A complete list of the golf equipment Billy Horschel used to win the PGA Tour’s 2024 Corales Puntacana Championship:
DRIVER:Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black TR 6 X shaft
FAIRWAY WOODS:Titleist TSi2 (15 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX shaft, (18 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80g 6.5 TX shaft
Gear: TaylorMade P·770, P·790 Copper Price: $1,499.00 (4-PW) with KBS C-Taper Lite Black shafts and Golf Pride TaylorMade Victory Copper grips” Specs: Hollow-bodied irons with 8620 carbon steel chassis, forged 4140 steel face, vibration-‘dampening foam.
Who It’s For: Golfers who love the look of vintage clubs but who also want to experience the benefits of modern, distance- and feel-enhancing technologies.
The Skinny: The TaylorMade P·770 and P·790 Copper are identical to the previously-released versions of the P·770 and P·790 but have been given retro styling and details that pay homage to TaylorMade’s 1980s offerings.
The Deep Dive: For the past few years, golf footwear makers have been revisiting popular shoes from “back in the day” and releasing updates and modern interpretations, adding better materials and technologies while trying to maintain what made the shoes appealing in the first place.
With the release of the Copper Collection, TaylorMade is doing the same thing. Two weeks ago, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper was released, complete with a throwback logo on the sole and a shaft that was cosmetically designed to harken back to the old Burner Bubble shaft from the 1990s. Now, the brand is releasing the P·770 Copper and P·790 Copper, two better-player distance irons that are identical in design to the previously-released P·770 and P·790. However, both clubs look like they would have been at home in the bags of players at Baltusrol Golf Club back in 1983 when Lee Janzen was battling Payne Stewart at the U.S. Open.
The TaylorMade Copper family, including the BRNR Mini Driver, P·790 and P·770 (TaylorMade)
Both irons feature a hollow-body design that allows the forged 4140 stainless steel faces to flex more efficiently at the moment of impact, resulting in more ball speed and distance. They also have a Speed Pocket slot in the sole that helps to enhance performance on thin shots and TaylorMade’s FLT CG system. It shifts mass inside the heads, so the center of gravity (CG) location in each iron is optimized. In the long irons, it’s lower to help get the ball up more easily, while in the scoring clubs, it is elevated to help keep the ball down for enhanced distance control.
The hollow chambers in both clubs are filled with SpeedFoam Air, a second-generation material that absorbs vibrations, enhances sound, and removes weight from the center of the club.
The smaller P·770 has a body made from 8620 carbon steel, while the P·790 has a thick-thin back wall construction to save weight.
But let’s be honest, all those performance features are available in the standard P·770 and P·790. If these clubs spark your interest, it’s because of the copper-toned finish and the retro style. You like the way copper-toned irons create a throwback look to your bag and how the old-school grips feel in your hands. You probably also like the use of TaylorMade’s original logo on the toe instead of its current logo.
TaylorMade says the copper finish will “mature over time,” but for golfers who love the throwback style of the P·770 and P·790 Copper, that will only enhance the vibe.
Below are some close-up looks at the P·770 Copper and P·790 Copper irons
The Vokey WedgeWorks Low Bounce K is designed to handle sand and tight lies for low-handicap golfers.
Gear: Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks Low Bounce K Grind wedge Price: $225 with True Temper Dynamic Gold S200 shaft and Titleist Universal grip Specs: Cast stainless steel available in 58 or 60 degrees of loft with 6 degrees of bounce Available: April 16
Who It’s For: Skilled golfers who want a low-bounce wedge for chipping and pitching from tight lies that can also perform well in greenside bunkers.
The Skinny: The Low Bounce K Grind wedge allows skilled players to get the leading edge under the ball on tight lies, while its wide sole allows it to be used as an effective bunker option.
The Deep Dive: Low-handicap golfers often envision shots around the green that most recreational golfers should avoid. Their imagination can be an asset, but they need to have the right skills and the right clubs to pull off unique shots. The just-released Vokey Design WedgeWorks Low Bounce K Grind wedge can be a club that allows highly skilled players to try special shots that some wedges simply are not designed for.
Available only as a 58- or 60-degree lob wedge, the WedgeWorks Low Bounce K Grind is made with raw carbon steel, so after the wrapping around the club is removed, the steel will rust with exposure to air and water.
From a design standpoint, it blends a wide sole, a characteristic of all K Grind wedges, with just 6 degrees of bounce.
The wide sole helps the Vokey WedgeWorks Low Bounce K Grind resist digging in the sand, making it an excellent wedge in bunkers. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The extremely wide sole design allows players to open the face in greenside bunkers and play aggressively because the bottom of the club resists digging, even in the softest sand. However, when golfers keep the Low Bounce K Grind in a square position, its extremely low bounce makes it easier to get the leading edge under the ball on chips and pitch shots to create more height and a softer landing.
