Billy Mayfair's Irons

[iacas]

Titleist full-line staff player Billy Mayfair (Pro V1x, Pro Titanium 905R driver, Pro Trajectory 904F 3- and 5-woods, Forged 804 OS irons, Vokey Design sand wedge and Spin Milled lob wedge) and David Toms (Pro V1) tied for third, three shots back.

I've known that Mayfair uses 804.OS irons for awhile now, but every time I hear it I think "what the heck?" Seriously, can anyone think of any other pro using a more "game improvement" iron than this? What the heck?

[jeffgladchun]

Billy Mayfair: pretty solid fantasy pick, hack outside of that realm. He remains the only person to beat Tiger in a playoff and I think that reason is because of his self-centered focus and ability to think only of himself therefore leaving no room for thinking about Tiger. Just my thoughts.

[muskegman]

I was just thinking about this yesterday during the final round of the Honda. He's got them big 804's because he was formerly a Ping player and Pings are known for their giant topline and offset. I wondered if Titleist developed them for Mayfair and then decided to bring them to the public as a game improvement club. Its basically a Ping with a Titleist look.

[iacas]

Billy Mayfair: pretty solid fantasy pick, hack outside of that realm. He remains the only person to beat Tiger in a playoff and I think that reason is because of his self-centered focus and ability to think only of himself therefore leaving no room for thinking about Tiger. Just my thoughts.

All of which has NOTHING to do with the question I posed.

[iacas]

I was just thinking about this yesterday during the final round of the Honda. He's got them big 804's because he was formerly a Ping player and Pings are known for their giant topline and offset. I wondered if Titleist developed them for Mayfair and then decided to bring them to the public as a game improvement club. Its basically a Ping with a Titleist look.

I'm gonna have to say "unlikely on both counts" there. They really don't look a lot like the Pings he was using. Don't forget Cobra is in the mix, too.

He may like the topline, but I highly doubt: a) they developed clubs for him to be like his old Pings b) they then decided to bring them to market (I guess A would have to be true for B to even have a chance)...

[muskegman]

Its concievable that since he was formerly using shovels, he wanted to continue using shovels... Hence, the 804.OS. But yeah, Maybe (in the words of David Feherty on Tiger Woods), a brain burp on my part.

[iacas]

Its concievable that since he was formerly using shovels, he wanted to continue using shovels.

That part I'll agree with.

[Donald MacKenzie]

I can't really think of any other current pro using such a game-improvement iron. As everyone else has pointed out, Mayfair was a Ping player back in the day when they didn't have "pro" offerings with less offset. So everyone who used Pings used the same sort of clubs that any 18-handicapper could buy off the shelf. The early Callaway Big Bertha irons were the same way. Azinger played the big shovels during the first two iterations (X-9 and X-10) before the X-12 came out and a less-offset version was offered in 1998.

And don't forget Corey Pavin winning a U.S. Open with Cleveland VAS Irons...

But to your question, Erik, I can't think of a PGA Tour player in 2006 using a set more intended for players with higher handicaps. Colin Montgomerie uses Yonex shovels, but I'm not sure he counts.