By Mike Stachura and E Michael Johnson
What do real golfers like you think about the latest clubs? That’s why our panel of players is such a key part of our process. Together, they provide input that helps the Hot List judges determine the leading clubs in Performance and Look/Sound/Feel, two of our four Hot List criteria which together account for 65 percent of a club’s score.

But we know you want as much specific advice as you can get about what club is exactly right for you. So why not see which of our players matches best to your game and see what they were thinking. What follows are some of the top choices in each of our full swing categories from each player on our panel, choices that are informed by data from the Rapsodo MLM and GCQuad launch monitors. Certainly, you’ll see a lot of repeats as you go through these lists (that’s why those products tended to do well on the Hot List overall), but consider this another piece of information as you continue the search for the right club for you. Of course, we firmly believe that search needs the wisdom of a good clubfitter to finish the process, too. Each player’s basic data is listed below, along with their individual lists and accompanying swing videos from the Rapsodo MLM app.

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Jason Guss

Age: 45; Handicap: 0; Driver swing speed: 101; Driver distance: 260; 7-iron swing speed: 80; 7-iron distance: 162\
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)’
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max LS; Cobra LTDx LS; Ping G425 Max | FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Rogue ST LS; Ping G425 LST; TaylorMade Stealth Plus | HYBRIDS: Cobra King Tec: Cobra LTDx; Wilson D9 | PLAYERS IRONS: Henry-Griffitts TS+; PXG 0311T; Srixon ZX7 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Cobra King Forged Tec; Mizuno Mizuno Pro 225; Proto-Concept CO5 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Cobra King Forged Tec X; Cobra LTDx; XXIO X

Molly Braid

Age: 34; Handicap: 0; Driver swing speed: 86; Driver distance: 215; 7-iron swing speed: 72; 7-iron distance: 135
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Cobra LTDx Max; Titleist TSi2 | FAIRWAY WOODS: Ping G425 Max; PXG 0341XF; Titleist TSi2 | HYBRIDS: Cobra Air-X; PXG 0317XF; Titleist TSi2 | PLAYERS IRONS: Srixon ZX7; Proto-Concept C03; Titleist T100 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metal Pro; PXG 0311P; Srixon ZX5 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Ping G425; Titleist T300

Ricky Brown

Age: 43; Handicap: +4; Driver swing speed: 108; Driver distance: 270; 7-iron swing speed: 88; 7-iron distance: 170
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max LS; TaylorMade Stealth Plus; Titleist TSi3 | FAIRWAY WOODS: Cobra LTDx; Ping G425 LST; Titleist TSi3 | HYBRIDS: Callaway Epic Super; TaylorMade Stealth Plus; Titleist TSi3; PLAYERS IRONS: Callaway Apex Pro; PXG 0311 T; Titleist T100 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Mizuno Mizuno Pro 225; Titleist T100•S; Titleist T200 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Cleveland Launcher XL; Cobra Forged Tec X; PXG 0311 XP

Larry McCoy

Age: 57; Handicap: 6; Driver swing speed: 97; Driver distance: 245; 7-iron swing speed: 80; 7-iron distance: 156
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Mizuno ST-Z 220; Ping G425 LST; Titleist TSi3 | FAIRWAY WOODS: Mizuno ST-Z; Ping G425 Max; TaylorMade Stealth Plus | HYBRIDS: Titleist TSi3; Cobra Air-X; Mizuno CLK | PLAYERS IRONS: Cobra King Tour; TaylorMade P7•MC; Titleist T100 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: PXG 0311 P Gen 4; TaylorMade P•770; TaylorMade P•790 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Apex DCB; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist T300

Paul Ianniello

Age: 60; Handicap: 5; Driver swing speed: 92; Driver distance: 220; 7-iron swing speed: 80; 7-iron distance: 162
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: PXG 0811 X; TaylorMade Stealth Plus; Titleist TSi3 | FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Stealth; TaylorMade Stealth Plus; Titleist TSi2 | HYBRIDS: Cobra Air-X; Ping G425; PXG 0317X | PLAYERS IRONS: Callaway Apex TCB; Srixon ZX7: Proto-Concept C03 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Proto-Concept CO5; TaylorMade P•790; Titleist T200 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: PXG 0311 XP; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist T300

