Equipment
Who will change equipment sponsors in 2016?
At GolfWRX, one of our core purposes is keeping tabs on who’s playing what on tour. A component of that effort is keeping an eye on what we’ll call ESFA (Equipment Sponsorship Free Agency). Of course, manufacturers are loathe to talk and the particulars of who is becoming a free agent aren’t traditionally made public.
But that shouldn’t stop anyone from speculating! (And it doesn’t!)
We have our ears to the ground, and here are few moves that are being widely discussed.
Gary Woodland, presently a Callaway staffer, is rumored to be defecting to TaylorMade. TaylorMade’s stable is anchored by Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia. Woodland, the No. 60 golfer in the world, would give TMag a young-ish American golfer (Woodland is 31) with Ryan Palmer pushing 40.
Shots of Woodland testing the M1 have shown up in our forums.
Woodland, a University of Kansas alum who originally attended Washburn University on a basketball scholarship, is a cool customer. Twice a winner on the PGA Tour, Woodland finished second twice last year and has put together three solid seasons in a row. He’ll be a nice complement to Dustin Johnson‘s vibe. And like Johnson, Woodland bombs the ball as well (12th on tour in driving distance last year).
World No. 36 Billy Horschel, presently a Ping staffer, ought to be able to continue as the posterboy for Ralph Lauren’s RLX while playing Parsons Xtreme Golf clubs, as is widely assumed he will do in 2016.
Horschel wasn’t able to recapture lightning in a bottle as he did during the 2013-2014 FedEx Cup playoffs. Still, he’s a vibrant personality and a bold dresser: A combination that’s likely to raise PXG’s profile as they seek a foothold on tour.
Here’s Horschel with the PXG logo stitched into his headcovers already. Subjectively, there seems to be more identity between PXG and RLX than Ping and RLX. Add Horschel himself to the mix, and the elements should complement one another.
Also rumored to be making the jump to PXG: Zach Johnson, Davis Love III (who played PXG at the RSM Classic) and Chris Kirk. The three would be defecting from Titleist, Titleist and Callaway respectively. Titleist isn’t known for fighting to retain stars and has always favored a “quantity over quality” approach to staffers. Kirk, for his part, is somewhat lost on a Callaway golf roster that includes five-plus higher-ranked American golfers.
Johnson, last year’s Open Champion, is a significant coup, and while he fits the bill of a the “no-nonsense player” Titleist prefers, he’s also something of a tactician and grinder, which could play well with the industrial-ish PXG weaponry. Assuming Johnson is retaining his Oakley apparel deal and omnipresent sunglasses, those elements dovetail better with PXG than Titleist.
India’s brightest golfing star, Anirban Lahiri, is presently a Cleveland/Srixon staffer. And judging by Cleveland’s tweet, the 28-year-old Lahiri is going to be staying that way for a while.
Cleveland Golf ?@ClevelandGolf Nov 13
We are excited to announce @anirbangolf has agreed to a multi-year contract extension. #Own125
Lahiri, the No. 42 golfer in the world, will be playing primarily on the PGA Tour this season, which is good for brand exposure, especially given stable-leader Keegan Bradley‘s sinking form.
Lahiri’s profile was raised by a fifth-place finish at the PGA Championship. More strong play from him, a turnaround from Bradley, and Graeme McDowell‘s continued resurgence would spell good things for the brand.
With Hideki Matsuyama (Srixon), J.B. Holmes and Russell Knox in the stable as well, Cleveland/Srixon looks to be holding its own.
Also widely rumored but largely unsubstantiated at this point: Harold Varner III (presently a Cleveland staffer) joining Callaway, and Brooks Koepka (presently with Titleist) heading to the Swoosh. Cool, athletic, and confident, Koepka to Nike makes sense. The 25-year-old would be a significant coup.
Update: A pair of big-time breaking items from Secret Tour Pro on Twitter:
This week, we have our Tour Photographer, Greg Moore, on the ground at the OccuNet Classic at Tascosa Golf Club in Amarillo, Texas, for the 14th event of the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour season. With that, we see some great things in the Lead Tape Report as we roll into Amarillo.
Joel Thelen
Monday Qualifier, Joel Thelen is in the field this week. He has played on the Korn Ferry Tour for a full season in 2023, and he is back in action this week. A couple of clubs caught my eye this week in his bag.
