Equipment
The story behind Jason Dufner’s new National Custom Works irons
If you caught any of Jason Dufner shooting 66-68 on the weekend at The Players, you might have been intrigued by the blades the Auburn man was carving up TPC Sawgrass with.
GolfWRX members, not surprisingly, spotted the switch from his previous gamers over the weekend, eventually identifying Dufner’s irons as National Custom Works products.
We reached out to NCW to learn more about Dufner’s new weaponry, and company co-founder Patrick Boyd was kind enough to share some details.
BA: So Jason Dufner puts your clubs in the bag and lights it up on the weekend. How did this happen?
PB: I got an email from him a while ago…I saw the email and I laughed. I was like, ‘Yeah. OK. Sure, buddy.’ But I wrote an email back and said, “If this is you, I’d love to work with you on something.’ He gave me his number, we got in touch…scheduled an appointment with Don [White]. We spent an afternoon working with him on some sample clubs, and it’s kind of gone from there.
I text with him [Dufner] pretty regularly, and I’d heard from him the clubs were a couple of weeks out from making the bag, and he texted me Friday and said, ‘They’re going in the bag this weekend.’ And I hadn’t been paying attention to the leaderboard, so I thought he didn’t make the cut and he was just going home to mess around with them. Then, I’m watching Saturday and he shoots 66!
BA: So he just put them in the bag in the middle of the tournament? Crazy.
PB: Yeah. And the other interesting thing is, he’s a client like any of my other clients: he pays for his golf clubs. We don’t have a contract with him. He’s all about playing the best equipment that works for him.
BA: He insists on paying? Wow. So what was Jason Dufner looking for when he came to you initially, and what did you end up delivering?
PB: He’s been trying a lot of different stuff. He doesn’t have a contract right now. So, I asked him during that process what was happening and what he was seeing, and it became apparent that the soles on the irons he was playing were digging in too much. His spin rates were a little bit high, which to me indicates he was hitting it higher on the face than he’d like to. That was the beginning of the conversation. He was really, really thorough. He knew all his numbers and he knew exactly what he was talking about.
Initially, we met down at Albany. I had him bring what he was playing and what had been successful for him. Me and Don had a look at what was going on. It became clear pretty quickly what we needed to do as far as the sole configuration. That’s what he was fighting: the bottom of his golf clubs weren’t matching up with his angle of attack.
That was the first step. We made a couple of samples for him to take home…I got about two hours down the road and my phone rang. It was Dufner saying, “I hit balls with them. Everything is great. Just make this one little change,” and I got everything in to Don.
The first set we made for him, this is kind of interesting, when he told us about the trajectory he wanted and what he had in mind, Don looked at him and said, ‘Man, you want some blades!’ And he hadn’t played blades since he was in college. But the first project we worked on with our client were cavity backs.
He worked with them on Trackman and his numbers were really good, but the thing that was interesting to me was we used the smaller cavity back we work with and he thought it was a little too long heel-to-toe for him, so he asked me to make him a set of blades. So, we talked about that project…and once we had the sole knocked out and knew what he needed there, as well as what his preferred toe shape is, his preferred aesthetics, the offset he likes, it was pretty easy to put a set together for him.
The 4 and 5-iron are kind of a lower CG profile, and the 6-iron through pitching wedge is more of a mid-CG profile. He just wanted something to kind of knock it down and flight it a little bit flatter with the 6 through pitch, and then with the 4 and 5, he was looking for something a little easier to launch and hold greens with. Kind of a mixed muscle setup.
BA: It looks like he has Auburn colors on the ferrules? And can you confirm the stamping?
PB: Yep. I designed those ferrules for him. And the irons have the NCW star stamp in the toe of the muscle, and then we have the [Jason Dufner] Foundation logo. Then, the letters on the sole of the golf clubs are his dad’s name.
PB: Well, I’ll reiterate, what I thought was just fascinating was, when we initially had the conversation, he really wasn’t sure about working with blades. But once you get the sole profile knocked out for somebody and they’re not fighting the sole of the club…I mean, to me, it speaks volumes that once you get a set of blades in his hands with the correct sole profile it made such a difference in just his initial reaction to wanting to talk about blades…it’s just a testament to the importance of fitting somebody, getting the right sole for their angle of attack, tendencies, and conditions.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL – MAY 13: Jason Dufner of the United States plays a shot during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 13, 2018 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
For more about National Custom Works, well, works, check out our Peter Schmitt’s talk with Patrick Boyd last month.
