Older, Unique & Trending Golf Clubs on Tour & In Club Fittings

Older clubs, unique combo sets and trending golf clubs are the focus of this Fitting Insights segment. 2nd Swing’s Drew Mahowald discusses the winning setups for Adam Schenk, Linn Grant and Matt Fitzpatrick with 2nd Swing Master Fitter Harrison Arnold. All three had some pretty unique setups, with the PING i210 irons, a 7-year-old model being in the winning bag of all three. Drew and Harrison also discuss Schenk’s PING G400 Driver, his unique combo set of irons, Linn Grant’s PING iDi Utility Iron and Matt Fitzpatrick’s PING s55 Irons and putter.

00:00 Introduction
00:40 PING G400 Driver
03:45 Adam Schenk’s Irons
05:00 PING i210 Irons
07:20 PING G430 Driver
8:21 PING iDi Utility Iron
10:00 Titleist GT3
12:41 PING S55 Irons
14:00 Matt Fitzpatrick Putter

The 2nd Swing Thoughts podcast, presented by 2nd Swing Golf, covers anything and everything in golf equipment and club fitting. The 2nd Swing Thoughts will feature experts in the golf industry sharing insights and latest trends in golf clubs and club fittings. 2nd Swing Thoughts will also cover the latest in professional golf.

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2bJFzfhoUmpHZF6fyFsjmX

LISTEN ON AMAZON: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f5e3b825-bae2-40d0-9ec4-722e96b99de6/2nd-swing-thoughts

LISTEN ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2nd-swing-thoughts/id1683899359

Schedule an award-winning 2nd Swing fitting: https://www.2ndswing.com/golf-club-fittings

SUBSCRIBE to the 2nd Swing YouTube channel today for more in-depth golf equipment reviews and club fitting insights.

FOLLOW 2ND SWING GOLF ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2ndSwingGolf

X: https://X.com/2ndSwingGolf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2ndswinggolf/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@2ndswinggolf

