STORY Winner of 24 PGA Tour events, including the 2020 Masters and the 2016 U.S. Open.
FAST LEARNER Johnson was mostly self-taught in his younger days, watching the swings of other golfers at Weed Hill Driving Range in Columbia, S.C., and then applying what he saw to his game. His father, Scott, was a club pro, and took Johnson to the range when he was 6.
SPECS TaylorMade SIM2, 10.5°, Fujikura Ventus Black proto 6X shaft, 45.75 inches.
▶ I sometimes switch drivers for no other reason than a change of pace, but the new SIM2 will be my gamer. It takes me time to make a change because I like to see a lot of loft, but the head needs to sit square. If I don’t see enough loft, I instinctively hang back to try and get the ball up in the air.
▶ My 3-wood and 7-wood each go a specific distance. I want my 3-wood to consistently go in that 285-yard range. The 7-wood gives me a little more ammunition to bring one in high and soft on the greens from about 260 yards out.
Irons
SPECS TaylorMade P730 (3-PW), True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts, soft stepped, Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R grips.
▶ The workability of a blade is what I like in these. A cavity-back is usually harder to move. I tend to hit them low and to the right because the blade length is longer, and that throws my release off. I hit my blade irons higher and straighter.
▶ The rust might have you think I keep wedges a long time, but I actually change my 60-degree every few events. The soles are milled so that they stay consistent from wedge to wedge. I can switch in the middle of a tournament, and it doesn’t bother me.
▶ I’ll tinker a little, but I don’t really like to change putters. I might put mine in a time out for a couple of rounds, but I’ve putted with the same black Spider for the past five or six years. It works well with my stroke.
The big switch
▶ I like the new TaylorMade TP5x and how it feels coming off the putter. I start testing around the green then work down the bag toward the longer clubs to test the spin rates.
I love my 60s
▶ Quarters that are from the 1960s are about the only thing I always have in the bag that’s a little different. I keep any quarter I find from the 1960s. They’re a good reminder of the scores I’m trying to get to.
Signature sticks
▶ Making sure my alignment at address is correct is so important. I have these two alignment sticks with me all the time to help me with that. These also happen to have my name on them.