First off: His trusted Titleist 816 H2 hybrid. This club came out in October of 2015, and it still remains strong in the bag. Also, take a look at this Odyssey White Hot OG 7, putting a capital S in the 7S model. This custom neck has some impressive lean for an arm-lock-style putter. The bottom of the putter is covered in tape for optimal weighting.
Mitchell Meissner
Taking a look at Mitchell Meissner’s bag this week, we have some great lead tape coverage. Top to bottom working from fairway metals, irons, and wedges. We can see on the short irons and wedges that there is tape at the base of the grip, adding a little counterbalance. Along with that, some tape on the short irons and wedges as well. Moving to his putter, he rolls the Odyssey 7 Bird putter. Meissner putts left-handed and strikes the ball right-handed.
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.
Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist GTS3 (15 degrees, B1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 70 TX
7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Tensei 1K Pro Red 80 TX
Irons: Titleist U505 (3), Titleist 620 MB (4-9)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 8 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F), WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putters: Scotty Cameron Tour Prototype, Scotty Cameron GOLO 6.3 Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Ball: Titleist Pro V1
In our forums, one user has offered up a prompt for the true sickos, inviting fellow forum members to share every set of irons they’ve ever owned. As to be expected, this is a lengthy forum topic.
@Lamosteve began:
Can you name every set of irons you’ve owned? Here’s mine
Spalding Dots
Spalding Eclipse
Ram Lazer FX
Lynx Parallax
Mizuno EZ Comp
Ben Hogans
Cleveland CG Red
Taylor Made R9s
PING i20
PING iE1
Taylor Made M6
Our members in the forum have been offering up their own collections. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- macedan: “Started with a hand-me-down Golden Bear set from my brother when I was in high school, never really played more than once a year or got into the game until about summer of 2017. First purchased a set of Cleveland CG4’s (I actually really miss this set sometimes, soft & not terribly large for a GI iron), moved into Nike Vapor Fly’s by the end of the year. Those lasted until spring of 18 when I decided I wanted new, so I traded them in for TM Rbladez. Honestly, although I liked the Rbladez, poor decision on my part, I think this was really about the only time so far that after a week or two I was kicking myself for not staying with what I had. Rbladez stayed with me until late last summer when I switched to P790’s and (knock on wood) I am hoping this will be my longest lasting set.”
- JimmyC59: “MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Triple Crown. Palmer The Standard. Still play these.”
- jgrzask: “Tommy Armour 845u
Mizuno MP-32
Mizuno MP-33 (2 sets)
Bridgestone J33cb – still own
Srixon i-302 (2 sets) – still own
Tourstage X-Blades – still own
Mizuno Hot Metal – still own
Nike Forged Blades – still own
Titleist 714 AP1 – still own
Cobra Forged SS – still own”
Justin Rose WITB 2026 (April): Full WITB breakdown with new McLaren irons
What’s the story behind Webb Simpson’s custom-stamped irons?
Memorial Tournament Tour Report: Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young switch up drivers, and more
Cadillac Championship Tour Report: Spieth’s sizable changes, McLaren Golf launches, and more
Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
Kristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
J.T. Poston’s winning WITB: 2026 Memorial Tournament
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2026 Cadillac Championship
Best irons 2026: Best irons overall, most forgiving irons, and more
Bud Cauley WITB 2026 (June)
Bud Cauley had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament. Driver: Titleist GTS2 (8 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura...
Hannah Green WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (10 degrees, D4 SureFit setting) Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana RB 53 S 3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees,...
Asterisk Talley WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 S 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (16.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Brianna Do WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (9 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 3-wood: Callaway Elyte Titanium (15 degrees) Shaft: KBS PGW 5-wood:...
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Samuel
Dec 17, 2015 at 8:02 pm
Interesting to see that many of the best tour pro’s we have seen in the past few decades seemed to have started with Titleist. Does anyone else know of any major players that had staff deals early on such as Tiger, Sergio, Casey, Mickelson and Rory?
It would be great to see more players go “un-branded” so that we could see what they really want to play.
Speedy
Dec 10, 2015 at 3:06 pm
Which golf club brands show a profit these days?
