Equipment
How one of the tour’s longest hitters is getting even longer
Did Aldrich Potgieter really need more distance? He’s currently second on the PGA Tour in driving distance and ball speed, so potentially, there is margin for him to make up.
At the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open, he may just have found it, and some forgiveness to go with it.
Heading into the first of two stops in Texas before the season’s opening major championship, Pogeiter is looking to make some hefty changes to his driver setup as well as another pretty sizable change to the bottom end of his bag.

One of a few big-name stars to join the PXG ranks in the offseason, Potgieter started out 2026 playing the Lightning Tour head, equipped with a Fujikura Ventus 7 X VeloCore shaft. At Memorial Park Golf Course for the Houston Open, things have changed as he’s looking to use an unreleased Tour Max prototype along with the newly released Fujikura Ventus TR 7 X VeloCore+ shaft.

He’s one of the first to put the new shaft in play, and scarily, he can tame the stiffest Ventus shaft yet to find more ball speed.
“I hit it yesterday for the first time and it’s really good,” Potgieter said in Houston. “Picked up probably about 2 or 3 miles an hour ball speed, which is huge. So we’ll hopefully keep that out on the course. But no, it’s looking good.”

Not only has Potgieter found more distance, but more importantly for him, a better balance with that and forgiveness on mishits, thanks to increased bulge and roll on the Tour Max head along with the stability of the shaft.
“I feel like some of the miss-strikes are straightening up, I think it has a bit more bulge and rolls as well,” Potgieter said. “So yeah, we’re definitely looking forward to it. It’s been great on the range, so this is a big driving week for us as well on the golf course. So if we can hit a lot more fairways, it’ll be good.
“With the big head they shift more weight further back. I think that kind of gives us more forgiveness and find the right weight to put on that backside; that right balance is more important. So I think we were playing around with that a little bit more and we kind of found a nice sweet spot.”
Along with the changes to the top end of the back, Potgieter has also made a significant swap to his flatstick. As a long-time member of the Tour’s diminishing blade putter group, winning in Detroit with a Scotty Cameron 009M Tour Prototype, Potgieter had a short stint with L.A.B. Golf’s Link 2.1 HS blade during the Florida Swing. He’s now left the gang and moved into a TaylorMade Spider Tour X.

“I’ve been on the blade run for a little bit and I feel like when I’m playing really good, the blade’s probably the best thing, but when you’re off a little bit and there’s a couple of things that I’m working on and just when you have a little bit of mis-strike or something with that blade, your consistency just drops off,” Potgieter said. “So we tried the L.A.B. blade, but even with that a little bit it was difficult.
“So we went to the Spider this week and we’ve seen distance control and stuff like that. It’s been a lot better and so we’ll give that a go and it’s nice to experiment with some stuff, but you kind run out of time pretty quickly. So we’re trying to get something in the bag and keep it consistent and got a PXG kind of similar thing to that Spider that I’ll be trying out in the next couple of weeks, but trying to not change too much for Augusta coming up.”

The countdown is on with only two weeks remaining for Potgieter to pick his 14 clubs for the Masters.
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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BT
Apr 14, 2026 at 8:03 am
The support for young rookies on this board is amazing.
We should be proud!!!
BT
The Truth Network
Apr 6, 2026 at 8:15 am
Fatgieter could stand to lose a few pounds.
Reel Cheeze
Apr 10, 2026 at 8:32 am
Looks like this plan for more distance is working. Nice 84 to start the Masters…. hahahah.
Pingback: Houston Open Tour Report: Driver, fairways and shafts ready for launch in the Space City – GolfWRX
Doug
Mar 25, 2026 at 2:06 pm
Doesn’t really apply to us mortals with 90 mph clubhead speed. But thanks anyway.
Stuart Peck
Mar 25, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Defo needed to pick up a few mph…