2025 Golf Season Highlights Unique Equipment Setups

News Summary

The 2025 golf season showcased an array of unconventional equipment setups among professional players, signaling a shift towards personalized club choices. Notable victories by players like Adam Schenk, Linn Grant, and Stewart Cink emphasized the importance of comfort and performance over brand loyalty. This trend included older models, mixed-brand bags, and strategic modifications to optimize performance. The season highlighted how elite golfers are now more willing to embrace unique configurations, often combining trusted older clubs with modern technology to achieve success on the course.

Nationwide – The 2025 golf season witnessed a compelling display of diverse equipment choices among top professionals, with several players achieving significant victories using unique and sometimes unconventional “What’s In The Bag” (WITB) setups. Recent analyses highlight a trend towards highly personalized club selections, where players prioritize comfort and performance over brand exclusivity or the latest models. This year, setups featuring multiple drivers from the same brand, older club models, and strategic mixed-brand bags proved instrumental in securing major titles and showcasing the nuanced preferences of elite golfers.

Unconventional Ping Setups Propel Winners

Among the most distinctive winning WITBs of 2025 were those of Adam Schenk, Linn Grant, and Stewart Cink, all of whom leveraged unique Ping equipment configurations to great effect.

Adam Schenk’s Enduring Driver and Combo Irons

Adam Schenk’s victory at the 2025 Butterfield Bermuda Championship stood out, not least because of his driver choice. Schenk relied on an older Ping G400 driver, a model first released in 2017. This decision underscored a focus on trusted performance, especially in the windy conditions of Bermuda, where his setup helped him control ball flight. Furthermore, Schenk’s bag featured a combo iron set, mixing Ping i210 long irons (2-5 iron) for forgiveness and speed with Mizuno MP-18 SC short irons (6-PW) for enhanced feel and precision. Notably, he chose to carry a 2-iron instead of fairway woods, a strategic move for better results in challenging wind.

Linn Grant’s Strategic 4-Wood and Mixed Irons

Linn Grant, winner of The Annika driven by Gainbridge, also showcased a distinctive Ping-heavy bag. Her setup included a Ping G430 LST driver, a Ping G440 Max 4-wood, and a Ping G440 hybrid. The inclusion of a 4-wood, positioned between a 3-wood and a 5-wood, is a growing trend providing versatile options for loft and carry. Grant’s irons were a blend of Ping iDi (4-iron) for added ball speed and forgiveness, transitioning into Ping i210 irons (5-PW), with a unique mixed shaft setup across these irons.

Stewart Cink’s Comprehensive Ping Collection

Veteran golfer Stewart Cink, who captured the 2025 Charles Schwab Cup Championship, maintained a largely Ping-dominant bag. His equipment included a Ping G440 Max driver, a Ping G440 Max 3-wood, and a Ping G430 hybrid. Cink’s iron setup also comprised a combo set: Ping i210 irons (4-7 iron) and Ping Blueprint T irons (8-PW), illustrating a strategic approach to iron selection based on performance needs. While predominantly Ping, Cink integrated a Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks wedge alongside his Ping i230 and Glide Forged wedges.

Ben Griffin’s Eclectic Winning Formula

Ben Griffin had a breakout 2025 season, securing his first two PGA Tour victories, including the Charles Schwab Challenge and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Despite being a Mizuno staff player, Griffin’s bag was a testament to mixed-brand efficacy, featuring a Ping G430 Max 10K driver, known for its forgiveness and high Moment of Inertia (MOI). He complemented this with TaylorMade Qi10 fairway woods, including both a 3-wood and a 7-wood, reflecting a popular tour trend for distance and high launch. Griffin’s iron setup included Mizuno Pro Fli Hi (2-iron) and Mizuno JPX 923 Tour (3-iron) utility irons, followed by Mizuno Pro S3 irons (4-PW), with a varied wedge setup from both Mizuno and TaylorMade.