EDIT: Patrick sent Dufner’s full spec sheet along
Make up: 4-P Standard Flatback
Muscle: PMB Long Iron muscle with straight line 4/5, Phatty ’53 (PJB) muscle 6/7, Phatty ’53 (PJB) muscle but slightly higher than 6/7 for 8-P
Shape: duplicate samples
Grind: duplicate samples. Client noted modification per our conversation, please adjust accordingly
Loft: 23/28/32/36/40/44/48
Lie: 59.5/60/60.5/61/61.5/62/62.5
Offset: duplicate samples
Weights: D-3 (-2g for chrome) 50g grip, 38.5/38/37.5/37/36.5/36/35.75″ cut length
Finish: Dull Satin, prep for chrome
Stamping: 1/4″ letters 4 (F), 5 (R), 6 (A), 7 (N), 8 (K), 9 (E), P (D) on toe side of sole, DW on heel side of sole, JD logo stamp on muscle heel side, Star N logo on muscle toe side
Paintfill: none
Ferrule: Custom Auburn
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. ...
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Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
Les
Jun 15, 2018 at 3:04 pm
I’m gonna get a set of those clubs to lower my score…. and get that ‘traditional’ look to my WITB arsenal of weapons… 😮
Soheil Shirzadi
May 18, 2018 at 12:49 pm
Scratch 2.0? Looks like Ari Techner is part of NCW
GCGC
May 17, 2018 at 10:45 pm
FINALLY a set of clubs with normal lofts! Yay to NCF and Dufner! Where is all the OEM BS about “our engineers lowered the center of gravity soooo much that we had to put the 6-iron loft down to 22° in order to keep the launch angle down and spin down to a manageable level”….. bla bla bla. You too can be a hero and impress your friends by hitting a 9-iron 225 yards (even though said 9-iron has only 21° of loft). Either NCF totally messed up in their design of this iron head – ‘cuz they are nowhere near the “modern high tech” clubs, or the OEM’s are all talking out of their arse. I think it is the latter. Just sayin’.
Hogan Fan
May 26, 2018 at 7:07 pm
I could not agree more! I would like an equipment manufacturer who lowers the CG and creates a higher launching club to actually let the club launch really high to help all those guys who are playing below the tree line. At least provide it as an option! I really don’t want a 27* #7 iron (this is actually true) I want my clubs to have reasonable launch angle, reasonable descent angle, reasonable spin and the appropriate combination of those three to actually be a useful set of tools to help me around the golf course. I really don’t care what they say on the bottom.
Marc Grenier
May 17, 2018 at 1:14 pm
Mr. Alberstadt,
VERY good article, simple terms, easy to understand. I subscribe to GOLF WRX. newsletter and will read your past and future articles. Keep up the good work.
HDTVMAN
May 17, 2018 at 9:28 am
???? Very good and interesting article.
Bob Parson Jr.
May 16, 2018 at 5:23 pm
They are not Parsons, meh!
JOEL K GOODMAN
May 16, 2018 at 8:35 pm
NO THEY AREN ‘T . THEY ARE BETTER BY FAR. AND PROBABLY NOT AS OVERPRICED.
ron
May 16, 2018 at 4:36 pm
now everyone wants them
Dave r
May 16, 2018 at 12:31 pm
One of the best articles I’ve read on here real good work . Good luck to Jason hope he does well on tour I know I’m pulling for him.
Mirage
May 16, 2018 at 12:10 pm
Don White. ‘Nuff said. Great piece!
Scott
May 16, 2018 at 11:32 am
Best article in a long time
2DudesTony
May 16, 2018 at 8:20 am
Duff Daddy has always been a pure striker & more than adequate putter. Everyone misses short putts regularly, most of us due to the “gimme”. I’d like to know what angle of attack caused a need for a different fitting. Details anyone? I used to be VERY steep w irons but corrected that w a posture change. Self taught but read & try a lot of teaching & have never had a fitting. At 66 I’m thinking it’s too late.
dat
May 15, 2018 at 11:10 am
Now this is quality content!
Mizzle Fizzle
May 15, 2018 at 4:08 pm
This.
Mizzle Fizzle
May 15, 2018 at 4:11 pm
Most on point article in looooong time.
douglas terry
May 15, 2018 at 10:42 am
I guess shaft info is not important?
JW
May 16, 2018 at 11:44 am
They probably didn’t shaft the heads…. and if they did you’re right it’s the least important info in everything provided. The impact the shaft has its minimal compared to sole grind, head design, etc but if you see the pics it looks like the S400 AMT Tour Issue that he’s been using but I’m sure he could find a tour van to build them with those and Superstroke grips
CJ
May 15, 2018 at 10:13 am
Great stuff…I see 12 oxygen theives marked it a shank…what a joke.
