Not many bags on tour carry the mystique and secrecy that Hideki Matsuyama’s does. Yes, we have seen pictures and general WITB info, but the why and the how have been under lock and key. The only other player I can think of that shuns information snoopers as much as Hideki is Brooks Koepka. It’s not necessarily a negative thing, a player’s bag is his own and whether he chooses to share the exact ingredients is his decision.

However, today is a new day, and I was finally given an inside look into the why and how of Hideki’s bag. At a glance, it might look like any bag on tour, but it’s the nuance and the process that pique my interest. I’ve been inside the Cleveland/Srixon headquarters in Huntington Beach, California, and the guy has his own wall. That’s right, some players have a drawer or cupboard—this guy has a wall. It consists of old sets, prototypes, extra sets, and things that could work at some point. Besides Tiger’s cage at Artisan, it’s the most fascinating space I’ve seen dedicated to one player. Bryson’s old stock at Cobra is a close third, but I don’t understand half of the clubs that are in there—it’s golf nerd sightseeing on steroids, Jolt cola, and Pop Rocks.

For the purpose of this deep dive, I was able to ask some very targeted questions to one of the members of Hideki’s team who is tasked with keeping the bag humming at all times.

Thank you to Yoshihiro Iwamoto for the awesome photos!

Hideki Matsuyama WITB: The Set Makeup

Driver

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

JW: Historically, Hideki has preferred heavier shafts and swing weights. Is that to complement his unique tempo, or is it to satisfy launch conditions more?

Srixon: Hideki is constantly testing driver shafts, including lightweight options. He has found that heavier shafts allow him to generate more clubhead speed with his swing. Hideki also believes that heavier shafts help create and support his unique tempo.

JW: What launch data numbers are his sweet spot, what does the driver have to do numbers-wise?

Srixon: Hideki is very protective of his launch monitor numbers, and he is constantly tracking them and analyzing them. Based on PGA Tour launch monitor data, he averages mid-to-high 170s ball speed, low to mid-2,000s RPMs backspin, and 100 feet peak height.

JW: Any internal weighting to the driver head?

Srixon: Through the fitting process, we did quite a bit of testing and definitely explored different internal weighting options with hot melt. Hideki enjoys the test process and exhausting all options before making a final decision. With the ZX5 driver, we ended up finding a very unique place to put the hot melt, but that is a secret we prefer to keep.

JW: Is there a certain acoustic he prefers?

Srixon: Hideki has a very sensitive sense of hearing. This drives his extremely particular passion for finding the perfect sound and feel. For drivers, he prefers a higher pitch sound over a muted tone, which may also be a reason he prefers the larger game improvement shapes on woods. In addition, Hideki’s sense of sound even trickles down to his ball preference. It is incredible what Hideki can sense when ball testing, specifically in his short game and putting.

JW: What about the ZX5 has he responded the most to?

Srixon: The key factor for him was the ball speed. The ZX5 was a touch hotter for him compared to the ZX7 and it beat his previous gamer. In addition to the ball speed, he really likes the new shape of the ZX5 from the address view. This is a critical step in the introduction process. If Hideki has any issues with the address shape, he will not test the product. We included a lot of his feedback into the ZX driver shaping and masking. He prefers a very straight topline with a nice contrast between the crown and face.

Irons

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

JW: In regards to the sole grinds, how has the sole been modified to give him the preferred turf interaction? In addition, Hideki is a player that prefers offset vs no offset?

Srixon: We are constantly adjusting to Hideki’s swing and changes to his thought process. Recently, we have added a small C-grind to the leading edge of his irons along with a flat “full” sole design. In addition, Hideki is one of the leaders in developing the toe and heel notches. He strongly believes the toe and heel notch creates a more consistent, smooth turf interaction. Hideki has always had these notches in his irons, and he was a huge part of bringing the notches back in the ZX line.

With regards to offset, Hideki prefers some offset over zero offset in his irons. He has the most specific eye, and he loves to tinker and test all products. The key areas for Hideki when it comes to irons are the general hosel shape and taper consistency, the blend between the face flat and hosel, and most importantly the smooth transitions from the hosel into the leading edge–there needs to be offset as he wants the transition to be smooth and almost straight.

JW: Beyond the sole grinds what other accommodations are made to get his irons dialed in?

