With the FedEx Cup playoffs just around the corner, this part of the PGA Tour schedule doesn’t usually have too many players switching up clubs much less full sets, but a number of players in the field at the Rocket Mortgage Classic didn’t have a choice thanks to some lost luggage.
With summer travel in high gear, stories of lost luggage are everywhere with it reaching a fever pitch a couple of weeks ago at the Open Championship where pictures of stacked-up travel bags went viral. PGA Tour players are not immune to the impact of lost luggage including golf clubs, the only difference is they really need their clubs to earn a paycheck.
One player that got a full new set of clubs this week in Detroit is former world number 1 Luke Donald, who is still without gear after reporting his lost clubs on Twitter close to a week ago.
Lucky for Luke, as of Monday in Detroit, he had a fresh set of clubs and a new bag ready to go.
Luke isn’t an isolated case either — other players that have lost luggage over the last few weeks include Ping staffers Viktor Hovland who had a new set built before the Open Championship (where he finished tied for 4th), and Mackenzie Hughes who had a whole new set built for Detroit.
The hardest club to replace for Mr. Hughes was a center-shafted Ping Piper C with custom weighting and lead tape but the team at Ping stepped up to the challenge.
With all these lost clubs I think we have an untapped sponsorship opportunity, because who doesn’t hate losing their clubs right?
Ryan Barath is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s senior editor for equipment. He has an extensive club-fitting and -building background with more than 20 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. Before joining the staff, he was the lead content strategist for Tour Experience Golf, in Toronto, Canada.