Equipment
Pros weigh in on Titleist’s new GT drivers at the Memorial
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of an article originally filed for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report by our Andrew Tursky. Tursky discussed the switch into the just-debuted Titleist GT drivers with a handful of pros. Read the full piece here.
Lee Hodges
“This (new GT2) feels a little bit different. It’s a little more of a dull feel off the face, which I feel like is a good thing. And just a little bit faster. But overall, the look and stuff, is basically the same, just a bit more of a muted sound.
“It has a little different pop off the face, which is more solid and less tingy – more of a muted, dull kind of thump. I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels great. It has maybe a little more ball speed…maybe a 1 mph difference, but it’s just as good as the last one, if not a little bit better. I only tested the (GT2 model), and I’m going straight into it.”
Will Zalatoris
“I think this is the most that we’ve been begging [Titleist] to put it in our hands as fast as we can. We first tested it I think in early December. I think the part that’s really cool about it is it’s just kind of plug-and-play. I have the exact same shaft, the exact same setting. And immediately I’m picking up 1.5 mph ball speed, and that equates to about another 6.5-7 yards of carry. I think the thing that I really noticed when you compare it from my old one, from the TSR to the GT, I think the mishits just get brought in that much more; 4-5 yards out here on Tour in dispersion could be the difference of you being in the fairway and having another birdie look … you miss a fairway and now you’re laying up trying to make par the hard way.
“The feel is amazing. That’s probably the biggest thing that I’ve really picked up from the first time I hit it, it was just this like euphoric, really solid, really fast off the face. I always like the kind of dampened sound and so, I immediately was just like, it felt like an absolute missile. It’s been fun. I’ve had a lot of guys ask me, ‘When you switch clubs, how much testing do you do?’ And literally I’m just like, ‘I took my old shaft, put it in the new head, and saw another 7 yards of carry and 4 yards better left and right.’
“You check the ball speed, my spin stayed the exact same, launch stayed the exact same, but I’m just carrying it farther and it’s straighter. It’s kind of a utopian setup.
“A lot of us out here, there’s only so much that we can do when it comes to (picking up) distance. But a lot of it is when you look at your average distance, it’s not so much about what’s your top end, it’s about how much farther your mishits going and how much straighter are they going.”
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

Chatsworth Osborne Jr
Jun 12, 2024 at 5:10 pm
I “wunder” how it will perform on the Sales Stimulator!?
I can hear it now.; I’m in places on the golf course I’ve never been before!
Remember the 17 extra yard commercials? ?
Kevin R Gallemore
Jun 11, 2024 at 6:23 am
Will’s statement on ball speed is trash…1 mph=2 yards. So we are talking more than 1/2 of his claims…why hasn’t GolfWRX corrected this?
Paulo
Jun 9, 2024 at 1:49 am
If you added all the ball speed gains up over the last 20 years with each release they would be hitting it 5mph . I’d have more respect if somebody said “you don’t have to buy this if you have a tsr already.
This isn’t journalism , it’s advertising
Brian
Jun 7, 2024 at 11:40 pm
I couldn’t possibly care less about what paid product endorsers have to say about said product.
M
Jun 7, 2024 at 9:35 pm
How can they possibly keep making drivers go faster when there’s a cap limit. Something’s not right. Lines are being moved
Ben
Jun 7, 2024 at 1:17 pm
Imagine that, paid athletes saying good things about the new product.
ewfnick
Jun 7, 2024 at 11:59 am
Yet another latest and greatest
Mo
Jun 7, 2024 at 10:38 am
Same old story every year. Longer and more forgiving