Patrick Reed speaks on mysterious new custom irons, but remains cryptic in his response
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When Patrick Reed came to the 2019 Hero World Challenge this week, he did so with a set of never-before-seen custom irons in the bag. As photos of the irons began to circulate on social media, equipment fans were left guessing as to who exactly designed the irons. The irons are stamped with his foundation’s logo, the word “Forged” and “Patrick Reed,” but what’s glaringly absent is a company name.
After speaking with PGATOUR.COM, Reed did more to pique curiosity than provide answers.
“They’re custom-made,” Reed told PGATOUR.COM. “We made them with a company. We worked for 12-14 months on them and we finally got them to where I feel like we need them to be.”
When asked what company made the irons, Reed simply answered, “Can’t say yet.”
While the irons are listed on the USGA Conforming Clubs List as being manufactured by Emery JPN Co., that doesn’t necessarily mean Emery is the company who designed the irons, it’s just the company’s facility they were manufactured in.
Reed did reveal that more answers may be coming on Jan. 1, and he explained a bit about the designs of the irons. He said that due to the placement of the CG (center of gravity) of the custom irons, they’re able to “clarify” his swing a bit better and produce a more predictable ball flight.
“The awesome thing about it is that it clarifies my swing a little better, so when I feel like I make a good golf swing, the ball does what it’s supposed to do,” Reed explained. “There’s no questioning if I make a good swing and seeing the ball go left or right… I feel like where we’ve been able to get the CG…when I make a swing that I feel is supposed to be a 5-yard draw, I look up and the ball is starting where it’s supposed to, and it’s a 5-yard draw. I feel like recently [with other clubs] I’ve been making some golf swings where I hit it, and I feel I’ve made a good golf swing, and the ball isn’t going where it’s supposed to. So I’ve had to manipulate in order to get the golf ball to go where I’m trying to look.”
Reed added that he’s been practicing with the irons for “probably the past month or month-and-a-half,” and that the Hero World Challenge will be his first event using the new irons. Presumably, Reed will also use the new irons in the Presidents Cup next week, but since that is before Jan. 1, it’s unlikely we’ll have any more answers from Reed about the irons by then.