Webb Simpson (finally) changes into a new driver

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Webb Simpson doesn’t switch into new equipment just for the sake of upgrading to the latest technology. When the former PLAYERS champ finds clubs that he likes, he sticks with them, and his process for putting new equipment in the bag is deliberate.

“I’m always a little behind,” Simpson told GolfWRX with a smile on Wednesday.

Simpson still employs a Titleist TS2 3-wood that was released in 2018. He uses a Titleist 913F.d 18-degree wood and a 913H.d 20-degree hybrid that were both released in 2013. His 915 H.d 23.5-degree hybrid came out a year later.

This week marked the end of the road for Simpson and his four-year-old Titleist TS3 driver, however.

“(The TSi3 driver release) came at a time when I was driving it well,” Simpson told GolfWRX on Wednesday. “I didn’t really want to fiddle with it. Then I got to a point where I saw how many guys were using it and I knew it was faster.”

Titleist’s new TSi drivers have a new ATI 425 face material that’s designed to increase ball speed, and Simpson said he gained 2-3 mph of ball speed with the new TSi3 compared to his old gamer.

The speed increases were great for Simpson, but he needed to dial in the spin rates before he could make the switch.

“It just took time for me to get the spin right because the new driver spins less for me,” Simpson said. “I like to hit lower tee balls, and the lower ones I wasn’t getting enough spin, but we finally got the combination right.”

Ahead of the season-opening Fortinet Championship in September, Simpson worked with Titleist tour fitter J.J. Van Wezenbeeck to dial in his SureFit hosel settings and driver shaft to optimize his spin and ball flight. The duo settled on a TSi3 10-degree head with an A1 hosel setting (which is +0.75 degrees compared to standard) and a new Project X HZRDUS RDX Smoke 60 TX shaft.

While Simpson played the first two rounds of the Fortinet Championship using his old TS3 driver, he switched into the new TSi3 for the weekend rounds in Napa.

For his next five events, though, Simpson switched back into his old TS3 driver. He wasn’t comfortable enough to make the permanent switch.

Because of a neck injury, THE PLAYERS is Simpson’s first start since the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. He was still using the old TS3 driver in Waialae. In the months between the Sony Open and THE PLAYERS, though, Simpson has had plenty of time for product testing and getting comfortable with the new TSi3 driver setup.

This week, he’s officially made the switch. Simpson has only one driver with him at TPC Sawgrass, and it’s the new Titleist TSi3.

Simpson told GolfWRX he worked extensively with the TSi3 driver at home, was consistently seeing higher ball speeds, and he’s committed to the upgrade. Maybe this time the change will stick.