For a guy who has constant access to new equipment Derek has only had a few sets of clubs in his lifetime. This year he has accessed a few different technologies to make his life a little easier.

It’s important for Derek to accesses as much help from the current technology as possible. Time is not on his side, with two active, sporty sons and a fairly hectic travel schedule.  

Derek takes full advantage of the clubhead and shaft design to build his clubs around his bad shots and to cover the weaknesses in his game. This is currently what he has in the bag and why.

Driver:

Callaway Fusion head in 9°
Fujikura Speeder Evolution 565 in X Flex Shaft
Length is 45” long at a D2 Swingweight
The hosel is set at N-1 
Golf Pride CP2 Pro grip (with 1 extra wrap of tape)

• The very high MOI of this head allows him to manage the off centre hits with as much stability as possible.
• He also lowers the hosel setting to take a little spin off the club. The weight at the back has been customised a little lighter than stock, to allow for just enough MOI while maintaining good launch and spin numbers.
• The very high, consistent smash factor from the head makes this driver the best for his game, as its straighter and more consistent than all the other heads.

Fairway Woods:

Callaway Big Bertha Mini Driver 1.5
Oban Devotion 5 flex 4 Stiff Shaft
Length is 43.5” long at a D2 Swingweight
Grip is a Golf Pride CP2 Pro (with 1 extra wrap of tape)

• Derek came across this head a Golf World Magazine testing day and fell I love with the head shape and flight characteristics.
• The design gets the ball in the air quickly and also works great as a back-up for use off the tee on tighter golf holes.
• Fairway shots are long and easy to control thanks to the Oban shaft and lightweight balance (he likes the lighter weight balance of clubs as it suits his hands and swing tempo).

Hybrids:

Callaway Big Bertha 3-19° & 4-22°
Mitsubishi Fubuki AT 60 Stiff (tipped a little stronger) Shafts
40.75” and 40” long respectively and both at D3 swingweight
The hosels are set at D+1
Golf Pride CP2 Pro grip (with 1 extra wrap of tape)

• These shafts are cut a little stronger to help Derek to square the heads a little quicker.
• As he struggles to flight longer irons he has cranked up the lofts on both heads a little higher and also set them to draw a little more (to help with the flight and shot visualization).

Irons:

Mizuno JPX 850 Boron Forged 5-PW
KBS C-Taper 110 Lite Stiff Flex Shaft
Length is ½” longer
Swingweight of 5-9 is D2 and PW is D3
Lie is 1° Upright and lofts are 1° stronger
Grip is a Golf Pride CP2 Pro (with 1 extra wrap of tape)

• The Mizuno boron forged heads give him the best feel from any iron tested and the distance from the face is a big factor to why Derek chose these heads.
• The lighter shafts allow him to cut them a little longer than standard as he has scoliosis in his lower spine and needs to stand taller to the ball, to help him rotate better and on plane.

Wedges:

Callaway Mack Daddy 2
CUSTOM Tour Grind Raw 54° and 58°
Nippon Modus 105 and 115 Stiff Flex Shaft
Grip is a Golf Pride CP2 Pro (with 1 extra wrap of tape)

• The tour grind Mack daddy 2 heads were by far the best heads and each has its own custom shaft, that is weighted to allow for a different style of balance to suit the kind of different shots that Derek plays up close to the green.
• The balance of the clubs helps him to judge the distance.
• He has always played a low bounce sole with heel and back edge custom grind relief.

Putter:

Odyssey O-Works #7 Tank
Counterbalanced with a 37” Shaft
Loft is 3* on the microhinge face
Superstroke Mid Slim grip.

• Derek’s biggest putting woe is judging pace on putts and as he travels a lot the speed of the greens he plays on changes so much.
• The Tank head is custom weighted to be heavier and with the counterbalance he can control the speed off the face.
• The new microhinge face is by far the best feel around and consistency of speed from the face, is what makes this his weapon of choice.

Accessories:

Bag:
Callaway Epic Tour Bag with UPS branding.

Glove:
Callaway Tour Authentic Medium

Essentials:
UPS Tartan Tote bag, it holds everything from chapstick to tees. A friend from UPS gave it to me 6 years ago and it’s been with me ever since.

Summary

Derek’s story is quite common – not enough time in the week to practice and play. A hectic travel schedule sees him on the road quite a lot so getting into a golf routine is tough.

The trick is to use the technology in golf clubhead and shaft design to build the clubs around the bad shots and to cover the weaknesses in his game.

It won’t turn him into a pro golfer, but at least when he does tee it up he can enjoy the time on the golf course. 

Here’s his 2014 bag setup 

Tags: Derek Murray ForeGolf 

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