Justin Rose took the golfing world by surprise earlier this year when he decided to partner up with racing car manufacturer McLaren to launch – and use – a new range of clubs, but he insists things are going well.
Englishman Rose made the switch just weeks after his second near-miss at the Masters in succession, finishing tied for third place and just two strokes behind back-to-back champion Rory McIlroy. The switch came as a huge surprise to many, considering the clubs had never been used before and he’d been playing well.
At the time, Mirror US Sports exclusively reported that Rose was heavily involved in designing the clubs and had made multiple trips to McLaren HQ not too far from his home in the south of England. He was said to have poured his “heart and soul” into the project.
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The results haven’t followed, however. Rose finished in a tie for 65th place at the Miami Championship on his first trip out with the clubs, before a tie for 45th at the Truist Championship. He’s managed just one top-10 finish since making the switch, a tie for 10th place at the PGA Championship.
And ahead of the final major championship of the year, Rose admitted he and his team are still making constant changes, offering an insight into his involvement.
“Yeah, I’m really enjoying the equipment, enjoying the process, enjoying the whole project,” he said. “I’m excited about the future. I think we’re continually refining, and I’m very, very happy. The set of irons that I’m using are kind of — they’re a byproduct of all the things that I want to see in a set of golf clubs.
Justin Rose insists he’s happy with how his clubs are playing -Credit:GETTY
“Obviously it’s a small equipment manufacturer right now, so we can kind of turn things around quickly, make little changes. Really it’s like my own little golf company right now. It’s been a lot of fun.
“I think that I have preferences in terms of shape and sole and all the little things I’ve liked from some clubs and then I’ve taken another that I like from other clubs, and I’ve been able to blend it all into one set of clubs for me.
“Yeah, the McLaren Series 1 irons are the way I see golf essentially. When you look down at something, it tells a story. For me at address and at setup, everything is looking great, and the performance is fantastic.
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“A set of irons is a fairly easy switch to make, like I said, even in the short term. I’ve used multiple sets of clubs, different brands over the last few years, and I think irons are quite — they are personal, but at the same time, it’s a relatively easy switch.
“There’s a couple of things you need to see. You need to see good ball speed and you need to see good spin numbers.
“As long as those two parameters are there, you can really trust your game. So I felt like I hit the ground running from that point of view.”