Connor
Dec 9, 2015 at 5:30 pm
Sergio tweeted yesterday in reply to something that has since been deleted, “I don’t know hwere you’ve heard that. Why would I leave the best golfing brand in the world?! @TaylorMadeGolf” and “Well guys don’t believe everything you hear and even more from someone that post things that are not true @secrettourpro without showing his face. All 14 clubs in my bag have been @TaylorMadeGolf for more than 6 years now. So there you have it.”
So there you have it, cross him off the list.
JD
Dec 9, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Does Anyone think if DJ went to Under Armour, TM would try to retain him on the clubs side of the fence, or do you think he would split off entirely. As someone said early i believe he seems like he would fit well with Nike. I think he moves the needle more than the other players listed in this article.
Eddie
Dec 9, 2015 at 1:24 pm
They, like Nike, are an all or nothing brand. Do any of their other pros wear anything but Adidas?
JD
Dec 9, 2015 at 4:02 pm
John Senden, Camillo Villegas, and there have been a few others in the past if I recall.
Jacob
Dec 9, 2015 at 6:51 pm
Nike requires their players to use all Nike clubs, which TM doesn’t. Also a lot of the TM guys wear Ashworth instead of adidas, because they prefer the classic look. And there’s also some TM guys who don’t even wear adidas shoes, so TM all in all is a bit looser than Nike.
Sam
Dec 10, 2015 at 12:09 pm
TM doesn’t require much from their players. They just want the club count to say they are the #1 driver. If you look at a majority of their players, their bags are not all TM clubs. Many have different wedges or even irons.
The players are allowed to pretty much wear whatever they want, unless they have some deal with TM or Ashworth (Justin Rose), but many wear Footjoy or other brands.
Nike staff members are only allowed to use all Nike clubs (unless they are a new staff member and they have a transition period to get to all Nike stuff). They are also required to wear all Nike clothing and cannot have any other logos on their apparel. Nike doesn’t want their athletes to look like NASCAR drivers with logos everywhere. The only thing they can change is their bag, for another sponsor or adding a few logos on the Nike staff bag.
JD
Dec 9, 2015 at 12:06 pm
I heard Dustin Johnson to Callaway next year. You heard it here first.
WILSON!!
Dec 9, 2015 at 1:56 pm
and last
AMF
Dec 9, 2015 at 11:43 pm
No way. No way.
Paul
Jan 5, 2016 at 8:59 pm
He was until they told him that the putter he would play was called a White Hot not China White.
redneckrooster
Dec 9, 2015 at 10:54 am
I would like to see(read)(hear) more about the way pay is broken down ie How much is a certain brand driver , ball, cap &etc. worth. I had heard that all a player would need to do is play a few holes and get several thousand bucks (tee up money)drop out and go home to rest to get over a nagging injury etc. Give some examples of how the pay is structured on avg.
mhendon
Dec 8, 2015 at 9:03 pm
I can’t believe there’s no mention of my possible switch from Mizuno to Titleist. Switching after 15 years with the same irons would seem to be bigger news, lol. Now if it wasn’t for that thousand dollar price tag it would be a done deal.
WTF
Dec 8, 2015 at 11:39 am
I am already so grateful for all of the priceless things I have learned from visiting this site just this first time:
1. Apparently “feel” in golf is much much different than “feel” in tennis. In golf, “feel” is actually sound (who knew) so it doesn’t really matter what brand or type of golf club you use. Therefore if you play golf for a living, you might as well use the ones that the manufacturer’s pay you the most to use – apparently, they can tune ’em to anyone’s liking simply by using some of that mysterious poly-fiber they use in the construction of their golfing apparel.
2. I always thought that golf was just a fun game to play, but now I know it is actually only a marketing vehicle and nothing more.
3. The golf fanboy mantra is : “Love your logo. . . Hope you win. . .”
Help me if I have missed anything. . .
AlB
Dec 11, 2015 at 5:43 am
You’re not missing a thing. The pro golfers today are franchised businessmen. They’re paid to play and perform. Along with that they are highly visible advertising billboards. I think the biggest golf-whore is Ian Poulter. I saw him playing earlier this year and he had 5 different sponsor names on his visor and 7 different names on his shirt.
Steve
Dec 7, 2015 at 7:08 pm
Sergio is rumored to be leaving and also developing a clothing brand of his own… interesting.
golfraven
Dec 7, 2015 at 5:17 pm
I still see a Major won by Sergio if he switches to Titleist. Go on Sergio, no more TM BS.
