Equipment
11 Revealing photos from the 145th Open Championship
GolfWRX was live this week from the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. If you missed any of our photos from the week, browse all of the galleries in the links below:
It was a special week for GolfWRX, as this marks the first time we made the trek overseas to take photos at the Open Championship. That means we’ve finally completed the career Grand Slam (of photos at major championships). Exciting stuff.
But anyway, let’s reveal some photos from Royal Troon.
Leaderboard Bags
TaylorMade’s Commemorative staff bags for the 145th Open are nothing short of awesome, matching the iconic leaderboards at the event.
And Andy Murray won at Wimbledon. Well done.
Stimp Tunnel
How do they get a Stimpmeter reading when the Scottish wind begins blowing? Time to break out the plastic storage boxes.
Here’s to hoping they’re not running at a 14+ like the United States’ 2016 version of the Open.
The Equipment Switch Heard ‘Round the World
Charl Schwartzel made a major equipment switch this week. He changed sponsors and joined the #PXGTroops, putting mostly PXG clubs in the bag.
See his Open Championship WITB here.
Jackets and wedges
Jackets? What kind of jackets…Green Jackets? While Scotland has some odd names for potato preparations, they’re pretty creative with the dish names:
- The Big Easy (Ernie Els)
- Full Monty (Colin Montgomerie)
- Victor Dupoisson (Victor Dubuisson)
- Smokey Miguel (Miguel Angel Jiminez)
What’s going on here Vijay?
Where are the alignment aids, bamboo sticks, water bottles, Gatorade bottles, and all of the other range aids you normally use? And now that I bring it up, where is your golf bag??
It looks as though Vijay may be testing some equipment ahead of the Open Championship, figuring out what longer sticks he’ll have in the bag.
Going to hit a quick bucket of balls
Or should I say cage of balls.
The Wilson Gang
Throw up the “W” if you’re reppin’ Wilson Staff.
The Bogey Train
Royal Troon’s 11th hole, called “The Railway,” has a train track going up the entire right side of the hole. It played as the most difficult hole on the golf course in the 2004 Open, and it wouldn’t be a shock for it to play as the most difficult in 2016.
The players will definitely need to train themselves not to hit the ball right on this hole.
Postage Stamp
You can’t mail it in on Hole No. 8 at Royal Troon, nicknamed the “Postage Stamp” for how small its green is. There’s no bailout on this tee shot, despite it being the shortest hole on the course. It’s not often you’re guarding against making a huge number with a wedge in your hands, but don’t be surprised to see some “others,” and maybe even a double-digit number this week if the winds kick up.
Where’d the ball go?
Judging by where he’s expecting the ball to be and where it actually is, I’d say this ball hit the lip and went back into the bunker. As they say, pot bunkers are often stroke penalties, and this photo shows why.
For the kids
We all forget sometimes — even some of the best players in the world forget — but it’s all about growing the game and getting kids out on the course. Hey kid, nice move.
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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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Benny Karpen
Aug 17, 2016 at 6:52 pm
Mickelson seized the moment with a birdie on the par-5 h from a bunker short of the green, and a 4-iron to 15 feet for birdie on the par-3 h to reach 8-under par.
Dave
Jul 19, 2016 at 11:45 am
Best tourney ever mabey the usga could learn about how to run a great event can’t wait until next year. Great write up.
Rob
Jul 16, 2016 at 8:55 pm
Merry Mex = Lee Trevino
Christosterone
Jul 16, 2016 at 12:53 pm
Those taylormade bags kinda remind me of a bang bag I had about 10 years ago…it was the exact mustard yellow of the leaderboard and was awesome…
Love your posts as usual…
-Christosterone
RG
Jul 17, 2016 at 5:07 pm
Yeah or RBZ headcovers!!
RG
Jul 17, 2016 at 5:08 pm
Stage II that is!
Greg
Jul 16, 2016 at 12:16 pm
Nice job AT.
Totally forgot I now have all the majors on the men’s tour. I have three of the five on the LPGA, also.