It wouldn’t be an Open Championship week without a few equipment tweaks for Tiger Woods. For years, the 15-time major winner has altered his setup to fit the links-style course conditions players face yearly when trekking across the pond. The changes have worked wonders in the past, so Woods has continued the ritual for a single week on the calendar.
During his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, Woods confirmed he’d likely make three changes at Royal Troon. None of them are surprising, but they’re still worth pointing out as many of his colleagues will likely be making similar calls on Thursday.
Wedge changes
What Tiger said: “I’m monkeying around with the bounce on my [60-degree]. I got a couple 60s I’m kind of experimenting right now, one with a little bit less bounce for the chipping areas. Also, I need — I like the way my older 60 is going through the bunkers and then getting out. It’s not digging. So I’ve got to make a call on that.”
Analyzing the change: Pros are used to playing on firm course conditions, but the Open Championship tends to take things to another level — assuming the weather cooperates. Woods has historically played wedges with a dual sole that allows the wedge to have mid-bounce when the leading edge is square to the target. However, the additional relief, particularly in the heel, allows the bounce to go down significantly so the leading edge can get underneath the ball from tight lies.
Going to less bounce means Woods is looking for something that allows the leading edge to sit flush against the turf, regardless of where it’s positioned. For the tight turf at Royal Troon, the decision makes sense.
If there’s one thing to consider when removing bounce, it’s how the wedge will play out of the sand. Bounce is your friend in the bunker and allows the head to get in and out of the sand efficiently with minimal digging. This is a tradeoff all golfers must consider, not just Woods.
Do you sacrifice versatility in the sand for less overall bounce? Of all the changes he’s contemplating, this could be the most important.
Stinger season
What Tiger said: “I just bent my 3-iron yesterday one degree stronger just to be able to hit it off the deck and get that thing down and flighted and running.”
Analyzing the change: Woods has won plenty of Open Championships with a long iron in his hands. At this point, there’s no reason to change. The P770 3-iron he generally carries has 19.5 degrees of loft. Bumping it down one degree should allow for additional rollout and keep the driver in the bag. It’s stinger season, baby.
“I think the older you get, the less you can carry the golf ball,” Woods said. “But over here, you can run the golf ball 100 yards if you get the right wind and the right trajectory.
“It negates somewhat of the high launch conditions that most of the times you see on the Tour that nowadays that populate the world. Here it’s a little bit different. You can play on the ground. You can burn it on the ground with a 1-iron, 2-iron, 3-wood, whatever, even drivers, and just flight it and get a bunch of run.”
If you’ve ever considered strengthening your irons to generate more distance, follow Woods’ lead and only make incremental adjustments. Bending the head 1-2 degrees will alter bounce and offset, but not enough to impact how the head goes through the turf.
Tape it up
What Tiger said: “I added lead tape to my putter just because the greens are so slow.”
Analyzing the change: With the greens rolling on the slower side this week, many players in the field will be looking for ways to add additional rollout to their putts. Some of today’s putters offer an adjustable weight version with heel-toe weights made of varying materials (tungsten, steel, aluminum) to produce the desired feel. That being said, there’s very little about Woods’ gear tendencies that would be considered new-school.
During the 2019 Open Championship, Woods tested two different putters early in the week at Royal Portrush, including an adjustable weight version of the Newport 2 with heavier plugs to combat the slower greens. In the end, Woods opted for the old-school method — strips of lead tape affixed to the cavity of his trusty Newport 2 gamer.
Woods has a history of using lead tape — a 1-inch strip weighs about 2 grams — throughout his career on the putter to increase overall head weight, which in turn makes it easier to get the ball rolling to the hole, something he’s struggled to do on slower greens.
If you play on slow greens and are considering adding lead tape to your putter, just remember the location can change MOI around the axis. Lead in the middle should keep things more neutral, but if you were to place it along the perimeter of the sole, it would deliver a higher MOI due to the mass position.
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