Sean Harper

Age: 50; Handicap: 8; Driver swing speed: 89; Driver distance: 225; 7-iron swing speed: 79; 7-iron distance: 152
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Ping G425 Max; PXG 0811XF; Srixon ZX5 | FAIRWAY WOODS: Ping G425; TaylorMade Stealth Plus; Titleist TSi2 | HYBRIDS: Callaway Apex; Ping G425 Max; Titleist TSi3 | PLAYERS IRONS: Cobra King Tour; Mizuno JPX921 Tour; PXG 0311T | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Callaway Apex; Mizuno JPX921 Forged; TaylorMade P790 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Apex DCB; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist T300

Ryan Kroll

Age: 46; Handicap: 8; Driver swing speed: 98; Driver distance: 235; 7-iron swing speed: 79; 7-iron distance: 155
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Ping G425 Max; Titleist TSi2 | FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Cobra LTDx; Mizuno ST-Z | HYBRIDS: Mizuno CLK; PXG 0317X; Titleist TSi3 | PLAYERS IRONS: Proto-Concept CO3; Titleist T100; Wilson Staff Model CB | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Callaway Apex; Mizuno JPX921 Forged; Srixon ZX5 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metal; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist T300

Tom Allen

Age: 57; Handicap: 6; Driver swing speed: 95; Driver distance: 245; 7-iron swing speed: 80; 7-iron distance: 155
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Titleist TSi2; Ping G425 Max | FAIRWAY WOODS: PXG 0341X; Srixon ZX; TaylorMade Stealth | HYBRIDS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Mizuno CLK; Ping G425 | PLAYERS IRONS: Mizuno JPX921 Tour; PXG 0311T; Titleist T100 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Callaway Apex; Ping i525; TaylorMade P790 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Ping G425; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist T300

Alejandra Bedoya

Age: 23; Handicap: 5; Driver swing speed: 90; Driver distance: 225; 7-iron swing speed: 75; 7-iron distance: 146
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Cobra LTDx; Ping G425 Max; TaylorMade Stealth | FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; PXG 0341XF; TaylorMade Stealth Plus | HYBRIDS: PXG 0317X: Mizuno CLK; Cobra Air-X | PLAYERS IRONS: Mizuno Mizuno Pro 223; PXG 0311T Gen 4; TaylorMade P•7MC | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Mizuno Mizuno Pro 225; PXG 0311 P Gen 4; Titleist T200 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: PXG 0311 XP Gen4; Srixon ZX4; Titleist T300

Anand Mudaliar

Age: 39; Handicap: 9; Driver swing speed: 105; Driver distance: 265; 7-iron swing speed: 84; 7-iron distance: 164
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; PXG 0811XT; XXIO X | FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Ping G425 Max; Titleist TSi2 | HYBRIDS: Callaway Apex; PXG 0317X; Tour Edge Hot Launch C522 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Pro; Proto-Concept C05; PXG 0311 P Gen 4 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Cobra LTDx; Srixon ZX4; Titleist T300 | SUPER GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Cobra T-Rail; XXIO 12; Wilson Launch Pad

Peter Lee

Age: 54: Handicap: 9: Driver swing speed: 97; Driver distance: 245; 7-iron swing speed: 80; 7-iron distance: 156
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Ping G425 Max; PXG 0811 XF | FAIRWAY WOODS: Mizuno ST-X; Ping G425 Max; TaylorMade Stealth | HYBRIDS: Callaway Rogue ST Pro; Cobra LTDx; Ping G425 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Callaway Apex; Ping i525; PXG 0311P | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Apex DCB; Callaway Rogue ST Max: Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metal | SUPER GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Max OS; PXG 0211Z; Titleist T400

