When you look at the game of Zach Johnson, you see a master craftsman at work. The two-time major champion, including a victory at The Masters, has built an incredible career not on eye-popping power, but on precision, strategy, and an absolutely-lethal short game. This article will break down the exact clubs in Zach Johnson's bag, explaining not just *what* he uses, but *why* he uses it, and how his approach can help you choose better clubs for your own game.
Understanding the "Why": Zach Johnson's Equipment Philosophy
Before listing the specific models, it’s important to understand Zach Johnson's game. He is not, and has never been, a bomber who tries to overpower a golf course. Instead, he’s a strategist who plays a game of position and execution. His goal off the tee is to find the fairway. His goal with his irons is to hit his exact yardage. His goal around the greens is to get up and down from anywhere. Every club in his bag is chosen to support this philosophy.
For you, the takeaway is simple: build a bag that fits your game, not the game you think you should have. Zach's success is a powerful reminder that hitting it the straightest, not necessarily the longest, often leads to lower scores.
What Golf Clubs Does Zach Johnson Use? A Full Breakdown
Zach has been a Titleist staff player for the majority of his career, and his bag reflects a deep trust in their equipment. While pros can test and change clubs, this setup is a very accurate representation of what he brings to the course week in and week out.
Driver
Club: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 661 EVO TR X
The Titleist TSR3 driver is known for its precise adjustability and traditional pear shape, which appeals to players who like to "work" the ball. The key feature of the TSR3 is its SureFit CG Track, which allows a player to place a weight in one of five positions to promote a fade, draw, or a more neutral ball flight. For a feel player a lot like Zach, this fine-tuning capability is everything.
Interestingly, he uses a 10-degree head, which is a bit more loft than you might see from some tour pros. This promotes a higher launch and more forgiveness. It's a classic "fairway finder" setup, prioritizing control and a reliable ball flight over chasing every last yard of distance. This is a lesson right here: more loft can often be your friend, helping you stay in play more often.
Fairway Woods
- 3-Wood: Titleist TSR2+ (14.5 degrees)
- 5-Wood: Titleist TSR3 (18 degrees)
Here you see the first signs of conscious "blending" in his bag. He uses the TSR2+ model for his 3-wood. The "+" model has a slightly larger head and deeper face, making it a cannon off the tee - almost like a mini-driver. It's a perfect club for short par 4s or for reaching par 5s in two when he needs reliability.
His 5-wood, however, is the TSR3 model. This more compact head is much better for hitting from the fairway or even light rough. He can maneuver this club more easily, controlling trajectory and shape into greens. The higher 18 degrees of loft tells you this club is about a specific distance and a soft landing, not brute force.
The Iron Setup: A Masterclass in Blending
This is where Zach Johnson’s “custom-built” approach really shines. Very few top players use a single model of iron from 4-iron to pitching wedge. They mix and match to get the performance they need from each club. This is called a combo set.
- 4-Iron: Titleist T200
- 5-Iron: Titleist T100
- Irons (6-9): Titleist 620 MB
Let's break this down:
Long Iron (4-iron): The Titleist T200
The T200 is what a lot of people call a "player's distance" iron. It has a hollow-body construction and tungsten weighting that packs a lot more forgiveness and ball speed than a traditional blade. For Zach, this makes his 4-iron easier to launch high and far, serving as a reliable utility club for long approach shots.
Mid Iron (5-iron): The Titleist T100
The T100 is the most popular iron on the PGA Tour. It has the look and feel of a classic player's iron but with a bit of modern forgiveness built in through co-forged tungsten. As he gets into the scoring clubs, he transitions from the more distance-oriented T200 to this more feel-oriented T100. It gives him more control but still has a safety net for slight mishits.
Short Irons (6-9): The Titleist 620 MB
Finally, in the true scoring part of the bag, he uses pure muscle back blades (MB). The Titleist 620 MBs offer zero frills. They are thin, beautifully-forged pieces of steel that provide maximum feedback and workability. In the hands of a great ball-striker, these irons allow for pinpoint control over distance and trajectory. When he has a 7-iron in his hand, he wants to know he can hit a low spinning draw or a high floating fade on command - and these are the tools for the job.
The Scoring Zone: Wedges
If the irons are important, the wedges are Zach Johnson's surgical instruments. This is where he has made millions of dollars. He is a Titleist Vokey loyalist and carries four of them to cover every possible yardage inside 130 yards.
- Pitching Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48 degrees, F Grind)
- Gap Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52 degrees, S Grind)
- Sand Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (56 degrees, F Grind)
- Lob Wedge: Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks Proto (60 degrees, V Grind)
What's important here is not just the lofts, but the grinds. A wedge's "grind" is the shaping of the sole, which affects how it interacts with the turf. For example, his 60-degree V Grind is incredibly versatile, with grinding in the heel, toe, and trailing edge allowing him to open the face for a flop shot without the leading edge coming too high off the ground.
He is meticulous about his gapping, ensuring there isn't a distance inside his full swing that he can't comfortably hit. Paying attention to your own wedge gapping and learning about different grinds is one of the fastest ways for an amateur to improve their short game.
The Iconic Putter
Club: SeeMore FGP
This putter is as famous as the man who wields it. Zach Johnson has used his SeeMore FGP for nearly his entire professional career, winning both of his majors with it. It's not a flashy, multi-material mallet, it's a simple, face-balanced blade with a unique alignment system.
The system is called RifleScope Technology (RST). On the top of the heel of the putter are two white lines flanking a red dot on the shaft. The goal is to set up to the ball and hide the red dot with the shaft between the two white lines. When the dot is hidden, you know your face is square to your intended line. For a game that comes down to fractions of a degree, this simple visual aid gives Zach the confidence that he is set up perfectly every single time.
Putting It All Together: Lessons From Zach's Bag
Looking at Zach Johnson’s equipment list is like reading a manual on how to play smart, strategic golf. Here are the key principles you can apply to your own bag:
- Don’t Chase Distance, Chase Fairways: His driver setup is all about finding the short grass. Don’t be afraid to use a higher-lofted driver or a more forgiving model if it helps you hit more fairways.
- Use Hybrids/Woods Wisely: Zach uses forgiving fairway woods to replace his long irons. If you struggle with your 3, 4, or 5-iron, a hybrid or a 7-wood might be a much easier club to hit.
- Consider a Combo Iron Set: You don't need one set of irons. Get forgiveness in your long irons (like the T200) and precision in your short irons (like the 620 MBs). This gives you the best of both worlds.
- Get Serious About Your Wedges: Your wedges are your money clubs. Make sure your lofts are properly gapped (usually 4-6 degrees apart) and learn what bounce and grind work for your swing and typical course conditions.
- Find a Putter That Solves a Problem: Zach's SeeMore solves his alignment. Find a putter that helps with your specific issue - whether it's alignment, speed control, or stability. And when you find it, stick with it!
Final Thoughts
Zach Johnson's golf bag is a perfect reflection of his game: thoughtful, precise, and built for scoring. It’s evidence that choosing clubs which complement your strengths and minimize your weaknesses is a far better strategy than simply gaming the latest and longest equipment on the market.
Building a bag that truly fits your game starts with understanding your tendencies, something we built Caddie AI to help with. By analyzing your performance, we can help you identify if you'd benefit more from a fairway-finder driver like Zach's or if you really do need those more forgiving irons. Having that expert insight in your pocket makes it much simpler to make smart equipment decisions that lead to lower scores.