senior tour witb

What’s In The Bag: Padraig Harrington

Published: 24 July 2023 Last updated: 23 March 2024

We review what's in the bag of golfer Padraig Harrington.

We review what’s in the bag of Padraig Harrington, the three-time Major champion who is continuing to lift trophies on golf’s senior tour.

JUMP TO: Harrington’s WITB | How Harrington is fitted

Padraig Harrington has been a Wilson Staff player for 25 years having signed with the brand in 1998 and famed for tinkering with his swing and equipment throughout his long and successful career.

In his time with the brand, Harrington has gone on to win three Majors. He lifted the Open Championship at Carnoustie in 2007 and was the last man to successfully defend the title when he won the Claret Jug again at Royal Birkdale in 2008. He then triumphed in the USPGA Championship at Oakland Hills just a few weeks later, which helped him become European Tour Golfer of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year, and PGA Tour Player of the Year.

The Irishman has enjoyed 15 DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) wins in his career, along with six on the PGA Tour and four on the Asian Tour. He also represented Ireland at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where Justin Rose won gold for Team GB.

Harrington, who uses a Wilson bag, irons, and wedges, offers input into all of their new equipment as a brand ambassador. While he is a Wilson player, Harrington also uses a Titleist driver and ball, TaylorMade woods and wedge, and an Odyssey putter.

“Padraig has been a great ambassador for Wilson and the success he’s enjoyed with our clubs over the past 25 seasons has been exceptional,” said Tim Clarke, President of Wilson Golf.

The 51-year-old, who will be elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2024, is proof that age is just a number as he averaged 308.7 yards in driver distance last year.

Harrington made his PGA Tour Champions debut in 2022 and quickly made his mark, finishing second to Steve Stricker on his first Major start at the Tradition, before beating the American in a playoff to lift he US Senior Open later the same year.

Another four PGA Tour Champions wins have followed and Harrington, who was named PGA Tour Champions Rookie of the Year for 2022, narrowly missed out on his second senior Major with a playoff defeat to Stricker at the 2023 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship. He currently sits second in the Senior World Rankings.

The Irishman remains competitive on the normal tours, too, and made the cut in the three men’s Majors he qualified for in 2023. He’s ranked 183rd in the world and has a career-high of 3rd, spending 300 weeks in the top 10 between 2001 and 2010.

Harrington’s form has even seen suggestions that he could get a pick from Luke Donald for Europe’s Ryder Cup team that will face the USA at Marco Simone Golf Club in Italy at the end of September. It would be Harrington’s seventh Ryder Cup appearance, with four wins from his previous six matches. He also captained the side in the defeat at Whistling Straits in 2021.

What driver does Padraig Harrington use?

Titleist tsr3 driver.

<meta charset="utf-8">9º; Fujikura Ventus 7x shaft; Grip Master Leather Perforated grip

Bonham on Padraig’s irons

He’s the type of player who doesn’t mind what equipment looks like, how it performs is absolutely everything.

Where other players might say they can’t use shiny irons as they glare too much, Padraig will use anything as long as the equipment performs. He went from our polished FG Tour V6 irons to the Staff Model CBs, before our US team sent me some raw, un-plated CB heads which he now uses.

The FG Tours had real flat soles, with barely any bounce, they really dug into the turf, which some players really liked. The raw CBs rust a lot, some players feel that gives more grip on the ball and additional spin, it’s the first time Padraig has played raw unfinished irons.

Every week he used to travel with 29 clubs.

Wherever he went he’d want every option with him so he was fully prepared, he would suss out which of the 29 clubs he needed depending on the course, the weather, as well as the rough and sand. Depending on which shots the course asked him to hit, was how he built his bag each week.

I see other guys out on tour who don’t like to practice and I’m like ‘have a look at the success that Padraig has had!’ There’s a reason why he’s been so successful and he has a reason for doing everything.

He’d call me after picking up someone else’s clubs and want to know what each shaft was like.  

When we first started working together he used Rifle Flighted shafts, but they stopped being made when the company was sold to True Temper. He won his Open Championships with those shafts, the kick point got progressively lower as the clubs got longer. He got a good penetrating ball flight from them and loved how shots weren’t high or spinny.

