Okay, here’s my take on a blog post about “Luke Donald WITB,” focusing on a practical, hands-on experience, mirroring the style you outlined.
Alright folks, so I dove deep into trying to replicate, or at least understand, Luke Donald’s WITB (What’s In The Bag). Why? Because the guy was a machine with his irons, and I’m always tinkering to find that little edge.
First thing I did, I scoured the internet. Finding his exact setup from, like, 2011 when he was world #1 was easy. Finding the actual clubs? That’s where the fun began. Turns out, some of his stuff is pretty vintage now.
I started with the driver. He was using a Titleist 910D2. Found one on eBay for a steal! It was a bit beat up, but hey, character, right? I ordered it immediately. Then, the shaft. This was trickier. He had an Oban Kiyoshi Purple in it. New ones are pricey, so I stalked some golf forums and eventually snagged a used one. Re-shafting it was a bit of a pain, had to watch a bunch of YouTube videos, but I eventually managed to get it done (with only a little bit of epoxy on my fingers).
Next up, the irons. This was the heart of the experiment. He was playing Titleist 680s. Blades! I haven’t hit blades consistently in years, but I was committed. Again, eBay was my friend. Found a set in decent condition. Grips were shot, so I re-gripped them with my usual Golf Pride MCCs. Felt good in the hands!
His wedges were Vokey Design Spin Milled. These were easier to find, thankfully. Grabbed a 54 and 60 degree off of GolfWRX. Swapped out the shafts to match my current wedge setup for consistency. One less thing to worry about.
The putter… Scotty Cameron Newport. Classic. Luckily, I already had one of those lying around. Didn’t have to buy anything there!
So, bag assembled, I headed to the range. First few swings with the driver were… humbling. That 910D2 is no joke. It’s not as forgiving as my modern driver, that’s for sure. But when you hit it pure? Oh man, it goes. Took me a good hour to find the sweet spot consistently.
Then came the irons. Blades. Ouch. My mishits were punished severely. But when I flushed one? Pure butter. The feel was incredible. I really had to focus on my swing and make sure I was hitting the ball in the center of the face. This alone was worth the effort. It forced me to clean up my technique.
The wedges felt familiar, which was good. I dialed in my distances and short game shots. No surprises there.
The putter? Still felt like my old trusty Scotty. No issues there.
Finally, I took the bag out for a round. The results? Mixed. My score wasn’t great. I definitely wasn’t hitting it as far as with my modern equipment. But my iron play… it was noticeably better. I was hitting more greens, and my misses were smaller. The blades really forced me to be more precise.
Conclusion? I’m not switching to a full Luke Donald setup. But I learned a ton about my swing and the importance of precision. And honestly, hitting those blades pure was just plain fun. It was a worthwhile experiment, and I’d recommend any serious golfer try something similar. It can really help you understand your game.