[Music] We now welcome on the Second Swing Thoughts podcast, Harrison Arnold, back for another segment looking into the winning clubs on tour. We actually have a two for one today. Got a couple of bags we’re going to look into. We’ll start with Adam Shank, the 2025 Butterfield Butterfield Bermuda Championship. That’s a lot of the tongue twister there. Uh, I love I love Shanks bag. Um, this there’s a lot of throwback tech, throwback club models in here. And I kind of want to start with one that I know our fitters love. Uh, and in terms of the used fitting and I know what Jake Montgomery has always said, this is a driver that oftentimes when a player comes in for a fitting and they have this driver, he always kind of panics because it’s tough to beat this one. The Ping G400. This is a 20 I want to say 2017 or 2018 release. 2017, I think. Yeah. So with Aventus Black 7X shaft um you know talk to me about that combo what you see and you know maybe why he hasn’t changed into anything more recent or or more I guess you know later in release. I mean to start I think it’s definitely a comfort level thing right there’s Gfinder is a very good driver was very forgiving very stable cons um delivered very consistent spin rates across the face um so that’s kind of why we do struggle when people bring those into the bays cuz it’s going to be hard to really beat that unless we’re in the wrong shaft or we’re in the max head when we need to lower spinning head you know sometimes then bit of seven grace but like it’s just a great drive overall he’s got that Ventus black 7X in there it’s going to give a bit more stability, lower in spin, lower in launch shaft. I think it’s a great pairing, but you clearly he’s someone who likes to trust what he knows. Yeah. So, that’s where like I mean even have you seen have you seen that scenario come up in a fitting where someone has it might not it might not be necessarily G400 but even like a driver that they’ve had for so long and there’s this comfort level with that where they try a fitting and sometimes you’re just like you know what you swing this club better let’s keep that. Yeah. I mean that happens a I wouldn’t say a lot in our fittings but it’s definitely more more common than you think where we’re just really going to fit someone to a shaft. They come in with a head that and that’s something that we do offer too is in our used fittings can we find you a shaft that’s going to complement this head a little bit better because if we looking at that head and it’s working great we’re not going to stand there and say you need to buy the brand new tech because if we can’t beat it then let’s find let’s find ways to dial that in a little bit better for you. So yeah definitely not uncommon to see these things. definitely had a few scenarios this year where some I’ve had someone come in with E that great example was someone had an epic flash driver. He plays he said he played 150 to 200 rounds a year. It’s a lot of play golf. Yeah. So he he’s he’s worn this driver in and I couldn’t touch another driver that was better than that driver. I mean there’s probably an element of he’s worn that face down so thin it’s just the ball is quick. Yeah. But um but yeah, we couldn’t touch it. So we was we had to kind of just say well so you got the best you got. Yeah, right. Until that thing breaks, keep running with it. Yeah. I mean, there’s an element. Made a few tweaks to the HLE setting and a little bit more to dial in a little bit, but overall, we had a great driver. Yeah. I mean, that’s kind of what you can do in a fitting is there’s there’s the club head of course that you can upgrade, but you can also with a lot of these drivers in the last 5 10 years, there is adjustable hoszle settings. There’s adjustable waiting on the sole. There is also, of course, the shaft that you can optimize. So, there are ways around it if you really feel like you want to keep the driver head like Adam Shank did with the G400. Um, now into his irons. A fun, unique combo of irons here. Again, he’s got two models that are, you know, probably eight years old at this point. Yeah. Uh, Ping I210 at the top of the set from the two through five and then the MP8 SC in the six through pitching wedge. How often have you seen or have you ever fit I guess a player into the blended set of two different brands? I wouldn’t say it’s very common, Drew. Definitely. It’s defin We’ve definitely done it before. Okay. I’ve had I had a couple scenarios this year where someone really loved the long irons they had. I think there were a couple driving irons and they’re using them kind of as their three to five iron. Sure. Love those. So, we fit kind of the bottom half of the bag and they were a different brand. So, there’s scenarios where that may that may make sense. Right. Again, it’s a comfort level thing. Shank has played this same setup since he joined as a Ping staffer in 2018. Um, he was a Mizuna man before. So, he’s his whole bag is just I trust this these clubs. I’m very reluctant to change. Yeah. Um, there’s a comfort level there. He’s obviously there’s probably a little bit of a um there’s probably a little bit of, you know, well, I’m going to say ignorance to change, but if it’s working, don’t right, you know, why are we going to go fix it? Right. Exactly. Um but yeah, so very interesting to kind of see these using the i210s. You know, there’s some this we got three new models of those now, right? We go up to the i240s. Um two new models. Um a lot of guys still like that Ping I210. It was a slightly different design. Wasn’t a hollow body design then. So it definitely didn’t come out quite as hot. So for people looking for that forgiveness and a little bit more precision, that was a great iron. Yeah, I played I210. Uh I love it. Um and then even you know kind of the transition we can make there is that I210 was in the bag for several wins on tour this week. So um we can kind of transition then into you know Lyn Grant and also we’ll we’ll touch on Matt Fitzpatrick both played at least one you or maybe a set of I210 irons. Um but could just talk to me about I210 in general. I know you touched on it there but how often you’re seeing that as a popular choice as maybe a used iron. I mean