Gary Woodland uses Cobra's prototype OPTM Max LS-K driver.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Gary Woodland is back in the PGA Tour winner’s circle for the first time since his U.S. Open win almost seven years ago.
The 41-year-old recently opened up about his struggles with PTSD following brain surgery in late 2023. Now he’s back among the game’s elite, leading the tour in driving distance and clubhead speed while earning his fifth PGA Tour victory this week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
His driving was one of his keys to victory this past week, as he ranked seventh in distance at nearly 322 yards off the tee while placing 15th in Strokes Gained.
Woodland plays one of the coolest driver setups on the PGA Tour, opting for Cobra’s prototype OPTM Max LS-K driver, something Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin described as a “living prototype” earlier this season. It’s essentially a lower-spin, fade-biased version of Cobra’s retail Max K driver that was specifically built with Woodland in mind when he started playing Cobra’s DS-ADAPT Max-K driver last season.
LOW loft. Heavy shaft. Back weighted.
They don’t make many drivers like Gary Woodland’s. He explains how he found his current gamer. pic.twitter.com/KGSTivFfR7
“This is my 18th year on Tour and the drivers that I’ve played when I’ve driven the golf ball well have been back-weighted,” Woodland told GOLF in February, referring to the deeper CG of drivers designed for game-improvement players. “Everyone wants front weight to get the spin down and distance. But for some reason, I’ve been back with it, and I started struggling with spin last year. I went through all the drivers, and I got to their Max K driver last year, and it was low spin for me for some reason.”
With that deep CG, Woodland prefers a lower lofted head, which is why his driver measures in at just 6.4 degrees of loft. He also pairs it with a telephone pole-like Ventus Black 8-X shaft.
Schomin and Woodland also made a major change this week just before his win. Woodland made his second iron shaft change of the season.
He started the year playing a softer Nippon Modus 130 X after he fell in love with the feel when he added it to the bag last fall. But Schomin never saw it as the best option for him, and they went back to the Dynamic Gold X100 last month.
That was the shaft he initially switched to from the KBS C-Taper 130X he used most of last year because he was trying to neutralize his severely out-to-in path.
“So he was trying to neutralize his delivery a little more and not swing so left,” Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin told GOLF. “Some dynamics changing in there, and as his swing is becoming more neutral, the X100 was really good. He felt like he could hit a little draw, felt like he could hit a little cut.”
Texas Children's Open leader Gary Woodland made an iron shaft change this week back to the KBS C-Taper 130 X from the Dynamic Gold X100.
It's actually his second iron shaft change of the year.
Chatted with Cobra Tour rep Ben Schomin who told me Woodland initially moved to… pic.twitter.com/mb3EJrMUgf
Woodland’s delivery dynamics impart a ton of spin on the ball, which is why he was in the C-Taper, but he felt that the shaft was too boardy last year.
But, with all the speed Woodland has picked up this year, the X100s weren’t scrubbing enough spin, and Woodland was finding his irons were coming up short.
“So X100 just is starting to feel a little bit too soft. And again, going back to C-Taper 130X is something he’s played with for a long time. Immediately, we knew at some point he was probably going back into them.”
Schomin was so sure Woodland was going back to the C-Taper that he kept a set of King MBs with the shafts on the Cobra Tour Truck for Woodland. That set sat on the Cobra truck for nearly a year until earlier this month when Schomin said Cobra tech James Posey sent them back to HQ because they were taking up space.
“He’s like, ‘Is that set still on there?’ and I was like … ‘No, we had just sent them back.’ So I had to go build a new set of irons,” Schomin said. “We just did 5, 7 and 9 iron to get a quick comparison. Sure enough, he’s like, ‘Yeah, these feel great.’ Then I went and completed the rest of the set.”
With as much speed as Woodland has gained, he actually said the C-Tapers, one of the most stout profiles out there, feel much better than before.
“Now he’s like, no, they actually feel good,” Schomin said. “They don’t feel quite the same as X100, don’t get me wrong, but they definitely feel like I’ve got the speed now moving those things.”
Keep reading below for all of Woodland’s detailed specs.
Gary Woodland’s winning WITB at the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Gary Woodland’s OPTM LS-K Driver.Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Driver: Cobra OPTM Max LS-K 9.0˚ FF33Hosel Setting: F2 Actual loft: 6.4˚ Shaft: Fujikura Ventus 8-X Tipping: 2″ Length: 44.75″
3-Wood: Ping G440 Max Loft: 15˚ Shaft: Accra Tour Z XTreme 4100 M5
PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood
The G440 fairway family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances PING’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while maintaining a CG location that delivers high- launching performance off the ground. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions.