While all of that versatility sounds great for everyone, using a wedge with so little bounce requires a precise strike and a high level of control, especially in soft or wet conditions around the green. For most golfers, playing a wedge that has 10 degrees of bounce (or more) can make basic short-game shots easier, but a wedge such as the Low Bounce K Grind allows skilled players who can control the leading-edge height to play shots that high-bounce wedges make more challenging.
In comparison to this new low-bounce model, Vokey has for years offered SM wedges with a standard K Grind sole that features 14 degrees of bounce – that’s the model most likely to be found at retail.
According to Bob Vokey, “Several players preferred the K Grind sole but were seeking a lower-bounce version. As a result, we crafted a sole with 6 degrees of effective bounce while maintaining the wide camber that makes the K design so effective for a wide variety of players. As soon as we brought it out on tour, it was immediately accepted and in the bags of multiple players as soon as they had a chance to test it.”
Like the standard Vokey Design SM10 wedges, the WedgeWorks Low Bounce K Grind has a high and forward center of gravity that encourages the face to square on the downswing. Each wedge’s grooves are also inspected to ensure they are as sharp as possible while remaining legal for play.
Below are several close-up images of the Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks Low Bounce K Grind wedge.
Finau was presented with a patent certificate in Ping’s PGA Tour van on Wednesday.
When he is faced with a delicate chip from the collar or an awkward shot from a few inches off the green, Tony Finau has been known to turn his putter, a Ping PLD Anser 2D, counter-clockwise in his hands and strike the ball with the toe-end of his putter, popping the ball onto the putting surface.
In fact, he loves the feeling shots like that create so much that he worked with designers and engineers at Ping to build a prototype putter that replicates the sensations of that shot and was just named as one of three people on a utility patent awarded to Ping (U.S. #11,911,670 B2) for a compact putter head. Tony Serrano, Ping’s principal putter design engineer, and John A. Solheim, the company’s president, are also on the patent.
Finau was presented with a patent certificate in Ping’s PGA Tour van on Wednesday outside the gates of Augusta National Golf Club.
“When Tony turns his putter over and hits a putt with the toe, all the mass is directly behind the ball,” Serrano said. “So he came to us and said, ‘How can we make a putter that has some of these feelings and attributes and sounds that I get when I turn this putter over?’”
That led Serrano and his team to develop a few prototypes that would give Finau what he wanted while also conforming to the USGA’s Rules of Golf and equipment standards.
Tony Finau’s compact prototype putter is shaped like a cube and replicates the feeling of hitting a putt with the toe-end of a putter. (Ping)
The putter that Finau liked and worked with Ping to develop is cube-like in shape, with a small area in the back hollowed out to create some perimeter weighting. There is also a T-shaped alignment system on the top and a plumber’s neck hosel.
“He looks at the top rail of the putter when he turns it. It’s long and right down the center and helps him align the putter with the ball,” Serrano said. The small T accomplishes the same thing and helps Finau focus on a tiny area and make solid contact more easily.
The small hosel was designed and positioned close to the grooved hitting area so that when Finau putts, his stroke has to pull the center of gravity and the putter’s weight, like a traditional putter, instead of pushing the head’s weight as Finau would do with a flipped-over putter.
“Tony said that he plays with this putter all the time,” when he is home in Utah, Serrano said. Finau has yet to use the un-named putter in a PGA Tour event, but he plans to keep using it as a training aid going forward, and Ping plans to study the tiny putter more closely to see whether attributes of it could be designed into future PLD and retail putters.
Finau realized that unless very unusual conditions arise, he was not going to hit his 3-wood off the ground.
Phil Mickelson won his second green jacket at the 2006 Masters while carrying two drivers in his bag, and it appears that big-hitting Tony Finau is planning to try to capture his first major this week at Augusta National using the same strategy.
According to Kenton Oates, a PGA Tour rep for Ping, Finau is planning to use two Ping G430 LST drivers during the 2024 Masters because, after developing his course strategy, he realized that unless very unusual conditions arise, he was not going to hit his 3-wood off the ground. Perhaps if the anticipated rain on Thursday significantly softened the turf on the par-5 eighth hole, or if the wind blew into Finau on the second shot on that hole, maybe a 3-wood would be in order, but aside from that, he was not going to need the club.
