Equipment
TrackMan 4 will have Impact Location feedback (2018 PGA Show Day 1)
TrackMan users will now be able to get feedback on where they hit the ball on the face… finally!
As early as April 1, according to TrackMan, its TrackMan 4 will have the capability to provide feedback on impact location using its optically enhanced radar tracking system. Basically, the TrackMan 4 will use a combination of the radar system and the camera that’s on the system to get feedback on club-to-ball impact.

Actually, as TrackMan explained, its TrackMan 4 has been using the optically enhanced radar system in its putting analysis software that released in mid-December. See that orange line in the photo above? That line is the product of TrackMan using its radar and camera to provide feedback.

Except now, users will get what they’ve wanted from TrackMan for awhile; feedback on face impact on full swings, including impact height, impact offset, dynamic lie, and an orange dot that estimates where impact occurred.

In order to use the impact location capability, TrackMan 4 owners will need to order a subscription, which costs $1000 per year. Or, for buyers who purchase the TrackMan 4 after the capability is released, there will be no subscription necessary, according to the company.
Whats in the Bag
Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)
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
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
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.
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Francis
Jan 26, 2018 at 6:48 am
TrackMan measures ball until it lands or hits the net, indoors or outdoors. It also measures all club and impact data between waist high to waist high on follow through. Optical systems simply see about 1-1.5’ft of ball/club and then apply algorithms to predict ball flight. The comments to the contrary above are flat out incorrect.
To be clear, “measuring” and “calculating” are the same thing: both require a series of inputs that create an output. The difference between the two types of systems lies in sample rates (how many data points in specific period of time), measurement precision (consistency) and measurement accuracy (how close to actual value).
This is an easy test. Hit a ball full flight with a TM and any other products, and watch the ACTUAL landing point very carefully. This is the reason it is overwhelmingly used by EQMs, Tour players, colleges and coaches.
TM is a fantastic product, with no club making stickers needed to measure club data. The comments claiming the contrary are disingenuous at best.
LEOMODE
Jan 27, 2018 at 2:29 am
How would you respond to Trackman losing to GC series indoor? I know at least 5-6 hardly loyal GC users who would think Trackman is simply way inferior than GC series because of how the radar is made. I explain it to them in my test since they never had or tested side by side, but they are pretty firm on their mindset.
I agree on the part that if there is not enough space of at least 21ft (9ft from TM to ball, 12ft from ball to screen) and without a metallic sticker on a ball, TM would not output data (not entirely inaccurate, only except ball spin), since TM doesn’t show any data if its not confident. However in my testing indoor data was within tolerance with HMT data.
What would you say to a radar system indoor in general vs a camera system?
joey
Jan 25, 2018 at 7:32 pm
What do you mean by real time data? The quad measures everything. The only thing that is calculated is carry distance, peak and curvature. This is based on accurate measurements of ball speed, spin axis and launch angle. Pretty much everything that the TM does with club data is based upon ball data (which it only measures ball flight up to 170m, the rest is algorithm). Try and test a quad outside against a TM4 and look at the numbers. Either way, both are really good products in their own right, but my money is on the quad due to indoor/outdoor use and the fact that TM charges annual fees and fees for software upgrades.
Ollie
Jan 25, 2018 at 3:09 pm
But it doesn’t matter any more where you hit on the clubface because new clubs are so forgiving.
Twist Face driver technology, jello-filled hollow irons, amazing putter structures and face patterns, all provide the serious golfer with results that obviate the need for radar-optical determination of impact location.
TM, PXG, Scotty, have engineered-out the miss-hit errors in their technologically advanced club designs.
BP
Jan 25, 2018 at 10:49 pm
Ollie !!!
BDS
Jan 26, 2018 at 1:58 pm
I guess I need to buy the clubs that don’t care if I heel it, toe it, blade it or chunk it. Because if those clubs are out there I can’t wait to buy them and be a scratch golfer!
Frankie
Jan 25, 2018 at 11:28 am
Why pay $25k with a $1k yearly subscription for something that’s only calculating the club data and impact spot (TrackMan 4) when you can pay $18k one-time no subscription for something that actually measures the club data and impact spot (Foresight GC Quad)?
Eric
Jan 25, 2018 at 12:12 pm
bc GCQuad is camera based and does not provide real time ball data/club data, different purposes altogether.
CB
Jan 25, 2018 at 2:54 am
It’s still guessing where it hit. How does anything, or anybody, accurately spot where on the face it hits if it’s looking at it from the back of it? It’s like looking at somebody’s back of the head and imagining what they look like lol
the dude
Jan 25, 2018 at 8:51 am
good point…maybe im missing something that is illustrated
LEOMODE
Jan 27, 2018 at 2:37 am
That is what amazes me of Trackman calculating all these data without seeing it and STILL be within a tolerance limit of a camera system. This is just wonders.