Still In The Bag: 10 Older Clubs Tour Pros Refuse to Replace

Do you have that one hybrid from 10 years ago that you just can’t let go of? You’re not alone. For some golfers, swapping clubs is part of the routine but, for others, making equipment changes can be tough. I tend to stick with what works so I get it.

While many tour professionals are known for updating their gear yearly, not all follow that trend. In fact, a few pros are still holding on to older clubs and, in pro golf, “old” can mean anything from two seasons ago or more.

Here are a few examples of older club models that some tour pros still haven’t given up on.

Justin Rose (TaylorMade M6 fairway woods)

The TaylorMade M6 woods were released in 2019. Justin Rose has a 15-degree 3-wood and 21-degree 7-wood in play. Rose has played several fairway models in his career and the M6 was in his bag in 2022. He has swapped the lofts; at one point, he had a 15-degree and 18-degree model. For 2025, his setup is 15 and 21 but he’s not budging from this M6 model.

Patrick Cantlay (Titleist 915F 3-wood and TS2 7-wood)

Patrick Cantlay still plays the Titleist 915F 3-wood, a club first released in late 2014. It’s been a long-standing fixture in his setup since 2017. He also uses the Titleist TS2 7-wood which was released in 2018.

“I have Titleist 3- and 7-woods,” Cantlay said in a 2024 interview with PGATour.com. “They’re a little older models but I’ve been using them a long time and I feel like those clubs, in particular, once you find one that you fall in love with and learn to trust it, guys don’t want to change. I’ve heard Fred Couples used the same ladies’ flex 3-wood for a number of years. And it’s just when you fall in love with a club like a 7-wood or a 3-wood, it’s hard to get out of the bag.”

Justin Thomas (Titleist 915 Fd 5-wood)

Another Titleist guy, Justin Thomas, holds on to his older 915Fd 5-wood. This one is 18 degrees but he sets it at 19.5. Like many professionals with these older fairway woods, Thomas updated his driver to the latest GT2 model but didn’t make the same change for the fairways.

He also has an older Titleist TS3 3-wood.

Hideki Matsuyama (COBRA King RadSpeed Tour 5-wood)

The COBRA King RadSpeed Tour is a low-spinning fairway wood released in 2021. Matsuyama has kind of a mixed bag. He has six brands: Srixon, TaylorMade, COBRA, Cleveland, Titleist and Iomic.

If you think you need to stay brand-loyal, it’s worth learning something from Matsuyama.

Jason Day (TaylorMade Stealth 7-wood, TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider Limited Red)

Jason Day still plays the TaylorMade Stealth 7-wood. We must also mention his use of the 2016 Tour Limited Edition TaylorMade Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Day has rotated the Itsy Bitsy Spider in and out of the bag for nearly a decade and it’s back in as of 2025. We all know what it’s like to dust off a putter from the corner of the garage and see if that makes all the difference in your game.

Ludvig Aberg (TaylorMade Stealth 2 3-wood and 7-Wood, Titleist TSR2 driver)

Aberg has had the TSR2 driver in his bag since it came out. He talked about loving the TSR2’s classic look in a video he did for Titleist.

In addition, he plays the TaylorMade Stealth 2 3-wood and 7-wood.

If you’ve noticed the theme, the older TaylorMade fairway woods are popular to keep in the bag even with the latest Qi10 and Qi35 models coming to market.

Robert MacIntyre (TaylorMade AeroBurner)

Robert MacIntyre is a fun player to watch and when you see that he still has the 2015 TaylorMade AeroBurner fairway wood in his bag, he becomes even more entertaining.

The AeroBurner helped MacIntrye win at the RBC Canadian Open and the Genesis Scottish Open last year so something must still work with this older fairway wood.

Nick Taylor (Titleist TSi3 and TaylorMade SIM2 Max )

The Titleist TSi3 was released in 2020 but it is still the driver of choice for Nick Taylor. The five-time PGA Tour winner also players a TaylorMade SIM2 Max 5-wood with 18 degrees of loft.

His 3-wood is a new addition. He had the TSi2 in the bag for years and has just upgraded to the Qi10.

Tony Finau (NIKE Vapor Fly Pro)

​Tony Finau continues to rely on his NIKE Vapor Fly Pro 3-iron with a Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 105 X shaft. This club has been a part of his setup since 2016 and the rest of his iron set does not match. He plays the PING Blueprint S irons in play for the rest of the set.

Final thoughts

After going through the bags of dozens of tour professionals, one thing became clear: fairway woods tend to stay in the bag longer than most clubs. Drivers are usually the first to be swapped out and putters often stick around for a while, too, but fairway woods consistently have the longest shelf life.

Are you still gaming an older fairway wood?