It wasn’t until a Wilson colleague went to work for KBS in the USA that we moved him over to KBS Tour V 125 shafts. The model spins a little less, he’s played that shaft ever since, with him playing well there’s no need to explore further options.

Player contracts are changing.

When Padraig was winning Majors Wilson’s contracts specified players had to use eight or nine of the company’s irons, so there was plenty of space for experimentation with woods, wedges and putter. We’re closing down on that today. The company has better offerings, and having a great golf ball is changing perceptions and the mentality of players towards Wilson.

I tell other players to take a leaf out of Padraig’s book. Right now he’s using three Wilson wedges, a Wilson utility iron and a set of Wilson irons, plus we’re confident he will put at least one wood into play too. When it comes to renegotiating contracts that’s much more powerful than just playing 8 irons because you have to. Padraig’s attitude is always if you can make clubs good enough I’ll play them, even if that means playing 14 Wilson bats.

He turned 50 and went back to scary eyes Padraig.

After winning his third Major, it was like his career was done, he’d achieved everything he set out to do. It wasn’t quite a don’t care attitude, but things felt like they meant a little less to him, thanks to having everything he’d ever wanted already under his belt.

Since he’s turned 50 and seen big success on the Champions Tour he’s totally refocused, he’s now deadly serious and back in the game.

Bonham on Padraig’s wedges

He gets new wedges every time I see him.

Padraig plays more in the USA now than he ever has, so I only get to see him at 5 or 6 events in Europe each year. Every time I do, he always wants new wedges with fresh grooves.

We’ve done quite a bit of work with him, so he has wedge options. His typical set-up is a Wilson Staff Model 52° wedge with the higher toe HT 58° and 60°. He’s just started experimenting with a 64° option, thanks to the type of grass and how it’s mown in the USA.   

The logic applied to golf grips doesn’t work with Padraig.         

Many people will tell you if you have small hands you shouldn’t use bigger-sized grips as you’re likely to have issues squaring the face at impact and loose shots right of the target. But Padraig loves the feel of very thin grips, yet his natural miss is left. So, effectively logic says he should be using bigger grips. He likes his grips to be very open, then how he delivers the club at impact squares the face to the target.

Nobody else has their grips installed like this.

Padraig uses leather Grip Master grips from Australia and he loves how they’re so tacky they almost stick to his hands. They’re expensive and he goes through a lot.

He hates tape underneath (as that gives a bigger feel), so we put an inch of tape at the top of the shaft, which along with lots of solvent is just enough to get the grip on and secure it. The grip is leather and wound with a pronounced rib down the back.

Bonham on Padraig’s putter

I went to Halfords to get some car body filler, it was a good idea at the time, but god it looked awful. 

Padraig is most famous for using an Odyssey 2-Ball blade putter, but he has used Wilson models too. When we first launched the Infinite family I had a center shaft mallet on the truck and he asked if it was for him. Of course, I said if he wanted it, he could have it.

He didn’t like the three white lines on the back, so I filled them along with the cavity back that evening using car body filler I’d got from Halfords. The guys on the Callaway truck lent me some matt black spray paint, six coats later it looked dreadful. He didn’t care what it looked like though, so long as it worked. He played the putter for two years and won the Honda Classic with it.

Bonham on Bonham

I’ve been at Wilson 23 years, I started out driving the demo/fitting truck 280,000 miles around Europe.

Padraig has been with Wilson a fraction longer than me, I was originally employed to drive the demo truck around Europe and build the sets golfers had been fitted for at demo days. My appointment was primarily because I spoke five languages. I went into Russia and Finland and every country you can think of across Europe in that truck.

After two-and-a-half years on the road, I made the transition over to the tour workshop. That wasn’t before the gearbox failed and I had to drive the demo truck hundreds of miles in second gear doing just 25mph all the way back to our German HQ. The truck is now used as a kebab van in Romania.

READ NEXT – WITB Bernhard Langer

About the Author

Rob Jerram – Digital Editor

Rob specializes in the DP World Tour, PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the Ryder Cup, spending large chunks of his days reading about, writing about, and watching the tours each month.

