I have done so many Sam Burns “What’s in the bag” posts it’s bordering on insane. When I started with Callaway I was asked early on to lock in on this young stud from LSU that Team Callaway was so excited about. At a glance he’s an elite driver and putter. His irons and wedges are coming to a fun place and his golf IQ is through the roof. Callaway took him on with the hopes and promise that someday he’d be a world-beater.
Well, two Presidents Cups, a Ryder Cup and five PGA Tour wins later, I’d say the promise of what he can do has been delivered — although I’d say the kid is still just getting started.
The talent is undeniable, and I would know: I had a front row seat for four years almost every Tuesday during our traditional Tuesday walks (all while getting a close look at his best friend Scottie in the process). Truth is, when I compare the two they are very similar, with the one missing piece for Burns being that chip on his shoulder (he has one, don’t get it twisted) to win at all costs. The full manifestation of that comes with time, quickly for some and a little longer for others.
His time is coming, and I think he can give his best bud Scottie a serious run. He just needs to get a big one under his belt — like this week at the Players — and the rest will take care of itself. Once he gets a taste for it in that Major arena, look out, it’ll come in bunches. He’s just that good.
His equipment as a whole doesn’t change all that much. If you recall the article I wrote about Max Greyserman, I mentioned some players on Tour are “hard switchers,” and Burns would be one of those. Take his driver for example: he’s still in the Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S, which has been in the bag since Bay Hill 2023, and even that driver took time to transition. Since I began my time at Callaway, Burns was one of a handful of players who wouldn’t swap into a new model until the Florida swing, or not at all. The Paradym TD S he’s in now he’s called “the greatest driver ever,” although I have inside knowledge that the Elyte TD Max that travels with him as a backup is very close.
So what does he have in his bag? Let’s dig into his specs and some interesting Trackman numbers to go along with it.
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Sam Burns: What’s in his golf bag
Ball: Chrome TOUR X+
Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond S (9+@10.3, N/+1 8GB, 7GF, 59 lie)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 7TX (45 inches, Tipped .5 , D3, 198G)
Says Burns: “I’m pretty slow to switch drivers and will only make the jump if there’s improvement across the board. I had a great year with the Rogue ST TD in 2022, but with this Paradym, I found a tighter window down range, a bit more ball speed on mishits and the sound and feel of this thing are unreal.”
“These days you find the improvements with equipment in the nuance, and to make my misses a bit better could mean something huge as the year goes on. It all matters, and every little thing we can add helps.”
3-Wood: Callaway Elyte TD 15@15.8 (212G, N/+1)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Chemical 1K Black 75TX (43 EOG, D3, Tipped 1.5)
Says Kellen Watson, a Callaway Tour Performance Rep: “Sam has always had a love/hate relationship with his fairway wood. The new characteristics of the Elyte TD, step sole and Tungsten speed wave have made it easier for Sam to see great results off the ground and off a peg. Because of his delivery of the club, Sam had seen a consistent hit location higher in the face. Bringing most of the weight down in the design has allowed him more consistent strikes with proper numbers.”
Utility Iron: Apex UT 20
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue HB Velo+ 10X (39.5 EOG, D3)
Irons: Apex TCB (4-PW)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Lofts: 4(22.2), 5(26), 6(29), 7(33.7), 8(37.1), 9(41.6), P(46)
Lies: Up 1/2 from Std.
Length: STD (38 inch 5-iron)
Says Watson: “Coming from Apex Pro (double dot) in 2020, Sam noticed that there were some improvements to be made to his overall dispersion. After working in the winter of 2020 with our Tour Team, he transitioned into the TCB, which improved spin, launch and dispersion across the board. Good luck getting these outta the bag.”
Wedges: Vokey SM10 (50F, 56F@55, 60M)
*Sam swapped into the Vokey M grind this year for added bounce and forgiveness (this picture is from last year).
Shafts: TT Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (50), TT Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (55,60)
Putter: Odyssey O-Works 7S (3 Loft, 71 Lie, 35 Inches)
Says Cody Hale, Odyssey Tour Performance Rep: “No big story here; he’s addicted to the shape and makes everything with the 7S. I don’t recall Sam ever looking at another putter. His speed and feel improved with the Ai-Fac; he swapped almost immediately at The Tour Championship in 2023.”
What you can learn from Burns’ setup:
Actually pretty simple — as I’ve mentioned in the past, a great bag is built around a high floor. The reason why Burns sticks so close to certain elements of his bag is spin (i.e. control). His Paradym TD S for example is a 420CC chassis that is built for spin and maneuverability. The miss with that driver has simply served him better than other models. I’ve seen him countless times test heads that were faster, but he always goes back to that head because the miss is better. For Tour players and us, building your bag around a quality miss far outweighs center-punch strikes.
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