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Adam Scott was finding the groove. Then he changed instruments

Adam Scott switched back to Project X LZ 6.5 iron shafts during the Genesis Scottish Open.

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Success at the highest level of professional golf can be fleeting. One minute, you are nearing the top. Next, you’re lying on your back wondering what went wrong. When success comes your way, you do whatever it takes to bottle it up and pray there’s no expiration date.

The fluffy prose is a great part of Adam Scott’s latest metal transition – something gearheads are already used to seeing from the Aussie. There is Srixon. And Miura. And Ping. A number of other products have been in the works, too.

If you didn’t know by now, Scott is one of us: a diehard gearhead always searching for the best setup.

Before the FedEx St. Jude, Scott was sailing with a custom set of Miura AS-1 blades bearing his logo. The setup produced a runner-up finish at the Genesis Scottish Open, followed by a T10 at the Open Championship. The Aussie appeared to be on top at the right time. Then he completely repaired his instrument.

adam scott miura irons players championship
Adam Scott used a set of Miura AS-1 irons at the Genesis Scottish Open and Open Championship.

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Even with “The Big Mo” on his side, Scott revealed on Wednesday that the decision to move from a full set of Miura blades to a hybrid setup that includes Srixon’s ZX MK II steel and CB-302 (4-5) Miura and Miura. The KM-700 (6-9) wasn’t all that difficult to make. Scott preferred single jumps and wide undercuts on AS-1 for tighter links-style conditions, but when he returned to the States, the various grass and turf conditions put the setup in the backup pile.

“The turf conditions in Scotland are a lot different than here,” says Scott, “so it’s kind of like using more efficient equipment.”

As well as changing heads, Scott confirmed a recent “heart-to-heart” meeting in the UK with Titleist’s European director of tourism, Liam McDougall, helped get his instruments back on track. The missing piece for Scott was Project X’s LZ 6.5 – the iron shaft he helped put on the map in 2016 when he won the Honda Classic and WGC-Cadillac Championship with a Tour-only version.

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Scott was playing True Temper’s Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 but felt familiarity during the launch and spin of the PX LZ 6.5 allowed his instruments to feel “light again.”

“Just before the Scottish Open, with the bag, I got to a good place, and that was very helpful with confidence, and I think it showed in my results immediately,” said Scott. “It’s tricky when you start testing the shafts. There are thousands of options. It helps to reduce it and not get lost in the test, especially during the year.

“… [The PX LZ is] different profile and slightly different weight. What motivates or encourages you to turn is a little different. If my inclination is to the right, and if the shaft is promoting accordingly, then you are in a bit of a fight. You are going well. After a while you start fighting that, and it can throw your swing a little. So it’s a balancing act.”

Never mincing words, Scott admitted that his old-school scouting methods may have contributed to the recent shift in gears leading up to his meeting with McDougall. Scott has made a career out of doing things his way, but he also acknowledged that it may be time to embrace technology even more.

“It’s all very well organized, and I think a few years ago, that part of the professional game might not be as important,” he said. “Materials and technology are a big thing. You see it every week, the guys who work at TrackMan, and it’s not where I grew up. If I was criticizing myself, even though the intentions were good, maybe I didn’t manage what I could have done, and I saw the need to be more than that going forward,”

Think Scott well and he’s on top of everything—especially his own—as he pushes for a place in next week’s BMW Championship.

JWall

Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and the Managing Editor of GOLF.com Materials. Before joining the staff at the end of 2018, he spent 6 years assembling PGA Tour equipment. He can be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.


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