Welcome to Wall-to-Wall Equipment, the Monday morning gear wrap-up in which GOLF equipment editor Jonathan Wall takes you through the latest trends, rumors and breaking news.
One and only
Armed with a bevy of shots in his arsenal, impressive speed and pro-level swagger, it’s easy to forget Charlie Woods is just 12 years old, which technically doesn’t even make him old enough to see a PG-13 movie. Woods may have to wait another year to see Spider-Man: No Way Home, but the barrier to entry to wield custom TaylorMade gear isn’t as hard and fast.
In fact, Charlie already boasts a set of custom TaylorMade P7CW irons that are total one-offs. It’s just another reminder that being the son of a living legend has its perks.
While Charlie’s blades have the look of pop’s P7TW, slight modifications were made to the overall look.
As you can see from the photo below, TaylorMade designers — it’s very possible Tiger played a role as well in the creation process — removed mass from the heel and toe sections, giving the head a similar look to the company’s classic RAC TP MB Forged.
The RAC design made it possible to position more weight along the perimeter to further stabilize a more traditional blade profile. In Charlie’s case, it actually serves a dual purpose, adding weight to the perimeter — mass is still visible behind the hitting area — while reducing the overall head weight to land on a target swing weight for the 12-year-old phenom.
As Jack Nicklaus pointed out at the 2020 Masters, Tiger is following the same blueprint Earl used when he taught the 15-time major winner how to wield a club. Instead of starting with a more forgiving iron, Tiger had Charlie in blades from the get-go.
“Charlie is starting to play golf, and he’s getting a really good swing,” Nicklaus said. “[Tiger] says, I’ve got blades in his hands so he learns how to play golf instead of learning with all those forgiving golf clubs.
“I think he’s very wise.”
Of course, Tiger is going about things the right way, reducing the overall weight to allow Charlie to hone his swing with a lighter build. In his case, however, it just so happens to be with custom blades sporting his initials.
Not so Stealthy
Tiger’s return at the PNC Championship led TaylorMade to go early with the tour release of its Stealth drivers and fairway woods. Both Tiger and Charlie were spotted with a Stealth club in Orlando. Tiger chose to use a 9-degree Stealth Plus driver, while Charlie opted for a Stealth fairway wood.
A red “60X Carbon Twist Face” looks to be the centerpiece of the Stealth driver, but don’t expect the technology to carry over to the fairway wood. Based on fairway wood photos that surfaced from the event, the red face is visibly absent — a sure sign that TaylorMade is going with a more conventional face construction.
Like father, like son
Tiger Woods wasn’t the only golfer in the PNC Championship field using a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter with his name stamped on the head. As GOLF.com reported last week, Charlie is the proud owner of a backup version of Tiger’s Newport 2 GSS putter.
The putter appears to be an exact replica — all the way down to the cord grip, cherry bombs and “Tiger Woods” stamped on the back bumpers. The wand is decidedly shorter than Woods’ gamer, but that’s where the differences end.
Backup versions of Woods’ putter have sold for big money in the last few years, but Charlie’s version is on a completely different level. Ryan Carey, the founder of Golden Age Golf Auctions, tweeted that Tiger and Charlie’s Newport 2’s are “two of the most significant putters in existence — whose combined value may be more the golf course they are playing on.”
In other words, Charlie was rolling the rock with a very special putter.
Quick-hitters: John Daly had 13 Tour Edge clubs in play at the PNC Championship, including an Exotics C721 driver. … John Daly II’s bag was a bit more diverse with a mix of Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist (Scotty Cameron Futura T5W) gear.
Want to overhaul your bag for 2022? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.