Srixon: Hideki’s general iron shape has stayed consistent throughout the years. We have done some testing with different offsets, CG location, muscle and flange shaping, and topline thickness, but we generally come back to his baseline gamer. He enjoys the testing process and making sure he has the best product for his game in his bag at all times. Currently, we have been tinkering with his long irons, and he will change what is in the bag depending on the tournament. He has tested all of the new ZX products (ZX Utility, ZX5s, and ZX7s) long irons and has put the ZX Utility and ZX7 4-iron in his bag. The ZX5 and ZX7 irons had his sole ground to his spec.

Similar to the head design, he likes to test shafts all the time. Hideki is constantly looking for the best combination of the length, loft, and lie to hit the gaps he needs for that week. In terms of builds, Hideki has a very heightened sense of feel and one area that constantly comes up is how he can feel the weight. For his builds, we weight sort and document everything for each club build. We also travel with pre-cut lead tape in half-gram and one-gram increments, and Hideki will apply the tape to different areas of the club (muscle, flange, hosel, shaft), depending on how the club feels while testing. When iron testing, Hideki likes to have a full set built rather than just a few lofts. We do this because if he likes the iron while testing, then we have the full set ready to go for him to test right away.

Wedges

JW: From 52 to 60, it appears that Hideki has multiple angles ground into his clubs. Can you explain each nuance and what purpose it serves?

Srixon: All three sole grinds have a similar characteristic. Hideki doesn’t change his 52-degree sole often, but he is constantly tinkering with his 56 and 60.  All three soles have a subtle C-grind shape. The 56 and 60-degree have an aggressive heel relief. Hideki also utilizes a similar subtle leading-edge grind that is in his irons. Hideki will vary the width and bounce angles of the three surfaces depending on the conditions and shots that he is looking to hit. These three tiers as well as the sole radius (the sole curvature from heel to toe) allow us to manipulate the sole design to achieve the turf interaction and versatility that he may be asking for without changing the address shape. In the 56 and 60, Hideki plays a very straight leading edge with little-to-no offset. He plays his 60 and 56 weaker to help remove the offset and maintain a very straight, smooth transition from the hosel to leading-edge

GENERAL

JW: Is there a miss you tend to build out of his clubs (left or right)?

Srixon: Hideki does not like to see the ball go right. He likes to hit it straight and see the ball fall left. If a driver has a right miss, it has no chance to make it in his bag.

JW: He prefers higher MOI heads. Why is that? And what is he trying to achieve more than anything?

Srixon: Spin, forgiveness, launch, speed, etc. This is driven by the address shapes. Hideki always gravitates toward larger heads at address because they look easier to hit. As stated with the irons, Hideki has an extremely critical eye, and if a product look does not meet his expectations, he won’t even try to hit/test it. This also means Hideki is always looking at all driver shapes and giving us feedback on his preference.

JW: Can you explain the detailed testing process Hideki goes through to put any club in his bag?

Srixon: Once he finds a shape he likes, we will start to dial in the performance of the driver. We typically need to manipulate the masking line between the crown paint and face to achieve the topline shape, face angle, and lie angle that he wants to see at address. Ball speed is always critical for him. The new ZX driver with Rebound Frame has really helped us improve our competitiveness this year and it has been unmatched for him, in particular with the ZX5 driver. When ball speed is sufficient, we work through the fitting process (adjusting loft, CG location, and shaft) to dial in the ball flight and spin numbers that he wants to see. If it feels good on the range, Hideki will take it to the course to confirm he can hit all the shots he needs.

JW: With his unique tempo, what types of shafts does he respond the best to?

Srixon: Hideki tests many different shafts, but the tendency is to fit him in higher kick point shafts.

Hideki Matsuyama WITB

*Hideki’s detailed specs are under lock and key. We will update WITB with any changes when he makes his first PGA Tour start of the year. 

Driver: Srixon ZX5  (9.5 degrees/flat)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX

3-wood: Taylormade SIM Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD TP 9 TX

Utility: Srixon ZX (4, 23 @ 22 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI HY 115 TX

Irons: (4) Srixon Z7 (5-P) Srixon Z Forged
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 Forged Prototype (52-10, 56-8 @57.5, 60-08 @ 62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100

*Hideki found in testing that a stiffer profile in his wedges suited his launch preferences.

Putter: Scotty Cameron Circle T GSS
Grip: Scotty Cameron Standard Pistol

Grips: Iomic

Ball: Srixon ZStar XV

Yoshihiro Iwamoto

Many thanks to Noelle Zavaleta at Srixon for facilitating!