Charl Schwartzel is using Miura irons that he purchased online and drilled himself

PGA Tour players these days have the best golf clubs, fitters and club builders at their disposal every week. They can get almost any golf club they want for free, and club builders are at players’ beck and call to make any equipment adjustments they need.

Charl Schwartzel, however, took matters into his own hands (and wallet) with the irons he’s using this week at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

The 2011 Masters champion, who is now an equipment free agent, is currently using Miura MB-001 irons that he purchased online. After getting the irons and trying them out, he then drilled holes out of the irons himself with a portable drill to reduce weight. Schwartzel told GOLF.com on Wednesday that it used to be common practice for Tour players to drill holes out of their clubs to make them lighter.

“When I bought them, they were too heavy, so I had to drill holes in them to get them lighter,” Schwartzel said. “That’s how they used to do it. I spoke with Nick Price and he used to build his own clubs back in the day. That was the only way — way back when they were playing — to get weight out. You have to drill holes.”

But Schwartzel wasn’t physically drilling the holes himself, right?

“I have my own drill press at home,” Schwartzel said. “It’s a normal steel drill that we use. It’s a hand-held drill. We held [the irons] on a piece of wood. I drilled holes, and then I would weigh it, and then I would drill holes until it’s the right weight.”

Schwartzel said the irons he ordered online came in at a swing weight of D6, which is too heavy for Schwartzel’s liking. So he drilled holes in the back cavities of the irons until they were D3. Some of the irons took more drilling than others, which is why there are a different amount of holes drilled in the back of each head.

“You’d be surprised how many holes you have to drill to get 0.3 of a swing weight out,” he said.

Some players on the PGA Tour don’t even apply their own lead tape to clubs to make weight adjustments. Meanwhile, Schwartzel is drilling holes in the back of irons using a drill press and a block of wood. It’s truly a remarkable equipment story in 2020.

Gearheads, we may have a new king.

To hear more gear insights from Jonathan Wall and True Spec’s Tim Briand, subscribe and listen each week to GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast: iTunes | SoundCloud | Spotify | Stitcher