Equipment

On Spec FAQ: A guide to basic club fitting and building questions

Published

6 years ago

Sep 4, 2020

Each week on Instagram, I do a question and answer segment to allow golfers to reach out and ask questions about fitting, new equipment, specs, gear comparisons, and basically anything golf.

In doing these for close to a year now, I have been asked a lot of different questions, but there have also been many frequently occurring ones, which I have compiled, along with some other ones, from my most recent Q&A.

Where can you get extra OEM weights for drivers ie; TaylorMade SIM, Callaway Mavrik, Titleist, etc?

For those at home DIY tinkerers, most OEMs make extra weights available through a select number of accounts. If you happen to be close to one that has a focus on custom building with its own in-house shop, they might even have some in stock. But if you are looking for selection and can’t order direct from a manufacturer, Golfworks.com has a large selection of parts for both new and older OEM gear including weights and adapters.

Does grip size helping reduce single way misses?

The common belief used to be that a smaller grip made a club easier to turn over and “release” while a club with a bigger grip was hard to “turn over” because the size delayed the rotation of the hands. We now know this to be false.

The best way to choose a grip is to find what’s comfortable for you and go from there—don’t worry about the size, and instead focus on texture and what feels right to you. If you are curious to see how an in-depth test was conducted to prove this, check out Ping Golf Proving Ground: Effect of Grip on driver flight.

What is the best way to build a short set?

Oh, I love half sets!

They offer golfers the ability to be creative and can bring a lot more imagination into your game if you play the same golf course a lot. The best way to build one is to figure out which clubs are vital in your shot selection and go from there.

For a more in-depth description of how to figure out exactly what clubs should go into your half set, check out this piece I wrote earlier this year: Building the perfect half set

Is it OK to use shims when building clubs?

Using shims is common practice when building clubs. Whether it be going from .355″ taper to .370″ parallel in irons, or .335″ to .350″ in woods, when done correctly it has no effect on performance. Check out the video below to understand how a shim is installed

What are the best brands for building combo sets?

2019 Mizuno MP-20 irons

When it comes to building your own combo set, every brand has great options, which at the end of the day is fantastic for the golf consumer. Ping, Mizuno, TaylorMade, Titleist, Srixon, PXG, Callaway, and even direct-to-consumer brands like New Level, Sub70, and Ben Hogan design their iron lines around building combo sets.

This was a trend that started around a decade ago, and to see the evolution of this design philosophy check out this piece from a few weeks ago: The most popular design trend in irons

Thoughts on one length clubs?

One length continues to be a highly debated topic, so I will be very blunt—I believe that one-length clubs can offer golfers greater consistency, especially those in a higher handicap range or who play infrequently. With that in mind, I still believe that based on the dynamics of delivery, variable-length clubs into the shorter irons and wedges will improve scoring.

To better understand my stance on the subject, check out this: One-length wedges are holding Bryson DeChambeau back

How does club weight and swing weight change my ball flight?

Swing and total weight can affect golfers differently, but the general rule is lighter with a higher balance point is easier to rotate and “turn over”—which is why XXIO does this in its Prime series to help golfers at slower speeds. Heavier and lower balance point clubs are more difficult to rotate and “stay open” more.

To see a blind test in action on this exact subject, just out the great video below from our friends at TXG.

Equipment

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

Published

2 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.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

5 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.