that was probably Definitely in my top three of used iron fittings this year. It’s a great iron that you can kind of fit anyone from a scratch plus figure PJ tour player all the way up to like a 105 handicap. Really, it’s just encapsulates a big group of people. It’s got a nice wide sole. It’s very forgiving, but it still has that precision you need. The i210 in itself isn’t quite as hot as the i230s and i240s. They just just became a little bit too hot for the precision. So that’s why we’re seeing a lot of tour players. Even Victor Hovland, I think, still uses the i210s if I’m not if I’m not I believe so. If yeah, if I’m not mistaken there. Um the reason is just because they can control their ball speeds a little bit more. Um if if we start to see that ball speed jump on us on one every five or six swings. Yeah. Well, it might be good for other people to get a bit more ball speed. Um but for the people who are prioritizing precision like tour players are, it’s why it’s so popular still. Yeah, I think uh and there’s an element I mean I think Terrell Hatton was another guy who used them well you know I I don’t think he’s still using them but I believe he was for a long time Westwood as well guys that there is a certain they’re not even forged either which is an interesting part of that I think they’re they still feel really good for not being a forged iron and they look again I played them for a long time um they’re they’re a favorite of mine so I don’t blame you um into a couple things with Lynn Grant as well um Ping G430 LST um with a Fujakura Speeder TR 757S shaft. Uh talk to me about that combo and what you’ve seen from from the either the the driver head or the shaft there. Yeah, I mean I would say the Ping G430 in itself between the Max, the LST and the SFT or the 10K Max is four options, right? That was probably by far my biggest seller for used drivers this year. It’s only a year it’s only a year old now, so I’m not surprised that she’s still got it in the bag. Yeah, really stable, really low in spin, but it’s a lot higher in spin and launch than some of the other low spin drivers out on the market. So, for someone who I have in the bay who we need to bring the spin down a with their um to get kind of more optimal. Um definitely was an option to look at if we went to a tailor made option that just started to spin a little bit too low, you know, be like, “Okay, well, there’s a pretty clear winner here. Let’s go gra go that ping. I’m sure it will kind of fit.” And it usually did. Um, yeah. So, I’m not really surprised to kind of see her still have that in the bag. Yeah, it was a great driver. So, if it’s not broke, why are we fixing it? Right. Right. Um, in the in the other half of the bag, she’s put a IDI 4Ron into top of her set of i210s, which is I mean, I would like to see that be a little bit more um more common. You don’t really see that a lot, especially when we’re in the fitting bay. I think people are kind of reluctant to kind of put a bigger head um a little bit more forgiving, right? There’s no there’s no shame in putting bigger bigger more forgiving headlines in there. Yeah. I mean, I’d take all the help I can get. Um, so I mean, clearly for her, she’s looking at the conditions they’re playing on tour and she’s thinking, “Okay, well, with my i210, I’m maybe not getting enough land angle. Maybe I’m not getting enough height. Let me go to a IDI forearm where I can get a little bit more ball speed, a little bit more land angle, so she can kind of get to some of those longer par fours and kind of attack those flags a little bit more.” Yeah, I know. Ping uh specifically built the IDI’s a little bit differently by the loft where you know compared to other say two irons the IDI 2 iron center of gravity might be a little bit higher just to make sure it is kind of a driving iron that you can flight whereas the 4 iron um is kind of built like a long iron more so than a T- club where it has a lower center of gravity than maybe most four irons and that way you can launch it and give get that stopping power that you’re looking for um at the top of the bag. Yeah, I think that’s something that I’m looking forward to kind of next year or as this um product still going to be in cycle. It’s definitely something I’m going be looking at putting in the top end of of a lot of guys bags because it’s not too upsetting to look down at either. It’s actually a pretty nice compact package, right? So, no, I I enjoy I mean I have I get if you can get more forgiveness, why not, right? Exactly. Um right, lastly, we’ll dive quickly into Matt Fitzpatrick. Um big win for him on the World Dour Championship. Titles GT3 driver. One thing for him, he’s made some big strides the last few years off the tee. Yeah. Um he’s got a GT3 in the bag right now with a Tensai AV raw orange 65 TX shaft. Um how many of those shafts do you fit? I feel like that’s a relatively rare one. And then also the GT3 too. Give me your thoughts on that in the bay cuz that’s been I imagine a winner as well. Yeah, GT most of the GT line has been extremely popular this year. Definitely been the one of the quickest models on um that has been available. So, not surprised to kind of see him putting in the bag, especially with that um orange TX in there. It’s a very low torque, very stable shaft. And if you looked at his bag about four or five years ago, I don’t think he could have gained this, but he’s been using the stack system, which we’ve done a video on recently. Um, and he’s been gaining a lot of speed. I think he’s north of 10 or 15 miles an hour he’s added. It’s something, right? So, I know he’s, you know, he’s up there in like the 180s for ball speed when, you know, they have the little graphic on TV and it’s like, how is how is, you know, with with respect to Matt Fitzpatrick, you know, how is this little guy able to generate all that speed? Exactly. He’s putting a lot of speed. He’s putting me to shame. Um, but yeah, so not surprised kind of see him playing something like this, need something that’s going to be low in spin with those speeds. When you when you’re a higher um higher speed player, you do need something that’s going to be nice and low and spin like the GT3. And then yeah, in that raw