Equipment

Inside the TaylorMade Tour Truck: What are the equipment changes being made for The Masters?

Published

8 years ago

Apr 4, 2018

For equipment junkies, there’s nothing cooler than tales from inside the tour trucks.

Chris Trott from the TaylorMade Tour Truck joined Two Guys Talkin’ Golf live from The Masters yesterday to discuss the latest equipment changes by Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods and more.

Audio was, as co-host Andrew Tursky put it, “sub-par and not in the good golf way,” so we’re collecting a few of the choicest morsels here.

On what the TaylorMade Tour Truck has been busy with this week

“A lot of wedges…heel grinding…getting the bounce right. Getting that channeling in the high toe for the bunkers…UDI 2-irons, UDI 3-irons.”

On Justin Rose’s new wedge

“Hi-Toe…launches it lower and spins a little more, but it’s got a sole that’s extremely versatile. Guys, like Justin Rose, that’s who I’ve done a lot of wedges for these past few weeks. He’s looking to find a grind that exactly works in the 64. He’s got the 60 right…he’s just tweaking the 64 a little, and I think the reason is he tweaked it to 62 in Houston last week, so when you take the loft off, that changes the bounce characteristics. So as a result, we’ve just deepend out that channel a bit…not too much, because obviously you need if for the fairways, which are cut into the player, but it’s enough to give it a bit more bounce out of the traps, which allows hit to hit certain shots. This flows back into his iron game, because it allows him to be more aggressive into pins when he knows he has a wedge that’s as versatile as we’re getting.”

On Jason Day’s switch to P730 irons

“Change in spin rates and descent angles into greens and just control with the spin [these are the reasons] he’s gone to the 730. He feels his can control the spin a bit more. He’s changed the lie angles a little bit…flattened them off a touch…People go, “that’s a big change.” It is a big change, but the thought, the detail, the measuring an remeasuring, the checking, the rechecking…the getting everything right, the TrackMan combination. That is a well-thought out tactical change….these things don’t just happened, it’s stuff that’s worked on and thought out….The shafts are Dynamic Golf X7s. That’s the same shaft he’s played.”

On the TW Prototype iron process

“It’s an ongoing project. I haven’t been involved in that project, but I know the engineers are working with him and enjoying getting his feedback…I know there’s been some findings as to what he needs that is quite different to what we’ve made. I think it’s a learning process for everyone, and we’re still on it…but it’s moving along. I don’t think it’ll be long before we have something else coming out here for him to test.

“We keep it to a very few people working with him on that. You get to see these guys and ask the questions, and there are certain things that he had, as you touch them, that are how he wants. And there are certain sights that he gets that are how he wants…but it’s a process…we went in there with what we might have put someone into to start, and then as we learn more about what he wants, what he likes to see, it’s a back-and-forth…but it’s been exciting to have the front-row seat.”

On Tiger Woods’ shaft change to the Tensei CK Pro Orange

“It was done off-site last week…there must be something he likes on that. I was actually around doing the Rory change when he went to Tensei Orange…it’s a counterbalanced shaft. You can add a bit of weight into the head, which in turn gives you, which gives you a bit more mass at that end of the golf club, which gives you a bit more speed. So, I’d be guessing that that’s what Tiger has done.

“When you go between the [Tensei] White and the Orange, this difference is counterbalanced versus non-counterbalanced. You can take the swingweight, which is the balance point, up, therefore it can give you more speed. It’s what we saw with Rory, and he gained five or six miles per hour on that…but for Tiger, he’s gone from a non-counterbalanced shaft to a counterbalanced shaft, so he’ll have to put a bit more weight in the head, which will give him more speed. It’s a nice shaft if you can handle all the weight, and I imagine he now feels like he’s got the speed, he’s gotten fit, and he’s got the feel back…and that’s the change he’s gone to.”

On Tiger ever switching to the Hi-Toe

“I know he’s had interest in Jason Day’s…Jason Day changed driver lengths, and I know they talked a lot about that, and he’s also shown an interest in Jason Day’s Hi-Toe…those top guys, they all talk…so I certainly expect that phone call to test out that Hi-Toe.”

On wedge stampings

“A lot of it is the personal touch…some of the guys request it…I think it’s nice and unique…but it also helps us identify. The stamping isn’t just for them…If you notice with the…Rahm stuff: Some of them get “Rahmbo” some of them get “JR”…we’re often working on things, and the only way to differentiate between grinds is to put a stamp on there.”

You can listen to the full conversation here.

Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

Published

9 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

Published

9 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.