Equipment
Here’s why Vijay Singh has red numbers written all over his irons
As one of the hardest-working and most precise golfers in the game, Vijay Singh can see and sense tiny changes in his golf clubs, so it’s important that he’s fully comfortable with the look and feel of his clubs.
On Tuesday at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship at Phoenix Country Club, I noticed that Singh had big red numbers written all over his Srixon irons.
Interesting.
After a closer look, it became clear that the numbers were each one digit higher than the “actual number” that’s stamped into the sole of the irons by the manufacturer.
So…what’s the deal? Why the mismatching red numbers?
As confirmed by Brian Rhattigan, who builds Singh’s clubs on the traveling Champions/PGA Tour equipment truck, Singh doesn’t like the look of offset on his irons. In case you don’t know, “offset” refers to the distance between the leading edge of the iron face, and the hosel of the iron. If there’s a large gap between the hosel and the leading edge, then the club is said to have a lot of offset.
Again, Singh does not like offset. He prefers the leading edge and the hosel to match, or even have “onset,” which is when the leading edge is actually in front of the hosel.
This makes sense since Singh prefers to play a cut shot, and more offset typically leads to a draw shot trajectory, which would be counter to Singh’s desired ball flight.
Therefore, Singh has each iron bent four degrees weak, which helps to more closely align the leading edge with the hosel and visually reduce the offset of the iron. That’s why Singh writes “8” on his 7-iron, (and so on), because his 7-iron is bent four degrees weak, which effectively makes it his 8-iron.
According to Rhattigan, Singh has been using this tactic for decades, so it’s not the technique that’s any different, it’s just the red numbers. The red writing simply helps reduce any confusion.
See more photos from the 2023 Charles Schwab Cup Championship here.
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On Tuesday, Tiger Woods debuted his new rain suit from Sun Day Red at Royal Troon.
Woods has been critical in the past of traditional rain gear, so he and Sun Day Red designed a product that he in comfortable wearing in the rain.
“Tiger never liked traditional rainwear because it tends to billow or bend out at the wrong moments, like when he’s lining up a putt. So, we created an innovative knit technology that provides plenty of stretch, making it easy to slip on and off without any restrictive bulk. And the closer, more tailored fit means it stays put, never billowing out and disrupting his swing or focus. In fact, Tiger called this the best rain gear he’s ever worn.”
Woods wore the 3L Half-Zip Rain Jacket and Pant, which Sun Day Red described to us as:
“Designing rain gear is a challenge; it’s usually loud and doesn’t fit well. But when Tiger asked us, ‘How quiet can you make it?’ we knew we could create something incredibly quiet with a low-profile look and feel by using soft, stretchy knits instead of woven fabrics. Of course, Tiger had a few additional must-haves. He wanted a narrower cut to the pants, a cargo pocket to keep his glove dry between shots, and pockets that could zip through to his internal pant pockets. The end result was rain gear engineered to Tiger’s exacting standards for battling the elements without sacrificing his swing.”
Today, it’s available for purchase, along with Sun Day Red’s entire “Weather Collection” to get golfers through those not-so-sunny days on the course.
RELATED: Tiger Woods WITB 2024 (July)
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A surprise winner bolted ahead of the pack in 2019 at Royal Portrush. Entering the tournament on the heels of four missed cuts, all Irishman Shane Lowry did was better his nearest competitor (Tommy Fleetwood) by six strokes at the first Open in Northern Ireland in 68 years.
Here’s what Lowry had in the bag for his absolutely clinical drubbing of the field on the County Antrim coast five years ago.
Driver: Srixon Z 585 (9.5 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 70 X (45.25 inches, tipped .75 inch, D3 swing weight)
3-wood: TaylorMade M4 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X
Irons: Srixon ZU85 [2 (18 degrees), 3 (20 degrees bent to 21)] Buy here, Srixon Z585 [4 (23 degrees], 5 (26 degrees)] Buy here, Srixon Z785 (6-PW) Buy here.
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White Hybrid TX (2), KBS Tour 130 X (3-PW)
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 (50 @51, 58) Buy here.
Shafts: KBS Tour Wedge X
Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab Exo 2-Ball Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Traxion Pistol GT 1.0 (custom shamrock)
Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV Buy here.
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R (logo down)
See more in-hand photos of Shane Lowry’s 2019 WITB here.
WITB Time Machine is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Titleist has today announced the launch of its new Scotty Cameron B3 Triple Black Design LTD putters, a special run of classic, playable blade designs crafted in a Tour Black finish.
Inspired by convertible car culture – where a black paintjob, black interior and black soft top signifies a “triple black” color combination – these special release putters feature four of Scotty’s most popular blade configurations, revisited with his own “triple black” design format: a black finish, black shaft, and black grip.
