It started almost four years ago — on April 12th, 2021, at 11:13 p.m. ET, to be exact. I was a month into my new gig as Tour Content Manager for Callaway and had posted my first ‘what’s in the bag’ with the new gear on my Instagram account.
At that point, from my days working at WRX, it wasn’t uncommon for a Tour player to reach out for an unbiased opinion, but in this case, it was from a young Callaway staffer on the Korn Ferry Tour fighting for his professional career. Max Greyserman at that time was a relative unknown amongst the general golfing public, but for those of us who follow Tour golf closely, there was a promise of greatness that was VERY close to becoming fulfilled.
His message was this — actually, there was no question, just a statement.
“Currently in a Titleist T grind, Trying to get the boys to make me a similar grind, they took a Jaw T grind and shaved some off.”
In that same conversation, I discussed an Artisan wedge I had just got (that I couldn’t use because I was a Callaway guy now), shared the pictures and right on queue he said, “Speaking of Artisan, I got a wedge fitting with them on Monday afternoon…got some freedom in my bag for wedges but I’m a Callaway loyalist.” “BTW I’m a gear junkie too, love your stuff, keep it up.”
That’s where it started.
And from that day forward, Max became a DM buddy who came in handy when I was waiting for my kids to fall asleep. We’ve talked about wedge grinds, 5-wood strategy, iron bounce, mini-drivers, ball testing and any other gear dork category you can think of.
Not all Tour players are “gear dorks,” of course. In my travels, most of them know what their equipment does but don’t have that deep curiosity of what else is out there. Chris Kirk is one who comes to mind, he has a Ph.D in what works for Chris Kirk. How sensitive is he? Well, he can hit a 5-iron that’s maybe .25 too flat (negligible) and tell it’s flat because the ball starts 2 feet to the right of his desired window and doesn’t start drawing back to the center line in time to satisfy. Give Chris a Trackman and he is looking at seven or eight tiles down the data screen to get his info. That’s where all the nerdy numbers are — dynamic loft, face to path, spin loft, etc.
Rahmbo is another one who knows his equipment VERY well, but he’s more of a ball-in-the-air kind of guy. Without any measurement tools, he knows that if he makes a certain swing, the ball has to fly out of a very specific window and finish in another. That’s his checkpoint. I’ve seen him test new drivers multiple times, and in most cases, he can pick out a gamer in like six swings.
Back to the dorks.
Charles Howell III.Getty Images
The real ones I can count on one hand — Greyserman, Charles Howell III, Akshay Bhatia, Tommy Fleetwood and, of course, Bryson.
I have my own unique back and forth with many of them (some way more than others). For me, coming from where I did before I got into this business, it’s quite surreal. Howell and Fleetwood were gods to me — for years. CH3 especially — I’ve been following him since his AJGA days. To call him one of my dearest golf friends and to have him be the guy I nerd-out on equipment with is wild. We could start a gear podcast on the phone calls we have once or twice a week. Not a bad idea actually.
The Max Greyserman relationship is definitely unique, though. This young man is just starting his PGA Tour career and the conversations we have take on a different form, especially when I still had a Callaway hat on. I was not his Tour rep, but an idea guy on the inside to either confirm or deny what he was feeling. The Callaway Tour team had/has him dialed, and I learned a lot about Tour fitting based on the work they did with Max and the eventual conversations we would have after the fact.
There is something about what this game does to us all, though, especially those with passion for gear. A Max text would/still does come in, and all I can do is smile because I know a deep-dive, nerd download is about to go down.
What’s the favorite part of my job?
That.
I asked Max to comment on our relationship to gear, and this is what he had to say:
JW: I am comfortable labeling you a gear dork like me. When did your passion for equipment start? Was there a certain player or website you followed to get your info?
MG: Honestly, I can’t pinpoint an exact time, but when I started to get free clubs in high school, the door opened wide. Look up something on GolfWRX and then ask for it!