Jayden Schaper’s TaylorMade Loyalty and Rapid Ascent

Young South African golfer Jayden Schaper capped a remarkable 2025 with back-to-back DP World Tour titles, including the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. Schaper maintained a full TaylorMade bag, demonstrating consistent brand loyalty. His winning clubs featured the TaylorMade Qi4D LS driver, a TaylorMade Qi35 3-wood, and a TaylorMade Spider Tour Z putter. Throughout the season, Schaper made strategic adjustments to his equipment, including switching drivers and putters, showcasing an adaptable approach to optimize performance.

Top-Read WITBs: Scheffler and McIlroy

While some players opted for more unconventional setups, the “What’s In The Bag” profiles of major champions like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy remained among the most-read and influential in 2025. Scottie Scheffler, a multiple major winner in 2025 including the PGA Championship and Open Championship, is a TaylorMade staff player who often integrates clubs from other brands, notably Srixon utility irons and Titleist Vokey wedges. Towards the end of the year, Scheffler was observed using an unreleased TaylorMade Qi4D driver. Rory McIlroy achieved a career grand slam by winning the 2025 Masters and consistently utilized a full TaylorMade bag, featuring the Qi10 driver and fairway woods. McIlroy also made a notable switch to the softer-feeling TaylorMade TP5 golf ball for improved control, especially in windy conditions. His wedge setup often incorporates slightly softer shafts than his irons, aimed at providing more feel around the greens.

Evolving Equipment Philosophy on Tour

The 2025 season underscored an evolving philosophy among professional golfers regarding their equipment. The days of strictly adhering to a single brand for every club appear to be less rigid, with many players, even brand ambassadors, opting for hybrid bag setups that combine trusted older models with new technology, or mixing brands to find optimal performance for specific shots. The strategic choice of utility irons over fairway woods, or the deliberate inclusion of less common clubs like a 4-wood or 7-wood, highlights a granular approach to bag composition tailored to individual playing styles and course conditions. This trend emphasizes that success at the highest level often stems from a meticulous and sometimes unconventional approach to club selection, rather than simply adopting the newest gear.

FAQ

What were some of the most unique winning “What’s In The Bag” (WITB) setups in 2025?

Some of the most unique winning “What’s In The Bag” (WITB) setups in 2025 included Adam Schenk’s use of an older Ping G400 driver and a combo iron set with no fairway woods, Linn Grant’s strategic Ping G440 Max 4-wood and mixed irons, Stewart Cink’s comprehensive Ping collection with a blend of iron models, and Ben Griffin’s eclectic mix featuring a Ping G430 Max 10K driver despite being a Mizuno staffer.

Which players utilized multiple Ping drivers or fairway woods in their winning WITBs in 2025?

Adam Schenk, Linn Grant, and Stewart Cink all featured unique Ping setups in their winning WITBs in 2025. Adam Schenk famously used an older Ping G400 driver, while Linn Grant and Stewart Cink utilized various Ping drivers and fairway woods, including a Ping G440 Max 4-wood for Grant.

Did any winning WITBs in 2025 feature older club models alongside new technology?

Yes, Adam Schenk’s winning WITB at the 2025 Butterfield Bermuda Championship notably included an older Ping G400 driver, a model first released in 2017, alongside more contemporary equipment.

What unique iron and wedge setups were seen among 2025 winners?

Unique iron and wedge setups in 2025 included Adam Schenk’s combo iron set of Ping i210 long irons and Mizuno MP-18 SC short irons, and Linn Grant’s blend of Ping iDi and i210 irons with a mixed shaft setup. Ben Griffin, a Mizuno staffer, also used Mizuno utility irons and a mix of Mizuno and TaylorMade wedges.

Which major champions had widely read WITBs in 2025 and what were their notable club choices?

Major champions Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy had some of the most-read WITBs in 2025. Scottie Scheffler, who won the 2025 PGA Championship and Open Championship, is a TaylorMade staff player who incorporated Srixon utility irons and Titleist Vokey wedges, and was seen with an unreleased TaylorMade Qi4D driver. Rory McIlroy, who completed the career grand slam by winning the 2025 Masters, used a full TaylorMade bag with the Qi10 driver and fairway woods, and switched to the TaylorMade TP5 golf ball.

Key Features of Unique Winning WITBs in 2025

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