Equipment
WRX Insider: Inside the bag of Kevin Chappell
Over the past several years, equipment sponsorship deals on the PGA Tour have changed dramatically with more players opting to go the “free agent” route and not sign a deal that ties them to a single manufacturer. As this “use what works best” approach continues to pick up steam, Kevin Chappell has become the first tour player to officially partner with brand-agnostic club-fitter True Spec Golf, as it launches its Tour Department Program.
To dial in his new gear, Kevin worked with Tim Briand, True Spec’s Executive Vice President—who we should note took part in our GolfWRX’s fitter panel to help determine our “Best driver 2020“. Interestingly, Chappell went through the same fitting process any other golfer that chooses to get fit at True Spec Golf would go through; using launch monitor data alongside the company’s club component matrix.

I had the opportunity to speak with Tim about what it was like working with Kevin on dialing in his gear, any equipment preferences he had going into the process, and the areas where Kevin saw the greatest improvements.
RB: When you started working with Kevin, did he come in leaning towards certain clubs based on previous experience, or was he looking for a top to bottom overhaul of his equipment?
TB: When we started working with Kevin, he was 100 percent committed to the process of finding the best 14 clubs for him and his game. The one factor we didn’t change and used as a constant during the process was his golf ball—the Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash. Kevin was really comfortable with its performance around the greens and the window it created on full shots.
Beyond that, it was game on from top to bottom in figuring out which clubs would ultimately end up is his bag.
RB: How did it work when you started the fitting process?
TB: Like with any golfer that comes to us at True Spec for a fitting, it all began with a conversation around what he likes, and any issues he felt he had with hitting certain shots, distances or trajectories, along with blueprinting his current clubs.
It was through those conversations that Kevin told us his favorite irons he had ever used were his old Nike VR Pro Combos. Since he had worn out and no longer had the short irons we blueprinted the remaining 4-iron from the set that he did have and used that as a testing baseline. For Kevin, that iron checked every box; feel, looks, ground interaction, flight window, everything. As you can see from his WITB, it’s a club he still carries, and in a way it further justifies our agnostic fitting process—if it’s not broken don’t try and fix it!
RB: With that in mind, let’s talk about irons. How did you narrow it down to the final set?
TB: The great thing is Kevin truly came in with an open mind to look at, and test everything. We basically laid out all of the available iron heads and began the process of elimination.
What started at roughly 20, quickly got chopped down to around 10 based on looks, and Kevin’s preferred head shape. From that 10 we started to test and hit balls to whittle down clubs based on feel and ground interaction. At that point, we had 4-5 irons that checked all the boxes, and then we began the detailed process of looking at total performance to determine the best irons for him. The end result was as mentioned already, meant keeping his Nike VR Pro Combo 4 iron and going with a set of Wilson staff model blades from the 5-PW.
RB: Let’s move into the longer clubs, specifically the fairway woods. Looking at his final setup, he has non-matching fairway woods from 2 different OEMs. Did he start with a matching set?
TB: When we started out, Kevin was using a matching 3 and 5-wood, but we quickly determined the 3-wood was underperforming in the areas where he needed that club for particular shots. Just like with amateur players, a 3-wood has to be extremely versatile since it is used in all kinds of scenarios, so just like with the irons, we started with every option before coming to the final decision.
The interesting note with his 5-wood is, it actually plays like what I would call a “6-wood”, to get the ball higher in the air and increase the descent angle to hold greens.
RB: Last but not least, since you just mentioned greens, did you do much work with Kevin’s putter, or was that another club that didn’t need any tweaking like the Nike 4-iron?
TB: Kevin came in with a putter he loved (custom weld neck Scotty Cameron) so we used Quintic to take a look at his launch conditions and made some minor lie and loft tweaks to optimize roll. He also ended up in a new grip.
Beyond that, we left it alone and worked with Kevin to send the new specs of his putter to the team as Scotty Cameron to produce a backup since its a total custom weld-neck and not something that could be easily replaced.
Kevin Chappell WITB 2020
Driver: TaylorMade SIM
Shaft: LA Golf Partners Trono
3-wood: Titleist TS3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
5-wood: Cobra SpeedZone
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo (4), Wilson Staff Model Blade (5-PW)
Shafts: Nippon Modus3 120 X
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (52, 56, 62 degrees)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Custom Circle T
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x (Left Dash)
Equipment
Tour Edge unveils all-new Exotics mini driver
Tour Edge Golf has today introduced the all-new Exotics mini driver, engineered to deliver a powerful combination of speed, control, and versatility in the long game.
The Exotics Mini combines a titanium face with a stainless-steel body in design to balance ball speed with stability and control, creating a versatile option at the top end of the bag.

At the core of the design is Tour Edge’s proprietary Combo Brazing technology, a high-precision thermal bonding process that seamlessly fuses a titanium cup face to a stainless-steel body into a single, continuous structure. By eliminating energy loss found in traditional multi-piece constructions, Combo Brazing is designed to deliver faster face response, more efficient energy transfer, and a uniquely powerful yet controlled feel.

The multi-material construction also allows mass to be positioned lower and deeper in the head in a bid to increase stability, while the thin titanium face is engineered to maintain ball speed across a wider impact area.

“While the initial goal was to enhance control and versatility in the long game, Combo Brazing ultimately drove measurable gains in ball speed and distance within the mini driver category. In robot testing, we’ve documented higher ball speeds, higher launch, reduced spin, and increased carry and total distance compared to leading models.” – Vice President of R&D Matt Neeley

In addition to distance performance, the Exotics mini emphasizes forgiveness through a heavier stainless-steel body that shifts mass toward the perimeter. This configuration increases MOI relative to traditional all-titanium mini drivers, helping preserve ball speed and directional stability on off-center strikes. Paired with Pyramid Face Technology from the Exotics metalwood line, the design is intended to support consistent speed across the face.

To further enhance MOI, a lightweight carbon fiber crown frees additional mass that is strategically repositioned low and deep in the head in design to improve stability and promote optimal launch with controlled spin.

“We designed the Mini to be about five millimeters shallower than other mini drivers on the market. That change improves playability off the deck. From a clean fairway lie, it can function as a strong 3-wood alternative while still providing control off the tee.” – Tour Edge CEO David Glod
An adjustable hosel system allows for loft and lie tuning to dial in trajectory and shot shape, while a fixed 13-gram rear weight helps stabilize the head through impact to improve dispersion consistency. The Exotics Mini Driver is available in 11.5 and 13.5-degree lofts in right-handed models.

Pricing & Availability
The Exotics Mini Driver is available for pre-order beginning today for $399.99 USD at touredge.com, and will be available for purchase at retail outlets worldwide on May 22, 2026.
Equipment
Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:
“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.
My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
- MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
- dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”
Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @pianoman0123 has a 2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade combo up for grabs.

From the listing: “2024 Wilson Staff CB/Blade Combo. 4-8 irons are CB’s and the 9,PW are Blades. 5-PW have Project X 6.0 Shafts and the 4 Iron has a Steelfiber CW110 Stiff Shaft. Standard Length, Lie and Lofts. These are in very good condition the shafts just don’t work for me. Like new Lamkin Grips on the 5-PW and a stock Golf Pride on the 4 Iron. $525 OBO.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Benny
Nov 4, 2020 at 6:58 pm
Completely agree. Awesome stuff guys!
jnak97
Oct 16, 2020 at 5:27 pm
Cool article. I am surprised it isn’t getting more attention! I would love to see more info about fitting the pros!!