When Tiger started using Nike equipment, he began experimenting more seriously with bigger Nike driver heads – cracking the 400 cc size – because of greater forgiveness, and he switched to longer (between 44.5 and 45 inches) and lighter driver shafts.
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For additional insight, PGATOUR.COM also recently spoke with Woods himself for the full Q&A, click here. Together, Nichols and Bobka are armed with all of the knowledge and stories about Woods’ equipment from 1997-2016.
Bobka was responsible for helping design Woods’ Titleist irons, and he worked with Woods on his fairway woods and driver from 1997 through 2002. He worked with Woods closely on equipment from 1996 until 2016, when Nike exited the hard goods industry. Nichols was a Tour Rep for True Temper starting in 1994 until joining Nike as the Director of Field Operations and Global Sports Marketing.
Recently, PGATOUR.COM spoke in-depth with Nichols and Larry Bobka, two men who worked closely with Tiger and know the most about his equipment through his prime years (from 1997 until Nike exited the hard goods business). Look no further than the classic conspiracy theory that Woods’ irons throughout the years are simply Miura irons stamped with Titleist or Nike logos.Īll rumors and speculation can now be put to rest, however. Given so much intrigue around Woods’ golf clubs, often with few answers due to the tight-lipped nature of Team Tiger, golf fans and people with “inside information from a guy I know” were allowed the opportunity to fill in their own gaps. “Right?”īut what equipment was Tiger even using? Golfers have always had their own theories. “If you know that feel, why would you deviate from that recipe too much?” Nichols says. Rick Nichols, Woods’ longtime equipment concierge, if you will, calls Woods’ unwillingness to switch “conservative,” and that he’s a “creature of habit.” Larry Bobka, Woods’ clubmaker while at Titleist, calls it “smart.” Woods had quick success with certain golf clubs in his early days on the PGA TOUR, and he’s built a tremendous amount of confidence with those equipment specifications. That’s why despite putter drama in 2018, he switched back into his trusty Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS prototype to win the 2018 TOUR Championship. That’s why his golf ball manufacturer hasn’t changed.
That’s why his iron shafts haven’t changed. That’s why Woods keeps going back to a Mitsubishi Diamana driver shaft no matter how many times he switches to something else. That’s why his irons throughout the years haven’t changed specs, aside from one club in particular (we’ll get to that later). Rather, Woods sticks with what’s familiar. Unlike with Jordan, whose shoes sell to the masses at retail, the exact golf clubs that Woods uses have been shrouded in mystery because they’re often prototypes made specifically for him.Īlso unlike Jordan, who reportedly wore a different pair of sneakers for every game, Woods does not like to change equipment. Golf fans look at Woods’ equipment much like fans of Michael Jordan looked at his sneakers. Why do people care what equipment Tiger Woods uses when their golf swings look nothing like Tiger’s swing? Answer: It just matters.
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