You’ve heard the old saying “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” Well what if things ARE broken, or at least not working as well as they used to be? Yep, you change them and that’s exactly what Tiger Woods is doing when it comes to his equipement he’ll trust to try to win the Memorial for the 4th time in his amazing career. The only problem is, so far the changes don’t look like they’ve done a whole lot of good, considering he made them and shot a first round 69, but followed it up with a second round, disappointing 74 in Round 2.
Two Subtle Changes
So what were those two “subtle” equipment changes that he made? Looks like reports are saying that first and foremost, he went with a more lofted driver, switching from his usual 9.5° Nike Dymo 380 driver to a 10°. When asked why he made that change, the answer, for him was simple:
“I went with a little more loft, a 10°…As my release has changed over time with Hank [Haney], I needed a little more loft to get the ball in the air, little more spin.”
Half Degree = 13 of 14 Fairways
So what difference does a simple half degree make? For you and I, probably nothing, but for a player of Tiger’s caliber, a lot. Considering the fact that he hit 13 of 14 fairways off the tee on Thursday, I’d say it was a fairly effective switch. The other change he made, was a bit bigger as reports are saying he did not use the Nike Victory Red Forged Blade irons that he’s used in every other event this year, but instead appeared to switch back to irons that looked exactly like the ones he was playing throughout the 2008 season.
Change For U.S. Open?
When asked, Nike’s Tour Field Manager was quick to say it is not the exact set from last year, but much more similar than his usual 2009 set. With the U.S. Open looming on the horizon, could this be an indication that Tiger wants something much different than he’s currently getting? We’ll see, but first he needs to start performing better with what he IS using. This is worth watching…tune in.
(image via golf.com)
