Jason Day Adds Mysterious Avoda Prototype Irons in Utah

wattWelcome to GOLF Geared’s weekly tour gear report. Every Friday during PGA TOUR week (and other times, if there’s news to cover), golf equipment editor Jack Hirsh will be covering you with some of the biggest golf club news on tour, including changes, adjustments and releases.

Some golfers think they may need 15 club, but Jason Day only allowed 13 goals this week in the Bank of Utah Championship.

But entering a $6 million PGA Tour event with one less tool in his bag than everyone else wasn’t the biggest story of the week for the former world No. 1 gear player.

That honor will fall to his new set of Avoda prototype irons.

You may remember the name Avoda from last year, when Bryson DeChambeau had the company build him a set of 3D printed irons that were approved for use days before the 2024 Masters. DeChambeau went on to win the U.S. Open with these irons, which feature a unique bulge and roll design that helps mitigate side spin on mishits, similar to woods.

Day’s prototype is a combination of a 5-AW muscle back and a shallow cavity back, and also features what the company calls a “curved” design. Instead of using single-length irons like DeChambeau, Day’s irons are standard length.

He shot a 3-under 68 on Thursday at Black Desert Resort in his first round since the BMW Championship in August. After the round, Day explained what led to this; he said he felt his iron-fighting skills weren’t where they needed to be, so he started looking at options with coach Colin Swatton. Day has not ranked in the top 100 in stroke scoring on the PGA Tour since 2016, when he was the world’s No. 1 player.

“I’m a free agent there, so I can go out and see what’s best,” said Day, who was recently playing with a set of TaylorMade P7CBs. “Stumbled across Avoda, and obviously Bryson has had some success with it. He won at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst with Avoda irons. But I just told my coach, talk to these guys and see what they think.

“[Swatton] Hangs up the phone and calls me and he says, ‘Man, in all my years in this industry, I’ve never had anyone explain everything like they do. ‘”

PGA Tour Live host Lisa Cornwell reported on Thursday’s broadcast that Swaton’s conversation with Avoda’s Tom Bailey and Tom Lewis lasted 90 minutes. This led to Day personally meeting with the Avoda team, who 3D printed multiple sets of iron prototypes to his specifications.

Day still dropped the ball on approach during his first round with the new irons, but said he didn’t believe it was his final setup.

“There’s a process. After this week, we’re obviously going to get back together and see where we need to improve,” Day said. I think now I’d like to see a little bit more of a — a little bit more of an offset. Try to make more turns. If there was more offset, it would actually make the ball a little higher in the air, which would be nice. “

He also added that he wanted to look at the groove to see if he could get more spins.

With longevity in mind, Day, 37, has made two other changes to his iron set-up. He has been a long-time user of True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 shafts, the heaviest and strongest shaft in the Dynamic Gold series. This week, he used 110-gram KBS TGI 110X graphite shafts in his irons and two Vokey wedges. He also added a JumboMax JMX Zen Lite grip, which along with a lighter shaft makes it “easier on the body.”

The TGI shaft also matches the KBS Proto shaft he uses for flex profiles in the wood.

“In theory, I think I have the same shaft profile from 60 degrees all the way through the driver,” he said. The goal is to be able to swing, with one swing, the flight you want for any ball, whether it’s a hook or a hook. To me it’s a draw. Go out there and hook the ball and use pretty much the same swing and hope it produces the same shot over and over again. “

Looking for the 14th club

With the new set of irons, Day joins a growing list of tour players who are throwing the 4-iron out of their bags entirely, which brings us back to the topic of this story.

Day has yet to find a replacement for the 4-iron slot in the bag, which formerly housed a TaylorMade P790.

He does become the latest player to add Callaway’s new 2025 Apex Utility wood to his kit, adding 21 degrees of head flex to 18.6 degrees off the tee, following his six-year-old TaylorMade M6 3-wood. The next club is his 5-iron.

