Ben An won on the DP World Tour last week with a time traveler in his bag.
An is one of the few players in pro golf still playing a 1-iron and he got his first win with the unique driving iron in the bag at the Genesis Championship in his home country of Korea. Even more unique is that An was using the Titleist U505 driving iron as the longest club in his bag after the driver (perhaps the only player on the PGA or DP World tours employing such a setup).
With the tendency for Tour pros to copy what works for others, is this something that could start a trend at the highest level of the sport? That would be a reverse to the latest trends in pro golf says GOLF’s Fully Equipped co-hosts Kris McCormack and Wadeh Maroun.
“If we go back like five, six years, the driving iron was so important in the professional’s bag, that it would be very rare that you would not see one in there,” Maroun said. “It was usually like they had a 3-wood and a driving iron.
“That’s kind of maybe made a bit of a turn, where driving iron is pretty non-existent on tour.”
Nowadays, Maroun says, pros are more likely to have high-lofted fairway woods like 5- and 7-woods — even 9-woods in some cases — while even modern hollow-bodied long irons have been gradually disappearing from bags. Even mini drivers haven taken the place of the driving iron.
But when McCormack is talking with players in a fitting environment, he’s thinking about clubs at the top-end of the bag that will help players advance the ball so their next shot is closer to the hole. Because you’re not talking about clubs you’re usually going to be hitting into greens, you need to think about the practical applications, he said.
“I love the idea of creating a very sound and comfortable lower end of the bag to offer itself to more full-swing options,” he said. “And then as you transition into the top of the bag, that’s where it’s every club has to have a purpose for proximity.”
As for An’s no-fairway wood approach, time will tell if that trend ends up catching on with other players.