Long-hitting Chris Gotterup gives distance advice, discusses changing to unreleased TaylorMade irons at 3M Open

Chris Gotterup, a recent winner on the PGA TOUR at the Myrtle Beach Classic, is currently ranked sixth on TOUR in Driving Distance at 313.3 yards per drive, and he averages a whopping 184.93 mph of ball speed in 2024.

His secret to long drives may seem simple, but it’s especially effective under pressure.

“I try to swing pretty hard at it,” Gotterup says. “I think a lot of times people try to tell you to swing smooth, but I feel like smooth lets me get a little loose, so I’m trying to hit it hard. Obviously, when it’s going good, it’s going good, and when it’s a little off, it tends to go off a little more. But I try to be in the swinging hard and gripping it firm category. I know for some guys it doesn’t work, but that’s just how I feel like I need to hit the ball far, with some pressure.”

Gotterup is a self-labeled club "tinkerer," and as an equipment-free agent, he’s free to test and switch into any golf clubs he chooses. Throughout 2024, Gotterup has had an admitted off-and-on relationship with his TaylorMade SIM2 driver, but he’s back into it for this week at the 3M Open.

“I’m back to the SIM2 this week,” Gotterup said on Wednesday. “Old faithful. It kind of comes and goes in my bag. Some weeks it’s in, some weeks it’s out.”

Although Gotterup does have a golf ball deal with Bridgestone, he’s maintained his free agency throughout the rest of the bag – it’s a position that he enjoys.

“In college, I had five or six different brands in my bag,” said Gotterup, who played for both Rutgers University and Oklahoma University throughout his standout collegiate career. “I like the freedom of being able to freely switch it up and not having to worry about club companies that need you to play their clubs. It’s a nice mental freedom … there’s so much value in playing well, rather than value in a club contract. I like the Bridgestone ball, and that’s all I need. I think that’s the mentality.”

Case in point, Gotterup started the year using Mizuno irons, then switched to Callaway irons during the season, and now, this week at the 3M Open, he’s switching into a new set of unreleased TaylorMade P7CB irons.

After first testing the new irons on Monday at TPC Twin Cities, they passed Gotterup’s initial eye and feel tests, and they’re headed straight into the bag.

“I think they look really clean,” Gotterup said. “Not much offset, which I like. I like a really straight line [from hosel to leading edge]. They feel good, and I mean, all irons are really similar for the most part, especially as you get to CBs and blades. It’s really all about the look and feel, and they feel good and they look good.”

Gotterup will combine a set of TaylorMade P7CBs (4-PW), with a TaylorMade P790 3-iron this week; he says he switches between a P790 3-iron and a P790 2-iron depending on course and weather conditions.

To learn more about Gotterup’s club setup, and his mentality when it comes to equipment, make sure to check out the WITB video below at the top of this article.