 29, 2026

Alistair Cameron

There must be something in the water. Or potentially on the greens. A whole host of big-time players decided that the Charles Schwab Challenge was the perfect place to test out new putters.

With the 2026 U.S. Open just around the corner, defending champion J.J. Spaun made a surprising switch away from his center-shafted Df3 and into L.A.B. Golf’s OZ.1i HS – the heel-shafted mallet putter.

“Just something I kind of wanted to change the way the putter was looking, just a completely different look than the DF3 that I’ve been using for the last year and a half,” Spaun told GolfWRX about the swap. “So it’s just easier to line up for me with less onset looking design, and it’s just something I felt like switching it up and seeing how it goes.”

You can find more about the putter and the reasoning behind Spaun’s change here.

Robert MacIntyre also decided to change the flatstick at Colonial Country Club. He’s using a custom Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5R. The Scotty team created a specially-milled face featuring horizontal grooves and shortened the plumber’s neck to increase toe hang.

Another custom feature of the build is the welded wings added to the rear of the putter, similar to those found on the Phantom 11 head.

It’s potentially part of a major overhaul to his bag. The Scot has recently switched from the Titleist Pro V1 to the Pro V1x golf ball, added the new GTS2 driver, and is currently testing a GTS 3-wood that could replace his ancient TaylorMade AeroBurner 3-wood.

Ludvig Åberg joined the trio of superstars making alterations on the greens. He’s added a Scotty Cameron Phantom 3.2.

It’s not Åberg’s first putter switch of the season. He had been using different versions of his usual Odyssey Versa #1 head to try to get better speed control on the greens.

? Ludvig Åberg is using a new putter! He’s playing a @ScottyCameron Phantom 3 head. First major putter switch, although he has been changing loft and heads in the Odyssey #1 style this season.
Here’s a Phantom 3 built for him earlier in the season https://t.co/oGrNk6p0hz pic.twitter.com/edRbpk22m4

— Alistair Cameron (@ACameronWRX) May 28, 2026

Currently, a Tour-only offering, the Phantom 3 head is a half-moon mallet shape. Like the previous version that GolfWRX captured at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which Åberg never put in play, the current version appears to feature the Studio Carbon Steel face insert and chain-link face milling. Instead of the all-black version one, Åberg’s current flatstick is in the metal finish.

Rico Hoey’s make-shift Jailbird

Some of the best builds on Tour have a certain Frankenstein theme to them.

Odyssey decided to do this when breeding a turtle and a bird together. The result, Rico Hoey’s latest broomstick.

The custom Jailbird S2S Tri-Hot head includes an aluminium-milled insert from the unreleased TRTL head, which the team machined down to fit the face of the Jailbird after removing the usual Ai-Dual insert.

The team also filled the wings of the putter with epoxy to redistribute mass away from the face, with the metal insert weighing more than the original.

Hoey was also spotted with a custom Damascus Milled Jailbird Mini broomstick. Check out the full gallery here.

Brant Snedeker’s full WITB

Arguably, the PGA Tour’s feel-good story of the year so far was 45-year-old Brandt Snedeker returning to the winner’s circle for the first time in nearly 8 years.

His victory didn’t come without some equipment updates, either. The Presidents Cup Captain added the 2016 M2 driver equipped with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 661. It’s a shaft that’s even older than the driver.

The historic driver setup might have been added because Snedeker was missing some antique vibes. He recently switched out his 2-decade-old Odyssey Rossie White Hot XG for a TaylorMade Spider Tour X.

He first put the Spider in play at the Cognizant Classic. Still, at the Valspar Championship, he tested TaylorMade’s True Path Alignment versus without, and preferred the added aim benefits he was getting. In previous testing, the biggest thing Snedeker noticed was the launch and how quickly the ball got to true roll from the Spider and its Pure Roll insert compared to anything else he had tried.

Check out Snedeker’s full what’s in the bag during this week’s episode of “Inside the Ropes” from Colonial.

Everything’s bigger in Texas

TaylorMade Golf chose the second stop of a Texas two-step in Dallas as the spot to launch the tour’s latest Spider putter.

On-site Monday at Colonial Country Club, GolfWRX’s Tour Photographer Greg Moore captured the new Spider ZT Max putter ahead of the Charles Schwab Challenge.

The Max version of TaylorMade’s zero-torque putter style has a larger footprint than the original ZT, which will likely lead to a higher MOI thanks to wider perimeter weighting.

The original ZT is made of high-density 303 stainless steel at the front, and then a lower-density 6061 aerospace aluminum on the back to create a high-MOI foundation, with a center shaft featuring slight forward shaft lean and 25mm onset behind the leading edge.

The Spider ZT Max also appears to use the ZT cambered sole, which is also seen on the recently Tour-launched Spider Tour, Tour X, F and V models, which were first spotted at the RBC Heritage.

Brian Harman gamed the original Spider ZT for his victory last year at the 2025 Valero Texas Open, and the putter also saw victory on the DP World Tour in the hands of Michael Kim for his FedEx Open de France win.

Check out the full gallery here.

Odds and Ends

Project X officially Tour launched the Titan Yellow shaft, just a few days after Wyndham Clark played it for the first time and won The CJ Cup Byron Nelson. The shaft features a smoother feel in the handle compared to past Project X wood shafts, along with a firm midsection and firm tip. The Synex Technology allows a player to feel more load in transition without losing the feel of the clubhead. Titleist launched the GTS300 back at Quail Hollow, and just a few weeks later, it’s in the bag of Justin Thomas. Could this be a test run for Shinnecock?

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the ShopRite LPGA

Published

3 days ago

May 28, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer Greg Moore was on site in Galloway, New Jersey, ahead of the ShopRite LPGA powered by Wakefern to snap some WITB photos and more.

Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Odyssey putters – 2026 ShopRite(LPGA)

News

Club Junkie WITB, week 18: Driver still needs a grip!

Published

4 days ago

May 27, 2026

Brian Knudson

Back again for week 18 with another new bag for this week’s league night! Last week I played well but lost so hoping to get back on the winning side of things. I am pretty excited to get this driver out on the course as I think it is a legit sleeper in the category. It is also time to break out some newly built irons from JP Golf that look awesome and hopefully play just as good! Here is what is in the bag this week.

Driver: PXG Lighting Tour-Mid (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Red 6s

4-wood: Wilson Dynapwr Carbon (16.5 degrees @ 16)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Hybrid: Callaway Apex Ti Super Hybrid (21 degrees @ 20)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Red 9x

Utility: Mizuno JPX One (22 degrees @ 23)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 85s

Irons: JP Prime (5-PW)
Shafts: UST Mamiya Dart V 105 F5

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (56-10 MID)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Wedge: Cleveland RTZ (50-8 ADAPT)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 s

Putter: Mizuno M.Craft City Osaka
Shaft: TPT Pulse 50

Ball: PXG Xtreme Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag