Equipment
Tiger Woods’ putter: A 101 guide to the Elder Wand
It’s arguably the most famous single club in golf history. Tiger Woods’ putter, a Scotty Cameron GSS Newport 2, has been involved in the bulk of every great golf scenario we have seen over the past two decades. 14 majors and 66 PGA Tour wins—scary thing to think about is if you divide both of those numbers with any number between 1-10, you have a great PGA Tour career.
It needs to be said that there was a Beta “Elder Wand” used in 1999. Same shape and model but with some minor adjustments to the stamping and the original was not GSS (German Stainless Steel).
In terms of specs, the head would be considered very light by today’s standards. At roughly a 326 grams, it’s short 10-30 grams of “modern spec.” At times, depending on what he’s doing with his stroke, TW will add a bit of lead tape to the back side for a unique head feel. A good amount of the paint peel on the back is from lead tape extraction (like you see below).
Back to the origin story: The legend goes that in 1999 after TW was struggling with his putting, he called on Scotty Cameron to dig in and find him something. The original non GSS model was almost ready to make its way to the 1999 Byron Nelson, but just before it was sent, Scotty noticed it may be 2-3 grams heavy, what did he do? We have that panic to thank for the now famous cherry bombs on the heel and the cavity of the putter (where Cameron drilled to remove weight). Well played.
Tiger didn’t win his first go around with the Elder Wand. He did shoot 61 (round one) in his first start with it and finished T-7. What happened after however was the biggest sport smackdown in modern history—and it lasted 10 years!
From time to time, Tiger Woods’ putter, the “Elder Wand,” will head to the Scotty Cameron spa for some touch up. I can’t imagine being tasked with doing anything to that putter. I mean, is it shipped FedEx? Logistically, how does it go from TW to anywhere without a Brinks truck?
In regards to the grip, traditionally it has had a PingMan (PP58) Black Out. Currently, it has an old Lamkin Pistol Cord, and for a short time had the Scotty Cameron equivalent of the PingMan. 
Tiger Woods’ putter: Specs
Scotty Cameron GSS Newport 2 Tri-Sole
Putter length: 35.25 inches
Loft: 3.5-4 degrees
Sight: Cherry red dot
Putter weight: 326 grams
Swing weight: D7
Putter material: German Stainless Steel
Grip: Lamkin Full Cord Pistol
Age: 22 years old
DOB: April/May 1999
Value: Priceless
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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gery s katona
Feb 8, 2021 at 9:41 am
I hit a few putts with an identical back-up to this at Fairway Golf in San Diego about 15 years ago. It was for sale for $35K. I have to admit to being quite nervous holding it because of the value. I recall it feeling very soft.
Nack Jicklaus
Feb 7, 2021 at 9:52 pm
I like the sound of “Tont” wand better.
Chuck
Feb 7, 2021 at 10:36 am
What is the shaft in Tiger’s Cameron? I presume that the putter has never been reshafted. And for the most elite-of-elite putters, shafts make a huge difference. Weight, balance; even flex!
In the old days, there were cults built around things like the Wilson “Head Speed” shafts. I am quite sure that in his custom shop, Scotty has had requests to build putters with old Head Speed shafts inserted.
chip75
Feb 6, 2021 at 6:35 pm
What was the Anser Tiger used in ’98? I think it was a 2 variant.
Delbert
Feb 6, 2021 at 12:04 pm
Can you write about Ben Crenshaw’s Gentle Ben or Jack Nicklaus’ blade?
Die
Feb 6, 2021 at 2:07 am
“Elder wand”
Bill
Feb 5, 2021 at 8:48 pm
Johnny you have mental problems. You have done this article about 8 times
Tw
Feb 6, 2021 at 1:47 am
You probably read it all 8 times! Lol
youcorny
Feb 5, 2021 at 7:21 pm
stop calling it the “elder wand,” it’s beyond corny and makes me cringe
it’s a great scotty cameron newport 2 putter