NEWS FROM THE TOUR VANS
BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOLF PRIDE, THE #1 GRIP ON TOUR
Bernhard Langer is a bit of a marvel. He’s 67 years old, and in February, while playing pickleball, he tore his Achilles tendon, forcing him to postpone his planned farewell at the Masters until 2025.
Two weeks ago, Langer won the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup against the best 50-and-older players in the world, firing a final-round 66 to extend his record total of PGA Tour Champions victories to 47 and extend his streak of winning at least one senior event in 18 consecutive seasons.
Add that to his 42 European tour wins (second only to Seve Ballesteros’ 50), three PGA Tour titles (a Heritage tartan and two green jackets) and victories in pro events on every golfing continent and it’s pretty clear why the German was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.
But if you happened upon Langer’s sticks leaning against the stand at the bag drop, you’d never guess the hodge-podge collection of clubs adorned with lead tape, custom weight ports and Sharpie markings belonged to one of the game’s all-time greats.
Langer’s Charles Schwab-winning setup had a driver from Ping, fairways by TaylorMade, hybrids from Adams, three different iron models from Tour Edge, wedges by Cleveland and Titleist and an Odyssey putter from Callaway. When you’re pushing 70 and you’re as successful as Langer, you do what and play with whatever you want.
Among the most interesting elements in Langer’s bag is his 18-degree Adams Idea Pro Tour Prototype hybrid, a classic model that dates to 2006. Langer has a little lead tape across the back heel.
His Tour Edge irons – Exotics CBX (4-6), Exotics Pro 723 (7-9) and BL Proto (PW) – are each built independently to the meticulous standards of a player whom Colin Montgomerie’s caddie once asked if he wanted the yardage “from the front or back of the sprinkler head” during the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah’s Ocean Course. His longer irons have custom weight ports that allow Langer to dial in precision with each club.
The most defining club in Langer’s bag is the Odyssey White Hot 2-ball long putter, which he went to after golf’s rules makers outlawed anchoring. It features two splits to specifically suit Langer: two regular Golf Pride club grips to custom fit how he grabs the putter and a thick Sharpie line bisecting the 2-ball alignment design on the crown to show his target line. His method paid off at the end when he buried a 30-foot birdie putt on the last green at Phoenix Country Club for a one-shot victory over season-long Charles Schwab Cup champion Steven Alker and Richard Green.
Scott Michaux