'Change one thing at a time' – How Davis Thompson found his ideal golf equipment combination

20/07/2024 15:00

Combining the correct golf equipment with the right golf ball is frequently a balancing act that can be hard to nail.

Players desire a driver with fast speeds, large distances, and little spin.

Optimised irons correspond to certain launch windows, constant spin, and stopping power on the greens.

Wedges are all about spin and control.

Frequently, the golf ball that travels the farthest is not the one that is most precise with the irons or creates the best wedge spin.

Davis Thompson found the holy grail of balance at the John Deere Classic earlier this month.

Thompson submits his fitting requirements to Craig Allan, director of Sea Island’s Golf Performance Centre, who works with a number of PGA TOUR players.

Thompson told Allan that there was a problem with his irons the previous year. He was using a Titleist ’21 Pro V1 and Titleist TSR3 driver to strip his driver, but his low spin caused him to struggle with distance control when using his irons, and he was also hitting too many fliers out of the rough.

Allan suggested three alternatives to Thompson: lowering the lofts on his existing irons, trying out some balls with greater spin, and experimenting with various iron heads and shafts. Thompson preferred to address the golf ball rather than try to hit it farther with his irons.#

"(At the) Memorial (Tournament presented by Workday) last year, I started playing a spinnier Titleist golf ball, and it was great for my iron setup at the time," Thompson said. "But over time I saw my driver’s stats go down, which is a strong suit of my game. So we were trying to figure out after Valspar (Championship) this year how we can get the driver back going."

Allan and Thompson chose Titleist 620 MB irons (5-9) with True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid Tour Issue X100 shafts. These irons have a little bit more spin and launch than Thompson’s prior True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts.

Thompson shot a tournament score record of 28-under-256 to win the John Deere Classic by four shots thanks to his irons and shafts.

Allan advises inexperienced golfers to adjust one factor at a time while attempting to determine their ideal golf equipment configuration.

"If you're trying to change your golf ball and your clubs and your shafts all at once, you won't be able to tell what variable is having the positive or negative effect," Allan said. "I encourage players to change one thing at a time and follow the process."

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