Rickie Fowler’s iconic style and revitalized game have put his equipment choices squarely in the spotlight, and for good reason. His move back to a familiar putter sparked one of the PGA Tour's biggest trends and saw him return to the winner's circle. This article will break down every club in Rickie Fowler's latest What's In The Bag, giving you the details and, more importantly, the coaching insights into why he plays what he does.
As one of the faces of Cobra/Puma Golf for his entire professional career, Rickie’s bag is unsurprisingly dominated by Cobra clubs. However, like many tour players, he uses a blend of different brands to build his perfect setup. His bag is a masterclass in custom fitting, pairing the latest high-tech releases with trusted, player-preferred designs. Let's take a look at the specific tools he trusts to compete at the highest level.
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 70 X
Rickie has put Cobra’s newest technology into play with the Darkspeed driver. He uses the LS (Low Spin) model, which is designed for skilled players with high swing speeds who need to reduce backspin for a more penetrating ball flight and maximum distance. Most notably, he 'lofts down,' taking a 9-degree head and adjusting it to just 7.5 degrees of effective loft. This is a common adjustment for tour pros who generate incredible speed and launch the ball high, de-lofting the driver helps them control a "flatter" trajectory that performs better in windy conditions and gets more roll-out.
The average golfer shouldn’t try to copy Rickie’s 7.5-degree setting. That low loft requires immense clubhead speed to get the ball airborne. However, we can learn from his choice. The Darkspeed LS features an extremely aerodynamic shape and a forward-weighting system. The concept is simple: a more slippery clubhead design moves faster through the air, and pushing weight forward reduces spin. While you might not need the LS version, the technology across the entire Darkspeed line aims to increase speed. It’s a reminder that modern drivers are incredible engines, and finding the right head and loft combination for your swing is one of the quickest ways to gain yardage.
Shaft: Aldila Tour Green 75 TX
For his 3-wood, Rickie opts for the Darkspeed X model. This might seem surprising given he plays the Darkspeed LS model in his driver, but it speaks to the different jobs clubs have to do. The 'X' model is the middle sibling in the Darkspeed family, offering a blend of distance and forgiveness. It has its weight positioned slightly further back than the LS, which promotes a slightly higher launch and more stability on off-center hits.
A 3-wood is arguably the most versatile club in the bag. It has to be powerful off the tee on tight par-4s but also playable from the fairway on long par-5s. By choosing the more forgiving "X" model, Rickie is giving himself a larger margin for error on those difficult shots from the turf. Many amateurs could benefit from this thinking. Prioritizing forgiveness over that last yard of distance in your fairway woods can lead to more greens hit in two and drastically reduce the number of penalizing mishits.
Shafts: KBS C-Taper 125 S+
Here’s where you see the feel and precision of a world-class ball-striker. Rickie primarily plays a set of Cobra King Forged MB (Muscle Back) irons, which are custom prototypes designed specifically for him. These are true "blades", featuring a solid piece of forged steel with minimal perimeter weighting. They offer the ultimate in feel and workability, allowing a player like Rickie to shape shots on command.
Occasionally, you will see him blend his set, sometimes subbing in a more forgiving Cobra King Tour (a cavity-back design) model in his 4-iron for a bit more launch and stability at the long end of the set.
Let's be very clear: muscle-back blades are for elite ball-strikers. Because the weight is concentrated directly behind the center of the face, a pure strike feels incredible, but a mishit feels punishing and loses significant distance. The average golfer will almost always score better with more forgiving cavity-back irons that offer a larger sweet spot.
However, the concept of a combo set is something every golfer can learn from. It’s common to struggle with launching your 4 or 5-iron as high and consistently as your shorter irons. Swapping in a more forgiving model (like a cavity-back or even a utility iron) for just your long irons can make the top end of your bag much easier to hit without sacrificing the precision you might want in your scoring clubs (7-iron through pitching wedge).
Shafts: KBS Tour 610 120 S
Rickie’s wedge setup is a perfect example of a tour pro who isn't afraid to mix and match to get his setup perfect for his needs. While he trusts Cobra for his gap wedge, he turns to the most popular wedges on tour - Titleist Vokeys - for his sand and lob wedges. He carries a 54°, a 56° bent weak to 57°, and a 60°. This setup gives him very specific yardage gaps and options around the green.
Wedges are all about feel and turf interaction. The specific shape of the sole, known as the "grind," is tailored to a player’s style of chipping and pitching (are they a 'digger' or a 'sweeper'?) and the typical course conditions they face (firm and fast vs. soft and lush). Rickie’s choice of the Vokey T-Grind on his 60-degree, for instance, is a low-bounce option perfect for the firm, tight lies often found on tour. For amateurs, the key takeaway is the importance of "gapping." Take your pitching wedge's loft and work backwards in 4-6 degree increments to build your wedge set. This prevents awkward "in-between" distances and gives you a full-swing option for any shot inside of 120 yards.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 3.0 17"
This is the club that started a revolution. Back in 2023, Rickie Fowler switched back to a unique Odyssey Versa Jailbird mallet putter with a distinctive black-and-white "Versa" alignment scheme. His immediate success with it sparked one of the biggest equipment trends in recent memory, with Ryder Cup teammates Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley putting near-identical models in play and finding success of their own. The putter head is known for its high MOI (Moment of Inertia), which means it resists twisting on off-center strikes, helping putts start on line even when your contact isn't perfect.
The success of the "Fowler Putter" comes down to one thing: confidence. The bold alignment stripes make it incredibly easy to see where your putter is aimed, and the longer SuperStroke grip (17 inches) encourages a more stable, "hands-off" stroke by engaging the larger muscles rather than creating a wristy motion. For any amateur who struggles with sending putts offline or has overly active hands, testing a high-MOI mallet and a similar counter-balanced or longer grip style could be a game-changer. It simplifies the aiming process and stabilizes the stroke - two elements that will help any golfer make more putts.
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x Pix
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align
Completing his setup, Rickie uses the TaylorMade TP5x Pix golf ball. The TP5x is a 5-piece tour-level ball designed for high ball speeds and low spin off the driver, while still maintaining excellent spin and control around the greens. Rickie has been instrumental in the development of the unique 'pix' visual pattern, which helps with alignment on the greens and provides feedback on the quality of the roll. For his grips, he uses the extremely popular Golf Pride Tour Velvet with Align technology, which features a raised ridge on the underside to promote consistent hand placement for every shot.
Rickie Fowler's bag is a beautiful fusion of the latest technology with classic, feel-based player designs. From the low-spin powerhouse Darkspeed driver to his precision blades and the trend-setting Odyssey putter, every single club is chosen and fine-tuned for a specific purpose that fits his aggressive style of play.
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