Gary Abbott

Age: 34; Handicap: 15; Driver swing speed: 98; Driver distance: 235; 7-iron swing speed: 81; 7-iron distance: 153
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Ping G425 Max; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist TSi3 | FAIRWAY WOODS: Cobra LTDx Max; TaylorMade Stealth; TaylorMade Stealth Plus | HYBRIDS: Ping G425; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist TSi2 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Callaway Apex; TaylorMade P790; Titleist T200 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Max: Ping G425: TaylorMade Stealth | SUPER GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Max OS; Cleveland Launcher XL Halo; Titleist T400

Dan Lupo

Age: 29; Handicap: 14; Driver swing speed: 97; Driver distance: 225; 7-iron swing speed: 87; 7-iron distance: 160
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Ping G425 Max; PXG 0811XF; Titleist TSi3 | FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway; Rogue ST Max; Cobra LTDx; TaylorMade Stealth | HYBRIDS: Cobra King Tec; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist TSi1 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Cobra King Forged Tec; PXG 0311P Gen 4; TaylorMade P•790 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: PXG 0311XP Gen 4; TaylorMade Stealth; Titleist T300 | SUPER GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Max OS; Titleist T400; XXIO 12

Alex Reinhart

Age: 37; Handicap: 12; Driver swing speed: 102; Driver distance: 248; 7-iron swing speed: 82; 7-iron distance: 160
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Ping G425 LST; TaylorMade Stealth | FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Cleveland Launcher XL Halo; Titleist TSi3 | HYBRIDS: Cobra LTDx; Mizuno CLK; TaylorMade Stealth Plus | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Cobra King Forged Tec; Ping i525; Titleist T200 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: PXG 0311 XP Gen4; Cleveland Launcher XL; Mizuno JPX921 Hot Metal | SUPER GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Max OS; PXG 0211 Z; XXIO Prime

Wei Mao

Age: 51; Handicap: 15; Driver swing speed: 90; Driver distance: 220; 7-iron swing speed: 78; 7-iron distance: 145
TOP CLUBS (in alphabetical order)
DRIVERS: Callaway Rogue ST Max; Titleist TSi2; TaylorMade Stealth | FAIRWAY WOODS: Callaway Rogue ST Max D; Srixon ZX; Tour Edge Exotics E722 | HYBRIDS: Ping G425; Srixon ZX; Tour Edge Exotics E722 | PLAYERS DISTANCE IRONS: Callaway Apex; Ping i525; Proto-Concept C05 | GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Apex DCB; XXIO X; TaylorMade Stealth | SUPER GAME IMPROVEMENT IRONS: Callaway Rogue ST Max OS; PXG 0211 Z; Titleist T400

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The post WATCH: Inside the Hot List — Our testers reveal their preferred clubs appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
It wasn’t the Duel in the Sun but it was a duel in the sun as Cameron Smith fended off Jon Rahm birdie for birdie over the final nine to not only win the Sentry Tournament of Champions, but set an all-time 72-hole PGA Tour scoring record in relation to par at 34 under par.

Smith and Rahm each birdied Nos. 13 through 15 at Kapalua’s Plantation Course on Sunday, then parred the next two holes before matching birdies at the par-5 18th to give Smith with a one-shot margin of victory.

Without a bogey over his final 52 holes, Smith had many facets of his game working. The 28-year-old ranked second in strokes gained/off-the-tee, picking up more than 3.5 strokes on the field while also ranking fourth in driving distance at 302.6 yards. Smith’s strokes-gained mark was aided nicely by driving the green on the short par-4 14th hole, using his 10-degree Titleist TSi3 driver with a Fujikura Ventus Blue 60x shaft.

Smith also hit 86.1 percent of his greens in regulation. His irons are Titleist’s T100 in an all-black configuration, including the heads and shafts. When the Aussie did miss a green, he got up and down 80 percent of the time with his Titleist Vokey SM9 wedges—a model just recently introduced to the company’s tour staff.

Smith’s ability to get up and down is not only a testament to his short game and putting (he led the field in strokes gained/putting as well as putts per green in regulation) but also his grit.