Ping G430 LST driver. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
With that in mind, Ping built Finau a second G430 LST driver, built to his 3-wood specifications. Finau’s standard driver is a 9-degree G430 LST, but it has an actual loft of 7.75 degrees and is fitted with a 45.25-inch Mitsubishi Diamana GT 70TX shaft. The stated loft of the 3-wood-replacement-driver is 10.5 degrees, but with the adjustable hosel set to the small minus position, Kenton Oates, a PGA Tour rep for Ping estimates the head has about 8.9 degrees of loft. Ping gave the short driver to him last week in Texas. Finau brought the shorter driver to Augusta with the rest of his gear this week.
“It’s probably going to give him a carry distance of about 290 yards and then roll out to about 300,” Oates said. “It’s still going to go really far. Tony was getting ball speeds with his gamer driver in the high 180s and ball speeds with the little one in the low 180s on the range this week.”
According to Oates, the increased loft and shorter shaft allow Finau to shut the face more aggressively and produce the draw-style flight. That shot shape could be very handy on the newly lengthened second hole, as well as the seventh, 10th, 13th, 14th and 17th holes, which all encourage a right-to-left shot.
Past the Masters, Oates explained, Finau and other pros may start to consider carrying two drivers more frequently because if they don’t need to play a 3-wood off the turf to reach par 5s, elite golfers could find having a draw driver and a fade driver to be an advantage worth exploring.
For decades, golf equipment brands have made special bags, headcovers and accessories for staff players to use in major championships to serve two purposes. First, at the most prestigious events, the cool gear makes it easier for companies to showcase how many players use their equipment. Second, if they are creative and appealing enough, the limited-edition items can also be sold to fans online.
This week at Augusta National Golf Club, TaylorMade staff players will be using “Season Opener” bags, headcovers and accessories designed especially for the Masters, and fans can pick up the gear on TaylorMade’s website.
The Staff Bag ($599.99) is covered in symbols, some of which are subtle, like the three gold flags with a halo near the handle that pay homage to Amen Corner (the 11th, 12th and 13th holes), while others like the azalea-patterned TaylorMade logo are easy to understand. The lining of the pockets are covered in a peach pattern.
TaylorMade also designed special-edition TP5 and TP5x Pix balls for the 2024 Masters ($59.99) that are covered in peaches instead of the orange and black diamond pattern found on the standard 2024 version of the Pix balls. According to TaylorMade, Tommy Fleetwood, who uses a TP5x Pix in competition, plans to use the Season Opener edition during this season’s Masters.
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You know about the green jacket, the back-nine charges and the pimento cheese, but did you know these things about equipment at the Masters?
Whether you are lucky enough to have a badge and plan to attend this year’s Masters Tournament in person or will be watching the action at Augusta National Golf Club from home, you already know plenty of details about the season’s first major because it is the only one that returns to the same venue every year. Green jackets, pimento cheese sandwiches, epic collapses, back-nine charges and the hole locations on Sundays – they all combine to make the Masters unique.
But there are a few things related to golf equipment that most patrons and Masters fans are unaware of, but that also make the tournament special.
No Equipment Vans on Site
At week-to-week PGA Tour events and the other three major championships, golf equipment makers like Titleist, Ping, TaylorMade, Callaway, Cobra and Cleveland/Srixon park large trucks near the practice area because technicians, fitters and other reps work closely with the players on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays as they prepare for the tournament. The vans arrive on Sunday afternoon and leave as a group shortly in the early afternoon on Wednesday to start the drive to the next event.
At the Masters, PGA Tour reps have to park trailers across the street and walk back and forth to service players. (Google Earth)
However, there are no equipment vans on-site at the Masters Tournament. The trucks park in a large lot across the street at the corner of Washington Road and Azalea Drive. The technicians and PGA Tour reps who are credentialed to work at the Masters Tournament need to cross Washington Road and then go through a special gate to gain access to the grounds, then they walk either around or through the caddie building before arriving at the practice range.
Like the patrons, the PGA Tour reps and company workers are not allowed to bring their cell phones into Augusta National, so communication can be challenging and there is a lot of walking back and forth between the practice area and the trucks.
PGA Tour reps and technicians work with players in the practice area but do not linger on the range, keeping it much more open. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Also, fitters and technicians need to be brought to the practice area by a player or requested by a player. Loitering around the range or near the practice green is not done. If business discussions need to happen, those conversations typically happen either under the massive oak tree behind the clubhouse or in a quiet place away from the practice area.
No Demos
Like the rest of us, when pros start missing putts and get frustrated, they can be tempted to look for a new putter to turn things around, and at nearly all PGA Tour events, companies leave large bags filled with demo clubs, prototypes and other putters for competitors to try. However, at the Masters Tournament, that doesn’t happen.
