Golf is one of those rare sports where the average duffer can use the same equipment that the stars of the game play. Want the exact same driver that Tiger Woods uses? No problem (though you likely won't be able to hit it as well as a driver that's fit to your own game).
Now, it seems, interest in exactly what the pros play is picking up. In addition to this newsletter, equipment companies are starting to talk more about what clubs they're fitting players with and sharing the details of how those clubs are set up.
Titleist has just launched a new site at www.titleistblog.com that includes notes from tour representatives Bob Vokey and Steve Mata (see this issue of Tour Van for more from Steve). During the first week from the WGC CA Championship at Doral, topics included work with Thai phenom Prom Meesawat and making adjustments to Adam Scott's clubs as well as less serious posts about hanging out on the range Tuesday and March Madness headcovers in the players' bags.
Titleist is promoting the blog from the front page of titleist.com and in just one week, it's already produced reader interest and lots of comments. Plus, those comments are even answered by the Titleist tour van guys, so you can ask specific questions and your chances of getting an answer are high.
TaylorMade put up a similar blog at the beginning of the year at www.taylormadeblogs.com. It was great while it lasted, but the most recent post was February 13. Hey, TaylorMade, could we nudge you to get that going again?
TIGER'S FLAT STICK LOYALTY: Tiger Woods is not a guy who makes equipment changes lightly. While some pros struggle on the greens and try a different putter, Woods has stuck with his Scotty Cameron by Titleist Studio Stainless Newport 2 for years.
"I've never switched putters very often. Since I've been on tour, I think I've only used three putters," Woods said at the WGC CA Championship last week. "In my amateur days, I basically had Anser II and I think one Scottie and one Odyssey. That was for like 10 years. I was never one who switched putters very often."
Sometimes a switch to a different putter can give a golfer a new perspective, but Woods looks at it differently.
"Each putter has its own little swing weight. It feels different. The shafts feel a little bit different. Your impact point, in certain clubs, different manufacturers, more off-set, less off-set. All this changes, and changes the roll of the putt," he said.
"So I'm trying to eliminate a variation, and by having the same putter all the time, I think I eliminate that."
PETTERSEN PICKS UP NEW PUTTER: Norwegian Suzann Pettersen came close to a win last week at the Safeway International, finishing runner-up to a determined Lorena Ochoa.
Pettersen credited her new Scotty Cameron putter and some time with the putting guru for her improvement.
"I went to see Scotty Cameron last week," Pettersen said. "I felt like my putting has let me down so far this year. So, it felt good to go there and get the confirmation and get adjusted. So, that was nice to do before this week, especially coming into these greens.
"You don't really shoot four, five under when you have 34, 35 putts. So, that's pretty much the key to my game right now. It was really helpful to get up to Scotty, and I got a new putter and got my confidence back."
TOMS' SECURITY BLANKET: David Toms has a treasured 5-wood. It's the club he used to make an ace when he won the 2001 PGA Championship, and one with which he can hit just about any shot.
So it's surprising to think that Toms might be seeking a hybrid club as a replacement. No worries for the present, though - Toms is keeping the 5-wood in the bag.
"It's like my little blankie, I guess, I don't know what it is," Toms said of his 5 wood.
"We'll see," he said. "But if I find a new club that I hit better and hit good shots with, maybe I'll get it out of there, but for now it's still in the bag.
Toms did feel comfortable switching putters at Doral, though. He put a new Rossa Imola 6 in his bag.
ODDS AND ENDS: Retief Goosen used new TaylorMade r7 TP irons last week. ... Nathan Green played with a new Rossa Daytona putter. ... Paul Azinger put a new set of Nike's CCI irons in his bag at Bay Hill. ... Golf Pride debuted a new putter grip at Doral, called the V-RAD. It comes in three styles.
