Equipment
Rory McIlroy tests Tiger Woods’ new TaylorMade driver, Fujikura Ventus shaft setup
Tiger Woods made a rare change to his driver setup at the 2022 JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor in Ireland on Monday.
Since 2018, and as recently as the 2022 PGA Championship, Woods had been using a Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited model (either 60 TX or 70 TX) in his drivers. When he showed up in Ireland on Monday for the event, however, his TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver (9 degrees) was equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft.
Warming up before the round, fellow TaylorMade staffer Rory McIlroy discussed the switch with Woods, leading Woods to offer McIlroy try it out for himself. It was a brief yet intriguing exchange watching two of the game’s most popular players geeking out over a gear change.
Rory McIlroy tests out Tiger Woods' driver @JPProAm.
"Too much loft for you?" Tiger asks.pic.twitter.com/mcGlIdhhBZ
— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) July 4, 2022
Woods’ new shaft build was certainly familiar for McIlroy since the Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft is the same model that McIlroy himself has in his own TaylorMade Stealth Plus driver (9 degrees set at 7.5 degrees).
Based on the exchange, although Woods and McIlroy are using the same low-spin shaft, Woods’ head configuration has a bit more loft than McIlroy’s. As McIlroy was addressing the ball to try out Woods’ new driver setup for the first time, Woods asked him if the driver has “too much loft for you?”
McIlroy confirmed Woods’ suspicions: “A little bit, yeah.”
To see GolfWRX’s most recent in-hand photos of their TaylorMade Stealth Plus drivers, check out McIlroy’s 2022 WITB and Woods’ 2022 WITB.
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In other relevant gear testing news, TaylorMade posted on Instagram on Monday that McIlroy was “Testing out something new this week.”
Judging by the video, it appears as though McIlroy is hitting a new utility iron, which would make sense with The 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews (Old Course) just a week away. Tour pros often switch out their higher-lofted fairways and rescues for a long iron option that may better penetrate the blustery Scottish winds during Open Championships.
While it’s difficult to decipher the exact head, model, or loft that McIlroy was spotted testing out, GolfWRX did photograph a new TaylorMade Stealth UDI 2-iron in left-hander Robert MacIntyre’s bag on Monday ahead of the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in Scotland. McIlroy probably wouldn’t fare too well using MacIntyre’s lefty version, but could it be the same model that McIlroy was testing in TaylorMade’s video?
GolfWRX is live from the Scottish Open and The Open Championship over the next two weeks in Scotland, so we’ll be sure to report back on any confirmed changes or further gear testing. Stay in touch with our latest updates on GolfWRX’s Instagram or TikTok pages, too!
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The second major of the season is here, and with it, custom gear aplenty! Taking inspiration from both Louisville, Kentucky, and host course Valhalla, the OEMs have been having some fun with the designs.
Check out PGA Championship staff bags, some custom kicks, and a very cool putter grip from SuperStroke.
2024 PGA Championship staff bags
Callaway
PGA Championship Staff Bag Giveaway ? See below how you can win the bag and headcovers being used this week by #TeamCallaway at the second major of the year:
-Follow @callawaygolf
-Tag 2 friends in the comments pic.twitter.com/8HbGdPHiFK— Callaway Golf (@CallawayGolf) May 13, 2024
Cobra
TaylorMade
From the stables to the fairway. ?
This year’s PGA Championship staff bag and accessories pay homage to the Derby City with callouts to the run for the roses, the fastest lap in track history and more.
Dive into all the details of this beauty: https://t.co/afhEVKHWLj pic.twitter.com/8eoP6tDZq1
— TaylorMade Golf (@TaylorMadeGolf) May 13, 2024
Scotty Cameron’s putter cover features the Scotty Dog in Viking helmet
Bettinardi’s KFC-inspired putter covers
Ping’s bourbon-inspired putter cover
Rory McIlroy’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 shoes
FootJoy x Todd Snyder Mint Julep Premier Series
(Photo courtesy of FootJoy)
Brooks Koepka’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail-inspired Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour shoes
(Photo courtesy of Nike)
SuperStroke’s PGA Championship grip
Check out all of our photos from Valhalla here.
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- John Daly WITB accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 6-Dot
3-wood: Ping G430 LST (15 degrees)
Shaft: Newton Motion 4-Dot
Hybrids: Ping G430 (17, 22, 26 degrees)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold
Irons: Sub70 659-CB (6-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300
Wedges: Sub70 TAIII (50, 54, 60)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Milled One T CH
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: SuperStroke custom
More photos of John Daly’s WITB in the forums.
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Toulon Golf has today officially announced its latest Small Batch putter — the Valhalla.
Discussing the putter, Preston Toulon of Toulon Golf said: “This putter is a collaboration with the club at Valhalla and incorporates three of the many things that make the state of Kentucky great – horseracing, bourbon and championship golf. The head of the putter and headcover have several allusions to a jockey’s silk and there are thoroughbreds on the sole.”
Inspired by Toulon’s classic tri-sole Santa Monica design, the company sought to modernize the profile and design leveraging its 904 stainless steel and 6061 aircraft aluminium across the sole. Toulon describes the Valhalla’s profile as “slightly oversized blade whose proportions are meticulously balanced to maintain the look and feel of the Santa Monica, while increasing the putter’s inertia to create one of the most forgiving putters we have ever designed.”
Throughout numerous prototypes, Toulon paid particular attention to the L-neck, with its full shaft of offset, adding a bit of length for better blending with the slightly wider and longer blade.
On the rear of the putter are homages to horse racing in the form of jockey silk diamonds and Churchill Downs-inspired font.
The sole of the putter features a large cavity covered by a 6061 aircraft aluminum sole plate. According to Toulon, this allowed for the addition length to the putter and improved inertia as well as moving more mass to the perimeter for greater forgiveness.
In another nod to Valhalla, Toulon uses a milled watermarked limestone pattern, a reference to stone featured widely on the property.
As with all the Toulon Small Batch putters, the team paid particular attention to the topline thickness and radius to achieve a desired look. “Soft yet crisp was the design intent,” according to the company.
Toulon Golf Small Batch Valhalla specs
- Material: 904L Stainless Steel/6061 Aluminum Sole
- Face Mill: Fine Double Fly with Big Tuna
- Finish: Kentucky Bourbon PVD
- Grip: Custom Toulon Collection Vintage Blue Pistol
- Shaft: Chrome Stepless Steel
- Headcover: Valhalla Custom Leather
- Head Weight: 355 g
- Toe Hang: 40 degrees
- Loft: 3 degrees
- Lie: 70 degrees
Pricing and availability
The Small Batch Valhalla is available for purchase today via the company’s website — ToulonGolf.com.
Supply is extremely limited. The price is $1,800.
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Chuck
Jul 5, 2022 at 12:38 pm
That musical soundtrack; was that added, or was it part of the live soundscape? Really annoying if it was added. What were the first things they said before Rory took the club from Tiger?
Harrison
Jul 5, 2022 at 9:57 am
What lofts are Tiger and Rory playing w/ their drivers?
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Gordy3279
Jul 5, 2022 at 6:54 am
In other news..Rory used the same porta john that Tiger used as well.
Pingback: Jordan Spieth disqualified at JP McManus Pro-Am – GolfWRX
Wow
Jul 4, 2022 at 8:48 pm
Rory McIlroy’s driver swing should be in the Louvre.
Chuck
Jul 5, 2022 at 12:36 pm
The British Museum.
Sam Snead in the Louvre.
Ben Hogan in the Smthsonian.
Jack Nicklaus in the National Archives.
Seve in The Prado.