“I’m a resilient guy,” the now four-time PGA Tour winner told Golf Digest in 2019. “It all stems from these words my dad told me. ‘Some days are diamonds, some days are duck s—.’ When things are going bad, I sometimes recall those words. It’s such a good terminology for golf, which can be so brittle. You wake up one day and can’t miss a shot and then the next day you feel like you’re playing like a 20-handicapper. Things tend to go up and down all the time and sometimes it’s helpful to just remind yourself of that.”

At Kapalua, there was a lot more up than down.

What Cameron Smith had in the bag at the Sentry Tournament of Champions:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (Fujikura Ventus Blue 60x), 10 degrees
3-wood: Titleist TSi2, 15 degrees
7-wood: Titleist TS2, 21 degrees
Irons (3): Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi; (5-9): Titleist T100; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM9
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (52, 56, 60 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist 009M

The post The clubs Cameron Smith used to win the 2022 Sentry Tournament of Champions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
Collin Morikawa won his second major championship on Sunday at Royal St. George’s, going bogey-free over his final 31 holes with some incredible scrambling and putting to edge Jordan Spieth by two shots with a final-round 66.

Morikawa thrust himself into the mix with a seven-birdie, one-bogey 64 in the second round and won the game’s oldest championship simply by playing a restrained game that belies his mere 24 years of age. While Oosthuizen made an early bogey at the fourth and then compounded matters with a skulled sand shot on the easy par-5 seventh that led to a damaging bogey 6 (only the fifth made on the hole all day), Morikawa stitched together a parade of pars early and then made Oosthuizen pay even more for his transgressions by nipping a nifty little pitch shot to within inches of the hole on the seventh for a tap-in birdie, turning a tie into a two-shot advantage. Another birdie on the eighth pushed the lead to three, and though Spieth cut the lead to one on the back nine, Morikawa made timely up and downs time and again, including a long birdie putt over the mound on the 14th green.

Morikawa made a number of key equipment changes before The Open. Chief among them was switching his TaylorMade P730 7-iron through 9-iron to the company’s P7MC model. The change was made specifically because the soles of the P7MC short irons produced better turf interaction on the firm links fairways. Sunday after playing in the Scottish Open Morikawa called Adrian Rietveld, senior manager, tour for TaylorMade, to try to figure out why his irons were behaving the way they were. “He felt he was not striking his short irons as flush as he usually does,” said Reitveld. For a superb ball-striker such as Morikawa, that’s an issue. After thinking about the issue, Reitveld came to the conclusion it might be the sole geometry on the P730 blades versus the P7MC.

“The P7MC has marginally less heel relief on the leading edge and a touch less bounce,” said Reitveld. “That should help deliver the club more flush.

“Collin got here Monday and we started testing. The MCs were launching higher but the sound was noticeably different on the strike. It is apparent with a ball-striker like Collin. He was able to shape his shots and get more control and consistency until the pitching wedge. That was working fine so he didn’t change that club. But on the 7-, 8-, 9-irons if you closed your eyes and just listened to the strike you could hear the difference.”

Despite the mixed set, Morikawa stayed with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts throughout.

Reitveld also noted that Morikawa cracked his 3-wood in Scotland and a new head needed to be employed. Morikawa also changed his lob wedge, using TaylorMade’s Milled Grind Hi-Toe, a 60-degree club with seven degrees of bounce.

Morikawa’s TP Juno putter also received a tweak. Morikawa noticed how much slower the greens are versus a typical week on the PGA Tour and was struggling to get the ball to the hole last week in Scotland. As such, he tested different putter head weights and ended up removing the pair of 2.5-gram sole weights and replaced them with two 7.5-gram weights in his TP Juno blade, providing 10 grams more heft to help get the ball rolling more.

A lot of changes that added up to a winning combination.

The clubs Collin Morikawa used at the Open Championship:

Ball: TaylorMade TP5
Driver: TaylorMade SIM (Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 70 TX), 8 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade SIM, 14 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade SIM2, 19 degrees
Irons (4): TaylorMade P770; (5-9): TaylorMade P7MC; (PW): TaylorMade P730
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 2 (50 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM8 (56 degrees); TaylorMade MG2 Hi-Toe (60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

The post The clubs Collin Morikawa used to win at Royal St. George’s appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It has been two years since the last models were introduced and while the company, as per its custom, is mum on details at this time, it is part of its long-held seeding and validation process with its players. The prototype balls will be delivered to players’ lockers at TPC Summerlin this week, and the process will continue over several months as the company seeks feedback from the game’s best on its latest product.

