“I feel like golf is hard enough” - Tom Kim explains why he doesn’t use blade irons while talking about his WITB
Kim Joo-hyung, commonly known as Tom Kim, is a fan favorite on the PGA Tour. The golfer, who successfully defended his Shriners Children's Open title last week, is considered one of the rising stars as well. However, the golfer is not the most ‘traditional’ styled player out there. Kim’s dislike for blade irons explains the same.
Kim was recently talking about his bag when he revealed that he’s not a fan of blade irons, despite currently being ranked 10th in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green.
The 21-year-old South Korean golfer said that he has played with T100 irons for the last 3-4 years. Dismissing blades, he stated that “golf is hard enough” and he was trying to “make it as easy as possible.”
Speaking about his irons, Tom Kim said, as quoted by the PGA Tour:
“From 4-9 iron, I play the T100. I’ve played T100’s for the last 3-4 years, and obviously they came out with a new model this year. I don’t really like playing with blades. I feel like golf is hard enough; try to make it as easy as possible.”
Tom Kim explains his WITB
The PGA Tour golfer went on to reveal what was in his bag and the reason behind each pick. Speaking about his equipment, Tom Kim said:
“I play the TSR3 driver. This is what I’ve played the whole year. As soon as I hit it, I didn’t really want to test anything else. It felt right, right away, and my driver stats have been pretty good this year… For the 3-wood, I have the TSi3. I was looking for a little bit higher ball flight, but at the same time, I needed my spin to drop."
"So the 3-iron, I have a T200 with a (Fujikura) Ventus Black shaft. It’s a nice addition to the bag… I have my putter with me. I play a (Scotty Cameron) GSS blade," he continued. "I have a dot on the top, and a line at the bottom. I’ve played this putter for more than a year now.
"I think my first event with the putter was actually at the Presidents Cup last year, and it worked pretty well. So it’s been in the bag a long time, and it doesn’t plan to leave any time soon."
Interestingly, the golfer added that he was carrying a hybrid in the bag this week. Explaining his hybrid choice, Tom Kim said that he had a 19-degree TSR3 hybrid, which he used at the Masters this year. He said that it was “really easy to hit.”
As for wedges, Kim actually has a new set of wedges. He said that he got a 46-degree Vokey wedge, a 53-degree gap wedge and a 59-degree lob wedge. He noted that Titleist even stamped South Korean national flag colors on the wedge for him.
It is pertinent to note that Tom Kim doesn’t often change his equipment. The golfer is a “set-it-and-forget-it type of player” and his wedge upgrade is indeed a special one.