Equipment
A Deep Dive: The equipment timeline of David Duval, 1993-2001
Like Tiger, David Toms, and Fred Couples there are certain players that I have been obsessed with for years. If you go to my Instagram, you can see it in plain sight. When it comes to DD it was more than the what, it was the why, the how that sparked my curiosity. Let’s face it, in 2000 with the Mossimo gear, Oakley shades, jacked-up physique, and on Titleist staff, was there ever a cooler looking player?
No. There wasn’t or isn’t.
That’s where my interest in Larry Bobka came about. I saw David and Larry walking the fairways of Sahalee at the ’98 PGA Championship.
At the time, I was already knee-deep in David Duval fandom but that experience took me over the top. Bobka had a handful of clubs in his hands and would pass DD a 970 3-wood, Duval would give it a rip and the two would discuss while walking down the fairway. Of all my time watching live golf, I have never been so awestruck.
This is an homage to David’s equipment during his prime/healthy years on the PGA Tour. From his early days with Mizuno, into the Titleist days, and finally Nike.
1993-1995 Mizuno
*This was an interesting time for Duval from an equipment standpoint. The pattern of mixing sets to put together his bag began and it was the time he transitioned from persimmon (Wood Bros driver) into metal woods. It was also the beginning of his long relationship with Scotty Cameron, a relationship that still stands today.
What was in the bag
Driver: TaylorMade Tour Burner 8.5 w/ Dynamic Gold X100 (*he also played with the Bubble XHKP Prototype)
3-wood
King Cobra @14 w/ Dynamic Gold X100
TaylorMade Tour Issue Spoon @13 w/ Dynamic Gold X100
Irons
1993: (1) Ping Eye2, (3-PW) Mizuno Pro TN-87 with Dynamic Gold X100
1994: (1) Ping Eye2, (3-PW) Mizuno Pro TN-87 with Dynamic Gold X100
1995: (2,3) Mizuno TC-29, (4-PW) Mizuno TN-87 with Dynamic Gold X100
Wedges: Mizuno Pro (53, 58) with Dynamic Gold X100
Putter: Scotty Cameron Classic Newport (35 inches, 71 lie, 4 degrees of loft)
Ball: Titleist Tour Balata 100
Glove: Mizuno Pro
1996-2000 Titleist
The beginning of the Titleist years started off quietly. There wasn’t any new product launched and David wasn’t quite the star he would become 12-18 months later. However, it gave Titleist the opportunity to get to know DD and his overall preferences, which aren’t dramatic but certainly unique. He didn’t win in 1996 but did qualify for the Presidents Cup Team and finished that event off at 4-0. So the buzz was going in the right direction and his peers certainly took notice.
It was 1997 that things took off on all fronts and it was the year that Titleist made David Duval the face of the DCI brand and with that decision spawned the greatest cast players cavity ever: the 962B—and also equipped David Duval to go on a 3-year run that was surpassed by only Tiger Woods.
Hence the deep dive article I wrote up earlier this month
What was in the bag
Driver
1996
TaylorMade Bubble Tour 8.5 w/ Bubble XHKP Prototype
1997
TaylorMade Bubble Tour 8.5 w/ Bubble XHKP Prototype
King Cobra Deep Face 9 w/ Dynamic Gold X100
Callaway Warbird Great Big Bertha 6.5 w/ Dynamic Gold X100, True Temper EI70 Tour X
Titleist 975D 6.5 (no line heavier head weight) w/ Fujikura Prototype X
1998
Callaway Warbird Great Big Bertha 6.5 w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X
Titleist 975D 6.5 (no line heavier head weight) w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X
1999: Titleist 975D 6.5 (no line heavier head weight) @ 7.5 w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X
2000: Titleist 975D 7.5 (no line heavier head weight) w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X
3-wood
1996
King Cobra @14 w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
1997
King Cobra @14 w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
1998
Callaway S2H2 (1 Dot) @14 w/ Fujikura Vista Pro 90X
Callaway Steelhead 3+ @13 w/ RCH 90 Pro Series Strong
Titleist 970 (Dark Grey Head) @13 w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X (only tested this one)
1999
Callaway S2H2 (1 Dot) @14 w/ Fujikura Vista Pro 90X
Cobra Gravity Back 14.5T w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X
Irons
1996
(2-PW) Titleist DD Blank Prototype w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (w/sensicore)
(2-PW) Titleist DCI Black “B” w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (w/sensicore)
*This prototype set was a blank set of the DCI Black “B” but with sole modifications.
1997, 1998, 1999, 2000: (2,3) Titleist DCI Black (4-PW) Titleist DCI 962B w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (with sensicore)
*David liked the original prototype version of DG Sensicore X100 that had weight removed from the center of shaft to create better feel and a slightly higher trajectory
24 Feb 2000: David Duval watches the ball after hitting it during the World Match-Play Championships at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. Mandatory Credit: Harry How /Allsport
Wedges
1996: (52 @53, 58) Mizuno Pro, (56 @57) Cleveland 588 RTG w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
1997: (53) Cobra “Trusty Rusty”, (57 @58) Cleveland 588 RTG, (58) Titleist Bobka Grind, (57 @58) Cobra Trusty Rusty w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
1998: (53) Cobra “Trusty Rusty”, (57 @58) Cleveland 588 RTGw/ True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
1999: (53) Cobra “Trusty Rusty”, (57 @58) Cleveland 588 RTG w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
2000: (53) Cobra “Trusty Rusty”, (57 @58) Cleveland 588 “Gun Metal” w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
PUTTER
1996: Scotty Cameron Classic Newport 1 35 Inches, 71 Lie, 4 Degrees of Loft, Scotty Cameron Long Slant Neck Laguna Custom (double welded neck)
1997: Odyssey Dual Force Rossie 2, Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Newport “Beached” 35 Inches, 71 Lie, 4 Degrees of Loft w/ PingMan “Blacked Out” Grip
1998, 1999, 2000: Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Newport “Beached” 35 Inches, 71 Lie, 4 Degrees of Loft w/ PingMan “Blacked Out” Grip
2001: Nike Golf and The Open Championship
The relationship with Titleist Golf ended quickly and when David showed up to Kapalua with a non-Titleist stand bag the rumor mill went nuts. The story (although super speculative) was that David opted out in the middle of a $4.5 million per year deal with Acushnet, a lawsuit followed, but Davids’s stance was that he had a marquee player clause that allowed him to walk if he wasn’t “marquee” aka highest-paid.