He’s passionate about the equipment used by professional golfers and is also a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls, golf trolleys, and golf bags, testing thousands down the years.

During his 13 years in the golf industry, Rob has interviewed and played golf with some of the biggest names in the game, including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, and Rick Shiels. He’s traveled the world attending product launches and golf events and reported at a host of tour events, along with The Open and Ryder Cup.

He has been playing golf for almost three decades and is a member at  Greetham Valley  in Rutland and  Spalding Golf Club  in Lincolnshire, playing off a 9.7 handicap.

Rob uses a  Callaway Paradym driver ,  TaylorMade M5 5-wood ,  TaylorMade P790 driving iron ,  Callaway Paradym irons  (4-AW),  TaylorMade MG3 wedges  (52º, 58º),  Odyssey Tri-Hot 5k Double Wide putter , and  Callaway Chrome Soft X golf ball .

You can  email Rob  or  get in touch with him on Twitter .

What's In The Bag?

Ever wondered which clubs all the best pga tour players are playing right now pgaclubtracker.com is the internet database for golf nerds who want to see the golf clubs and equipment that are in the bags of pga tour pros right now..

Find a Tour Player: Aaron Rai Abraham Ancer Adam Svensson Adam Long Adam Scott Akshay Bhatia Alex Noren Antoine Rozner Austin Eckroat Bernd Wiesberger Billy Horschel Branden Grace Brandt Snedeker Brendan Steele Brendon Todd Brian Harman Brooks Koepka Bryson DeChambeau Bubba Watson Byeong Hun An Cameron Champ Cameron Young Cameron Smith Cameron Davis Camilo Villegas Carlos Ortiz Charl Schwartzel Charles Howell III Charley Hoffman Chesson Hadley Chez Reavie Chris Kirk Christiaan Bezuidenhout Collin Morikawa Corey Conners C.T. Pan Daniel Berger Danny Willett Danny Lee Davis Riley Dustin Johnson Dylan Frittelli Emiliano Grillo Eric Cole Erik van Rooyen Francesco Molinari Garrick Higgo Gary Woodland Graeme McDowell Grayson Murray Guillermo Mito Pereira Haotong Li Harold Varner III Harris English Harry Higgs Henrik Stenson Hideki Matsuyama Ian Poulter Jake Knapp James Hahn Jason Day Jason Kokrak Jazz Janewattananond J.J. Spaun Joaquin Niemann Joel Dahmen Jon Rahm Jordan Spieth J.T. Poston Justin Rose Justin Thomas Keegan Bradley Keith Mitchell Kevin Streelman Kevin Kisner Kevin Na Kurt Kitayama Kyoung-Hoon Lee Lanto Griffin Lee Westwood Lee Hodges Louis Oosthuizen Lucas Glover Lucas Herbert Ludwig Aberg Luke Donald Luke List Mackenzie Hughes Marc Leishman Marcus Armitage Martin Kaymer Martin Laird Matt Kuchar Matt Fitzpatrick Matt Wallace Matt Jones Matthew Wolff Matthieu Pavon Maverick McNealy Max Greyserman Max Homa Min Woo Lee Nick Hardy Nick Dunlap Nick Taylor Nicolai Hojgaard Patrick Cantlay Patrick Reed Paul Casey Peter Malnati Phil Mickelson Rickie Fowler Robert MacIntyre Rory McIlroy Russell Henley Ryan Palmer Sahith Theegala Sam Burns Scott Stallings Scottie Scheffler Seamus Power Sebastian Munoz Sepp Straka Sergio Garcia Shane Lowry Siwoo Kim Stephan Jaeger Stewart Cink Sungjae Im Talor Gooch Taylor Moore Taylor Pendrith Thomas Pieters Tiger Woods Tom Hoge Tom Kim Tommy Fleetwood Tony Finau Tyrrell Hatton Victor Perez Viktor Hovland Webb Simpson Will Zalatoris Wyndham Clark Xander Schauffele Zach Johnson

