Brian Campbell's clubs: Inside his John Deere Classic-winning setup
It feels like just yesterday that I was digging into this guy after his win in Mexico. Of course, winning your first PGA Tour event will always garner interest, but it was how he did it that I found so fascinating. Brian Campbell is winning golf tournaments in a way that bucks modern golf trends.
He’s not long. Not long by any metric, ball speed, swing speed, etc. Topping out at under 110 mph with the big stick may feel more like something you or I would do, but make no mistake, being on the slower side doesn’t matter when the rest of your game is world-class. It shows you that golf is a game of chess, not checkers.
So, with all the talk of distance overtaking the game, here comes this now two-time winner that tops out at about 165 mph ball speed and seems to be doing just fine. He wins by just playing efficient, smart golf.
Period.
Let’s take a look at the stats from this week before we dig into the bag:
Strokes Gained: Off the Tee: -3.908 (63rd) Driving Distance: 281.5 (64th) Longest Drive: 304 (64th)
That tells me that Brian Campbell makes up for his lack of smoke off the tee with an efficient fairway to green game, and when he does get on the greens, he’s a fantastic putter. Any stat guy on Tour will tell you that you don’t necessarily have to be long to succeed. It helps, but there are ways to mitigate it if you focus on the things that got you here. In Brian’s case, he’s always been a straight hitter and a good iron player, and he ranks No. 1 on Tour from 100 yards and in.
Here is his winning bag, with only a few changes from Mexico. Campbell tweaked his driver a bit, going with a lower launch, lower spin Ventus Black 6TX, while opting for a 10.5 G440 LST to open the face angle a bit, which helps with start lines. As a drawer of the ball, having a slightly open face angle and stiffer shaft profile actually helps encourage a draw. Counterintuitive, I know.
He also put Pings IDI Proto Utility 4-iron in the bag to match his Blue Print S irons (5-PW). It sits at 23 degrees of loft, 58.25 lie angle and D1 swing weight. KBS Tour S irons in (4-PW)
Ball: Titleist Pro V1X (19)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (10.5˚@9.4˚, Flat +, 32G CG shifter in neutral), Fujikura Ventus Black 6TX Tipped 1′ (45.25″)
PING G440 LST Custom Driver
The G440 driver family (MAX, LST, SFT) is optimized to deliver more ball speed through multiple advancements, including PING’s deepest CG in a driver to date and a shallower, thinner face, while continuing to ensure the game-changing forgiveness expected from a PING driver. The G440 LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with faster swing speeds, providing lower spin and more control in 9° and 10.5° lofts with the three-position back weight.
HIGHLY FORGIVING
Lighter head weight allows for heavier back weight.
FASTER FACE
Shallow, thinner, face increases ball speed for more distance, higher launch.
SOUND DESIGN
New shaping, carbon crown and internal ribs produce muted impact experience.
FREE-HOSEL DESIGN
Saves weight to lower CG, increase forgiveness. Allows for more heel-side face flexing for consistent ball speed across face.
7-Wood: Ping G430 Max (21˚@19.5˚), Fujikura Ventus Blue 8-X (41″ EOG, D1, Tipped 1.5″)
Irons: Ping IDI (4) Ping Blueprint S 5-PW (2˚ flat), KBS Tour 120 S (-.5″), D2
Brian Campbell used Ping’s Blue Print S irons (5-PW) to rank 5th in GIR this weekGetty Images
PING Blueprint S Custom Irons
Developed following extensive testing with PING’s top tour pros to meet their “must haves” — control and precision — Blueprint S delivers the score-lowering performance demanded by the best players in the world.
COMPACT SHAPE
The compact shape fits the discerning eye with a thin top line and minimal offset. The 8620 carbon steel head boasts a clean cavity design, distinguished by an eye-catching forged textured pattern and hydropearl 2.0 chrome finish.
PRECISION POCKET FORGING
This patented forging technique allows PING to forge a pocket into the cavity of the 3, 4 and 5 irons. The pocket saves 10 grams of weight, which is re-allocated to increase the MOI and optimize the center of gravity position for more distance and trajectory control.
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM10 (52.12F, 56.10S, WedgeWorks 60.04L), KBS Tour 130 X (52), Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (56, 60)
Titleist Vokey SM10 Raw Custom Wedge
For every shot, every lie, every course, there’s a grind fit for your swing. Finding the right grind to match your swing and playing conditions will give you the best turf interaction, contact and shot performance. Master Craftsman Bob Vokey has spent decades crafting, developing and improving his tour proven grinds to fit players of all levels.
Anyone can manufacture a wedge, but it takes a master to turn a piece of high-performance technology into an instrument of creative control. Bob’s six tour-proven grinds are designed to offer maximum creativity, versatility and consistency, all meticulously developed through years of working with the best players in the world.
PROGRESSIVE CENTER OF GRAVITY
SM9 features a progressive center of gravity (CG) throughout the lofts, which optimizes ball flight, accuracy and forgiveness. Using tapered top lines and varied hosel lengths, the Vokey R&D team has raised the height of the CG in the higher lofts, which promotes a lower, more controlled flight.
The CG is also forward of the face, resulting in increased MOI, exceptional feel and a club face that simply wants to square up at impact.
SPIN MILLED GROOVES
SM9’s patented Spin Milled grooves are meticulously engineered through a new cutting process to maximize spin and durability. The process starts by cutting the face perfectly flat with a high-speed saw. Then every groove is individually cut based on loft and finish; low lofts (46°-54°) are designed with narrower, deeper grooves, while higher lofts (56°-62°) have wider, shallower grooves.
Micro-grooves are individually cut in between grooves, which maximize spin on partial shots. A proprietary heat treatment is applied to the impact area which doubles the durability of the groove without impacting feel, making it the most durable groove in golf. The process is only complete when every Vokey wedge is 100% inspected for utmost quality and performance.