orange, don’t see it. Don’t we don’t fit a lot of guys into that. you need a lot of speed and I think it kind of just complements what he’s doing. What uh kind of advantages have you seen in the fitting bay too? Um maybe some examples of just the fact that there is all this adjustability on the GT3 that you have the weight, you have the huzzle, you have of course you adjust shaft as well. What kind of um advantage is that for you as a fitter to be able to have all those toys to play with? I think it’s huge having that sort of sliding track weight in the back. Kind of wish they would bring out all the models really. Um, but someone who’s really struggling over heel miss or really struggling with a toe miss, you know, there’s a few things that we can do, but by moving that weight and putting more mass back there, it’s just going to help them to to deliver more consistent ball speeds across the face. And that can be the difference of, you know, the spin creeping up too high or that could be the difference of, oh, my driver ballooned on that par five. If I would have just gone an extra 10 yards, could have reached the green in two and had a chance at birdie, right? So, I think it’s a really big is a really big um strength of what tireless are offering right now is they got a extremely quick driver that has a lot of different options for us to kind of move around. Yeah, that’s uh I know you and all the fitters love playing around with everything that you can do on the GT3 driver. U we got to get a couple of things left for Matt Fitzpatrick. We talked about the I210 irons. He has those uh or at least a 4 iron, I believe, in his bag. And then we have Ping S55 as well, which is, you know, that’s an model that’s been around for over a decade. Um, I believe Watson famously played that for a long time or maybe even still does. Booen’s played those for a long time. Yeah, boost. So, um, what have I mean, what do you remember? What do you know about Ping S55? You probably don’t fit a lot of those anymore, but there’s still a bunch in the used selection here at Second Swing, but yeah, I mean, they’re they’re still very bladed style of iron. They’re pretty forgiving. I mean, I think they were 2013, 2014. So, you know, I was pretty young when those things come out, but I mean, you always looked at them and go, “Oh, that looks good.” Right. Right. Um, but he clearly trusts it. It’s kind of like Shen, you just really trust what he knows. I know he tried to switch the blueprint S after the 23 Ryder Cup and I don’t think I think it’s pretty shortlived. So, he clearly went trust trust what he knows and just sticks with it, right? Um, but he has got the i210 as a fouron in that in that um set. Kind of a similar story to Ling Grant. fish. Would assume he’s doing that to to deliver a few more miles an hour ball speed and get that land angle to come down nice and soft. I think he call that a turkey for the i210 this week. Right. That’s three that’s three wins across across the globe. That’s uh you don’t see that very often, especially with an iron that is as old as um the Ping I210. Yeah. Last thing we’re going to cover with Fitzpatrick is the putter. He made a quick little change um which you know he’s this week he used Bettonardi D. This is a DOS uh BB-48. It’s a prototype mallet. Um we’ve seen it before too, guys making putter changes and then they kind of immediately find something. Yeah. Um I guess when it comes to, you know, do do you receive that kind of feedback from the golfers you work with as well? It’s like you make a putter change, maybe it’s just a couple things visually or a couple things with the weight of the putter and all of a sudden something just clicks for them. Yeah, I think changing a putter, you got to give it time, right? You always call we always call it the honeymoon period. played great for the first couple rounds, but you got to kind of work through the kinks with it a little bit. You can’t be switching around all the time. I’m a terrible example of that. But um but with his putter, what they have done, and this because it’s a prototype, they’ve um bet and I have managed to put the C-groove technology into the face cuz he was famously used the Yes Tracy 2, I believe. Years and years. is I think he used it from when he was like a boy all the way up through his first few wins on the DP World Tour. Um so I know he’s been moving around with stuff like that, but you obviously trust that Cgroove technology in the face. Again, going back to stick, you know, right? Um so interesting that they managed to kind of mix that technology into a better naughty putter that really suits his eye. Huh. Do you realize do or do you notice I guess when you’re working with players like there’s just a they they gravitate sometimes towards a certain type of face whether it’s a milling or whether it’s an insert type uh maybe it’s by brand a certain feel. Do you find that often when you’re working with players like oh I just like this one or roll this one rolls better. Yeah for sure. And that definitely and that um especially with the putter, you got to feel you got to be feel confident of what you got in your hands, right? I think uh when we’re kind of looking at putters, there might be a putter that is marginally performing better when we’re looking at Quentic or we’re looking at Trackman putting results, but if you’re not looking down that and just loving what you’re doing with it, well, let’s just put it to the side. You already got that down in your mind. It’s already a putting on them being on the greens is already a mental game anyway. Let’s let’s try and eliminate as many outside factors as we can. And we got to just look at, okay, does it a do we aim it where do we aim it well? Okay, tick. Does it roll well? Tick. Mhm. If we can find you something that magically puts both of those together and is something that you’d like the look of, okay, well, let’s stop. Let’s get that. Yeah, that’s one way to get your confidence up on the greens. But, uh, so yeah, that’s a that’s a quick summary of of the winning clubs in the bag this week on a variety of tours and then how they’ve done in the fitting bays as well. So, Harrison, we appreciate your insight here. Of course. [Music]