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About PGAClubTracker.com

I’m what most people would call a “Golf Nerd”. I love playing golf, watching golf, working on my golf swing, and nerding out golf equipment. Fortunately I’m alive during a time where information is so readily available for nerds like me and where I can satisfy nearly all my curiosities about golf and golf equipment with a simple Google search. Nowadays there are a number of websites that publish articles that cover PGA Tour pros and “What’s In The Bag” (or “WITB” as it’s often shortened to), which give you a real insider’s view into the clubs and equipment the Tour pros are playing each week. But I have found one particular problem with a lot of this information: it’s not stored and presented in a consistent, standardized format or database. So it’s not trivial to answer what should be trivial questions like:

• Which Tour pros play Mizuno irons? ( Find out )
• What’s the most popular Driver brand on Tour? ( Find out )
• I know that Justin Thomas plays with Titleist muscle-back blades, but who else does? ( Find out )

So on a whim, I decided to start reformatting and logging this information for the top golfers into my own database. The result of that work is now made available to anyone at PGAClubTracker.com -- think of it like an IMDB for PGA Tour players’ golf clubs and equipment. So follow me down the wormhole!

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Perfect match: Notah Begay III's vision of major college golf event takes flight in Albuquerque

Oct. 5—This is his game.

This is his passion.

This is his home.

And Notah Begay III is ready to show it all off to the world.

The Golf Channel analyst, philanthropist and professional golfer on the PGA Tour Champions circuit — yes, Begay is now 52, which in the golf world places the former PGA Tour star and Albuquerque native in what was formerly known as the "Senior Tour" — is ready to unveil his latest passion project this week with the help of Nusenda Credit Union and Twin Warriors Golf Club at Santa Ana Pueblo.

"I just tried to find a way to basically utilize my various platforms," he said in describing the roots of this week's first-of-its-kind college golf event. "I play golf at the highest level, I'm in broadcast television and I care deeply about New Mexico. This was just a convergence of all those things."

The two-day, nationally broadcast NB3 Matchplay event starts Tuesday morning at Twin Warriors. The event pits four college golf programs — men's and women's teams from the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University, Stanford and Texas. It was intentionally scheduled this week with the start of Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta with the hopes of it being an advertisement for New Mexico with a big time, national sporting event on the ground and a picturesque international tradition in the sky.

The Golf Channel, which operates under the NBC Sports umbrella, will be broadcasting six hours of the event Tuesday and Wednesday with analysts Ryan Burr and Begay, at least when Begay isn't wearing one of the several dozen other hats he had to don — including as a welcoming host to Pueblo dignitaries, the four schools, viewers at home and to the fans from around New Mexico he hopes come out to support the event, even if they have no rooting interest.

"The primary roadblocks that you find in our state, I find, is that there's a culture of not believing we can achieve. I wholeheartedly believe in the people of the state, especially our youth," Begay said. "I'll do everything I can to provide as much opportunity as I can through my nonprofit work, through the support of educational systems, through putting together events like this. ...

"And with everything that's happening in the world and social media, we as the consumers of content, sort of overlook things from time to time. And I just don't want people to overlook the fact that we have a wonderful thing happening next week, and just to come be a part of it."

Begay says the road to this event has been long, most likely starting back in 2014 when he began working with the Golf Channel.

He took notice as match play events with pro athletes and celebrities proved successful viewing events, while the college sports landscape started to evolve with exposure serving as a primary recruiting tools.

The wheels in Begay's head began to spin faster and eventually, with the blessing of UNM (to serve as the host) Santa Ana and Twin Warriors (to serve as the locale) and Nusenda (largely footing the bill), Begay's labor of love is ready to tee off.

Some of the airtime will be used to tell stories of the players, universities and pueblos around New Mexico and of the NB3 Foundation, Begay's nonprofit dedicated to improving the welfare of Native American children.

Once the project was a go, finding four teams wasn't all that difficult.

Begay knew both of New Mexico's Division I golf programs would be involved. He went to Stanford, so the Cardinal was a given. And then there's Texas, one of the most successful programs in the country, whose men's team is coached by New Mexico native and longtime UNM men's golf coach (1988-97) John Fields.