In select Titleist golf shops worldwide beginning Friday, July 26th, the new B3 Triple Black Design LTD putters will be offered in four models: the Newport 2 (available in right-hand and left-hand), Newport 2 Long Neck, Santa Fe and Catalina. The lineup blends classic setups with modern head shapes and tour-inspired dual-milled face technology.
“Our Triple Black putters have always been a popular option on Tour with players who not only like a stealthy, cool-looking design, but also want an extra solution for reducing sun glare. We created the B3 Triple Black Design LTD putters to give dedicated golfers that tour-quality experience in four classic configurations.” – Scotty Cameron
B3 Triple Black Design LTD Newport 2
The flagship model of the B3 Triple Black LTD line, the Newport 2 is modeled after the crisp, mechanical shape of the Super Select Newport 2. The B3 Triple Black LTD Newport 2 is offered in both right-hand and left-hand models.
B3 Triple Black Design LTD Newport 2 Long Neck
An I-beam style long neck is added to the familiar Super Select Newport 2 head shape, promoting a more straight-back-straight-through putting stroke through a near-face balanced setup.
B3 Triple Black Design LTD Santa Fe
Inspired by the popular model from Scotty’s early career, the Santa Fe features an I-beam style flare 1.5 neck and a shape based on the softer, rounded features of the Super Select Newport. The configuration of a flare 1.5 neck and a Newport-style head is currently only available on Tour.
B3 Triple Black Design LTD Catalina
The Catalina, inspired by the Classic X, features a shape slightly wider than a standard Newport and more closely related to the Super Select Newport Plus. Instead of matching the Classic X’s double bend shaft, the updated setup features a shaft-over-spud design and a modern single bend shaft, giving the player near-face balanced performance.
The line’s dual-milled face technology offers a tour-inspired feel by combining the softness of deep-milled putters with the consistency and feedback of mid-milled offerings.
The B3 Triple Black Design LTD putter line features performance balanced weighting with two customizable heel-toe sole weights. The Catalina uses stainless steel weights made in 10-gram, 15-gram and 20-gram increments, while the other models use heavier tungsten in 30-gram, 35-gram and 40-gram denominations matched to the associated putter lengths of 33-inches, 34-inches and 35-inches. The loft on each model is 3.5-degrees and the lie angle is 70-degrees.
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Ryan
Nov 28, 2023 at 11:54 am
Srixon can’t send him a custom set with correct numbers?
Chuck
Nov 23, 2023 at 8:50 pm
Okay.
I like Vijay, and I like stories about his equipment and work habits.
But my burning question; What sort of red pen writes permanently on nickel chrome?
And with all of the exotic wedge stamping going on, why not just a new-number stamp (and paintfill) on the toe, with removal of all the paintfill from the OEM numbers?
vajayjay sing
Nov 17, 2023 at 11:51 pm
What a moron, would be easier to just know your iron lofts and that the little number doesn’t matter, just how you relate it to your distances.
Brian
Nov 17, 2023 at 10:33 am
This is a terrible solution. Just get clubs that work. Now he has a ton of bounce on every iron that either needs to be ground down or what?
C
Nov 16, 2023 at 7:35 am
Guess he can deal with the extra 4* of bounce because those soles don’t look ground down at all, interesting.
Leo
Nov 13, 2023 at 3:41 am
Please dear Srixon/Cleveland weld the old number and stamp a new updated number and degree for Mr. Singh!
Antler Spray Aficionado
Nov 10, 2023 at 10:52 am
These virtually meaningless arbitrary numbers written on my clubs are all wrong! I’m going to take a red sharpie and give these clubs new arbitrary numbers. Did I hit a 7? No way, see I wrote a red 8 on the club so I hit an 8!
Pro Jock
Nov 10, 2023 at 10:44 am
So not only does Singh work his caddie to death with his notorious love of practice, but also tries to confuse him with these mismatched irons? Respect!
Seriously though… why wouldn’t Srixon just custom build a properly numbered set? Dude has 3 majors and been a HOF’er since 2006.
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Kevin
Nov 9, 2023 at 2:38 pm
You’d think one giant red number would be enough.
jamho3
Nov 9, 2023 at 1:28 pm
It’s be cool if we could see his clubs at address.
NMBob
Nov 9, 2023 at 1:25 pm
4 degrees, thats some 4 degree of bounce added on those when you change loft
Payne Stewart was similar in he wanted offset, but did not want to see it., and apparently had a set built , by Tom Wishon I think, with the hosel piece hole off center or sanded down on one side so it would look less offset.
Mike
Nov 9, 2023 at 9:52 am
This article comes across that he go in the truck and has them bent weaker and puts the appropriate shaft length.
With all the custom ability that players have, why not just have a set built the way he likes it; as many players do? To each his own, I guess.
Wally
Nov 9, 2023 at 9:43 am
Boy thats going to add some bounce to them clubs
Wk