TPC Summerlin is where Titleist’s original Pro V1 prototypes were first introduced to PGA Tour players. Billy Andrade was one of 47 players who immediately put the ball in play that week, marking a seismic shift toward multilayer, urethane-covered golf balls.

If previous models are a guide, expect the Pro V1 to be a three-piece multilayer ball (single core, mantle layer and cover) and the Pro V1x to be a four-piece multilayer ball (dual core, mantle layer and cover). From photos provided by the company, the sidestamp has non-solid arrows pointing in two directions. Another detail given history is this: expect a number of players to switch over—quickly.

The post Titleist introduces prototype Pro V1 and Pro V1x to PGA Tour staff at the Shriners appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
Hudson Swafford hadn’t won since the 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge, but he was attempting to do so at the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship with eight of the same clubs he had en route to winning in his first PGA Tour victory.

Chief among them is the Ping S55 6-iron that he stuffed to seven feet on the 174-yard par-3 17th, and he then converted the putt with his TaylorMade Spider X Chalk mallet to regain the lead he had kicked away over the final nine. Swafford had held a commanding lead before double bogeying the 13th hole and bogeying the 15th, putting him in a temporary three-way tie with Tyler McCumber and Mackenzie Hughes.

“It was like the shot at 17 at PGA West when I won,” said Swafford of the tee shot at the 71st hole on Sunday. “I was like man, you gotta step up and I hit a good, flighted 6-iron. I’ve done it 100,000 times. I love hitting that golf shot and man, it was a good one and an even better putt.”

Although that proved to be the deciding birdie for win No. 2, Swafford hit another brilliant long iron into the 565-yard par-5 fourth that led to an eagle. Swafford’s Ping G400 driver also served him well as he averaged 329 yards for the week (ranked T-13) while hitting 78.6 percent of his fairways, ranking 18th in the field.

Still, Swafford, who had not three-putted all week and needed to convert a nervy six-footer for the win, which Swafford managed to make for a one-stroke victory over McCumber.

The clubs Hudson Swafford had in the bag at the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Ping G410 LST (Aldila NV 2KXV), 8.5 degrees
3-wood: Ping i25, 14 degrees
5-wood: Ping i25, 18 degrees
Irons (4-9): Ping S55; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM8
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (52, 55 degrees); TaylorMade Milled Grind Hi Toe (60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Chalk

The post The clubs Hudson Swafford used to win the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
When Stewart Cink won the 2009 Open Championship, along with being remembered for Tom Watson’s amazing run at the title at age 59, it also marked Cink’s first major championship. Unfortunately for Cink, it also was his last PGA Tour victory until he captured the 2020-21 season-opening Safeway Open in Napa, Calif.

Cink shot back-to-back rounds of 65 to hold off Harry Higgs and a plethora of others for his first PGA Tour win in 4,074 days.

On the front nine Cink converted four short birdie putts before rolling in a 20-footer on No. 11. Despite being 47 years old, Cink was able to average 315.6 yards off the tee and took a lot of pressure off by hitting 61 of 72 greens in regulation for an 84.72 percent clip.

Cink’s driver is Ping’s G410 LST, the company’s low-spinning version of its G410 driver family. Cink also uses Ping’s i210 irons with the interesting configuration of the set running all the way to his gap wedge, something common to everyday golfers but rarely seen on the PGA Tour. In another nod to the everyman, Cink also carries a 20.5-degree Ping G410 7-wood to go with a 13.5-degree G410 3-wood.

It’s unclear whether Cink hit the 3-wood or the 7-wood into the 72nd hole from 254 yards out (although judging by the height of the shot, it would be difficult to elevate a 13.5-degree club that much), but it helped deliver a crucial shot in deciding the tournament in setting up a finishing birdie—even if it was a long time coming.