As who is Begay pulling for?

"My hopes is that we see very competitive matches," Begay said, before some more relatable factors started to kick in.

"Then, because I'm a Stanford alum and I played there, and also my wife went to the University of Mexico, I hope it's a tie between Stanford and the University New Mexico."

FORMAT: The event will be a round-robin match play with each team playing 54 holes — 36 on Tuesday, 18 on Wednesday.

There will be a men's and women's team champion crowned as well as one university champion combining the results of both the men's and women's programs.

Monday, teams will have a shotgun style practice round beginning at 1 p.m.

Tuesday's 36 holes of competition will start with twosomes in a shotgun format at 7:30 a.m. — UNM vs. Stanford (men and women playing at same time) and NMSU vs. Texas.

The Tuesday afternoon session will include NMSU vs. Stanford and UNM vs. Texas.

Any play not finished on Tuesday will conclude at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, Stanford vs. Texas and UNM vs. NMSU.

WANNA SEE? The event is free to attend at Twin Warriors golf course and Begay has implored New Mexicans in the area interested not only in golf but in big time sporting events in the state to come out and attend in person to help the event grow.

For those unable to attend in person, The Golf Channel, under the NBC Sports umbrella, will broadcast the event, starting at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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Bernhard Langer WITB | The Player Of The Decade

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Table of Contents

Our Bernhard Langer WITB is the perfect way to pay tribute to the German Hall of Golf Famer who turns 66 in August.

The world number 6 shows no signs of slowing down, carding back-to-back top-ten positions in his first two starts this season on the PGA TOUR Champions .

By the end of this guide, you will know what golf clubs the two-time Masters champ plays and whether they suit your game. Moreover, you will learn that Langer has an unorthodox setup, mixing and matching clubs from different brands and playing sticks that are difficult to find on the open market.

🏆 Read Next: Who is Bernhard Langer? Remarkable Rags to Riches Golf Story

Bernhard Langer Quick Facts Table

Bernhard Langer WITB Quick Summary

Driver and Shaft: Ping G400, 9 degrees – Tour AD Graphite X Flex

3 wood and shaft: ping g430, 15 degrees – tour ad graphite di7 tx flex, 2 hybrid and shaft: adams idea pro 18 degrees – midas filament wound nano, 3 hybrid and shaft: adams idea pro 22 degrees – midas filament wound nano, irons (4-7): tour edge exotics cbx forged, irons (8-9):   artisan golf bl custom, pitching wedge: tour edge exotics bl proto, 56° and 60° wedges and shaft: cleveland 588 custom – true temper dynamic gold s400, putter: odyssey white hot 2-ball, ball: titleist prov1x.

Ping G400 Driver

After one event in 2023, Langer is the leading senior for driving accuracy. He hit 95.24% of fairways at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship, showing that older golf clubs are still efficient.

When Ping released the G400 in 2017, it was revolutionary as it combined a rapid clubface, aerodynamic crown, and maximum MOI. Fast forward six years and these features are the norms in modern drivers. They are forgiving, fast, easy to launch, and long.

Although the G400 is better suited to superior golfers, it offers forgiveness without hampering playability and speed. The 445cc driver head is aerodynamic and accelerates rapidly on the downswing for optimal clubhead speed leading into impact.

A fast forged T9S+ blasted my golf ball off the clubface, imparting rampant speed and minimal spin on the ball for a mid-to-high launch. The tungsten back weight boosts your stability and MOI to resist twist and remain square at contact for straighter shots.

The streamlined, aerodynamic clubhead shape could benefit slower-swinging seniors. However, the reduced clubhead size and forgiveness compared to the G400 Max is better suited to low handicap seniors. Finally, the G400 features an adjustable hosel that offers an increase or decrease in the loft for your desired launch.

⛳️ Fun Fact: Mr. Langer likes this golf driver so much he even uses it regularly in the fairway.

• Promotes rapid clubhead speed
• Encourages workability
• Explosive clubface 
• Lowers spin
• Amplified acoustics
• Less surface area is detrimental to beginners
• Difficult to find the Ping G400 new

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Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood

We move from the vintage G400 driver to the brand new Ping G430 Max 3-wood, packed with game improvement technology. The G430 Max features a lightweight, carbon composite crown which saved the engineers 10 grams. They repositioned the weight to lower the center of gravity (CG) for a high-launching shot.

