Jason Day is back on the PGA TOUR, and he’s brought a whole new bag! After a break, Day has made some drastic changes to his equipment, including a set of prototype irons with a curved face. We take a deep dive into Day’s new setup, from the 3D-printed Avoda Golf irons to the Callaway hybrid and lighter graphite shafts. Day explains his thought process behind these changes and how he hopes to improve his game. Plus, find out why he’s playing with only 13 clubs this week. Join us as we explore the world of golf equipment and the latest innovations.
Picture this. A golfing icon fresh off a break, overhauling his entire setup to chase that elusive edge. Jason Day is back and shaking things up at the Bank of Utah Championship. It’s the kind of bold move that could redefine his career. And trust me, you won’t want to look away. But here’s where it gets controversial. Is experimenting with cuttingedge tech like this the future of golf or just a risky gamble for pros with deep pockets? Jason Day, the former world number one and winner of 13 PGA Tour events, stepped back into tournament action at the Bank of Utah Championship after a two-month pause from competitive play. That downtime wasn’t just a rest. It gave him the perfect opportunity to take a hard look at his game and overhaul his equipment in a big way. Arriving in Ivans, Utah, Day brought a completely fresh set of gear, brand new prototype irons, updated shafts, grips, and even a hybrid club. Interestingly, despite all these upgrades, he stuck to just 13 clubs in his bag for Thursday’s play at Black Desert Resort. And we’ll dive into why that matters shortly. Straight out of the gate, Day showed no signs of being rusty, carding a solid three under 68 in the first round. He hit 12 out of 14 fairways accurately and narrowly missed four greens, proving his skills were still sharp. Yet, he openly shared that his iron play hadn’t been up to par throughout the season. I hadn’t been hitting my irons great at all, they admitted after the round. I decided to have a chat to my coach, call in SWAT hun, and say, “Do you reckon we can go out and just maybe have a look?” It was a candid moment that highlighted his proactive approach to improvement. Now, Day isn’t a stranger to mixing things up. He’s switched between Blade and Cavityback styles from brands like Tailor Made and Ping during this season. But the prototypes he debuted at the Bank of Utah Championship, those are a whole different story, representing a major departure from the usual equipment norms. And this is the part most people miss. These aren’t just any irons. They’re custom 3D printed creations from a Vodag golf that day helped design himself. Inspired by the curved face technology that propelled Bryson Dashambo to victory at the US Open at Pinehurst number two, Day’s new irons incorporate this innovative feature. For beginners wondering what that means, think of it as a way to make your shots more forgiving. The curved face helps reduce unwanted side spin on hits that aren’t perfectly centered by counteracting something golf pros call gear effect. Gear effect is basically the club’s tendency to make the ball hook or slice depending on the impact point. Like if you strike the toe, the outer edge versus the heel, the inner edge. By designing the face with progressive curvature, these irons aim to keep shots straighter and more predictable, minimizing those frustrating curves. As an equipment free agent, meaning he’s not tied to any specific brand endorsements, Day explained he’s on a quest to discover the best of the best. With guidance from his coach, Swathan, he stumbled across a Vodagolf and was impressed by their team. I just told my coach, “Just have a chat to the guys, see what they think,” they recalled. He got off the phone and called me and he goes, “Man, in all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never come across the guys the way they explained everything.” After collaborating on multiple 3D printed models, Dave found the results eye opening. PGA Tour live host Lisa Cornwell called the technology phenomenal, noting that Day saw his shot dispersion tighten right away, meaning his shots started grouping closer together on the course. That said, Day’s setup isn’t an exact clone of Dashamos. Unlike Bryson, who uses uniform shaft lengths across all irons for consistency, Day kept to standard lengths and is still fine-tuning. After this week, we’re obviously going to get back together and see what needs to kind of be improved, he added. I think currently right now, I would like to see a little bit a tiny bit more offset. Try and get a little bit more turn. If that has a little bit more offset, it will actually elevate the ball a little bit more in the air, which would be nice. For those new to this, offset refers to how much the club face is set back from the shaft, which can help add a slight draw bias and loft to the ball flight. Beyond the irons, Day upgraded to Jumboax Jax Zen Light grips and switched to lighter KBS graphite shafts. He described the change from the heavier dynamic gold X7 shafts weighing 136 g to the KBS TGI Tour Graphite 110 g as definitely easier on the body. His goal a uniform swing feel across all clubs. The theory I think I have the same profile shaft from 60° all the way up to driver. Day explained the goal is to be able to swing just pretty much have one swing like whatever ball flight you want. Whether that’s a draw or a fade, for me it’s a draw to go up there and hit a draw and pretty much put the same swing on it and hopefully it produces the same shot over and over again. It’s a smart strategy for repeatability. Imagine swinging the same way for every club and getting consistent results like a golfer who can reliably shape shots as needed. Despite the extensive revamp, Day revealed he’s actually playing 13 clubs here this week as he’s sorting out distances with the addition of a new Callaway Apex UW hybrid. Right now, I think we’re in the testing phase. He said, you know, we still got to get the gappings right. Have to get the spins right. So, obviously, that is going to be more testing coming up for me. Gapping, for context, means ensuring the clubs cover the right yardages without big skips. and spin refers to how much the ball rotates affecting control and stopping power on greens. With his spot in the 2026 signature events secured after a 41st place FedEx Cup finish, the fall season is ideal for Day to experiment freely and aim for his first win since the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in 2023. He even hinted at wanting that 14th club like on the par 59th where he bogeied to close his round. watch his bag on Friday. Will he add it or stick to 13? It’s a minor detail, but it could reveal more about his strategy. But here’s where opinions might clash. Is pushing the boundaries with prototypes fair play, or does it give an unfair advantage in a sport where equipment rules are debated endlessly. Some fans love innovation, seeing it as progress. Others worry it levels the playing field unevenly. What do you think? Should pros like De have cart blanch to test wild tech or should there be stricter limits? Is this the dawn of a new golf era or just hype? Share your thoughts in the comments. Do you agree with Day’s approach or is there a counterpoint we missed? We’d love to hear your
