Equipment
9 Revealing Photos from the 2016 Dean & DeLuca Invitational
GolfWRX was live from the 2016 Dean & DeLuca Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. If you missed any of the photos from this week, make sure to browse the galleries below.
The “Who n’ Who Invitational?” you might be asking. You may recognize it better as the Crowne Plaza Invitational, which switched title sponsors this year. Or maybe you just know it as the Colonial Invitational and it doesn’t matter to you regardless.
What’s in a name, anyway. Let’s just reveal some photos.
Comin’ out hot
In its first year of sponsorship, Dean & DeLuca is already throwing its hat into the ring of creative tee markers. If you don’t know what Dean & DeLuca is, you can read more about the company here. If you’re too lazy and don’t want to click the link, it’s a chain of upscale grocery stores that started in Manhattan. I have to imagine vegans and foodies love it, but I’ll stick to Texas-style BBQ for this week.
Schwartzel switching it up?
While Schwartzel has played most of the year, and won at the 2016 Valspar Championship with a Nike Method Origin B1-01 in the bag, we spotted him testing the Nike Method Core Drone at the D&D Invtl. Most recently, he missed the cut at The Masters and finished T58 at the AT&T Byron Nelson, so maybe he’s looking to change it up.
Speaking of putter testing
John Huh is testing an entire rack of putters. Also, Huh showed us the essential tools for a proper putter test: a banana, five fresh golf balls, a handful of putters, and, of course, a fresh strip of lead tape.
A few other tinkerers on the prowl
The Flat Cat grips seem to have gained some steam on Tour, with names like Carl Pettersson and Louis Oosthuizen giving them a roll on the practice green.
Trying to get pros into new equipment for the week is a bit of a… cat-and-mouse game, if you will.
More than one way to skin a cat
There’s always discussion, especially in the GolfWRX forums, about swing philosophies and “Tour secrets.” Flip through the gallery of photos below showing different Tour players at impact and you’ll see there’s just no perfect way to swing a golf club.
Greg Owen seeking a new caddie for the week
His weekly loop was busted for possessing guns on the premises during the practice round. This photo reveals that Jason Gore was the rat who snitched.
Air ’em out, Timmy
Why is Tim Herron throwing golf balls? Well, when picking best-ball teams on the first tee, it’s common to throw four golf balls into the air; the two that land the closest together are teammates, and the two that are farthest apart are also teammates.
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to throw them as high as you can, but it’s the one time you get to actually throw something on the course without being judged. So I say, let ’em fly.
Ballin’
I don’t know much about “making it,” but I do know that casually texting on two phones is a sign that you’ve done it. I also know that Jordan Spieth can afford the double data plans. Here’s proof:
Let it rain!
Spotted: New Ping putters
The new flatsticks from Ping appear to offer old-school Ping looks, but with new face millings, sight lines and finishes… and zebra-striped weights on the toe and heel? We’ll learn more about those stripes soon enough.
When you’re done being awestruck, check out more photos of the Ping putters and join the discussion here.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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alexdub
May 28, 2016 at 11:37 pm
These Ping putters are a lot of things, but “new” isn’t one of them
Rich
May 28, 2016 at 11:22 pm
Holy crap those new Ping putters look incredible. Bring it on Ping!
Joey
Jun 6, 2016 at 10:12 am
YES