Next, the Face Wrap Technology boosts ball speed on off-center strikes for seniors. In addition, the highly flexible clubface accelerates ball velocity on all shots to encourage a long, high golf shot.

Forgiveness is further enhanced by the Spinsistency technology, which minimizes spin across the clubface and preserves ball speed. This proves handy in optimizing control and distance, even on low-face strikes.

The back tungsten weight boosted stability and minimized face twist thanks to an elevated moment of inertia (MOI). It simplified the chore of squaring the clubface at impact, promoting improved accuracy on all shots.

Lastly, the Ping G430 Max 3-wood contains a Trajectory Tuning 2.0 hosel that allows you to increase or decrease loft by 1.5 degrees. Ultimately, the G430 Max fairway wood is an excellent option for mid and high-handicapper senior men.

• High launching
• Maximum Forgiveness
• Flexible clubface preserves ball speed on all strikes
• Adjustable hosel
• Promotes consistent distance
• Priced at a premium
• Not Ping’s best fairway wood alignment aid

Adams Idea Pro Hybrid

Hybrids 18° and 22°

Langer returned to the archives for his hybrid selection, adding the 2007 released Adams Idea Pro hybrids. The 18 and 22-degree models are slightly offset to combat slices, promote straight, high flight, and land softly on approach. However, they do not present the look of a severely offset golf club at first glance.

Despite their age, these highly affordable hybrids do as required, prompting a hassle-free launch that encourages neutral ball flight. In addition, its oversized head design allowed engineers to spread weight around the head’s perimeter to enlarge the sweet spot, resulting in optimal speed, spin, and launch.

The broader sole on the Idea Pro hybrids was efficient through the turf and prevented my club from digging into the earth. As a result, it helps the average player strike the ball cleaner from the fairway or rough.

I also find the steel face produces sensational ball speed and low spin for an older model hybrid. Although it seems the norm today, the Idea Pro could alter the golf club’s swing weight with an adjustable weight screw.

• Entry-level price tag
• High forgiveness
• Produces clean turf interaction
• Adjustable weight screw
• Fast clubface
• Difficult to find a new version
• Oversized profile

Tour Edge Exotics CBX Forged Irons

Irons 4 – 7

After one event in 2023, the 65-year-old ranks third for greens in regulation (GIR). His long to mid irons are clearly doing the trick, as he hit 85.19% of GIR in Hualālai in January. The German operates with the forgiving and soft feeling 2017 Tour Edge Exotics CBX Forged 4 to 7-iron.

Tour Edge forged the face from Japanese S25c carbon steel, which produces a buttery-soft feel at impact and higher ball zip across the clubface. In addition, a TPE alloy insert eradicates vibrations on mishits for a pleasant touch on all shots.

Next, the engineers added cavity backs to these irons spreading the weight around the perimeter and expanding the sweet spot for some forgiveness on off-center strikes. Remember, they are not game improvement irons, resulting in less leniency on mishits.

It appears his CBX forged irons are customized, as there are three slots with additional weight at the bottom of the flange. This setup increases MOI and lowers CG to produce higher launching long iron shots. Lastly, these irons carry traditional lofts, which experienced seniors may be more accustomed to swinging.

• Forgiving for a blade-style design
• Promotes workability
• Crisp acoustics
• Less forgiveness than cavity back irons
• Expensive for game-improvement irons

Artisan Golf Custom Irons

Irons 8 – 9

Langer’s intriguing setup continues as he turns away from the Exotics to a Custom Made Artisan 8 and 9-iron. Artisan only craft premium wedges and putters for the general public, but when you have notched up 44 victories in your career, they make you an exception.

His shorter clubs carry a player’s iron design with a slight twist. They are fitted with more offset than you could imagine for blades. However, this provides Bernhard with an element of forgiveness and accuracy on approach as he looks to attack the flag. Despite the offset, it still enables workability for greater control. 

