Equipment
GolfWRX Insider: Viktor Hovland dials in his Ping i210 irons
The best players in the world are at “Jack’s place” this week, and coming into the Memorial very few players are as hot as Viktor Hovland. With top 25 finishes in every event since the return to play and a solo third last week at the Workday Charity Open, the Oklahoma State Cowboy is on the cusp of a win—maybe even multiple wins fast—if this pace keeps up.
However, the tweaking never stops on tour. This week, Viktor was looking for a “bit more height” and “a bit more” spin without sacrificing any distance. That means “I want to hit this i210 7-iron 174 yards, with this shaft, and this loft, BUT I want a bit more height and a bit more spin.” Not a ton of areas for adjustment in that scenario. So you want it to spin more, go a bit higher, but we can’t change anything? OK. Challenge accepted.
Why? is probably your next question. I mean, the guy is red hot.
The fact that he is red hot is the reason. In this case, with as well as Hovland is hitting the ball, he feels like new opportunities (i.e. birdies) could become possible if the ball could stop a little quicker when it hits the green. Crazy how dialed these guys get. He’s hitting it so well that the ball stopping even two feet quicker is the difference between 17 and 20 under.
For Ping tour rep Kenton Oates, this ask requires some serious savvy. Viktor is a shallow path “picker” of the golf ball. Not only does he not put a ton of spin on the ball, but he also doesn’t interact with the ground all that much. It’s in that turf interaction (or lack thereof) that Kenton found the answer.
“Viktor came to us wanting to add a slight about of height and spin. We discussed our options and decided to try to get the club into the ground more to create more height was the best option as we were not too keen on changing major variables (length, shaft, or loft).
“Our hope was he would see an increase in launch and spin due to the reduced bounce/camber of the sole (four degrees of bounce taken from each iron) and after testing for a few hours on TrackMan, that is exactly what happened (gained approx 1 deg launch 150-250 mph of spin and a 1.5-2 [degree] steeper landing angle) and an added bonus it improved the feel of the irons for Viktor giving him even more confidence.“
These guys are so good.
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.
“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.
From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4
3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4
Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms
Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80
Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105
Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
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Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
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Chuck
Jul 16, 2020 at 10:54 pm
That is an astonishing number; removing 4 degrees of bounce. That has to have been fully half, of more, of the total bounce angle per each iron. And what; it was ground off like working with wedges? What happened to all of that swingweight?
I am not doubting what was done; I am just wondering about the explanation of it.
KO
Jul 17, 2020 at 8:35 pm
Hand ground each head. About 80% of longest iron down to about 33% of pw. Head weight easily restored with CTP weight in back cavity.
Hope this helps
jgpl001
Jul 16, 2020 at 6:08 am
I can believe there is 4 deg bounce taken off these soles?
The soles are clean, but wow they are wideee
Personally, as a sweeper and picker of the ball the soles I would have a mental block looking at the width of these, you could land a 747 on them…
Still great article and insight on how these great players think and work, more of these articles please
Nick
Jul 16, 2020 at 3:36 pm
I feel the same way. I’m a picker and I have a hard time playing the I series. I had i25s and went into the i500 because of the thinner sole as I could actually take a divot and get better numbers
Evan
Jul 16, 2020 at 5:39 am
Why would less bounce = higher launch and spin?
Dave
Jul 16, 2020 at 6:37 am
Evan – the ball will usually strike the face a touch higher with less bounce, popping the ball up a bit more. With the club going into the ground a bit steeper the ball will likely stay on the face a bit longer too, getting that extra friction and spin.
Evan
Jul 16, 2020 at 5:36 pm
Thanks, that makes sense.
matt
Jul 16, 2020 at 9:41 am
it shouldn’t. yes it should increase launch, because the club is sliding lower under the ball. Impact (or exit point)will come a bit higher on the face due to more skidding up the face. This will reduce spin though. Something else was going on in that fitting. Less bounce almost always equals higher launch and less spin
I’d also say I think playing with turf interaction is a pretty massive variable..
Karsten's Ghost
Jul 16, 2020 at 5:31 am
Now THAT is a classy looking iron.
Maybe you can order them “Hovland-style” from PingWRX?
Josh
Jul 15, 2020 at 9:31 pm
Pretty clean soles (ie no iron #) now that they ground the bounce off. Nice touch adding the iron # on backside of each club.