Chuck Barkley
May 15, 2018 at 12:14 am
Great piece! Yeah, loving the “hat a day” situation too. Walked into Lids today to ask about their connection to New Era and the The Players cap Jason wore, and they were like, “duhhhhhhh, we don’t have any info on that cap.” Well can you call your contact their? “duhhhhhh, we don’t have access.” Ehhhh whatever. Go Duffy!!!
Sue
May 14, 2018 at 11:48 pm
Love Dufner, this further supports my feeling!
rymail00
May 14, 2018 at 11:18 pm
This was a cool story.
I was such a huge fan of Scratch Golf (really sad to them go), but now to see the guys doing there thing again is awesome. I’m truly happy for them cuz they are a great group guys.
I like Dufner and hope he plays well with the new sticks and it helps shine some light on NCW.
moses
May 14, 2018 at 11:06 pm
Man I’m going back to blades. My iron game has been off lately.
Larry
May 14, 2018 at 9:45 pm
NCW is using open designs by a Chinese foundry and passing it off as custom.
2putttom
May 15, 2018 at 10:40 am
I must of missed that part in the article
Blake
May 15, 2018 at 2:10 pm
They do purchase blanks and grinds them. Not sure how open a blank design is
Lenny
May 14, 2018 at 9:26 pm
Duf is trying to look like a 72 year old man and succeeding.
Brett Weir
May 14, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Looks like some old school 1960’s Wilson Staff Blades.
2putttom
May 15, 2018 at 10:41 am
yep the ever successful step muscle design.
T. Lee
May 16, 2018 at 5:52 pm
DynaPowered from mid 60’s! minus the red plugs in heel.
JOEL K GOODMAN
May 16, 2018 at 8:37 pm
THEY WERE THE STANDARD FOR THE WORLD AT THAt time
len
May 14, 2018 at 8:49 pm
See… plain vanilla flavored muscleback fitted irons is all you need if you are a decent golfer… and the rest of us duffers hope our Super Game Improvement cavity back or hollow jello-filled multi-scruw irons will rescue our pathetic golf swing and wild ball flight. 😮
JD
May 14, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Those are some sharp irons. I’m very impressed. Love the Auburn ferrule. WDE
Randy Watkins
May 14, 2018 at 7:57 pm
Very interesting story. Makes me think about my angle of attack! I think Dufner pays because he doesn’t want any influence that steers him away from pure golf.
MB
May 14, 2018 at 7:33 pm
Duf’s the Man he will figure the putter out relax, very underrated ball sticker imo.
kevin
May 15, 2018 at 9:33 am
figure the putter out? he was +7.4 in shots gained putting for the week (top 3)…..and top 50 in 2018 for shots gained. the idea that dufner is an awful putter is such a myth
Thomas A
May 15, 2018 at 11:37 am
Everyone only watched his one mis-putt on the 18th on Sunday. Cost him $403,000.
SK
May 14, 2018 at 6:55 pm
See… plain vanilla flavored muscleback fitted irons is all you need if you are a decent golfer… and the rest of us duffers hope our Super Game Improvement cavity back or hollow jello-filled multi-screw irons will rescue our pathetic golf swing and wild ball flight. 😮
Matty
May 14, 2018 at 6:48 pm
How about a Jason Dufner Hat Compilation for 2018?
Gorden
May 14, 2018 at 6:39 pm
Love seeing Dufner and Woods for that matter, playing old style irons shows all these gimmicks the Club companies are putting on their clubs is nothing more then bubbles and bangles..truth known the Ping eye 2 could be brought back out and they would sell thousands of sets….
Richard
May 14, 2018 at 6:18 pm
What a fantastic story for National Custom Works. They are doing some great stuff. So cool that he paid for them!!!
Dan
May 14, 2018 at 5:34 pm
They look sooo one fashioned. Love em!!
I wish I could call Don White and have him make me a set
Buchs
May 14, 2018 at 6:25 pm
You can. Just call NCW. Patrick will hook you up. Just may take a little longer after this article lol.
the dude
May 14, 2018 at 5:17 pm
how bout they make him a putter…….(that 3 wiggle on 18 cost him ~ 700-400k)
Ryan Michael
May 14, 2018 at 7:49 pm
It’s not the arrow it’s the Indian.
Ralph Guldahl
May 14, 2018 at 10:09 pm
Tell that to the Indian with a quiver full of crooked arrows.
kevin
May 15, 2018 at 9:34 am
he was top 3 in putting for the week and +7.4 in strokes gained putting. what are you talking about?
Sue
May 15, 2018 at 11:05 am
All 4 rounds determine the $$$. He got to where he was because of all (4) rounds.
Tiger
May 15, 2018 at 6:43 pm
Go back to the land of stupid ignorant comments where you came from
The Dude
May 19, 2018 at 8:42 pm
Dumb…