Equipment

McIlroy switches to prototype MRC driver shaft

Published

13 years ago

Jun 13, 2013

Rory McIlroy is using a new driver shaft this week at the U.S. Open, a prototype by Mitsubishi Rayon that is similar to the company’s Kuro Kage Silver shaft.

McIlroy was previously playing another prototype Mitsubishi shaft, a Diamana Prototype 70X, which had a similar balanced profile to the company’s 4th-generation Blue Board shaft, which is called the B-Series.

While the new shaft McIlroy is using looks nearly identical to Mitsubishi’s Kuro Kage Silver shaft that golfers can buy off-the-rack, it is made with different materials, according to a tour representative from Mitsubishi.

The Kuro Kage Silver shafts are made of graphite material that Mitsubishi calls “High-Density Prepreg,” which has more carbon fiber and less resin than the company’s previous shafts to give it more strength and feel.

McIlroy’s prototype shaft has the same profile as the Kuro Kage Silver, a stiff tip and mid section with a softer butt section, but the graphite is reinforced with Mitsubishi’s Elastic Titanium Fiber, which is an alloy comprised of Titanium and Nickel.

The alloy, also called “TiNi,” is used to create the company’s Bassara W-Series shaft that has been used on the PGA Tour by Matt Kuchar. According to Mitsubishi’s website, the TiNi fiber allows a shaft to “deform and then recover immediately to its original shape.”

Check out the photos below of McIlroy with the new shaft in Wednesday’s practice round. He plays the shaft in a Nike Covert Tour driver that is set to 10.5 degrees with a neutral face angle.

On a side note, Nick Watney has changed from a prototype Mitsubishi Kuro Kage Silver driver shaft that he has been using all season to the Mitsubishi White Board 83X shaft he used in 2012.

According to the source, Watney was also playing a Kuro Kage that uses the company’s TiNi alloy. That source tells us that we will be hearing more about McIlroy’s newest shaft in the coming weeks.

Equipment

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

Published

1 hour 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.

Whats in the Bag

Ryan Palmer WITB 2026 (June)

Published

1 hour ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (9 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Blue RDX 60 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 70 6.5

5-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max (18 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 TX

Irons: Srixon ZXiU (23 degrees), Srixon Z785 MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 100 6.5 (4), KBS Tour 130 X

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (50-08F, 54-10S, 58-04T @59)
Shafts: KBS Tour 130 X

Putter: Odyssey Dual Force Rossie II

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Check out more in-hand photos of Ryan Palmer’s clubs here.

Equipment

Slab city on the Korn Ferry Tour — Lead Tape Report

Published

22 hours ago

Jun 10, 2026

Andrew Von Lossow

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.