What Stewart Cink had in the bag at the 2020 Safeway Open:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Ping G410 LST (Graphite Design Tour AD XC), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Ping G410, 13.5 degrees
7-wood: Ping G410, 20.5 degrees
Irons (4-iron through gap wedge): Ping i210
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (58, 60 degrees)
Putter: Ping Vault 2.0 Ketsch

The post The clubs Stewart Cink used to win the 2020 Safeway Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But in a way, the experimental ball that was the EXP·01 yielded a new ball that typifies what Titleist balls seem to always have been: a product engineered for a specific type of player’s needs. That product is the new Tour Speed, the first Titleist ball ever to feature a thermoplastic urethane [TPU] cover. It’s aimed at golfers looking for distance with a healthy dose of the tour ball greenside spin that ionomer [Surlyn] balls just can’t produce. Tour Speed also is targeting a price point a notch closer to affordability compared to the balls the best players in the world have been using.

Titleist’s urethane cover balls, the dominant Pro V1 family and the AVX, utilize a thermoset cast urethane cover. Over the years, Titleist engineers have strongly made the case that cast urethane, and specifically its own version of cast urethane, offers the best combination of playability, spin and feel for short game shots. Thermoplastic urethane is a more affordable alternative, but developing it for the Tour Speed wasn’t simply a cost-cutting exercise. According to Titleist golf ball product manager Michael Fish, “Our R&D and Ops team tested hundreds of TPU formulations and additive combinations to make sure this was the right one for our standards. The reason it took as many years for us to get to a place where we felt comfortable bringing it to market is because they did find quality issues with a lot of TPUs, whether it was the performance or even just the appearance.

“But it’s not just the TPU, it’s the entire construction of the golf ball.”

That deep digging [the company says it has 42 percent of all golf ball patents issued since 2012 and it added a special wing to its ball-making operations in New Bedford, Mass. just to produce the TPU cover on the Tour Speed] was focused on finding a way to make a ball that answered multiple performance attributes, starting with distance but with spin a close second.

“We spent a lot of time talking with golfers that played products in this space,” Fish said. “We look at this golfer as kind of the savvy selector. They know they want the performance of a golf ball that’s really good, they just want to spend say ten dollars less.”

The TPU process allows that affordability but it also allows for a distinct distance proposition, Fish said. That comes from a three-piece construction that features a new mantle, or casing layer, that uses the company’s most resilient ionomer, and a core that works with the mantle to produce ball speed and lower spin for better distance with the longer clubs. That formulation grew from the EXP·01 but Tour Speed isn’t simply EXP·01 with a different sidestamp. Tour Speed reflects tweaks in all aspects, including the 346 quadrilateral dipyramid dimple design and of course the cover formulation.

“Those changes don’t happen without a ton of work, and much of that came out of the test market with EXP·01,” he said. Fish also said extensive short-game testing of unmarked balls at the company’s research facility with its 100-yard-long green and the supervision of Titleist’ veteran tour rep Fordie Pitts indicated how important that performance aspect was in the design.

Tour Speed is set to arrive in stores Aug. 7 [$40 a dozen].

The post New Titleist Tour Speed is something completely different and yet distinctly the same appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
Justin Thomas won the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational with a final-round 65 and with it returned to No. 1 in the world.

Thomas worked his way back to the top spot in golf by capitalising on a strong iron game that saw him rank first in strokes gained/tee-to-green and second in strokes gained/approach-the-green, picking up more than 7.5 strokes on the field with the latter. On Sunday, Thomas made six birdies, four of them coming after approach shots that came to rest inside of 10 feet.

Thomas’ iron set is comprised of Titleist’s 620 MB irons (that replaced the 718 MB’s he had been using) that he uses for his 5-through 9-iron in a split set with the company’s T100 4-iron. The grips are Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet. Thomas’ steady play led to just six bogeys for the week against 19 birdies, with only one bogey in three of the rounds.

