Equipment
Viktor Hovland teases new driver shaft and head combo
While Viktor Hovland’s search for the ideal driver setup continues, the Norwegian gave out plenty of interesting morsels in his pre-tournament presser ahead of this week’s WM Phoenix Open.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old went in deep on his driver journey dating back to last year, and how this week he may be opting for a new shaft and driver head combination.
Speaking to media, Hovland was asked about changing from his Ping G425 LST to the brand’s G440 LST driver last season, to which he responded:
“Yeah, I played — well, generally I tried out the new 440 last year because it is faster. The spin consistency off the face is a joke. If I hit it off the heel or the toe with a 425 the spin discrepancy is very large. Like if I hit it off the toe I can spin it under 2000. If I hit it off the heel I can maybe get up to 3000. Versus the 440, it’s very tight. It goes from maybe 2000 to 2600, so a huge gap.
And it’s also faster.
However, the problem is it launches a little bit higher for me. And for some reason just with the setup that I’ve tested with, it tends to go a bit more to the right. Right now with my golf swing when I get stuck, my miss is already a high right misses. If I hit this driver it’s just getting exenuated.”
The same reporter noted that Hovland had two drivers in the bag on the range this week, allowing the 7-time winner on the PGA Tour to explain:
“Now yesterday, because I was still hitting it so poorly on the course and I texted Kenton if he could just bring a driver that’s quarter of an inch shorter and so he brought a different shaft as well. It’s in that new (Ping) 440K version.
Just trying to find something I can put in play, and that seemed to be a lot better. That was just last night, so the experimentation continues.”
Hovland added:
“Yes. I would say comparing it to the LST it spins a hair more. Other than that, it’s very different because I tried the K from a couple years ago when the 430 came out, and I just couldn’t get the spin down at all. Like every single shot spun over 3000 for me.
The new version, it’s really nice. It seemed to almost to spin less than the max version, which is interesting. It’s very good driver.”
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
