Robert MacIntyre’s 10-year secret weapon unveiled at the Sony Open

Mark Townsend
Robert MacIntyre

At the start of 2019 Bob MacIntyre was getting ready for his debut season on what was then called the European Tour.

The Scot had enjoyed a flourishing amateur career, winning the Scottish Amateur, losing in the final of the Amateur Championship before representing GB & Ireland at the 2017 Walker Cup at LA Country Club.

The Challenge Tour is supposed to be a brute of a tour to get straight off but MacIntyre managed it at his first attempt, thanks to a big finish to his 2018 season. Then came his rookie campaign where he would be making his first start of 2019 in Abu Dhabi.

The only left-hander in the field, he was using a fairway wood – a TaylorMade Aeroburner 15° 3-wood – that had been released at the back end of 2014.

“If something’s working then I won’t change it. The new stuff is out but I’ve not got it yet. If I’m more controlled with something why would I change it?” he explained.

“Even from a young age the driver that I wanted wasn’t available. I’m still using the TaylorMade Aeroburner 3-wood that I’ve had since I was 17. They just can’t get me out of it. I find 3-woods and putters really hard to find.

“When I first got the Aeroburner I couldn’t hit it and it was in my garage for two years, then I decided that I needed something less spinny and from 280 yards if I have a go at one and hit it good then it will get there.

“If I mishit it, it still goes, if I mishit others they just spin too much. The European Tour is premium so hopefully it will be useful for me.”

The European Tour is now called the DP World Tour and MacIntyre is now a three-time winner on it. He is also a two-time winner on the PGA Tour and a Ryder Cup player. This week he got his 2025 PGA Tour season underway in Hawaii and that TaylorMade Aeroburner 3-wood is still in use.

It has been in and out of the bag but it was back in at the Dunhill Links a few months ago and it’s got the nod at the Sony Open.

This is from the time when white metal woods were in fashion with TaylorMade and the Aeroburner was not adjustable. According to TaylorMade it had the ‘strongest face in golf’ which was needed to support its stand-out feature, a new speed pocket.

This cavity, positioned on the sole of the club, stretched further into the fairway wood than before which allowed more of the face to flex.

This helped to increase both the sweet spot and ball speed, with lower spin another big tick in the box, which explains why MacIntyre still puts it into play in the likes of windy Scotland and Hawaii.

Otherwise it boasted, nearly 10 years ago, of an aerodynamic shape which was a produce of the shallow face, raised crown and a new hosel fin which reduced drag created by the hosel.

It’s raised some eyebrows on the range but MacIntyre is his own man and knows the value of feeling comfortable.

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