Nate Lashley earned a living working in real estate after university, and like most people in that field he is keenly aware of the credo, “Location, location, location.”
Now 36 years old and in his second year on the US PGA Tour, Lashley is more concerned with the location of his approach shots, and at the Rocket Mortgage Classic he had them on target enough to win the inaugural playing at Detroit Golf Club by six strokes over Doc Redman.
A not long, but long enough type off the tee (he ranked 42nd for the week in distance), Lashley still ranked sixth in strokes gained: tee to green and was T-4 in greens in regulation, missing just 13 of them over 72 holes and hitting 16 each in his second and third rounds.
Lashley’s irons are Ping’s i210 model, a cavity-back players iron that is designed to provide distance, but with consistency. The 431 stainless steel casting (which provides a softer steel than traditional 17-4 stainless steel) includes milled grooves that change through the set, with tighter spacing on the wedges than on the 3 through 9-irons. Lashley’s irons have Project X LZ 6.5 shafts and Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet grips.
Lashley also added a new 60-degree wedge this week, Ping’s Glide 3.0 (thin-sole model) that he used to pull off a nifty bunker shot on the par-3 11th to help save par and keep his cushion at five shots.
Lashley was also banging in putts, ranking second in putts per green in regulation and second in stokes gained: putting. Lashley relied on the uniquely shaped Ping Scottsdale Wolverine mallet with a centre shaft. Lashley’s putter is 34.5 inches in length with 4 degrees of loft.
The clubs Nate Lashley had in the bag at the Rocket Mortgage Classic:
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Driver: Ping G410 LST (Fujikura Ventus 6X) , 10.5 degrees
3-wood: Ping G410 LST, 14.5 degrees
7-wood: Ping G410, 20.5 degrees
Irons (4-PW): Ping i210
Wedges: Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth (50, 54 degrees); Ping Glide 3.0 (60 degrees)
Putter: Ping Scottsdale Wolverine C
