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Apr 12, 2024

Viktor Hovland: A deep dive into 2023 FedEx Cup champion’s equipment

Viktor Hovland arrived on the PGA Tour in 2019 with a fantastic resume, having won the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach, been the low amateur at the 2019 Masters and an All-American at Oklahoma

Viktor Hovland arrived on the PGA Tour in 2019 with a fantastic resume, having won the 2018 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach, been the low amateur at the 2019 Masters and an All-American at Oklahoma State, but the Norwegian’s game was not complete. By his own admission, Hovland’s short game lagged behind his driving and it was significantly underdeveloped compared to his iron play.

Five years later, Hovland’s chipping and pitching have dramatically improved, he’s longer off the tee and now is the 2023 FedEx Cup champion.

Golfweek spoke with Ping PGA Tour rep Kenton Oates on Sunday about Viktor Hovland’s equipment preferences, what he has tweaked over the years and what he needs from his gear.

Ping G425 LST driver. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

DRIVER: Ping G425 LST (9 degrees), with Fujikura Speeder 661 TX shaftStrokes Gained: Off the Tee: 0.717 (7th)Driving Average: 307.6 yards (42nd)Driving Accuracy: 63.7 percent (31st)Price: $399.98 (Down from $549.99)

“The G425 was the driver that really unlocked Viktor being able to go longer in length,” Oates said. “Before going into the G425, he played his driver at 44.75 inches. He wanted to go longer [to increase clubhead speed and distance], but always had a right miss with longer drivers and couldn’t find a setup to square up the face.”

Oates said that when the G425 LST (low spin tech) hit the PGA Tour, players said that if the club had a bias, it was left, which was music to Hovland’s ears.

“When we went through testing with Viktor for the G425, right away we realized that if this club goes left, we can go longer easily,” Oates said. “He was able to go up to 45.75 inches, which gave him a bunch of ball speed and not have that right miss. And, he loves the loud sound.”

According to Oates, the G425 LST has slightly more draw bias than the new G430 LST, and for that reason, Hovland has decided to stick with the older club. For Hovland, it straightens his left-to-right ball flight more effectively with a longer driver.

TaylorMade Stealth Plus+ fairway wood. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Blue 7X shaft.Price: $349.98 (Down from $429.99)

Unlike recreational golfers who rely on fairway woods when faced with tight fairways or when they need to reach long par 5s in two shots, Hovland’s 3-wood does not get a lot of use. He uses it off the tee when his driver brings too much risk into play.

Hovland has played a TaylorMade 3-wood for several seasons, having opted for a TaylorMade SIM 3-wood before changing into a Stealth Plus+ last season.

At the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in May, Hovland pulled out his driving iron and added a 21-degree Ping G430 7-wood, fitted with a Fujikura Ventus Blue TR 8 shaft, to help him handle the rough and bring shots into the greens more vertically.

Viktor Hovland’s Ping golf equipment. (David Dusek/golfweek)

IRONS: Titleist U505 (3), with Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 85 X shaft, Ping i210 (4-PW), with KBS Tour V 120X shaftsStrokes Gained: Approach the Green: 0.653 (10th)Greens in Regulation: 68.18 percent (31st)Proximity to the Hole: 34 feet, 11 inches (10th)

Hovland has used a few driving irons since arriving on the PGA Tour, having opted for a 2018 Callaway X Forged UT with 21 degrees of loft early in his pro career. At this season’s British Open, he switched to a new Titleist U505 3-iron that has 20 degrees of loft for the first time. However, the clubs that have been with Hovland the most are his Ping i210 irons.

Before Hovland signed an endorsement deal with Ping, he did not have a lot of experience with the brand’s irons, so according to Oates, he was open to trying everything in the company’s portfolio, and he did.

“After he turned professional, he went through the process of finding a style of irons that he likes,” Oates said. “He tried Blueprints, he tried iBlades, he tried i210s and it was a constant learning process.”

By Tour standards, Viktor Hovland’s swing is shallow and he does not create a lot of spin with his irons. The i210 has a lower center of gravity location than some of Ping’s other better-player clubs, which helps Hovland to hit high shots more easily. It also has a slightly higher moment of inertia, which boosts stability and encourages straighter-flying shots.

Ping Glide 4 wedges (David Dusek/Golfweek)

WEDGES: Ping Glide 4.0 (50 degrees adjusted to 49, 56 degrees adjusted to 54.5), Ping Glide 2.0 (60 degrees), with KBS Tour V 130 X shaftsStrokes Gained: Around the Green: 0.037 (93rd)Price: From $169.98 each

Last season, Hovland ended the year ranked 191st in Strokes Gained: Around the Green with an average of -0.651, which means he was giving away more than 2.6 shots over 72 holes to the field because of poor chipping, pitching and course management. As Hovland has worked to improve his short game and make better shot choices, he has made a few changes to his wedges. At the 2022 BMW Championship, he switched to a 58-degree Ping Glide 2.0 TS (thin sole) lob wedge that was bent to 60 degrees. Adding loft also adds bounce, so that low-bounce wedge went from having 6 degrees of bounce to a slightly more forgiving 8 degrees of bounce.

“Then, right before Augusta, he came up to me and said, ‘My short game is better, let me try to the 60 degrees at 60,'” Oates said. Ping’s 60-degree Glide 2.0 TS has 6 degrees of bounce, but with his improved technique, Hovland is now able to play greenside chips and pitches using the club.

Before the start of the Tour Championship, Hovland added a new Ping Glide 2.0 lob wedge to his bag. According to Oates, Hovland now gets a fresh lob wedge about once a month and he had planned to swap lob wedges last week before the start of the BMW Championship. However, the course was soft and he worried that fresh wedges could put too much spin on the ball and make shots grab too much, so he waited until he arrived at East Lake to make the change.

Hovland’s 50 and 56-degree Glide 4.0 wedges have been delofted slightly for gapping purposes. Hovland liked the smaller head of the Ping Forged Pro wedges and used those until the 2022 British Open, but the wider sole of the Glide 4.0 made the transition from Hovland’s irons into his wedges on full-swing shots smoother.

Viktor Hovland’s Ping putter. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

PUTTER: Ping PLD DS 72 customStrokes Gained: Putting: 0.236 (51st)

Before joining Ping, Hovland used a few different rounded, mid-size mallets and he was instrumental in the creation of the putter he has used for the past several seasons.

“As he came into the Ping putter lab over and over again, we kept listening to his comments,” Oates said. “He took ideas for puter putters he saw in the lab and said, ‘Hey, can you take the step-downs from this,’ and other things, having a running conversation with our engineers for about three or four weeks until we got some prototypes”

Hovland’s PLD DS 72 has 2.5 degrees of loft, is 36 inches long and has two lines in it, one on the top line and another on the back flange. When Hovland is set up over the ball, the two lines appear to be one continuous line, and it was an alignment feature that he requested Ping add.

Hovland has always used an extra long grip, but what really makes his flatstick unique is that it is made using raw carbon steel. That material rusts over time with exposure to moisture, giving it a dark, antique look.

Viktor Hovland’s Titleist Pro V1. (David Dusek/Golfweek)

BALL: Titleist Pro V1 – $54.99 per dozen

Hovland has used a Titleist Pro V1 throughout his professional career, but did play a few rounds early in the season with a Pro V1x because after returning to action at Kapalua, Hovland felt he was not spinning the ball enough. Hovland adds a line to his ball to help him aim putts more effectively.

See more equipment: Best irons and best drivers