Tour Equipment
 

Hi John,

I am an equipment junkie. I would love it if you could post on the equipment that you guys get to play on tour, how different it is from retail etc.

Also appreciated if you could go into how you guys are pampered by the tour reps.

Many Thanks...

Justin

tour equipment
 

well lets start by saying it is like a little kid going to toys r us.i am very old school when it comes to my clubs.i don't like to change my clubs until i wear them out.these days it is really tuff,because every 3 months it seems we have new drivers,balls,shafts and so on.i let it be known years ago if i wanted to try something new i would come to the tour rep.otherwise you would be trying something new all the time.i do all my testing while i am at home.all the tour reps respect the players not and try new products,but if they see you testing something new then its all over.it is a tuff markert out there for some of the smaller companies.the saying on tour is if it is free then give me three.
my garage is pretty slim.i have 4 extra sets of irons 6 putters,3 drivers.the only thing i have alot of is vokey wedges and 3 woods.i will show my specs and equipment i use at the bootom here.
driver-taylormade r7
3w-taylormade 200 steel
wood shafts are grafite design gat shaft s-flex tipped 2 in.
irons-mizzuno mp 33 2-w
sw 55 vokey 8 degree bounce custom made v grooves
lw-60 vokey 6 degrre bounce v grooves
putter-handmade scotty cameron looks like an old karsten co.

iron shafts s-400 2-w x-1 in sw and lw
3 degree upright half in long d-4 swingweight

everthing in my bag has been there for 4 years except the driver
golf ball original x ball

There's ProV1X and There's ProV1X
 

John,

I first heard of the difference between the Pro V1X 'original versus new' from Larry Nelson. Can you explain this to our members? Also, how does the 'original' Prov1X compare to the current ProV1? Thanks!

x ball
 

yoda i really don't know all i have ever played is the x ball.the new x is suppose to spin less with the wedges but it also spins less with the driver.the prov1 spins more than both x's.it feels a little softer with the irons.the original x is perfect for me so until titleist stops making it i will play it.hope this helped

tour clubs
 

85% of the clubs on tour are the same as you can buy retail.it is mostly putters and wedges that are custum.there is not to much custom grinding of irons anymore.there are not to many players playing blades.when i was with wilson in the old days i use to go and grind my own irons,those where the good ole days.

Thanks Mr Riegger for your insights, I have always been intrigued by the whole "Tour Preferred" deal.

I hope to be able to peek into some bags at the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines this week. Are you going to be playing?

schedule
 

not playing buick.i will be playing phoenix,la open tuscon,doral,bay hill and players.i will update if anything changes

Who's the Fairest of them Balls?
 

Yes, the 'original x' seems to be 'TOUR preferred' (among those using the 'x'). Thanks, John!

(My take):

(It will not really help an 18-handicapper at all......tour clubs DO feel heavier, sometimes feel better upon Impact (more solid), have custom face angles, are made from better quality materials....most importantly though....TOUR clubs are built for TOUR players!......

This means: higher centre of gravity...which means- LOWER SPIN for players with HIGH swing speeds....(to stop balooning).

This is absolutely great for someone who can take advantage of it.....but....

Not good AT ALL for someone who does not generate high swing speeds...

Unless they just want to look cool... :))

John: Is your 3 wood a smooth top,retail ridge top , tour issue ridge top? Do you have your shafts Pured? Did you arrive at your shaft specs by trial and error or was this determined by a fitting session where a launch monitor was used?

John Hue - a true BSG'er as well;)

Tradekid - I'll like to here Rieggers opinion on this as well.

But I have to mention that the golfsite you are referring to is run primarily as a business, which the owners mention several places on the site = It's their business to convince potential buyers that their merchandice is worth buying.

When you can see through that, it's one of the best (probably the best) sites to get info and pics of new equipment.
....and you probably know it, like a lot of the members here, you've been a member there for quite some time.

....and now back to the Riegger talk.....

Barnum was right...
 

:rolleyes:

Website?
 

Thom what website are you referring to?

my 3 wood is the new taylormade r7.i do not beleive in puring.as far as the clubs tour players use they are not any different than what you can buy.the only difference is our wedges and putters.my shafts where by trial and error from over the years.i know what it should feel like.the advancements in materials used is about the same from company to company.i have used the gat 75 from grafite design for 4 years now.golf is just like fishing,there are so many things available to choose from. the only reason new equipment is brought out is to increase sales.CRAIG BARLOW who is my neighbor and playing well in l.a. still uses a taylormade driver that came out in 01.remember we get paid very well to play our clubs.new is not always better,ex. calloway went from the penthouse to the outhouse trying to improve on something that was the best back in the late 90s

oh he deleted his post....
 

I see why you're confused. Tradekid deleted the post mine is referring to.
He was frustrated about the bombsquadgolf website selling tour equipment to players that might not get any advantage playing with such gear.

I guess that it's only a small percentage of the topplayers that get to play prototype irons and drivers, and it's a even smaller percentage that'll have special irons and shafts made to their preferences (ie. Tiger).

i use to grind my own stuff,but there is no need to anymore.i play mizzuno mp33 and they all look the same.plus if they get stolen or lost by the airlines they are harder to replace.that is why i don't mess with it anymore.like i said the wedges and putters are what 97%of the players have made special.tiger plays stock clubs as well.his wedges are just stock,hate to bust your bubble on that one

I deleted my post because when I originally wrote it I did not figure I would have to wear a flame suit. Anyway, John Riegger has answered the question. I move on.