Why John Daly’s bag set-up should empower the average golfer

Mark Townsend 26 Dec 2024

John Daly has always done things his own way and the set-up of his bag is no different.

There is a collection of Sub 70 gear, with a driver, irons and wedges, all of which are decorated and engraved with his Lion logo and personal signature while the wedges are customised with the University of Arkansas Razorbacks logo, where Daly attended and his son John Daly II now goes.

All the clubs are covered in lead tape and the oversized grips add a hefty 30g more than standard. The 3-wood is more mainstream, with a TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (13.5˚) in there, and the putter will likely either be a Bettinardi or Scotty Cameron.

But what maybe stands out the most is the inclusion of three hybrids.

The G430 range came out at the start of 2023 and, as always with Ping, they offer a beautifully simple design along with great performance. It features the same Carbonwrap technology that is in the G430 fairways and LST driver. There is a single dot on the top line to aid address and the sole sits flush to the turf.

The sound is far more impressive and pleasing than previous Ping ranges and has the same Spinsistency effect which means that, wherever you hit it on the face, there are more consistent spin rates even on mishits.

It is highly adjustable, with a hosel that has eight positions, and there are six available lofts with Daly opting for half of them – 17, 22 and 26˚. So Daly’s longest iron is a 6 with the hybrids, broadly speaking, covering his 2,4 and 5-irons.

What makes this so interesting, and revealing, is that Daly would fit very snugly into the type of feel player that would never consider using a hybrid.

Tiger Woods has stated that he would pretty much never use one but Daly has three of them and five clubs with headcovers on.

His fellow Major winner, Fred Couples, has no fewer than six woods in his bag.

“Everyone keeps talking about them. My longest iron is a seven. Who cares? I’m not strong enough anymore,” says Couples.

So if it’s good enough for legends such as Daly and Couples to pack their bags with hybrids and woods, the average golfer should be happy to follow suit.