Jason Day reveals what's changed in equipment world since first TOUR start in 2006

Once upon a time, way back in 2006, a young Jason Day made his PGA TOUR debut at the John Deere Classic. Exactly 350 PGA TOUR starts later – after an 18-year span – Day returns this week to the 2024 John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run.

His Wednesday morning press conference was expectedly filled with nostalgic questions and answers, and he also spoke in-depth about the world of equipment. More specifically, he spoke on how golf equipment has changed since making his first PGA TOUR start 18 years ago.

“[The] driver head is definitely a lot bigger,” Day said. “I think the driver is the most forgiving club in the bag, and that's why you see more guys hitting driver than ever before. Back then, even though it was metal, and it was still forgiving back then, but if you mishit one, you could get a quacker going left, a little duck hook – it was kind of one of those things if you didn't hit it, it was still good, but wasn't as good as what we have today, and that's why the game has changed.

“Driver head is a little bit bigger I would say. Irons, kind of the same. Can't really – there is advancements in irons, but I would say that I'm playing more of a game improvement iron these days, which is tough to hear. I need all the speed I can get, and get it up in the air. I used to have a lot of the speed. It's not like that anymore.”

These days, Day is using a Ping G430 LST driver, equipped with a Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 63TX, and a set of “game-improvement” TaylorMade P770 irons (4-PW).

He also says that due to wedge manufacturing enhancements, he changes wedges significantly more often than he did in 2006.

“The wedges – everything is so much more dialed these days,” Day said. “The parameters on like having a wedge the same every single time. Granted, back then I would play – if I had a 60-degree wedge that I loved, because you're playing out of the rough, bunker and the fairway, I would change maybe once a year. … Now these days, guys change wedges probably once every tournament or once every two tournaments. I know Tiger (Woods) changes every tournament. But because everything is, like, so advanced in how they make a golf club, you can reproduce the same club over and over again.”

At 36 years old, Day also says that using a slightly lighter shaft weight has helped. It’s something he’s reconciled with, albeit begrudgingly.

“I've had to go to a little softer shaft,” Day said. “It kicks a little bit easier for me, so I can actually turn the ball over. I think I was playing the wrong shaft – I shouldn't say I was playing the wrong shaft. I was playing the shaft I thought would take enough spin off for me, which it did, but I just couldn't really work the ball, because it's a big heavy shaft; a 136 gram shaft. It's like swinging a crowbar, and I loved that. That what I was playing when I was No. 1 in the world, but also had 10 more miles-an-hour speed. So I think it's time to stay in the softer shaft.”

Regardless, however, Day is a veteran who knows it isn’t about the tools, it’s about the score on the scorecard.

"At the end of the day, the good thing about golf is you got to get the ball in the hole with the least amount of strokes,” Day said. “If you can still do that, that's all that matters.”

This week, Day looks to add career PGA TOUR victory No. 14 and his first career John Deere Classic victory.