Although Thomas was not among the leaders in driving distance (ranked T-44), he did manage to hit over 70 percent of his fairways for the week, primarily using his 9.5-degree Titleist TS3 with a Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60 TX shaft or his TS3 3-wood. Thomas worked with Titleist’s tour team this week on tightening the dispersion in his 3-wood, resulting in a shaft change to Mitsubishi’s Tensei Blue AV Raw 85 from the Tensei Blue CK 80 he had been playing.

What Justin Thomas had in the bag at the WGC-FedEx Invitational:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Titleist TS3 (Mitsubishi Diamana ZF 60TX), 9.5 degrees
3-wood: Titleist TS3, 15 degrees
5-wood: Titleist 915 Fd, 18 degrees
Irons (4): Titleist T100; (5-9): Titleist 620 MB; (PW): Titleist Vokey SM7
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (52 degrees); Titleist Vokey SM8 (57, 60 degrees).
Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist X5

The post Winner’s Bag: Justin Thomas at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
That Daniel Berger won the Charles Schwab Challenge really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Berger’s game was trending nicely when the PGA Tour’s season was suspended after the first round of the Players Championship. In fact, Berger had straight three top-10s heading into the Players with a T-9 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open; T-5 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and T-4 at the Honda Classic.

Still, Berger’s win in overtime against Collin Morikawa wasn’t merely a continuation of Berger’s fine play from earlier in the year. Berger has put a renewed emphasis on working on his short game and also had some time to heal up during the hiatus, something that was on display as he got up-and-down on the first extra hole, which proved the difference when Morikawa missed a short putt that would have extended the tournament.

“It was kind of a nice little refresher,” Berger said of the break. “I had played a lot of golf leading up to that point and still battling a little bit of that finger [and] wrist injury, so it was nice to have a month or two off to kind of let that heal, but overall I feel great. I’m just happy to be back.”

Back in the winner’s circle as well. Berger used a reliable iron game with a split set of irons that have some mileage on them. His Callaway Apex 3-iron is from 2016 and his TaylorMade MC 11 4-iron through pitching wedge date back to 2011. Berger used the irons to hit 77.78 percent of his greens in regulation. Coupled with some strength off the tee, averaging 306.1 yards with his Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero driver, Berger had enough for the win.

“I wanted it more than I ever wanted it before,” Berger told CBS afterwards. “It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

What Daniel Berger had in his bag at the Charles Schwab Challenge:

Ball: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (Fujikura Ventus 6x Black), 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Callaway Epic Flash
Irons (3): Callaway Apex 16; (4-PW): TaylorMade MC Forged 11
Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy Forged (50, 56 degrees); Callaway Mack Daddy 4 (60 degrees)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Chalk

The post Winner’s Bag: Daniel Berger’s equipment at the Charles Schwab Challenge appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
The worst-kept equipment secret in golf has been made official.

Months after putting a competing manufacturer’s clubs in play, Justin Rose has split from Honma. The two sides confirmed the news in a joint statement.

“For over a year, Justin worked closely with our team to help develop innovative and top–performing lines of Honma woods and irons,” John Kawaja, president of Honma Golf North America, said in a release. “His pursuit of perfection, approach to product testing and feedback has produced great value to Honma.”

Added Rose: “I am hopeful that during our time of partnership, we have laid the groundwork for Honma to continue to expand their brand. We both feel it is the right time to pursue our own paths.”

The marriage between Rose and Honma was short-lived. The former No. 1 signed with the Japanese-based company in 2019, instantly becoming their most significant endorsement in the brand’s history. In his second event using Honma products, Rose won the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open. However, he fell from the top spot in the OWGR rankings to No. 14 in less than a year. At the 2020 Honda Classic, Rose showed up with a TaylorMade driver; when he reached Bay Hill, there was not a single piece of Honma equipment in his bag.

Prior to Honma, Rose spent 20 years with TaylorMade. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Englishman played a TaylorMade TP5 ball, 10.5-degree TaylorMade SIM driver, 15-degree TaylorMade SIM Max fairway wood, Cobra Speedzone Pro 17.5-degree 5-wood; his old TaylorMade P730 irons (4-PW) and two TaylorMade Milled Grind 2.0 wedges (52, 56 degrees) along with a Titleist Vokey lob wedge and an Axis 1 putter.

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