B BODY / EQUIPMENT
WHAT'S IN MY BAG : ERIC COLE
DRIVER
SPECS PXG 0311 Black Ops, 9°, Project X Evenflow Riptide LX 70 6.5 shaft, 45.25 inches. I recently put this new driver in the bag. It’s a little more forgiving on off-centre hits and has slightly faster ball speed than my previous gamer. If I’m not losing forgiveness, and I’m gaining speed, then it makes the decision to switch easy. The shaft is the same as my previous driver.
AGE 36 LIVES Tequesta, Florida STORY Two runner-up finishes in three seasons on the PGA Tour. More than $8 million in career earnings. MOTHER KNOWS BEST My mom (LPGA player Laura Baugh) didn’t mess with her clubs much, but my dad (PGA Tour player Bobby Cole) was very precise with his equipment. That said, people who work on my equipment, and I think the less I know about it, the better. – WITH MICHAEL JOHNSON I’m more like my mom. I trust the
SPIN MACHINE I use the 2021 Titleist Pro V1x. It has a little bit more spin than the most-recent model, and I’m always seeking more spin.
FAIRWAY WOODS
SPECS TaylorMade Stealth, 15°, Project X Denali Black 70 TX shaft; PXG 0311 GEN5, 18°, Project X HZRDUS G4 95 TX shaft. I don’t hit a ton of 3-woods off the tee, so the high launch on my 3-wood is helpful. About 18 months ago I switched from a utility iron to this 5-wood. It’s a versatile club trajectory-wise for me. The utility iron was too one-dimensional.
IRONS
SPECS (4): PXG 0317 CB; (5-PW): PXG 0317 ST, True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid X100 shaft.
SUGAR BOOST I’m a Type-1 diabetic. If my
The 4-iron is bigger, more forgiving and easier to get in the air. The rest of the set is the blade-like ST. I haven’t always been a blade player, but with the firm greens we play on tour, I found I need
blood-sugar gets low, I have some Skittles and other sweets to bring it back up to where it should be.
the added spin, especially when playing knockdown shots that come in lower.
CLUB
YARDS*
WEDGES
DRIVER 290
SPECS Titleist Vokey SM10 (50°, 54°); Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks (60°), True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shaft. You might notice the “No Excuses” stamping. It’s a family mantra. I use this club for all my short- game shots. I like getting used to using one club and relying on it. The 60-degree has a very aggressive grind and just 4 degrees of bounce, so when I open it up, the leading edge sits close to the ground.
3-WOOD 262
5-WOOD 240
4-IRON 216
5-IRON 205
6-IRON 194
7-IRON 179
8-IRON 167
PUTTER
9-IRON 152
SPECS PXG Battle Ready II Brandon, 34 inches, 3°.
PW 138
LINE IT UP I’ve used reminder grips for six years (this is Golf Pride’s Align). It lets me know where the face is during the swing.
I used a centre-shafted PXG putter for a while. A lot of good things happened with that putter, but I felt like I was being too robotic with it. This putter allows me to be more creative and more feel-oriented, which is how I prefer to putt. With the centre shaft, I felt like I was trying to be too perfect. I do change putters frequently, and since this was shot, I’ve switched to an Odyssey model.
50˚WEDGE 126
54˚WEDGE 112
60˚WEDGE 96
* CARRY DISTANCE
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JUSTIN CONDER
108 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
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