What’s In The Bag (WITB): Professional Golf Equipment Reviews
In the world of professional golf, the phrase “What’s In The Bag” (WITB) represents more than just a list of clubs. It is a detailed look into the strategic choices, technical preferences, and sponsorship deals that define a player’s performance on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf. Every club in a professional’s bag is meticulously tuned—from the loft and lie of the irons to the specific shaft frequency and grip thickness. This archive provides a comprehensive breakdown of the equipment used by the world’s best, helping you understand the tools required to compete at the highest level.
The Science Behind the Pro Setup
Professional golfers do not simply pick clubs off the shelf. Their equipment is the result of countless hours in the hitting bay, analyzed by launch monitors like TrackMan or GCQuad. The goal is to optimize launch angles, spin rates, and ball speed to ensure consistency across all conditions.
The Driver: Engineering for Maximum Speed
The driver is often the most talked-about club in a pro’s bag. Players like Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson rely on high-MOI (Moment of Inertia) heads and low-spin shafts to achieve distances exceeding 300 yards. When analyzing a pro’s driver, we look at:
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Loft Settings: Many pros use lower lofts (8.0° to 9.0°) to penetrate the wind.
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Shaft Flex: Most use “Extra Stiff” (TX) shafts to handle swing speeds over 120 mph.
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Weight Bias: Adjustable weights are moved to promote a “fade” or “draw” bias depending on the player’s natural shot shape.
Irons and Wedges: The Scoring Tools
While the driver gets the glory, the irons and wedges are where the money is made. Players like Jordan Spieth and Collin Morikawa are renowned for their iron play. Most top pros prefer “muscle-back” or “blade” irons for the ultimate feedback and workability, though some are moving toward “player’s cavity backs” for added forgiveness on longer approaches.
Brand Loyalty vs. Equipment Free Agency
The professional landscape is divided into two categories: staff players and free agents.
Staff Players and Sponsorships
Major brands like Titleist, TaylorMade, and Ping sign top-tier talent to “full-bag” deals.
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TaylorMade: Known for its heavy hitters like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.
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Titleist: The choice for traditionalists like Jordan Spieth, Max Homa, and Justin Thomas.
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Ping: Viktor Hovland remains a key talisman for this brand, showcasing their engineering-first approach.
The Rise of the Equipment Free Agent
Some players, like Brooks Koepka during certain phases of his career, choose to be free agents. This allows them to “cherry-pick” the best clubs from different manufacturers—for example, carrying a TaylorMade driver, Mizuno irons, and Titleist Vokey wedges. This flexibility ensures that every single club is the absolute best fit for their game, regardless of the logo on the bag.
Key Factors in Professional Club Selection
When a professional golfer chooses a new club, they evaluate several critical factors:
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Turf Interaction: The “bounce” and “grind” of a wedge must match the specific grass type of the tournament course.
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Gapping: Ensuring there is a consistent yardage increase between every club in the bag to avoid “dead zones” in distance.
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Aesthetics: The club must look right at address. Confidence starts with how the club sits behind the ball.
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Feel and Sound: The auditory feedback of a strike tells a pro exactly where the ball hit the face before they even look up.
Conclusion: Learning from the Pros
By studying the WITB of players like Viktor Hovland or Will Zalatoris, amateur golfers can learn a lot about set composition. Whether it is the move toward hybrid clubs for easier launching or the importance of specialized wedges for the short game, the pros provide a blueprint for building a balanced and effective golf bag. Explore our detailed player profiles above to see exactly what the champions are carrying this season.