Although these clubs are attractive and sound crisp, the lack of perimeter weighting would not work for the average senior golfer. In addition, they are custom-made for the man who enters his 51st year as a professional golfer in 2023.

• Clean, compact look
• Buttery soft feel
• Moderately offset for improved accuracy
• Enhanced workability
• Not available to the public

Tour Edge Exotics BL Proto Wedges

The Tour Champions player of the last decade continues his unique set composition by switching to a Tour Edge Exotics BL Proto pitching wedge. It carries a blade design and gives him ample spin and flight to land rapidly on approach.

The BL Proto contains a compact structure, making it pleasing to look down on at address and easier to shape short full shots for enhanced short game control. However, the lack of perimeter weighting in the wedge leads to a smaller sweet spot and less forgiveness than the average golfer requires.

Lastly, the Exotics BL Proto delivers an impressive feel and acoustics to soften each strike and amplify the sound.

• Compact profile
• Increases spin
• Produces crisp turf interaction
• Less forgiveness than game improvement pitching wedges

Cleveland 588 Precision Forged Custom Tour Zip Grooves Wedge

Wedges 56° and 60°

At first glance, it seems the 6th best senior in golf pulled his wedges from the archive, and you are not far off. The Cleveland Precision Forged Custom Tour Zip Grooves were crafted in the early 2010s to deliver exceptional spin revolutions around the green for maximum short-game control.

The 2010 U.S. Senior Open Champion plays with a vintage 56-degree sand wedge and 60-degree lob wedge. The ball grips superbly into the grooves and launches optimally for hop and stop spin. Furthermore, Langer added lead tape to the wedge flange to add stability and preserve spin and velocity on off-center strikes.

The forged stainless steel clubface delivers a sublime feel on all shots with maximum feedback to better judge the power of your strikes.

Finally, the only version I have seen of this club is a model Bernhard Langer donated to the First Tee Charity in Broward County. Given the story behind the wedge, it is a better collectible than a golf club.

• Generates exceptional spin
• Prompts a soft feel
• Durable golf wedge
• Promotes controlled flight
• Difficult to find these wedges new
• Less forgiveness offered

Odyssey Two Ball 2 Ball Long Putter

Langer sticks with what works on the dancefloor, opting for his Odyssey White Hot Long 2 Ball, which is well broken in. The putter contains Odyssey’s famed White Hot Insert, which produces a soft feel off the clubface and boosts friction to preserve topspin on mishits.

As he has done for years, the German uses the extended shaft to create a belly putter, which offers him better stability and control during the stroke. He always added lead tape to the putter’s sole, increasing mass for greater MOI to minimize face rotation during the stroke for a square clubface at contact.

The classic two-ball alignment aid makes it easier to point the golf ball to the target for improved accuracy around the green.

Finally, the mallet design of the 2 ball enables engineers to place weight around the clubface perimeter to expand the sweet spot.

• Forgiving putter
• Restricts rotation during the stroke
• Produces consistent roll
• Feel soft off the clubface
• Some players may find the extended shaft uncomfortable
• Difficult to find this edition new

Final Thoughts on Bernhard Langer WITB

After being awarded the Tour Champions player of the decade, the 65-year-old German continues to shine. He is currently the 6th highest-ranked senior male. He got off to a flier in 2023 with a top-10 finish at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.

Our Bernhard Langer WITB revealed that the veteran takes an unorthodox approach to his setup, mixing and matching at every turn. He also shows that old golf clubs can still perform.

Now that you know how Langer constructs his bag, would you consider mixing and matching your clubs? Or do you prefer uniformity?

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WITB articles are researched before publishing. While we strive to ensure our content is accurate, there may be inaccuracies. Players may change clubs after our content is published. In addition, players may choose to use different clubs depending on the course or for other reasons. If you notice something that appears to be incorrect, please let us know here .

Matt Callcott-Stevens has lived and breathed golf since he was four. As a junior, he played competitively, until he discovered his talents were better suited to writing about the game. Matt holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing through the Johan Cruyff Institute in Barcelona and has provided golf game improvement tips to seniors and the average golfer for seven years.

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