Tricks

Want to make your grips feel a small smaller? Try this key used by Jim Furyk. The 2003 U.S. Open champion wraps a three-inch strip of tape near the butt end of the shaft, then wraps a further four-inch strip a bit further down. Finally, a small below the four-inch strip, he adds a five-inch swath. The layering gives his grips a smaller feel.

Tools

New to this page is a spotlight on equipment used by a tour player — either a golfer who has made a major change or one who has clubs of particular interest. This week: Charles Howell III, whose bag has undergone a makeover since signing with Bridgestone. Note the mixed iron set and a return to the putter CHIII used in society. Ball: Bridgestone B-330S. Driver: TaylorMade r7 SuperQuad, 9.5 degrees. 3-wood: TaylorMade Burner TP, 14.5 degrees. 5-wood: TaylorMade Burner TP, 17.5 degrees. Irons (3-6): Bridgestone J36 CB (pictured); (7-PW): Bridgestone J36 Blade. Wedges: Bridgestone WC (54 degrees); Ping Tour W (60 degrees). Putter: Ping i-Series B60.

Bag Room

When teeing off at the 17th hole during the opening round of the Mercedes-Benz Finals, Brandt Snedeker cracked the head of his TaylorMade r7 425 driver, sending the ball into the [hazard]. “I’ve had that driver for a long time, and I guess finally it had too much,” said Snedeker, who tried more than 10 possible replacements before settling on a further r7 425 for the final three rounds. … Mark Calcavecchia used a pair of putters — Ping G5i Craz-E H belly model and a conventional-length Ping Redwood Anser — at Kapalua. Calcavecchia, who uses the shorter putter for long putts and the belly for the shorties, employed the same tactic last year in three late-season events. Calc ranked T-14 in putts per GIR.

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