Akshay Bhatia plans to add mini driver, more changes at TOUR Championship

Akshay Bhatia stands No. 19 on the FedExCup into his TOUR Championship debut. That means he has some catching up to do. In the event’s Starting Strokes format, Bhatia trails FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler by eight strokes into Thursday’s opening round.

With ample ground to make up, and a newly restored East Lake Golf Club with firmer greens than in previous years, Bhatia is switching things up with his equipment.

Most noticeably, Bhatia is likely adding a Callaway Ai Smoke Paradym Ti340 Mini Driver to his arsenal in Atlanta. Bhatia likes to curve the ball off the tee, and the mini driver increases his comfort level in hitting a controlled draw, he said this week.

“I think there’s a good chance (I’m switching into the mini driver) this week,” said Bhatia, 22. “If I have restricted start lines, I can draw a driver, but if I have this mini driver to where I can turn it a lot easier, then it’s a nice option.

“I can hit (my hybrid) 260 yards – and 3-wood for me can either be really good, or I can hit it off the heel one day, or I can get a hot pull. It’s just very inconsistent for me. So the mini driver gives me more options; it's faster, but it spins a little more, so the consistency of the ball flight is tighter, and that’s what I need.”

As for his Callaway Rogue ST driver, Bhatia is switching into a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft for added speed and control.

“It definitely feels like it kicks a little more, and so when I feel like the shaft is really stiff, I feel like you lose control of the face, at least for me,” Bhatia said. “Actually my speed’s gone up like 2 mph.”

Bhatia is also considering a golf ball change to help deal with the scaled-up green firmness at East Lake.

“I’m going to the softer golf ball, so from the (Callaway Chrome) Tour X to the Tour,” Bhatia said. “Obviously the greens are really firm this week. Softer for me, like, you want to win major championships, you need to hit it higher and softer. And the golf ball I play is a lower-spinning ball, which is good, say, 16 weeks out of the year, but then you’ve got four majors and then, obviously, some Signature Events play pretty firm.

“I’ve wanted to make this switch for a long time. I feel like there’s no better reason to do it than this week. I mean, it’s kind of a free-for-all and trying to get used to the golf ball, and prep for the majors and some of the bigger events.”

Standing No. 19 on the FedExCup with eight strokes to make up, Bhatia is exhausting his options to move up the leaderboard, and that includes some major equipment changes.