What's In My Bag In 2025

In the spring of 2024, I scheduled a full bag fitting with the Central Florida Titleist representative. I had been struggling with my game slightly and felt like my equipment was a contributing factor. The more I researched the philosophy of different manufacturers, I began to see not just what clubs I should be looking for, but more importantly why I should be playing them.

I made a point to visit a Titleist representative at the one of their fitting events, and was quite impressed with the current lineup of clubs. Before I knew it, I had almost an entire new array of clubs and new found confidence to go along with it. 

This article gives a look into what I’m currently playing and what went into the decisions for choosing each club. I can’t stress enough the importance of being professionally fit for your clubs by an experienced professional that is equipped with a full array of options and the technology needed to measure the difference in performance.

I am not paid by any manufacturers to share my reviews nor do I receive any compensation for purchases made through the links below.

DRIVER

Titleist GT4 10 degree (A1 setting)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-6S

Swing Weight: D3

What makes a great driver? To me, it’s a club that you can hit the same way over and over again. With my previous driver, the good shots were great, but the mishits were less than desirable. I was in a head that was on the unforgiving side, paired with a shaft that was launching the ball too low with too little spin.

I am in a 10 degree model of the GT4 driver, with it set to 10.75 degrees of loft and a neutral lie angle. One of the biggest advantages with Titleist metals is the ability to adjust the loft and the lie angle independent of each other. My favorite feature of the GT4 head is the smaller footprint, at just 430cc (compared to 460cc for a standard driver).

I have a Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-6S shaft, which is a high launch-low spin shaft. This was one of the biggest changes in the March fitting appointment, as I had been playing my previous shaft for the last 6 years.

My head cover is from Merion Golf Club and is manufactured by Winston Collection.

3WOOD

Titleist TSR2 15 degree (D2 setting)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6S

Swing Weight: D3

The biggest change in the construction of my bag has been the dropping of the 4-iron and the addition of a traditional 3-wood.

After tracking my stats and evaluating the use of the various clubs in my bag, I found that when faced with a 4-iron distance in to a green (190 yards), I often chose the 4-hybrid to take advantage of the added height and forgiveness. This all but rendered the 4-iron obsolete.

The other thing I noticed was the gap between the driver and the 5 wood. When I played the mini driver (12 degrees) in place of a standard driver, the gap was manageable, however when I changed back to a traditional driver that gap naturally increased. Adding a 3-wood back in the bag filled that gap and helps me navigate some of the shorter par 4s at Baker Hill where you need to carry the ball a certain distance off the tee and not further.

The adjustable loft sleeve is set at D2, adding a degree and a half of loft and promoting a draw bias to the ball flight. This is now one of my favorite clubs in the bag.

5 WOOD

Titleist TSR3 18 degree (C3 setting)

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-6S

Swing Weight: D2

What used to be one of my most used clubs in the bag has slowly become more and more of a spectator during my rounds. This is partially a function of having a traditional 3-wood back in the bag, and also a function of the design of the course at Baker Hill Golf Club. Only on one of the four par 5s at Baker Hill do I normally hit a fairway wood in to the green on my second shot.

The club is set at C3, which is standard loft and .75 degrees upright to promote a draw.

The head cover is from Boston Golf Club, one of my favorite courses I’ve played. The logo is derived from the Sons of Liberty Flag, which hung in Boston Common, as a sign to rally the group of Bostonians that led the fight against taxation by the British Government during the American Revolution.


4 Hybrid

Titleist TSR3 21 degree

Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 Stiff

Swing Weight: D3

I don’t think I’ve been more excited about a new club than I was when I hit the TSR3 hybrid for the first time. Hybrids are meant to promote a draw by design, having the club face closed via the amount of offset built into its design. As a better player, this is a scary thing to look at.

The TSR3 is the first hybrid that lacks the significant offset and gives me confidence that I can hit this club higher and straighter.

When choosing the head model to play (3 or 4 hybrid) I look more at the stated loft on the club than at the number in the set. The loft of this 4 hybrid is 21 degrees, making it the ideal bridge between the 5 wood (18 degrees) and the 5 iron (23 degrees, bent to 24 degrees).  

The hybrid is covered with a Cayce Golf creation. The Citgo sign in Boston is an official city landmark, designated as such in 2018. This cover pays homage to that sign, known as the “North Star of Boston.” It has long been a fixture of the city, viewable from Fenway Park just over the left field wall.

