Tiger finally says goodbye to the last Nike clubs in his bag
By James Savage
It has been a fun week. Myself and Mark Townsend headed out onto the course at Moor Allerton in one of the new Mizzen and Main golfing shirts as worn by Phil Mickelson.
We were keen to see if they were actually any good to play golf in but also to see what sort of reaction we had from others at the club.
We’ll update you on that in due course but feel free to join in the debate on my Twitter thread.
Me and @MarkTownsendNCG rocking the @MizzenAndMain golf shirts. Yes or no? (to the shirts, we’re both happily married, sorry) pic.twitter.com/pNoL5OkcuS
— James Savage (@JamesSavageNCG) May 30, 2018
Later in the week I tried another experiment – playing a round of golf where I wasn’t actually testing any new equipment.
“What are you testing today,” said Hillsborough’s pro Mark Allen as I walked into the pro shop.
I explained how I was simply going to play golf with the gear (clubs, ball, shoes) that I wanted to rather than using something new which I needed to write a review on.
I think the results speak for themselves.
Not sure whether to laugh or cry. But at least five years of relentless practice and unlimited access to the best and latest golf equipment is finally paying off… pic.twitter.com/upJ1t77kNU
— James Savage (@JamesSavageNCG) June 1, 2018
So in future, maybe I’ll save the equipment ‘testing’ for the driving range and casual rounds and stick to trying to shoot good scores when playing in competitions.
I’m sure the man below would agree…
Tiger Woods wedges finally updated by TaylorMade
We have been obsessing about Tiger Woods’ golf equipment for decades.
It did get a little bit boring during the height of his and Nike’s relationship but we had renewed interest when Nike decided to stop making golf clubs and balls.
He signed a deal with TaylorMade and put their woods into play but still relied on Nike irons and wedges.
Then the irons switched from the mysterious TGR prototypes to some new TaylorMade blades – TW.Phase 1, whatever that means.
But the trusty Nike Nike VR Forged remained in place. Until now.
Tiger posted on social media he was switching to the TaylorMade Milled Grind.
Excited to be back at The Memorial. New @TaylorMadeGolf #MGwedge going in the bag this week. pic.twitter.com/wq83blgY20
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 30, 2018
But as you’d expect, these aren’t the same as you’ll be able to grab from the pro shop. They have been crafted with the level of detail we have come to expect from all Tiger’s gear.
These are in a raw finish which will intentionally rust over time – just like his old Nike models.
Paul Demkowski, TaylorMade’s manager of product development, has been working closely with Tiger’s team and master club craftsman Mike Taylor to analyse the intricate geometries of Tiger’s past wedges.
The aim was to engineer a set of MG wedges that fit Tiger’s precise demands for spin, launch window, turf interaction, and bounce.
“Tiger’s wedges are very personalised and unique to him,” Demkowski said.
“So creating new wedges was especially challenging considering how comfortable he was with his prior wedges.
“Tiger has a lot of bounce in the leading edge—about 24 degrees in the 56° and 34 degrees in the 60° leading edge. This combined with a C-grind and heavy heel relief makes his grinds very unique.”
So that’s no Nike clubs at all now and he’s a Scotty Cameron putter short of having a bag full of TaylorMade gear.
I’m not sticking my neck out when I say that’s not going to change anytime soon.
To view Tiger’s full WITB for 2018 click here.
GolfBuddy VTX handheld GPS launched
We don’t have too much new equipment to write about at this time of the year (it’s the calm before the storm, trust me) but GolfBuddy have introduced a new GPS gadget.
The VTX has a full colour touch screen and ultra slim, lightweight design.
Its compact size of just 9.5cm x 5.6 cm and less than 1.5 cm deep means it slips easily into a pocket like a sleek mobile phone.
It has over 38,000 pre-loaded courses and displays distance to front, centre and back of green, all hazards and full hole view including golfer’s position.
It has a 15-hour battery life and has the option of having the yardages read out in a male or female voice.
SRP: £249.99
More information can be found on the Golf Buddy website.
The best wedges for 2018
James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
