It’s been a while since I’ve been to a Tour event. The last was The Tour Championship, and since then, I’ve had the opportunity to spend over a month straight with my family. It’s the longest I’ve been home in over two and half years, and let me tell you, I needed it.
This particular trip started in Frisco, TX, for the Odyssey Ai-One launch event, which turned out to be a crazy success, and if the orders coming in are any indicator, I think we have the putter platform to beat going forward. We were always the industry leader in TOUR’s presence, but with this, I believe we have taken it to the next level, and it’s only the beginning.
It was then on to Palm Desert, CA, for our LARGE annual content shoot that spanned over three days. I won’t go too much into that one, but I will say 2024 will be a crazy year. More on this later.
After Palm Desert, it was off to San Francisco, CA, for a Steph Curry content shoot that I can’t wait to show everyone. The easiest way to describe Steph is…he’s a super-human. YES, we know he’s the best shooting guard in the game (maybe even the best player), but honestly, his golf game is incredible. He can get in the 180s with a driver, stripes his irons, and the best part of his game, despite all that, is his wedge play. THE GUY CAN FLAT-OUT PLAY. It’s almost not fair.
He also has the new irons I had built up for him in the bag…
His new setup looks like this
UT: Apex Pro 20@19 w/ Fujikura Ventus Black HY 10TX
Irons: Apex CB (4-6) Apex MB (7-11) w/ PX 6.5
Loft/Lie/Length: +.5 (38.5 5-iron), one up, std loft, D3
RSM Classic: I can’t tell or show exactly what was happening in Sea Island but in the midst of the covert op…I did get some interesting pics.
Fran Molinari:
He swapped in a new (old) UT from his collection to replace the Apex Hybrid he’s had in the bag for a few years. With some of the swing changes he’s been making, the hybrid started having a weird right start line. The X-forged UT started much straighter, and the carry number and spin were almost apples to apples. The only catch is he can hit the hybrid a touch higher. Kellen Watson was going to try bending the hybrid a degree upright to solve the issue potentially, but this week, Francesco is going with the UT.
Carl Yuan: The combo of all combos…Apex Pro (4) Apex CB (5-8) Apex TCB ’21 (9-PW)
Why?
“Because I just hit ’em good, and having mixed irons, grips, shafts, etc., doesn’t bother me. I’m happy as long as they go where I’m looking.”
-Carl Yuan, after being asked by me, “What the hell is this?”
The guy is an absolute legend. He needs a YouTube channel, STAT.
Kevin Yu: New Apex UW 19 (19@17, 41.5 EOG, D3) MCA Diamana PD 80TX (Tipped 1.5)
Fred Biondi: The Florida Gator showed up with a couple of gems…The Jaws MD5 “T” grind and an Apex Pro Hybrid that has seen some wars.
According to FB, the “T” grind was sitting at home, and he was looking for something with a high CG and a leading edge that sat closer to the ground when opened up. He grabbed the old “T” from college, and it’s in the bag this week.
FYI, the Hybrid shaft is a GD AD DI 95X…
Alex Noren: Nothing to comment on here…his driver setup is just very Alex Noren.
Driver: Paradym Std TOUR (8.2@7.6, 57 lie, D2, 44 3/8 EOG, Tipped 1, 9GF, 9GB) w/ Fujikura Ventus Blue TR 6X
Chris Kirk: Congratulations on winning the PGA Tour Courage Award. He takes his sobriety very seriously, and as someone who has also had to make that change, I love seeing the young man flourish.
He also put a new Apex Pro 3-iron in the bag with/ a PX LZ 125 6.5. Depending on the course, the new chicken stick will get swapped in with his 5-wood. He carries this club (20 degrees) about 235 in the air off the floor and 240 off the tee.
He also put a custom Ai-one 7CH in the bag in Mexico and told me the feel is unmatched, and the ball speed retention on long putts has been noticeable. Kirky is really excited about getting this in action even more in 2024.
Now it is time to reset and breathe, as December is always WILD for us…if you’re a gearhead, you are well aware of what happens in January:)
Happy Hunting
LFG
JDub