Jacob
Dec 7, 2015 at 6:50 pm
You realize that there’s as many TM hats in the top 20 as Titleist?
Dj
Dec 7, 2015 at 6:51 pm
Uh, what would Titleist clubs to to help his brain?
Jacob
Dec 7, 2015 at 6:52 pm
There’s just as many TM players in the top 20 as Titleist.
Jordan Caron
Dec 12, 2015 at 4:24 am
Weak argument. Did you miss the mention that Titleist is “quality not quantity” unlike TM? The odds clearly favour TM as they sponsor just about anyone. Titleist doesn’t.
Patrick
Dec 12, 2015 at 7:46 pm
The article actually says quantity over quality…which is not true of Titleist…however…nobody else is switching to Hopkins Golf after Vijay??? LOL
john
Dec 7, 2015 at 7:59 pm
titleist golf clubs were designed in coffee breaks inbetween making their next (unchanged) golf ball range lol.
Jacob
Dec 7, 2015 at 3:41 pm
I can’t see adidas losing DJ to UA and PXG… and does Sergio with a Vokey really mean he’s going to Titleist? Wasn’t he Titleist in the early 2000s? Koepka makes sense.
Michael
Dec 7, 2015 at 2:32 pm
DJ to PXG
Cuppa
Dec 7, 2015 at 1:27 pm
PXG is not for the average golfer. So it’s not a puzzle. Those $399 set of last year’s Callaway and TM irons are for the average golfer. Do you even know who owns Parsons? The dude’s loaded. He founded GoDaddy. They can compensate plenty. Now go away and have a nice cup of STFU
ron
Dec 7, 2015 at 1:52 pm
Totally unnecessary hostility. Your response would have been fine without the last sentence. So much anger, OMG!!
Woof
Dec 7, 2015 at 4:09 pm
I thought it was funny
LC4
Dec 8, 2015 at 12:01 pm
Parsons is the founder GoDaddy, he is funding himself. No only that, he grew up poor and worked hard for everything he has.
Carlos Danger
Dec 7, 2015 at 12:53 pm
This sickens me. All these players care about is the money nowadays. They would sell their souls for a few extra bucks. What ever happened to staying loyal to the companies that believed in you and invested in you?
HAHAHAHAHAHA….Just kidding. Money is awesome.
As a great man once said…”Cash rules everything around me…dolla dolla bills y’all”
Will
Dec 7, 2015 at 1:38 pm
lol, nice
Bobby Marcus
Dec 7, 2015 at 1:40 pm
You sound jealous and broke
cody
Dec 7, 2015 at 1:45 pm
this comment is a joke right? all the equipment manufactures are basically equal. why not play what pays?? i know i would. Get real, so would you.
Dj
Dec 7, 2015 at 2:10 pm
This happens in every day jobs. It’s not limited to players.
Scooter McGavin
Dec 8, 2015 at 9:01 pm
Jack?
Carlos Danger
Dec 8, 2015 at 10:39 pm
You nerds have got to be kidding me…ofcourse I was kidding, as I said in my comment “money is awesome”
Ty Webb
Dec 7, 2015 at 12:34 pm
Updates to the rumors are TMAG was unsuccessful buying out Woodland’s Under Armour contract so he is being courted by PXG and Ping.
Supposedly a possibility of DJ going to PXG and Under Armour.
This is a new one….Garcia to Titleist? Supposedly playing SM6 Vokey’s over in Asis this weekend.
Will
Dec 7, 2015 at 1:37 pm
“spieth would be ditched”….UA will never ever ever ever ditch Spieth
Will
Dec 7, 2015 at 2:01 pm
yup. Still would put the same comment though….and yes I know you said ‘you don’t see any of them going anywhere soon.’
cgasucks
Dec 7, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Ditching a #1 player in the world who won 2 majors in a calendar year for a top 60 player…what idiotic thinking….
emb
Dec 7, 2015 at 12:31 pm
thought DJ was going to nike as well, wasn’t he wearing TW shoes at the hero this week?
DufWaggle
Dec 7, 2015 at 3:30 pm
DJ was wearing Adidas Primeknit Pureboost tennis shoes at the hero this week. I believe he cut his foot and was looking for a comfortable option and those fit the bill.
Will
Dec 7, 2015 at 12:24 pm
would be nice to see Koepka going to nike….he seems like he was made for them. Parsons golf bringin it this year.