HIGH MOI
Easy to launch, stable design increases forgiveness.
FLEXING FACE
Maraging steel face flexes for more ball speed, optimizes spin.
TALLER FACE PROFILE
Improves performance off the tee, maintains low CG.
FREE-HOSEL DESIGN
Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness.
Woodland’s last remaining Wilson club is this utility iron.Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Utility Iron: Wilson Staff Model Utility Loft: 18˚ Shaft: KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X
Wilson Staff Model RB Utility Iron
The new Staff Model RB Utility features a high strength C300 steel face yielding a forged feel to help you redefine your long game performance. This club helps players fill the gap between their shortest fairway wood and their longest iron. The versatility it provides around the golf course makes it a perfect solution for long par threes, reachable-in-two par fives and even fairway-finding stingers.
Gary Woodland’s irons at the Travelers Championship last June.Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Irons: Cobra King Tour Chrome (4), King MB Chrome (5-9) Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X
Cobra KING MB Custom Irons
Crafted for the blade aficionados, the traditionalists, and those that aspire for nothing but the best ball striking experience possible.
5-STEP FORGED
Crafted and 5-step forged from 1025 carbon steel for exceptional feel and compact shaping
TOUR INSPIRED SHAPING
Using Tour feedback, the design has been refined to deliver sleek muscle back and cavity back shapes that inspires precision and workability
FLOW SET
Available in a combo set that flows from a more forgiving muscle cavity back in the 4-6 iron, to a more workable muscle back in the 7 through pitching wedge. Full sets of MB and CB available in custom
Wedges: Cobra King RAW (48-56), Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack Proto (60) Lofts/Grinds: 48D, 52C, 56C, 60 Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Cobra KING Custom Wedge
Crafted from 8620 steel using MIM (Metal Injection Molding), KING Wedges are one of the softest feelings in market. Choose from four new grinds (DROP, WIDELOW, VERSATILE, TOUR) for enhanced greenside creativity and optimized CG with Flight Window Technology (F.W.T) for tour inspired launch. The redesigned Cobra Speed Notch, 67% larger than before, ensures better glide and speed on open-face shots.
MIM (METAL INJECTION MOLDING)
Experience precision with MIM technology, offering 50% tighter tolerances than traditional casted wedges. Each head is heat-treated to nearly 1400°C, ensuring a tighter grain structure for a softer feel and enhanced longevity, resisting groove degradation for lasting performance.
COBRA SPEED NOTCH
Discover the newly redesigned Cobra Speed Notch, featuring softer, blended shaping that complements our new grinds. Now 67% larger, it ensures smooth glide through the ground while maintaining speed and delivering high spinning shots.
Putter: Scotty Cameron GoLo Tour Prototype Grip: SuperStroke
Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback OC Putter
As an extension of the popular Studio Style Fastback design, the Studio Style Fastback OC is a low-torque model featuring the same ring-weighted, high-alignment, multi-material design of the other Fastback models, but with Scotty’s tour-validated OC technology package. Featuring onset center shaft placement behind the putter face’s leading edge, the straight shaft is precisely positioned in line with the putter head’s CG location and leans 1° forward. This allows for low-torque performance and face alignment that stays square to the path.
STUDIO CARBON STEEL (SCS) FACE INSERT
The Studio Style Fastback OC includes a chain-link milled Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) insert for soft sound and feel, treated with an electroless nickel plating for enhanced durability with aerospace-inspired vibration damping for tuned sound, feel and performance.
CUSTOM BLACK SHAFT
Custom made for the new OC putters, each model includes a special black KBS x Scotty Cameron shaft with optimal flex, unimpeded alignment and precise feel.
CUSTOM MATADOR GRIP
With a debossed chain-link texture built-in, each new OC putter includes a custom 11-inch mid-size Matador grip in black with racy red and cool gray accents.
The Greatest Combination of Speed, Spin and Feel
Pro V1 golf balls are the optimal premium performance choice for most players and the most played model in golf.
Why Play Pro V1?
Pro V1 is recommended to players who are looking for mid-trajectory flight, very low long game spin and maximum short game spin, with softer feel.
Comparison to Pro V1x
Due to its unique dimple pattern, Pro V1 has a lower flight than Pro V1x. A softer gradient core produces a softer feel and slightly less spin than Pro V1x.
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