Apparently he had a point, Acushnet had recently inked big deals with Davis Love and Phil Mickelson leading someone on the outside to do the math. However, I’m not an attorney, wasn’t there, and have no clue what the legality of any of it was. Point is, he walked and landed at Nike with a new head-to-toe contract.
DRIVER:
Titleist 975D 7.5 (no line heavier head weight) w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X
Titleist 975E Prototype 8.5 w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X
Nike Titanium w/ True Temper EI-70 II Tour X (pictured below)
Nike Titanium Prototype 7.5 w/ True Temper EI70 Tour X (featured image)
3 WOOD:
Callaway Steelhead Plus 4+ @15 w/ RCH 90 Pro Series Strong
Nike Prototype @14 degrees w/ True Temper EI-70 Tour X
Sonartec/Excedo (SS-03 head) Driving Cavity @14 w/ Fujikura Vista Pro 90X
IRONS:
(2-PW) Titleist 990B w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (with sensicore)
(2-PW) Nike Prototype “DD” Grind MB w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (with sensicore)
(2) Titleist DCI Black w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 (with sensicore)
WEDGES:
(53) Cobra “Trusty Rusty”, (57 @58) Cleveland 588 “Gun Metal” w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
(53,58) Nike DD Grind w/ True Temper Dynamic Gold S400
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron Pro Platinum Newport “Beached” 35 Inches, 71 Lie, 4 Degrees of Loft w/ PingMan “Blacked Out” Grip
SPEC TALK
Over the years the one constant was David’s iron and wedge specs. As a shut-faced player he has always favored traditional lofts in his irons. However, a cool thing to note is his lie angles remained constant 59.5 (2-4), 60 (5-9). The running theory here was being a shallow (low hands) and shut faced player, keeping the lie angles at a constant (flatter) lie angle allowed him to feel like his angle of attack could remain the same for each iron. It’s just a feeling but that’s what he did. If the “why of it” is true, it looks like he was doing Bryson things before Bryson did.
David Duval Iron/Wedge Specs
Loft/Lie/Length/SW
- 2-17/59.5/40.25/D5
- 3-20.5/59.5/39 1/6/D4
- 4-24/59.5/38 9/16/D4
- 5-27/60/38 1/16/D4
- 6-30.5/60/ 37 9/16/D4
- 7-35/60/37 1/16/D4
- 8-39/60/36 9/16/D4
- 9-43/60/36 5/16/D4
- P-47/61/36/ 1/16/D5
- GW-53/62/35 5/8/D4
- LW-58/62/35 9/16/D6
Whew…since this prolific run, David transitioned into some interesting projects with smaller companies like Scratch, B.I.G Golf (AKA Bio-engineered in Germany), back to the mainstream with Nike, and most currently Cobra Golf.
I hope you all enjoyed this walk down memory lane with me, Duval is not only fascinating from a career standpoint but digging into the equipment of DD has been quite the experience.
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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Eric Granata
Jun 14, 2020 at 7:15 pm
Get him on the POD!!!!
Pelling
Jun 1, 2020 at 11:12 am
Terrible equipment. Wonder what he could have done with better wrenches?
Corey Meyer
May 29, 2020 at 4:19 pm
Outstanding! DD was my guy. Wish the injuries would not have shut him down so early. Playa was stone cold blooded. I still have the SI cover he did in a frame. Would love to meet him someday and get him to autograph it.
RK
May 29, 2020 at 2:41 pm
“Let’s face it, in 2000 with the Mossimo gear, Oakley shades, jacked-up physique, and on Titleist staff, was there ever a cooler looking player?“
Great article, but you’ve got to be kidding…!! Duval – cool looking? Ha, ha, you must be a total nerd. The Oakley glasses were/are so stupid-looking and lame. No style at all. Look to Couples, Norman, Donald, Jimenez, etc – those guys were cool. Duval never was.
Brandon
May 30, 2020 at 10:27 am
David Duval is far from “jacked up”, now or in his prime. Wunder must be a twig boy.
Rob
May 29, 2020 at 2:16 pm
Can you do a follow up on the B.I.G golf company and how quick it vanished?
mbc
May 29, 2020 at 2:05 pm
What’s with the super low lofted drivers?
Gunter Eisenberg
May 29, 2020 at 9:39 pm
Back then wound balls where common in the 90s which spun too much so most pros had to use low lofts to compensate.
Kep
May 29, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Awesome article, love these deep dives.
I’m going to argue that the Ping S55 irons were the greatest cast players cavity of all time though 😛
Homer Sinpson
May 30, 2020 at 4:41 pm
You would love to read this entire terrible article. You must be a club homer.
Ty Webb
May 29, 2020 at 11:53 am
Pretty solid! I could swear that s2h2 had an RCH 90 pro series in it no?
e
May 29, 2020 at 11:24 am
This is awesome thank you – more of this kind of stuff please!
Homer Simpson
May 30, 2020 at 4:43 pm
Homer