what's in my bag
What's In My Bag: Peter Malnati
Jennifer Perez
I have to brag on my guy, Titleist’s JJ Van Wezenbeeck, who works on my equipment. I tend to overthink everything in life, and I don’t want to do that with my clubs. JJ works with me once a quarter. We go through my bag and make the changes he feels are necessary. Our relationship goes back to the Nationwide Tour. —With E. Michael Johnson
DRIVER
SPECS Titleist TSR3, 10°, Project X Denali Blue 60 TX shaft.
The adjustable hosel is at the C2 setting. I don’t even know what that is. [Editor’s note: It’s .75 degrees less loft and more upright.] My driving has held me back the past few years, but it has really improved since going to that setting.
This is Titleist’s most popular model on tour. It's designed for players who have a consistent impact pattern around the center of the face. As a result, the face features a special variable-thickness pattern that emphasizes the best performance for center strikes. The TSR3 has a more compact size, but it also adds a movable weight that allows players to shift the center of gravity slightly. Yes, this helps somewhat with draw or fade preferences, but mostly it’s designed for lining up the CG with where a player is making impact. The result is better energy transfer.
FAIRWAY WOOD/HYBRID
Justin Kase Conder
SPECS Titleist TSi3, 15°, Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 70 X shaft; Titleist 818H2, 19°, Graphite Design Tour AD DI 95 X shaft.
I’m so comfortable with this 3-wood off the tee. The hybrid is really old. I don’t need more speed. I just need to know what it’s going to do. It’s a fantastic weapon for me into the par 5s.
If you want to design a better hybrid for good players, you could deploy a team of engineers to dissect the needs of low spin, controlled launch and power. Or maybe you just could ask Steve Stricker, who has been rocking an old-school Titleist 816 H1 hybrid since the Obama administration. When the Titleist team looked at upgrading this better-players model, they focused on the Stricker-played shape. Its lower and forward center of gravity works well with more of a steep, iron-like swing and provides more workability.
IRONS
SPECS Titleist T200 (4-iron), Titleist T150 (5-iron), Titleist T100 (6-9), all True Temper AMT Tour White S400 shafts, Golf Pride Tour Velvet grips.
The T150 5-iron was a no-brainer. I can’t tell a difference in feel or spin, but it goes higher and has more forgiveness. It also transitions well to the T100s that make up the bulk of the set.
The T100 is the most-played iron on the PGA Tour, so it’s easy to see how some might view the T200 in a lesser light. Nothing could be more wrong. This club has undergone a substantial overhaul. A ball speed boost comes from a face that wraps around the sole for extra flex at impact. A more stable frame, dense tungsten weights and a revamped polymer core and support-bar structure behind the face improve ball-speed consistency on mis-hits, too. It’s no wonder some PGA Tour pros use these for their long irons.
WEDGES
Justin Kase Conder
SPECS Titleist Vokey SM10 (48°, 52°, 56°, 62°), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts.
My 60-degree wedge is actually bent to 62 degrees. We have so many pins tucked on edges that the added loft really helps when short-sided.
The new SM10 line is beyond complete with plenty of options for those savvy enough to get fit for wedges. The center-of-gravity location received particular attention. The smaller profile and shorter hosel lengths (on lofts 46 to 52) help drive the CG low to make the transition from short irons easier. In the 54- through 62-degree models, the CG has moved up, forward and toward the center to promote a lower, more controlled flight. The “spin milled” grooves have been updated and when combined with a texture between the grooves increase spin by as much as 300 revolutions per minute.
PUTTER
Justin Kase Conder
SPECS Scotty Cameron TourType Special Select Masterful 1.5 tour prototype, 34 inches, 3.5°.
I’m not a guy who collects putters. I had one for close to 10 years, but then I had a putting slump. I started 2023 with a big mallet, but that didn’t work. I asked the Titleist guys to give me one that was the total opposite of that, and they came back with this putter. I wasn’t even fit for it, but I’ve putted great with it.
Someday we want someone to talk about us the way Scotty Cameron talks about his putters. His tone about these blades seems to emanate from a cathedral, and why not? Their dominance in the milled-blade marketplace isn’t an accident. Cameron and his team comb over every detail and resource to improve these designs without changing them. Subtle tweaks like milling out sections of the plumber’s neck and the iconic “cherry dots” redistribute mass to heel and toe sole weights. Cameron says that makes his blades “as forgiving as a large mallet.” Sweet talker.
YELLOW MELLOW
Justin Kase Conder
Last year my son asked if I could play a yellow ball, so I did. I have enough contrarian in me to like being different, plus there’s no doubt which ball is mine.
Titleist Pro V1X
Titleist’s flagship balls—the most played on tour and the most sold in stores— got a tiny change designed to make a big difference down range. The new dimple patterns on the Pro V1 and Pro V1x are the first update in more than a decade, but they work better because of other performance enhancements throughout both balls. That includes new manufacturing processes for the core and a more resilient mantle layer. As a bonus, the covers are the softest ever for a Pro V1 or Pro V1x to provide more short-game control.
Is it for you?
PRO V1X: The highest flying off the driver and the highest spinning off the irons, so it’s a good choice if you’re looking for more height. Will feel firmer than the Pro V1.
Performance: 5/5
Innovation: 5/5
Demand: 5/5
Feel Rating (Soft to Firm)
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FAMILY MAN
Justin Kase Conder
I keep this note and photo from my 4-year-old son, Hatcher, in my bag. It says, “I love you, so just go be great.” That’s why lifting him up after winning the Valspar was so special. It was a dream of mine.
PRACTICE AID
Justin Kase Conder
We have a lot of perks on tour, but sometimes the simplest ones are best, like this Bushnell X3+ range finder. You might not think a tour pro would get excited over a range finder, but it’s really good.
