Okay, here’s my take on a blog post about Padraig Harrington’s WITB (What’s In The Bag). I’m gonna walk you through my attempt to recreate it, see if it improves my game at all, and give you the lowdown on how it went.
My Padraig Harrington WITB Experiment
So, I was watching some old golf highlights the other day, and Padraig Harrington’s name popped up. Got me thinking about his club selection back in his prime. I did a little digging and found a breakdown of what he used to carry. I got this crazy idea: could I improve my game by switching to a similar setup? Spoiler alert: it was a journey.
First thing I did was research. I mean really research. I needed to know the exact clubs, shafts, grips – the whole shebang. I found a few articles and forum posts detailing what he played during his major-winning years. It was stuff like a Cleveland Launcher driver, Srixon irons, and some kind of old-school putter.
Then came the hunting phase. This was the toughest part. Those clubs are ancient! eBay became my best friend (and my worst enemy, because some of those prices were outrageous). I managed to snag a Cleveland Launcher driver – not exactly the same year, but close enough. The Srixon irons were a little easier to find, luckily. Let me tell you, tracking down that specific putter was like searching for a unicorn!
After what felt like forever, I finally had all the pieces. Now it was time for some retrofitting. The grips were totally shot on most of the clubs, so I replaced them with something similar to what Harrington used – Lamkin Crossline, if I remember right. I also checked the lie angles and lofts, tweaked them a bit to match my swing (or at least, what I thought matched my swing).
Okay, finally hitting the course! This is where things got interesting. That Cleveland Launcher driver… man, it was loud! But surprisingly long. Not as forgiving as my modern driver, but when I hit it pure, it really flew. The Srixon irons felt pretty good too. They were definitely different than my current irons – more blade-like, less forgiving. But they gave me great feel around the greens.
The putter, though… oh boy, that putter. It was a blade putter, super old school. I struggled with distance control at first. It was totally different from my modern mallet putter. But after a few rounds, I started to get the hang of it. I actually started making some putts I usually miss!
So, what’s the verdict? Did I magically become Padraig Harrington? Nah, not even close. My scores didn’t suddenly drop 10 strokes. But the experiment was definitely worthwhile.
Here’s what I learned:
Old clubs can still perform. Technology has improved, sure, but a well-struck shot with an older club can still go a long way.
Feel is important. Those Srixon irons gave me a much better sense of what the club was doing during the swing.
Putting is all about confidence. That old putter forced me to focus more on my stroke and less on the technology.
Would I switch to a full Padraig Harrington WITB setup permanently? Probably not. But I’m definitely going to incorporate some of those older clubs into my bag. Maybe I’ll keep the driver for a while, and I’m definitely keeping that putter! It just goes to show you don’t need the newest and fanciest equipment to improve your game, sometimes a little trip down memory lane can do the trick. Give it a try, it might surprise you!