An assortment of Odyssey putters available for golfers to try at Riviera Country Club during the Genesis Invitational. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
There are two practice greens at Augusta National for competitors to use. There is a large one next to the driving range in the practice area, and a second putting green behind the clubhouse and just a few steps away from the first tee. Players make use of both practice greens throughout the week, but the only golf bags you will see are those being used by the players. There are no demo bags or areas with gear left for players to try at the Masters.
Unique Wedge Prep
The greens at the Augusta National Golf Club are famous for being fast and for having massive slopes and undulations. There are also tightly mowed areas where players need to chip and pitch the ball, and those factors combine to put a premium on wedge play and generating spin, so you might think that competitors use brand-new wedges at the Masters Tournament. They don’t.
In 2019, Justin Thomas had his jacket size stamped into his Titleist wedges. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
During the Florida Swing in March, PGA Tour reps who are responsible for wedges often chat with players who are already in the field at the Masters about what clubs they will want to use at Augusta National. Based on those conversations, the technicians will then either give the players what they want at a tournament or send the clubs directly to the player’s home. Next, the players will “break in” the wedges by either using them in one or two practice sessions or non-competition rounds. The goal is for the player to feel how the soles work through the turf and how the bounce feels, and to gain trust in the wedges’ performance. Once that is established, the golfers will set the broken-in wedges aside and save them for the Masters.
The TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper is designed to deliver driver-like distance with fairway wood control.
Gear: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper Price:$449.99 with UST Mamiya ProForce 65 shaft and Golf Pride TaylorMade Victory Copper grip Specs: Titanium face and chassis with carbon fiber crown, adjustable sole weights and adjustable hosel. 11.5 and 13.5-degree models
Who It’s For: Fast-swinging golfers who want an alternative to their driver off the tee but who want more forgiveness and distance than most 3-woods provide.
The Skinny: Smaller than a driver, yet much larger than a typical 3-wood, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper combines exotic materials and driver-like technologies to create a powerful alternative off the tee for elite players.
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The Deep Dive: Aside from the possible exception of a driving iron, no club in golf is more macho than a mini driver. Carrying one says to the world that there are times on the course when your driver goes too far, and, you are skilled enough to get the ball airborne with a fairway wood that has driver-like loft.
TaylorMade has quietly made mini drivers available for a few seasons. The Original One Mini debuted in 2019, and in 2021, the 300 Mini driver was released. Last year, TaylorMade offered the BRNR Mini, and a few pros, including Tommy Fleetwood, have put it in play frequently. Now, on the eve of the 2024 Masters, TaylorMade is dropping the BRNR Mini Driver Copper, a club that is virtually identical to the 2023 BRNR Mini but cosmetically pays homage to the late ’90s Burner woods.
The BRNR Mini Driver Copper’s head size is 304cc, which is 34 percent smaller than most drivers on the market today, like the 460cc TaylorMade Qi10 Max. However, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper dwarfs 3-woods like the Qi10 Max (200cc) and Qi10 Tour (170cc). The BRNR Mini Driver Copper also comes standard at 43.75 inches in length, which is a half-inch longer than those 3-woods but 2 inches shorter than a stock Qi10 LS driver and 1.75 inches shorter than a standard Qi10 Max driver.
With specifications like that, and being available only in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts, some golfers will call the BRNR Mini Driver Copper a 2-wood instead of a mini driver. Regardless of what you call it, the club is designed to excel off the tee as alternative to a driver.
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The BRNR Mini Driver Copper has a titanium face and body along with a carbon fiber crown. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The BRNR Mini Driver Copper has a titanium face and body, along with a carbon fiber crown, to create a significant amount of discretionary weight, which engineers re-purposed in the form of two sole weights. With the 13-gram weight in the front and 1.5-gram weight in the back, the BRNR Mini Driver Copper produces more ball speed, less spin and a lower launch angle. However, with the 13-gram weight in the back port and the lighter weight in the front, golfers should see an increase in both spin and launch angle, along with more stability.
The BRNR Mini Driver Copper also has Twist Face, a shot-straightening technology that debuted in 2018’s M3 and M4 drivers, and it has a Speed Pocket slot in the sole to allow the lower portion of the hitting area to flex more efficiently on low-struck shots.
If players decide to play the BRNR Mini Copper off the deck, its K-shaped sole is designed to allow the bottom of the club to skim across and over the turf more effectively. But be warned: With a deep face and large size, this club was designed to be used primarily off the tee. Fast-swinging, skilled players will be able to create enough lift to get shots up in the air, but slower-swinging players might struggle to generate enough spin to maximize carry distance.