IRONS

Titleist T350 (5 & 6-iron)

Titleist T150 (7-iron thru Gap Wedge)

Shaft: Project X IO 5.5 105g

Swing Weight: D1

Lie Angle: .5 degrees flat

As I said above, one of the features that made me go with Titleist clubs was their fitting philosophy. They are the first manufacturer that I have seen equip their fitters with a complete assortment of long iron heads. The overwhelming majority of fitters just bring a 7-iron in various iterations. This is important because as loft decreases, it becomes more difficult to create ball speed and launch. Having a larger club head with the center of gravity placed lower and further back helps the golfer create longer, higher shots.

This is a reaction to Titleist sharing that over 80% of their Tour players are in some form of mixed set of irons, meaning that as the clubs get longer, they change the model of head to something more forgiving in order to keep the ball speed progression constant.

WEDGES

Titleist Vokey SM10

Shaft: Project X IO 5.5

Sand Wedge: 54.10 S Grind

Lob Wedge: 58.04 T Grind

Wedge play both around the green and from the fairway has always been a strong part of my game. Having the Titleist SM10 wedges in my bag helps me get the most out of that skill. The 10 degree bounce in the S grind sand wedge helps me adapt to a number of different lie conditions around the green, from deep rough to fluffy bunkers. The 4 degree bounce in the T grind lob wedge is the cheat code for tight lies where you need to elevate the ball quickly.  

From an aesthetic standpoint, the raw finish on these wedges is top notch. Rust itself does not create spin as most think, but rather the raw finish means that no coating was applied to the face of the club that could disturb the intended geometry. I have always preferred to play raw wedges as it eliminates a lot of the glare you get from the sun reflecting in the face of a satin wedge. Not many companies make raw wedges available in a left handed club, so I’m thankful Titleist takes care of us backwards golfers.


PUTTER

Nike Method 001

34.5 inches

After a brief period of time apart, the Method 001 is back in the bag for the foreseeable future. There is just something about a club that you have looked down at so many times that brings a level of calm to you when things get difficult. I have stripped it of the lead tape I had on the bottom of the putter which made a nice change in the balance of the club.

I have it outfitted with the Ping P58 blackout pistol grip. This is the grip that Tiger Woods made famous more than two decades ago.

The cherry on top of the putter is the matching tour issue head cover. It’s a simple black AM&E cover with the Nike swoosh logo embroidered in three places. It was issued to Tour Professionals around the world and was never offered for sale to the public. A search that I would rather not admit the length of finally produced the head cover being offered for sale by a former employee of The Oven, the former Nike Golf R&D facility.



GOLF BALL

Titleist Pro V1X

Since the summer of 2023, I have been playing the Titleist Pro V1X. The performance benefits of the higher launch and spin are exactly what I need to play my best golf.

While I much prefer the softer feel of the standard Pro V1, the measurable difference in performance between the 1 and the X make the decision a quick one. Both the added distance off the tee (11 yards carry on average) and the added spin around the green make it the ball for me.

When it comes to choosing a golf ball, it says a lot when most Tour players have it in their contract that they can play whatever ball they wish, despite playing a bag of 14 clubs from a certain manufacturer. Titleist is consistently the most played ball around the world on all major tours, and for a good reason.


GOLF BAG

Vessel Sunday III Stand Bag

Being a minimalist at heart, and a fan of brands that value quality over quantity, the Vessel golf bag lineup is quite appealing to me. I find most golf bags these days to be heavy on branding and light on quality, making the search for a new bag frustrating. 

My previous bag was also from Vessel, my first introduction to the company. I loved the bag, but felt like I could still use something a little trimmer and also wanted a bag that came in white. The Sunday III was the ticket, slightly smaller in its footprint while not lacking any functionality. I have a Vessel cart strap sleeve in the large pocket for any time I am riding on a cart. The sleeve goes over the cart strap on the golf cart and keeps the finish on the bag clean and free of marks caused by the strap rubbing against the bag.

 

ACCESSORIES

Yardage Book Cover

Playing great golf for me means being organized in my approach. Keeping accurate wedge numbers, yardage books (especially for courses I haven’t played before), and a DECADE card handy means having all of my ducks in a row.

I found a custom yardage book manufacturer on Etsy last summer and had him make me this Boston Red Sox themed book. It’s made of a high quality leather and has elastic straps to keep pages down.

EquipmentNick Adcock