Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.
It may be time to pour one out for one of the oldest fairway woods on the PGA Tour.
“I haven’t really tested anything,” he said at Torrey Pines in January. “I’m not a tinkerer. If something works, something works and I don’t really switch up. I like everything that I’ve got in the bag. I feel like I have a good understanding of the control, where the misses are.”
That attitude appears to have changed this week at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where Koepka has made the surprising decision to remove his nearly decade-old TaylorMade M2 Tour fairway wood for an R7 Quad Mini driver.
That 4-wood has seen a ton of action for Koepka, having been in the bag for all five of his major championships, along with a Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron from 2016, one of the only remaining Nike clubs in professional golf.
But, there’s some reason to believe this might only be a temporary move for Koepka.
Inside Tour Golf, the equipment surveyor on the DP World Tour who first reported Koepka’s move to the R7 Quad this week, is also reporting record mini driver usage for the DP World Tour this week. They counted 49 mini drivers, 29 percent of the field, this week.
A big reason why is the strategy of links golf itself. Players usually hit far fewer drivers on links courses because of the greater runout on the firm turf, as well as the extremely penal pot bunkers that dot the fairways.
Mini drivers offer a popular alternative to fairway woods this week because players are going to use them from the tee so often, they might as well go for some extra forgiveness from the larger head.
While this is the first time we’ve seen Koepka move away from his M2 Tour, it might not be goodbye forever. It very well could be a temporary, course-dependent move. We’ll just have to wait and see.
PERFORMANCE FOR THE MODERN PLAYER Inspired by one of the most iconic models in TaylorMade history, the R7 Quad Mini Driver pays homage to what’s come before, while creating its own modern identity in the same breath. It’s that very modern design that incorporates proven TaylorMade technologies to give golfers versatility and playability. R7 QUAD WEIGHTING SYSTEM The new quad weighting system features four movable weights (13g x2, 4g x2) that provide the ultimate in spin management and shot shape control. Forward CG creates a penetrating flight best suited for maximizing distance whereas rear CG helps prioritize control and ease of use from the deck. Shot shape can also be fine-tuned helping create the most optimal flight. Additional weights can be purchased for a wider range of adjustability. INFINITY CARBON CROWN A new satin Infinity Carbon Crown has been added to the R7 Quad Mini Driver chassis creating a stunning look while saving weight for better mass optimization. The cosmetic package is clean, elegant, and confidence-inspiring.
As far as Koepka’s Nike Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron, that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere at this time and Koepka is also back in his Scotty Cameron T22 Newport 2 blade after shuffling through several putters this season.
This week, McLaren staffers Justin Rose and Ian Poulter are giving us the first look at the prototype Series 2 cavity-back irons at the Dunhill.
Poulter gave gearheads a tease of the prototypes and confirmed they were the Series 2 on his Instagram story last week. Both the name and the design would seem to imply the cavity-back fits right in between McLaren’s Series 1 blades and Series 3 Players Distance irons.
That’s also evident based on how Rose and Poulter have built the new irons into their sets this week, with both players opting for the Series 2 in the 4- thru 6-iron while keeping the Series 1 blades in the 7-PW.
A muscle cavity with the feel you expect and the forgiveness you don’t.
Series1 is a modern muscle cavity, engineered through Metal Injection Molding. It delivers a level of forgiveness traditional forging can’t achieve, while maintaining the feel and workability often lost in cast designs.
The result is performance without compromise – a blade for elite players who demand more from their irons.
While McLaren has remained tight-lipped on the design, we can probably safely assume the new cavity-back is a Metal Injection Molding (MIM) construction, just like Series 1 and Series 3. There’s also the presence of the structural mesh on the inside of the top half of the cavity, similar to the previous irons as well.
Check this out
This section is dedicated to cool photos we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out the wear pattern on Brooks Koepka’s M2 Tour 4-wood.
If this is the end, it’s been a good run.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Odds and Ends
Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.
