Heading into Major #1 at Augusta, I decided to head to San Antonio and get some intel on any last-minute switches being made. Like last year, the story remains the same: most of the bags are already cooked.
YES, usually there is that last-minute request for a 5/7-wood or a cranked-up 4-iron to get at some of the par-5s, but in all honesty, most of our bags are already set up that way. To take it even further, ANGC doesn’t require it as much as it used to. WHY?
- These guys are LONG (across the bag), and having a high-lofted 3-wood, 7-wood, or UW and a stronger 4-iron has already been a thing for the whole year.
- ANGC, with its recent changes, requires less of a need for a club that draws, except for the #10 tee shot, which requires a snap hook to chase it all the way down. Most of the driver shots are just high nukes, and all these guys can hook a 3-wood at 165-170 ball speed.
Phil was the last staff member that really played into those types of changes, which was unreal to track for a gear junky like me. But oh well. Fond memories nonetheless.
Wanna see some big switches? Wait for Troon in JULY.
Odysseys Cody Hale, Tour Performance Rep Johnny Thompson, and Tour Techs Greg Shaw and Simon Wood were on-site at TPC San Antonio.
Harry Hall has some horsepower at the top of the bag.
Harry added the new TD U to replace his 3-wood. The idea was to give Harry something he could trap off the floor and was hot enough off the tee to stay in that 165-170MPH window. The TD U was created to give players who may not love the look or performance of a traditional 3-wood something a bit more versatile. FYI, it’s still an experiment, so we won’t see these on shelves anytime soon, if ever. Harry has the only one in play.
*specs will get updated soon
Harry also added a new Apex Pro UT 23 to the bag. The new 4-iron replacement gaps a bit better off his Apex UW 21. Simon Wood also ground a bit off the sole to reduce the bounce and blend in with the rest of his Apex MBs.
Nico Hojgaard puts Ai-Smoke TD+ and Proto 3-wood (back) in the bag.
Nico switched back to his Paradym for the Florida swing but finally found a set-up in Ai-Smoke that eliminated the right miss he was fighting before. The new head has slightly more loft and is set to S/D to encourage a more left-start line. I’m seeing a lot more TDs this year in D and +1. That head has a right start bias, which is optimal for some (players that hit it straight like Xander, basically), but the hard cutters (left start line) need extra gear to combat the miss that starts a bit straighter and moves right. In D or +1, the miss and spin are substantially better.
Specs: Ai-Smoke TD+ (10.4, 12GB, 57 lie)
Shaft: MCA Tensei White 1K (45 EOG, Tipped 1, D3.3)
This one is pretty simple compared to his AiS TD HL from previous weeks. The “T” head allows Nico to really pound down on it off the floor, and the camber in the sole gets him through the turf perfectly. The AiS TD from before tended to spin a bit too much with a steeper angle of attack. The “T” with its deeper face and modified sole gets more face on the ball and doesn’t float on mishits.
Specs: Ai-Smoke TD T HL (16.6@15.6, 59 lie, 14GF)
Shaft: MCA Tensei White 1K (42.5 EOG, Tipped 1.75, D3.6)
Cool Tour Sauce:)
