Equipment Insider: Zach's iron mix pays dividends at Colonial

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You have to force yourself to think of gentlemanly Zach Johnson as aggressive. But that's just what he was on the golf course Sunday in Fort Worth, flinging a 64 and a tournament record total score at the field to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. To each his own, and if that means being mannerly while stepping on your neck between the ropes, so be it.

To each his own with iron mixes, too. We've been monitoring changes in the traditional set all season. But just as every swing is unique, so is every recipe for the most effective bag. Johnson's iron mix needs but one club outside the dominant model in the set.

Check out more of Adam Barr's equipment coverage at AdamBarrGolfGearGuide.com.

Zach's 5- through 9-irons are Titleist AP2s, a dual-cavity model with enough perimeter weighting to provide noticeable playability benefits. Chief among the weighting technologies is a tungsten-nickel "box" low in the clubhead. The dense tungsten adds some heft and keeps the center of gravity low. But the soft-feel forged steel body and the classic shape help retain some shotmaking utility, according to Titleist.

The one odd fellow in the bunch is the 4-iron, a Titleist AP1. Here, the perimeter weighting is both inside and out, complete with a tungsten-nickel sole bar placed very low. Again, the CG is down, but this design is even more stable.

Zach Johnson's longest iron features a stable design.

In The Bag

Check out what's in Zach Johnson's bag. Click for video

Not surprising that Zach would choose this for his longest iron, then. It came into play in setting up the clinching birdie at the 17th hole on Sunday. The 387-yard par 4 would seem to ask for more than 4-iron. But accuracy is the play on the dogleg right, where placing your tee ball too far right can block you out. Johnson hit a precision 4-iron, leaving himself a stock wedge and a routine putt.

Afterwards, though, Johnson said it was the birdie putt at No. 15, a 430-yard par 4, that calmed his nerves after a lip-out bogey on 14.

Johnson has been putting for years with a SeeMore model, which employs a red dot on the heel of the putter head to help with proper hand position. Hide the dot with the shaft at address, and your hands -- and therefore the putter head -- is in proper position for a solid strike. A SeeMore putter also famously helped the late Payne Stewart win the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst.

For Zach's thoughts on how the soles of his irons affect his ball striking, check out this video.

Oh, and it's not all equipment science that makes a winner. Scheduling matters too. Asked why he wins so much in Texas (this is the third time), Johnson first cited the kindness of Texans. Then he said, "I tend to schedule around the food, and I love the food here."

A guy that thin? Naaahhh....

BAG CHECK

The 1-iron may not be dead, at least in the hands of the young and confident. Derek Lamely, who won in Puerto Rico this year, had his Callaway X-Prototype 2-iron bent down to 15 degrees of loft in the TOUR van last week. He also had all the offset taken out, effectively turning the club into a 1-iron. Callaway tech staff believes Lamely may be the only knife-wielder on the PGA TOUR these days. ...

Peer pressure is a big deal on TOUR, especially where yardage is concerned. Justin Rose heard so many of his colleagues talking about how long the TaylorMade SuperFast driver has been for them. So Justin had one made in the TaylorMade van. The 9.5-degrees-of-loft model went straight into his bag. ...

Freddie Yock better watch the rock. Frederik Jacobson (Freddie Yock to his TOUR pals) damaged his Callaway Vintage X-Forged 58-degree wedge on a rock last week. The TOUR van staff was ready with a new one -- including the 10 degrees of bounce and Freddie's favored C-grind sole.