What PGA Tour player would you most want to trade golf clubs with?

PGA Tour players are better golfers than we are. That’s the hard truth. They also have access to custom, one-off equipment that most of us retail buyers don’t necessarily have access to, or the budget to buy.

Realistically, though, most amateur golfers wouldn’t even benefit from using the same exact clubs that PGA Tour players use. They swing fast and consistently, so they often play with unforgiving club heads equipped with super stiff shafts. Some of their clubs just look so cool, though!

PGA Tour players’ clubs have always been the envy of golf equipment aficionados, but the question is, which Tour player has the most enviable setup?

That question was recently posed during a Q&A episode of GOLF’s gear-focused Fully Equipped podcast: “If you could trade golf clubs with one PGA Tour player, who would it be?”

As co-host Kris McCormack rebutted, “I’m not fast enough to play any set configuration that’s out on Tour,” which is a fair point. Most golfers would benefit from using more forgiving options with softer shaft flexes, but hey, it’s a fun hypothetical rather than a realistic offer.

The most financially sound answer, of course, would be Tiger Woods. After all, he does have a putter that’s likely worth millions of dollars, but that’s a little too obvious. The more eclectic answers below are from the Fully Equipped co-hosts.

As you read our answers, think about it for yourself. If you could switch golf bags with a Tour player, who would you pick?

Jonathan Wall’s pick: Scottie Scheffler

According to Wall, a fellow Texan, Scheffler’s bag is “a really good eclectic mix of gear, but a lot of those clubs are ones that people really want that maybe they can’t play. It’s a killer setup.”

No arguments here. Let’s breakdown what Scheffler has in the bag of late:

Driver: Ping G425 LST, (Fujikura Atmos Black 7X), 8.5 degrees

PING G425 LST Driver

OUR TAKE: Some drivers offer flashy distance, while others provide sturdy stability. Ping’s new G425 drivers, though, checked both boxes for our testers. In his first time hitting the Turbulator-crowned driver, one GOLF tester called the G425 “wife material” due to its speed and forgiveness. “All my mishits went straight,” another said. Players also found that the impact sound sings a deep, booming note.  THE DETAILS: By combining tech from previous releases, Ping says it was able to design its most forgiving driver ever with the G425 Max. No wonder why testers found its performance dependable. The G425 Max drivers measure a USGA limit 460cc and have a 26-gram adjustable tungsten in the back of the heads to help increase launch and forgiveness. For golfers with a slice, Ping offers the G425 SFT draw-biased option, and for higher-speed players who need reduced spin, Ping offers the G425 LST. Check out 150+ reviews from our gear experts in the ClubTest 2021 collection

$499 from proshop.golf.com

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Fairway: Nike VR Pro Limited, (Aldila Rogue Black 70TX), 15 degrees

Utility: Srixon Z U85 (3-iron; Nippon Pro Modus3 Hybrid shaft)

Irons: Srixon Z785 (4 iron), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (50, 56 and 60 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Super Rat prototype

Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Kris McCormack’s pick: Phil Mickelson

McCormack, a right-handed golfer, already admitted he can’t play with any Tour equipment setup, so he might as well pick a guy with the opposite golfing dexterity.

Here’s what McCormack had to say about his choice: “I suck no matter how I swing it so it doesn’t matter what I have in the bag… [Mickelson] has a bag full of really cool proto stuff at any given time. He just likes the bag jewelry.”

That he does. Let’s check out what Lefty had in the bag in his most recent professional outing:

Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (Fujikura Ventus Red 6TX shaft), 9 degrees with 7.4 degrees of actual loft

Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero Driver

Experience low spin and a high MOI with the Callaway MAVRIK Sub Zero Driver. Engineered with new technologies, the driver contains a slightly smaller 450cc head combined with an adjustable 14g and 2g weight to promote ideal launch and spin. New A.I. designed Flash Face SS20 is constructed with high-strength FS2S Titanium for optimal ball speed, forgiveness and spin performance. All-new Jailbreak Technology uses two internal bars to stabilize the crown and sole for even greater ball speed, while the T2C Triaxial Carbon Crown promotes better distance and accuracy performance on mis-hits.

$499.99 from proshop.golf.com

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Mini Driver: TaylorMade “Original One” Mini (Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft), 11.5 degrees

3 Wood: Callaway Epic Speed prototype (Fujikura Ventus Red 6X shaft), 15 degrees

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (3 and 4 irons) and Callaway Apex MB (6-PW), each with KBS Tour V 125S+ shafts

Wedges: Callaway PM Grind prototype (52, 55 and 60 degrees; KBS Tour V 125 S+ shafts)

Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG PM Blade

Golf Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X Triple Track

Andrew Tursky’s pick: Matt Kuchar

I’m a sucker for pro golfers who use older equipment, and Kuchar has a bunch of clubs in the bag that are 5+ years old. He told GOLF.com recently that he doesn’t switch into new product unless it’s truly better. I can’t help but respect the heck out of that mentality.

Kuchar was my first pick, so I’m sticking with it, but I did give a special shoutout to Tiger Woods’ 1997 Masters-winning setup and Anthony Kim’s setup circa 2007 on the podcast. Hopefully switching golf clubs with AK would come with one of his belt buckles, too.

Anyway, Kuchar’s club setup is listed below. For a super deep dive into his setup, and why I like it so much, check out the link here.

Note: He carries 16 clubs, but decides between a long iron, hybrid or extra wedge to get down to 14 clubs.

Driver: Bridgestone Tour J815 (Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft), 9.5 degrees

3-Wood: TaylorMade SIM (Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X shaft), 15 degrees

5-Wood: Ping G425 Max (Fujikura Ventus Blue 8X shaft), 17.5 degres

Hybrids: Ping G425 (17 degrees; Fujikura Ventus HB 9TX shaft), and Ping Anser (20 degrees; Fujikura Motore Speeder HB 8.8 X-flex shaft)

Gear

Irons: Fourteen Golf (4-iron; AeroTech SteelFiber i95 shaft), Bridgestone Tour J15CB (5-PW; AeroTech SteelFiber i110 CW shafts)

Wedges: Bridgestone J40 Forged (51 degrees), Cleveland RTX ZipCore Raw (54, 58 and 64 degrees; KBS Tour 120S shafts)

Putter: Bettinardi SS28 Dass prototype (right-hand armlock, 0 degrees)

Ball: Bridgestone Tour B X prototype

Want to overhaul your bag for 2021? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below!