Welcome to GOLF’s Fully Equipped’s new weekly Tour equipment report. Each Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh will run you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.
With just 24 players, the Ryder Cup isn’t your usual PGA Tour circus. And that leads to a very unique situation for the gearheads.
While the build-outs are still enormous, one way the production is scaled back is instead of the armada of double-decker Tour trucks, just one truck is present at a U.S. Ryder Cup. As has been the case for every home Ryder Cup since 1999, that honor falls to True Temper’s Tour truck.
So why is True Temper’s truck the only one at the Ryder Cup. Well, not only is the field much more limited than a typically 144- or 156-man event, but all of these guys are typically already dialed when it comes to gear.
The 24 players at a Ryder Cup are the best players in the world — including U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley, the top 16 players are at Bethpage this week — and will typically stick with what got them there. No players are really testing any new gear this week and any changes will have been made in the weeks prior, like Rory McIlroy putting in new MG5 wedges at the Irish Open.
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That said, there are still plenty of mundane items that need to be taken care of, such as regripping and loft and lie checks. Instead of giving an honor to one specific OEM, True Temper’s truck offers a more nonpartisan option, and the fact that they carry the iron shafts for all but six of the 24 players (including 11 of 12 U.S players!) doesn’t hurt either.
Collin Morikawa’s putter circus continues
There is one player who is breaking in a new club this week and the name and the club shouldn’t surprise anyone given recent weeks.
Collin Morikawa is quickly putting together a gear sicko hall-of-fame run of putter swaps.
Two weeks after leading the debut edition of this column, Collin Morikawa is back at it again with a new flatstick, although you may have to look closer to actually spot the difference.
Morikawa is sticking with the same look in a TaylorMade Spider Tour V center shaft prototype like he used two weeks ago at the Procore Championship, but this putter features a fly mill insert. The putter in Napa featured a black Pure Roll insert.
Compared to the Pure Roll, the fly mill insert, which is also the same insert junior sensation Miles Russell uses, is going to feel a bit firmer and have a bit more ball speed off the face. Morikawa likely felt the Pure Roll insert was just too soft.
For those tracking at home, this marks putter change No. 7 for Morikawa, who started the year with the TaylorMade TP Soto he’s used for most of the past three years.
Morikawa has actually had this new Spider Tour V for a while while he was testing out different options. The specs are mostly the same as the putter he used in Napa save for slightly more loft and slightly flatter lie angle.
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Spider Tour V Center Shaft
Length: 34.5″
Lie: 71˚
Loft: 3°
Insert: Fly mill
Alignment aid: True path with single dot
Shaft: KBS stepless chrome
Grip: Superstroke Tour 2.0
Why golf ball pairings aren’t as key as they used to be
One of the biggest decisions around Ryder Cup pairings used to be around what golf ball everyone played.
However, as has been the case for nearly 20 years, the one-ball rule is not in effect anymore, allowing players to use a loophole of switching balls each hole in foursomes play based on who is hitting the tee shot or approach shot.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry did this at the 2024 Zurich Classic when they won the team event, with Lowry saying at this year’s tournament that the differences are only really on approach shots.
“We could either use either, but it’s foursomes — like we played a lot of foursomes growing up, obviously Ryder Cups and stuff, so you kind of figure out how to do it,” Lowry said of the switching strategy in April. “You drive each other’s golf ball and then, because driving is not the issue. Especially when it gets windier, the wind is swirling, you want to have control of your ball.
Some players also just don’t mind playing someone else’s golf ball, as Johnny Wunder pointed out on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped.
“Some players didn’t care, like Rambo literally doesn’t care,” Wunder said. “Like he’s like, if one guy’s hell bent on playing his ball, I literally will play anything. But modern times, you know, if Rambo tees off, they’re going to play his ball.”
Other players might switch back to a ball they previously used, like in the case of Rory McIlroy, who will be paired with Tommy Fleetwood in Friday morning’s opening foursomes session. McIlroy switched to TaylorMade’s softer TP5 earlier this season, but he’ll likely use Fleetwood’s TP5X, the ball he played last season.
Much was made about who Bryson DeChambeau might pair up with based on his unique golf ball demands. That question was answered when it was revealed he would be in Friday’s first foursomes match with Justin Thomas. Both JT and DeChambeau play a version of the Titleist Pro V1x with DeChambeau playing the ’25 and Thomas playing the ’23 model. Those might be similar enough balls that they chose one or simply let whoever hits approach shots play their own ball.
Check this out
This section is dedicated to one cool photo we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out this sampling of the European team’s wedge stampings.
1 cool stat
One gear-related stat for the week.
Ben Griffin is playing his 2025 Maxfli Tour X golf ball this week, marking the first time in 28 years that the company has had a golf ball presence at the Ryder Cup. Fred Couples was the last player to play a Maxfli golf ball in the biennial matches in 1997.
Odds and Ends
Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.
Despite the heavy rain on Thursday, Vokey revealed that five different low-bounce lob wedge grinds will be in play this week: .06K, T, M, K* and L … Ben Griffin tested a Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi 2-iron this week, but ultimately didn’t game it due to the wet conditions … In non-Ryder Cup news, noted fader of the golf ball, Min Woo Lee, added Callaway’s Elyte Triple Diamond Tour Draw head to the bag last week in France and led the field in driving accuracy and was second in SG: off-the-tee in a T5 showing.
3 things you should read
A selection of GOLF articles from the past week that may interest you.
We already have a tie at the Ryder Cup | What driver shafts are in play this week? – Jake Morrow breaks down Team USA and Team Europe’s driver shaft usage this week at Bethpage Black and why most players really belong to Team Ventus or Team Diamana.
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This golf ball sells out every time. But why? – Titleist’s Pro V1 Left Dot golf ball has amassed a cult following, and the latest batch is already sold out. So why isn’t it a retail option?
Michael Kim just earned this new putter’s 3rd worldwide win – Last week’s DP World Tour winner, Michael Kim was in his second week since switching to a new Spider ZT putter. It’s the third worldwide win for the new low-torque option this season.
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