Callaway 2025 Apex Custom Utility Wood

Apex UW is designed for serious, avid golfers looking for the perfect combination of fairway wood power and hybrid wood versatility. It’s engineered with Tour Feedback and loaded with performance technology to deliver a higher, more neutral ball flight and the control all players demand. Tungsten Velocity Wave Dynamic’s 41g+ Tungsten Wave construction positions mass low and forward, increasing ball speed and launch – especially on low-face shots where players tend to lose distance. Stepped Sole Design The redesigned sole features a stepped geometry that reduces turf interaction to help maintain swing speed at impact and promotes more consistent contact from ball to ball. Tri-Axis Carbon Crown lightweight carbon construction allows for strategic weight redistribution to create a more forgiving clubhead while improving launch and spin for better shot control. Tour-inspired styling With input from the world’s top players, the compact, refined shape and neutral face angle inspire confidence at impact and provide maneuverability from tee to green.

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Also available at: PGA Tour Supermarket, Callaway

“I’m actually going to play 13 clubs here this week. I’m missing one club,” Day said. “I want to hit 23 degrees [UW]which is perfect for the 21-degree irons and 5-irons I’m playing. It’s about 230, 229. The 21 degree Apex, Callaway, is about 250 in the air, so I need something that’s right in between that and should cover the whole thing. “

Day seems to be doing all kinds of testing this week…not just on the practice field, but in actual games, and he said he still has more work to do.

“I think we’re in the testing phase,” he said. “You know, we still have to find the right gap, have to find the right spin, so obviously it’s going to be more testing for me.”

With Day’s spot in next season’s signature event already locked up, he’s fairly free to compete in whatever fall event he chooses to compete in. It’s almost like he’s using this week as a testing ground for his new gear setup.

It will be interesting to see if other pros who finish in the top 50 of the FedExCup adopt this strategy for the rest of the season or next year.

look at this

This section is dedicated to a cool photo we recently took on tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out Paul Peterson’s Nike Vapor Pro Irons. Peterson shot a 5-under 66 in the first round in an effort to retain his PGA Tour status.

odds and ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Not too many notable changes this week… Ping’s S259 wedges were launched on the DP World Tour, despite no reports last week.

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Cobra 3DP Tour Custom Irons

KING 3D Printed TOUR irons use 3D printing technology to unlock a new realm of performance. Their unique design features the most forgiving blade shape on the market, providing the forgiveness that aspiring golfers demand, along with the sleek look and soft feel that better golfers crave. 3D Printed Steel Construction Each iron is fully 3D printed from 316 stainless steel. 3D printing offers significant advantages over traditional casting and forging methods, allowing for more design freedom and significant performance improvements. Player-Forgiving Blade Shape 3D printing opens up new design possibilities, allowing COBRA engineers to create a compact blade shape with the quality attributes of a game-improving iron (high MOI, low center of gravity) without sacrificing the look and soft feel that better players demand. Internal Lattice Structure COBRA uses a muscle back plate shape (similar in size and shape to KING TOUR irons) and transforms the inside of the blade into a complex internal lattice structure, reducing the weight of the club by 33%. Reposition discretionary weight to optimize feel, center of gravity position and moment of inertia.

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2024 MyGolf Spy Holiday Employee Wish List Speed ​​Sticks Pro are the most significant evolution in swing speed training since the release of our original SuperSpeed ​​golf training system, taking speed training equipment to a whole new level. “These are some next-level innovations that will help you reach your personal best in swing speed.” – Padraig Harrington, 3-time major champion and World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Customize your speed club with the Inertia Match System 10-piece weight set to precisely match your driver for optimal gain. Improved aerodynamics with 3 airflow adjusters make these the fastest rockers ever! The upgraded shaft includes a load zone for optimized downswing loading and a torque zone for optimized release. Tour pressure grip promotes optimal grip pressure throughout the swing. A single-club travel version in which the mid-weight blue club can be used alone and features interchangeable weights. All SuperSpeed ​​golf training systems include lifetime access to our free mobile app for iOS and Android, which includes access to all of our Level 1 training protocols and the ability to track your speed training gains. Bundle and save up to $30! Get instant feedback and track your progress by adding our easy-to-use training technology

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Want to reinvent your bags in 2025? Find a club fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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