Mystery hybrid, new wedges & drivers at AmEx

Welcome to Wall-to-Wall Equipment, the Monday morning gear wrap-up through which GOLF gear editor Jonathan Wall takes you thru the most recent tendencies, rumors, and breaking information. This week’s Wall-to-Wall is dropped at you by Jonathan’s accomplice in gear nerdiness, GOLF senior gear editor Ryan Barath, who was on the bottom within the desert to carry you all of the information from the American Express.

New Vokey wedges in all places

There is nothing fairly like a Vokey wedge launch, and with nearly half the gamers on the PGA Tour utilizing at least one Vokey-designed wedge, you may wager that it’s a busy week for tour reps. We obtained to witness firsthand simply how a lot element goes into launching this many golf equipment on Tour at as soon as, and it’s an impressively synchronized ballet of suggestions, changes and plenty of golf balls being hit.

Even Mr. Vokey was available speaking to gamers in regards to the wedges and dealing with the tour crew to get gamers dialed in.

Rickie Fowler testing Darkspeed and 3D-printed wedge

We noticed Rickie Fowler testing an all-new Cobra Darkspeed LS on the vary towards his gamer Aerojet, and we took word of the distinctive vertical markings made to the face of the motive force.

When requested in regards to the traces, Fowler mentioned he was utilizing them as a visible assist to assist align the face at handle — and primarily based on the tee marks he didn’t appear to be having many points.

Based on pictures throughout match play, it seems to be like Rickie put the new LS into play at the AmEx, and we’ll need to examine again in throughout his subsequent occasion to see if it has earned a everlasting spot.

(Be certain to take a look at our newest absolutely outfitted robotic insights video under to learn how the all-new Darkspeed stacks up.)

Speaking of everlasting, one other cool piece of substances Fowler had within the bag was a new 3D-printed lob wedge designed to duplicate the precise sole geometry of his earlier favourite customized grind Cobra wedge. Beyond the manufacturing technique, the wedge itself is nothing overly totally different than earlier wedges he’s used, it’s simply that it helps make sure that Rickie will get a wedge that performs precisely how he expects anytime he wants to exchange it.

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Maverick McNealy utilizing TaylorMade irons

Several gamers on the PGA Tour have a popularity for actually moving into the weeds relating to golf equipment, and though his title may not leap proper to the highest of golf followers’ minds, Maverick McNealy certain does like to tinker with iron units.

His latest irons are a set of TaylorMade P7TWs 3-PW loaded up with lead tape, and contemplating the truth that Maverick performed with closely influenced by Tiger Woods Nike VR blades earlier than becoming a member of Callaway’s workers, these are the following logical step from a design perspective.

The solely factor that makes this a bit uncommon is that Callaway has made a number of prototype units up to now and it had seemed like he had discovered a winner.

Old golf equipment in play

Even although there have been quite a lot of new golf equipment in play this week in Palm Springs, a number of gamers had older golf equipment within the bag, with the standouts belonging to James Hahn along with his 15-year-old Adams Idea Pro Black MB irons.

Other units embody Brandt Snedeker’s J15CBs, Chad Ramey’s unique P750s and Daniel Berger’s 2010 TaylorMade MC irons, which had been among the oldest on tour till Hahn broke out the Adams set. We must also point out that Jason Day continues to make use of a full set of TaylorMade P760s, which is similar mannequin iron that Rory rotates out and in of the lengthy iron spot in his bag.

White Mizuno drivers

It was solely final week that Grayson Murray received in Hawaii utilizing a Mizuno ST-X 230 driver, and this week on the vary we noticed the tour reps carrying round a white model of the motive force. We can’t make certain, however contemplating that Mizuno has accomplished restricted version paint jobs up to now, and the yearly PGA Show is arising this week in Orlando, the pinnacle we noticed on the vary might be a precursor to an upcoming restricted launch.

Even Mizuno ST-Z consumer Keith Mitchell was giving it a strive on the vary Tuesday.

Not too many of those UW’s kicking round

As a gear nerd contained in the ropes, one of many questions I get most frequently is “Do tour players get different clubs than regular golfers?” and most often, the reply is an easy no. But generally it’s true, particularly relating to customized putters, or one thing like this Callaway Ai Smoke triple diamond U (utility wooden).

The greatest differentiator for this mannequin in comparison with the retail choice is the adjustable hosel that takes a loft sleeve so the membership could be customized match utilizing a standard adjustable wrench, slightly than having to manually bend the hosel, which may end up in breakage.

As of proper now, there aren’t any plans to launch this membership to the general public, and contemplating the smaller head and low loft choice, it’s most likely greatest that it’s stored that method.

New Scotty Cameron putters debut

The Vokey Wedge crew wasn’t the one a part of the Titleist crew conserving busy at the AmEx, as a result of Scotty Cameron additionally debuted their full line of new Phantom putters that includes resigned geometry and alignment aids.

Beyond the alignment and geometry updates, one of many greatest items of suggestions I heard from the Scotty Cameron reps was that the new Phantom mallets have a softer sound and influence really feel than earlier generations, with out decreasing the required quantity of suggestions. Considering what number of putters had been there at the tip of Wednesday in comparison with the start of the week, you must anticipate to see much more of those in gamers’ golf luggage.

Notes and report from Dubai

This week was the primary Rolex Series occasion on the DP World Tour, and to kick off 2024 the place he began 2023, Rory McIlroy received by one shot over Adrian Meronk to notch back-to-back wins for TaylorMade Qi10 fashions on the DP World Tour.

It must also be famous that The Hero Dubai Desert Classic is just the second week that McIlroy has put TaylorMade’s new TP5X golf ball into play. It’s fairly laborious to argue with the outcomes.

Here are the remainder of the TaylorMade golf equipment in Rory’s bag:
Driver: Qi10 9 diploma
Fairway woods: Qi10 15 & 18 diploma
Irons: P760 (4-iron), Rors’ Protos (5-9 iron)
Wedges: MG4 46, 50, 54, 60
Putter: Spider Tour X
Ball: 2024 Prototype TP5x

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This was Rory’s fourth time profitable the occasion and it led to a humorous second along with his mother and pop when taking images with the trophy.

In different information from Dubai, Adam Scott put a Callaway Paradym AI Smoke driver into play and had a high 10, and final week’s winner Tommy Fleetwood put a new TaylorMade Qi10 9-wood into play as properly and completed T-14.

On the PGA Tour, Project X was exhibiting off and testing their latest Denali shaft profile, the black that gives a stiffer profile within the butt and tip sections of the shaft to assist create a extra steady feeling for golfers which have a extra aggressive transition. The Ping crew was stored busy with requests to check the new G430 Max 10K driver thanks partly to its elevated ball pace and stability on off-center hits. Last however not least, Bettinardi had a number of new putters on the apply inexperienced for testing, together with this prototype with a darkish blue end.

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Golf.com Editor

Ryan Barath is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s senior editor for gear. He has an intensive club-fitting and -building background with greater than 20 years of expertise working with golfers of all ability ranges, together with PGA Tour gamers. Before becoming a member of the workers, he was the lead content material strategist for Tour Experience Golf, in Toronto, Canada.