MY BAG: Keegan Bradley
"My oldest club is a 19° two-iron hybrid that I've had since 2009 Q school. I love it. I always hit it off the tee if I really need to hit a fairway."
1. DRIVER
Cleveland
Classic (10.5°)
clevelandgolf.com
Shaft: Miyazaki
Kusala Indigo
miyazakigolfshafts.com
2. FAIRWAY METAL
Cleveland
Launcher FL (14°)
Shaft: Miyazaki
Kusala Black
3. HYBRID
Cleveland
Launcher
DST 2i (19°)
Shaft: Project X
7.0
pxshaft.com
4. IRONS
Cleveland
588 MT (4-iron)
Cleveland
CG7 TC (4-PW)
Shafts: True Temper
Dynamic Gold
truetemper.com
5. WEDGES
Cleveland
588 PF RTX (54°, bent to 53°; 60°)
Shafts: True Temper
Dynamic Gold
6. PUTTER
Odyssey
White Hot XG Sabertooth Belly
odysseygolf.com
7. BALL
Srixon
Z-Star
srixon.com
GRIPS
Lamkin
Crossline cord
lamkingrips.com
TECH TALK
In the Slot
Adams Tight Lies fairway metals
It's been nearly 20 years since the Tight Lies fairway metals debuted in 1995. The latest model features a stainless-steel head that has a shape and low-profile face similar to the original. Slots in the crown and the sole enable the face to flex more than the rigid faces of the mid-'90s did. In fact, the new Tight Lies has twice the "characteristic time" (a measurement for the relative springiness of a face) as the '95 edition. According to Adams, the velocity slots give the metals 10% more face flexibility than last year's lineup, which translates to increased ball speed (1 or 2 mph) and distance (six to 10 yards). The compact head—25% smaller than that of a typical fairway metal—packs lots of weight low and toward the rear to increase forgiveness and produce high-launching shots. Available in 14°, 16°, 19° and 22° lofts. $199.
PHOTO
KOHJIRO KINNO FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (BAG, BALL)
PHOTO
ROBERT BECK/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (BRADLEY)
PHOTO
SCHECTER LEE FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (DRIVER)
PHOTO
SNAP 36 (TIGHT LIES FAIRWAY METAL)
The velocity-slot mechanism allows the face to flex 10% more than in Adams's previous models.