It is not unusual for golfers on the PGA Tour to switch equipment.  Most players including Tiger and Phil did so at some point.

The question is:  is it about the equipment or is it about the sponsorship money that flows from such deals?

Brooks Koepka recently signed with Nike.  As they say in the golf industry money talks, and Nike speaks with ‘a loud voice’ when it comes to sponsorship money.

That is why Zach Johnson’s equipment change comes as a surprise.  As a 12 time winner on the PGA Tour with two Majors, the most recent being the 2015 British Open, Johnson could probably get an equipment deal from a number of big name companies. But Johnson did not sign with Nike, Taylormade, Ping or for that matter any of the big names in the golf equipment industry.

He chose instead to join Billy Horshell, Chris Kirk, Ryan Moore, Charles Howell III, James Hahn and Rocco Mediate (not unknowns but also not in the golfing elite) and signed with an equipment company called Parsons Extreme Golf.

If you have never heard of Parsons Extreme Golf  you are not alone.  Parsons Extreme Golf is an unknown.  It is a company recently formed by Bob Parsons of Go Daddy fame with the aim of manufacturing  “the best clubs in the world” regardless of price.

The clubs Johnson will be playing are the PXG model, an innovative hollow core design with tungsten screws on the perimeter.  It would appear to be a very forgiving players club with a very thin face.

The Specifications for the irons as provided by the manufacturer are as follows:

In the past some players on the Tour have stumbled, some mightily, after making an equipment change.  It will be interesting to watch Zach Johnson in 2016.  Johnson is known for his ball striking, especially with his wedges.  As one of the shorter hitters on the Tour, Johnson relies on his irons and wedges to get it close on par 4’s and 5’s. That is key to his success.

I’m thinking for Johnson to have signed with Parsons Extreme Golf, they must also have spoken with a fairly ‘loud voice’.