To fine-tune the spin and trajectory, the BRNR Mini Copper comes with an adjustable hosel that allows players and fitters to increase or decrease the loft by up to 2 degrees.
Even with all those modern features and technologies, the copper accents and the font used to spell the word TaylorMade on the sole will immediately be recognizable to golfers who remember using Burner drivers and fairway woods in the 1990s. And, if you recall that turning the head cover of last season’s BRNR Mini driver inside-out revealed a fuzzy rainbow design that some players opted to use, you will be pleased to know that turning the BRNR Mini Copper’s headcover inside out reveals a fuzzy blue-patterned option you can go with.
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The updated Cleveland Fy-woods are designed to provide more distance and forgiveness than hybrids but be easier to hit than typical fairway woods.
Gear: Cleveland Halo XL Fy-woods Price: $239.99 each with Aldila Ascent PL 40 graphite shaft and Lamkin Crossline 360 grip Specs: Cast stainless steel. Available as 3+ (17 degrees) and 4+ (20 degrees)
Who It’s For: Golfers who want an easy-to-hit, distance-oriented alternative to traditional fairway woods and hybrids.
The Skinny: The updated Fy-woods are designed to provide more distance and forgiveness than hybrids but be easier to hit than typical fairway woods, making them an interesting option for moderate and slower-swinging players who want more distance at the top of their bag.
The Deep Dive: In every golfer’s bag, there are a few transitions from one type of club to another, like golfing from your last iron into your first wedge. For many players, the most challenging transition is from your last fairway wood into your longest-hitting iron. You can go with a high-lofted fairway wood like a 7-wood or a 9-wood and then go right into a 5-iron, or go with a hybrid club or even a driving iron. With the release of the updated Halo XL Fy-wood, a group of clubs designed to blend the traits of fairway woods and hybrids, Cleveland is trying to make that transition easier for golfers who typically shoot in the 90s and 100s.
Rails on the sole help the Hy-woods skim over the grass and through the turf. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The Halo XL Fy-woods are bigger than most hybrids and come standard with shafts that are longer than a corresponding hybrid, to help golfers generate more speed, but shorter than a similarly lofted fairway wood, so players should be able to make higher-quality contact more easily. The head sizes are also made to fit between those clubs, with volumes that are larger than hybrids but smaller than fairway woods.
Cleveland dropped a large portion of the crown behind the topline in the Halo XL Fy-woods. This Hi-Bore design has been used for several years to help lower the center of gravity location and encourage higher-flying shots.
Like the Halo XL fairway woods and hybrids, the Fy-wood has been designed with Rebound Frame, which adds a flexible region in the head behind the hitting area. At impact, it allows the whole face to flex back, enlarging the sweet spot and helping golfers get better performance across a larger area.
Who It’s For: Low-handicap golfers who want a compact, classic-looking blade or a better player’s cavity back iron that emphasizes feel and control.
The Skinny: The first irons from Bettinardi are crafted with the same level of precision and attention to detail that has made the brand’s putters desirable for deep-pocketed golfers for decades. For golfers who shoot in the 60s or 70s, they deliver a high level of feel and control.
The Deep Dive: Bettinardi has been known for decades as being one of the finest putter makers in golf, specializing in milled blades and mallets that look like something that might be displayed under glass at Tiffany’s next to engagement rings and diamond bracelets. Starting a few seasons ago, the Tinley Park, Illinois-based company started offering milled wedges and multi-material putters, but now the brand is offering its first pair of irons—the CB24 and MB24—and they are precisely what you might expect from Bettinardi.
The CB24 and MB24 are both forged from 1025 carbon steel for a soft feel, but Bettinardi has co-forged the inner portions of each head with high-density tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material.
The addition of the tungsten and ceramic matrix composite material allowed Bettinardi designers to shift the center of gravity (CG) location in each club, lowering it in the long irons to make them easier to hit high and elevating it in the scoring clubs to make it easier to flight the ball down for better distance control.
The perimeter weighting and extra mass low in the head add a touch of forgiveness. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
While both clubs have a compact blade length and just a touch of offset, the CB24 is a classic better-player’s cavity-back iron. Its perimeter weighting around the outside of the head should make it more stable and give it more forgiveness than the MB24, which is a true muscleback blade. Instead of perimeter weighting, the MB24 added mass directly behind the impact area to enhance ball speed and create a more solid feel at impact. The MB24 also has a slightly thinner topline, although you would have to look at the top clubs carefully, side-by-side, to notice.
In a nod to Bettinardi styling, both clubs feature the brand’s honeycomb in the back of the face.
Below are several close-up images of the new Bettinardi CB24 and MB24 irons