It was an opportunity to try different things and I’ve always wanted to try to be a little bit better everywhere and then I’d realize I could potentially do that through equipment. And then you play on different surfaces in different conditions. Some grinds are good for this surface, certain shafts launch and spin different, which are better in wind or no wind, etc. Do you wanna get lower launch, higher launch? I just kind of went down this rabbit hole because golf is unlike any sport. Week to week could be wildly different conditions. Firm bent to sandy, grainy Bermuda requires different shot making. It’s very unique where you’re playing on such different surfaces every single day. I think in college I started getting on Twitter and then I found the gear sites and I think I was just curious — like what are the best players in the world playing? Should I be playing what they are playing? Maybe there’s something to certain heads or weighting or wedge grinds so I just started looking through. I’d look up WITB pics every week.
Max Greyserman’s garage on Friday. Max Greyserman
JW: Although you’re not afraid to test anything once, you still remain quite diligent in the “gamers.” Was that different when you were younger? Were you someone who swapped clubs in and out all the time? If so, when, and why did that change?
MG: I would always look for the next best thing with equipment so I was trying out everything, and then I’d hang around Tour pros when I graduated college and look what they were using. Used to tinker so much because I thought I could play anything. As I progressed, I started to find what works for me and my impact conditions. Different swings and deliveries require different equipment access the board. Went from a kid in a candy store trying everything to dialing in my gamers. I still test but always go back to my gamers because you need full faith and trust executing dangerous difficult shots on Tour. My coach hates when I tinker and he thinks I’m the biggest tinkerer on Tour. Definitely up there. LOL!
JW: Even though you are climbing up the world rankings, do you still find enjoyment in testing new gear just for fun to see what’s going on, or do you only test when something in the bag is going south?
MG: I used to feel the need to change when things weren’t going well, but as I get older, that’s not the best route. Things can get out whack with the swing day to day with timing, but that doesn’t mean you need to change. If you notice a trend in the data, that’s when you need to make an adjustment — not a panic move. Gotten a lot better at that over the years. Using an older club and knowing your misses better is important, which is why guys keep the same club for a while. If it’s a new year and new clubs, guys will try to match the same characteristics in woods as much as possible. Callaway does a great job of helping me try to match the woods as closely as possible to previous years if I find comfort in older heads. If you find something that works well for an extended period of time, take note why!
JW: All-time Callaway set-up?
MG: Putter: 38-inch length Mini Jailbird Triple Track White Hot Insert (unicorn alert!)
3-wood: Mini Driver AI Smoke 13.5 * (unicorn alert!)
Driver: Epic Speed Max LS
Or
AI Smoke Triple Diamond Max
Or
GBB Epic 2016 (the start of Callaway driver dominance)
Nuggets:
— My variation of the putter is made famous by Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark.
— Phil Mickelson’s wedge was cheating greenside — I just couldn’t adjust to a full swing with it.
— Apex Pro Dot 2019 is criminally underrated.
— My 4-iron loft is almost identical to my 5-iron but launches even higher than my 5-iron. A common trend on Tour is getting a high-launch 4-iron.
— The Apex UW is a unicorn — not sure why other companies don’t follow suit. Feels like a hybrid without the left bias.
— Been asking Callaway for years for a mini-driver. Haven’t noticed a huge trend on Korn Ferry with mini-drivers and they have arrived. Callaway knocked this one out of the park. Convinced a few non-staffers to put this one in.
— Epic Max LS, I think, was Callaway’s first counter effort to the Ping LST. A college roomate who plays professionally played this driver for eight straight years and hit it amazing.
— AI Smoke Triple Diamond Max doesn’t get enough credit. Piggybacks a little off the Max LS.
JW: Who are your favorite Tour bags to follow and how much of that information actually helps you at this point?
MG: Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Denny McCarthy (probably the most companies of any player on Tour in his bag — six companies).
Honestly great to be a gear head these days with equipment companies not sponsoring as many pros and pros going more corporate. You get to see what Mon staffers are trying and what they like. I still go on online to see what people have in their bags. Been doing it less as I age because I’m finding what works for me. Doesn’t mean I can’t look!
Johnny currently serves as the Director of Equipment at Golf.com, contributing to platforms like Fully Equipped Golf. Prior to this role, he was the Content Marketing Manager at Callaway Golf, where he led “Callaway Golf’s World of Wunder,” a platform dedicated to in-depth golf equipment content. Before joining Callaway, he was the Director of Original Content and host of “The Gear Dive” podcast at GolfWRX.com. Beyond his professional endeavors, Johnny is an avid golfer with a deep passion for the game, having played since his youth in Seattle, Washington.
