What’s In My Bag: Hideki Matsuyama

By Australian Golf Digest

WHAT’S IN MY BAG
HIDEKI MATSUYAMA

Age
23

Born
Ehime, Japan

Resides
Sendai, Japan

Story
The 2010 Asian Amateur champion won for the first time on the US PGA Tour at the 2014 Memorial. “The words from Mr Nicklaus held great weight with me,” said Matsuyama. “It was a special experience.”

A Tough Decision
Most players want nothing more than an invitation to the Masters. But I was not sure I would play in 2011 after the Tohoku earthquake in Japan a month earlier. The people there pushed me to play, so I felt an honour and obligation to play the very best I could for them.

Golf Bag

DRIVER
Specs Srixon ZR-30, 9.5˚ loft, Graphite Design Tour AD DI-8 TX shaft, 44¾ inches
I’ve had the same driver since before I turned professional in 2013. It’s an older model (from 2008), but it still works very well. I don’t think I’ll change it anytime soon.

3-WOOD
Specs Ping G25, 15˚ loft, Graphite Design Tour AD DI-9 TX shaft, 42½ inches
Fairway woods are something I always look at. I need one off the tee and to hit the ball high off the ground. This club and other fairway woods I sometimes use do both of those well. The shaft is heavy at 95 grams.

IRONS
Specs Srixon Z U45, 2-iron; Srixon Z 945, 4-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts, S-flex, IOMIC X-Grips
There is lead tape on the back of all my irons. When I hit the ball, I want to feel more mass behind impact. It’s not affecting the flight. It just feels better.

WEDGES
Specs Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0, 50˚, 56˚, 60˚ loft, with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts, S-flex
I have quite a bit of bounce on my wedges, including 12 degrees on my 56-degree wedge. I can play a variety of shots because of that.   

PUTTER
Specs Scotty Cameron by Titleist GSS Timeless, 35 inches
It’s in my nature to always try to improve, so I’m constantly trying many putters  when practising and at tour events. But when it comes to game time, I always come back to this one. It’s the same putter I used to win the Memorial last year.“

Club Metres
Driver 256
3-Wood 233
2-Iron 215
4-Iron 200
5-Iron 192
6-Iron 180
7-Iron 169
8-Iron 155
9-Iron 140
PW 128
GW 114
SW 96
LW 82
*carry distance
Hideki Matsuyama
A little cup of heaven: I won the Silver Cup as low amateur at the 2011 Masters when I was 19.
Wanna play catch? I like to toss a baseball with both hands to warm up before a round. It helps my balance on both sides.
Wanna play catch? I like to toss a baseball with both hands to warm up before a round. It helps my balance on both sides.
The eyes don’t lie Seeing the numbers is great, which is why I purchased a TrackMan launch monitor. But what my eyes see is more important.
The eyes don’t lie: Seeing the numbers is great, which is why I purchased a TrackMan launch monitor. But what my eyes see is more important.
One long line A clean look is what I want when I look down at my Srixon Z-Star XV ball when putting. The long black line is very useful for alignment on the green without being distracting.
One long line: A clean look is what I want when I look down at my Srixon Z-Star XV ball when putting. The long black line is very useful for alignment on the green without being distracting.
Whatever works: A lot of players will use a certain ball marker, but I’ve never been like that. Whatever I pull out of my bag that day is what I’ll use for that round.
Whatever works: A lot of players will use a certain ball marker, but I’ve never been like that. Whatever I pull out of my bag that day is what I’ll use for that round.