Equipment
New Pinnacle Distance named official golf ball of World Long Drive for 2025 season
Pinnacle is making a return to the long drive scene. As announced today, the brand has been named the official golf ball partner of the World Long Drive (WLD) Tour for the 2025 season. As part of this partnership, the newly rebranded Pinnacle Distance will be the exclusive ball used in competition.
How did this happen? Well, a few roads merged, it seems.
Late in 2023 and early 2024, extensive golfer research confirmed that players in the distance/value segment prioritize high-quality, consistent, and affordable golf balls, with distance being their number one performance demand, according to the company. With that insight in mind, Pinnacle Rush and Pinnacle Soft were consolidated into a single model— Pinnacle Distance — which retains the long-drive technology of Pinnacle Rush while offering a clearer message about its performance benefits. At $19.99 per 15-ball pack, Pinnacle Distance provides premium performance without the premium price tag.

Meanwhile, as Pinnacle was refining this strategy, the World Long Drive Tour approached Acushnet with an opportunity to partner, creating a natural fit to reinforce the brand’s distance-driven identity. This partnership introduces the Pinnacle Series, a new initiative that includes tour events and professional ambassadors, ensuring that the ball’s performance is showcased at the highest level.
Reigning WLD World Champion Sean Johnson and current World No. 4 Jack Smith will be official Pinnacle Ambassadors, promoting the ball’s impressive power, durability, and consistency. Johnson expressed excitement about the partnership, recalling his first experience with Pinnacle as a junior golfer:
“The first ball I ever played with was the Pinnacle Gold when I was 12 years old, and I appreciate the opportunity to represent the brand as I continue my long drive journey.”
Smith echoed the enthusiasm, emphasizing the ball’s reliability in competition:
“I’ve had the chance to test this product, and ‘Don’t Think, Just Rip’ is the perfect tagline for this ball and this brand. I know how it is going to react when I hit it properly, so that takes one element out of my process.”
Pinnacle will also serve as the presenting sponsor for three major WLD events:
- Clash in the Canyon (Mesquite, NV – March 21-23)
- Bluff City Shootout (Memphis, TN)
- Rocky Mountain Rumble (La Salle, CO)
Additionally, Pinnacle will be the official sponsor for The Fight at the Fort (Columbia, SC). The Mesquite event marks the first time Pinnacle Distance will be used in WLD competition, showcasing its long-drive capabilities on a global stage.
“Pinnacle’s origin story is distance, and it will be fun to see that on the World Long Drive stage,” said Jeremy Stone, Senior VP of Golf Ball Marketing at Acushnet. “Competitors will certainly notice the distance, but it is the quality, consistency, and durability that will stand out—long drive after long drive.”
For context, the 2025 WLD season features nine events, culminating in the World Championship from September 24-28 at Bigfoot Turf Farm in Colorado. As part of the partnership, Pinnacle will also gather insights from WLD athletes to inform future product development.
Golfers can purchase Pinnacle Distance golf balls in golf shops starting Saturday, March 15.
Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
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.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
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
Whats in the Bag
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
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
