The Rundown:
Matsuyama’s 2020 Driver: TaylorMade SIM Driver
“The TaylorMade SIM Driver’s aerodynamic sole, sliding weight, and adjustable loft sleeve give this driver unmatched consistency. With jaw-dropping launch and forgiveness, the SIM Driver is best for low handicappers.”
Matsuyama’s 2020 Fairway Wood: TaylorMade SIM MAX Fairway Wood
“The SIM MAX’s V-Steel sole coupled with the Speed Pocket technology boost carry for maximum yardage. For mid handicappers who are looking for maximum distance with top-level consistency – the SIM MAX delivers the goods for golfers.”
Matsuyama’s 2020 Putter: Scotty Cameron Putter
“From the milled face that reduces skidding to the dual-weighting sole system that maintains balance, the Scotty Cameron Putter is first-rate from grip to head – buy it if you want the best high-end putter for low handicappers.”
A five-time winner on the PGA Tour, Hideki Matsuyama ascended to the rank of the world’s number two ranked golfer in 2017. Although Matsuyama hasn’t won a major, his influence on the game in his home country of Japan is significant.
Just 28 years old, Matsuyama has regularly switched up the clubs in his bag, with clubs from TaylorMade, Ping, and Srixon finding time in the golfer’s good graces.
In this Hideki Matsuyama WITB review, we are taking a look at what clubs the golfer currently prefers and how his choices can help you become a better golfer.




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Last updated on 2021-04-23. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.
Table of Contents
Hideki Matsuyama WITB: Every Club He Uses in 2021
TaylorMade SIM Driver
Incredibly Long, Innovate Driver for Low Handicappers
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PROS
- Aerodynamic sole that generates incredible swing speed while keeping head stable through impact zone
- Sliding weight behind face helps shape drives that provides ultimate control on tee box
- Adjustable loft sleeve raises or lowers launch angle to offer maximum customization
CONS
Hideki Matsuyama has sampled a few drivers in 2020, but the TaylorMade SIM Driver has found a special place in his bag this season. The 24-year old golfer loves the first-rate features of the SIM Driver to extend his driving distance and reduce the length of his second shots.
The SIM Driver offers an aerodynamic asymmetrical sole that centers the energy of the swing directly to the golf ball. Rather than spreading the power around the face of the driver, the SIM pushes it to the center, giving golfers staggering distance with consistency that is unmatched by other top-flight drivers.
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TaylorMade SIM MAX Fairway Wood
Marvelous Fairway Wood for Mid Handicappers
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PROS
- Ultra-strong steel face provides flexibility for terrific forgiveness on off-center strikes
- Speed Pocket insert behind the clubface lightens the club for increase ball speed
- Steel body with aerodynamic carbon crown offers low center of gravity for high launch
CONS
While Matsuyama enjoys the SIM line of drivers, he goes to the TaylorMade SIM MAX line for his fairway wood. This club does not offer the customization of the driver, but there are few fairway woods that create the swing speed and distance afforded by the SIM MAX.
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TaylorMade SIM UDI Utility Club
Best Utility Club for Low Handicappers
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PROS
- Wonderful workability with thin topline that provides great confidence from fairway or tee box
- Tour-crafted utility club provides outrageously good turf interaction with long distance
- Low piercing ball flight with exceptional control, ideal for low handicappers
CONS
A popular club on the PGA Tour, the utility iron is utilized by Matsuyama to control and craft shots that stay low with piercing flight. Hideki’s choice, the TaylorMade SIM UDI Utility Club, offers a wide range of excellent features that provide distance, accuracy, and precision.
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Srixon Z 585 Irons
Fantastic Irons Providing Crisp, Clean Contact for Mid Handicappers
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PROS
- Internal channel with SUP10 face insert provides face-flex for enhanced forgiveness and increasing swing speed
- Improved sole offers terrific turf interaction for crisper contact on larger sweet spot
- Forged construction made from carbon steel reduces vibration and enhanced feel
CONS
For his irons, Matsuyama uses the Srixon Z 585 Irons for their shot-shaping ability and sleek performance. Although these irons may look like game-improvement irons, their advanced design helps golfers of all skill levels produce more accuracy and longer yardage.
One of the best features of the Z 585 Irons is the Speed Groove that rests behind the club face. The Groove works alongside a face insert that allows the face to flex more easily for better forgiveness.
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Cleveland RTX 4 Wedge
Sharpest Groove Wedges for Advanced Golfers Who Want High Spin
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PROS
- ROTEX Face Technology provides sharp Tour-level grooves for enhanced spin
- Outstanding feel from fairway or rough with smooth performance on full swings from inside 100 yards
- V-shaped sole improves turf interaction for consistently crisp pitch and chip shots
CONS
Cleveland’s RTX 4 series of wedges provides high-spin from anywhere on the course, offering a great weapon to rescue your score from the deep rough or when you need to place it close to the cup from the fairway for a round-saving birdie.
For Matsuyama, the RTX4 wedges offer the ability to play with wedges that offer the sharpest grooves on tour. Whether he needs to save a hole from the rough or the sand, the RTX 4 delivers clean contact without snagging or closing the face.
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Scotty Cameron Putter
Best Putter for Low Handicappers
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PROS
- Offset neck provides line of sight for better alignment and improved targeting
- Milled face with centered sweet spot for reduced skidding and enhanced forward roll
- Two sole-based weights provides balance throughout the stroke for better accuracy and consistent center strikes
CONS
For PGA Tour golfers, the Scotty Cameron Putter stands as a symbol for excellence and reliability. Matsuyama carries the Scotty Cameron in his bag, utilizing the craftsmanship to find consistency on the greens. While Hideki may never climb to the tops of the putter stats on the PGA Tour, the Scotty Cameron helps reduce his three-putts by offering more distance control than other putter models.
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Srixon Z-Star XV Golf Balls
Best High-Spin Golf Balls for Mid Handicappers
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PROS
- Four-piece core with high compression for reactive response on high-speed swings
- 338 speed dimple design reduces drag and provides more launch angle for higher, softer shots
- Soft outer layer, known as spinskin, offers friction with easy grab for wedges and irons, producing high spin
CONS
For golfers like Matsuyama, the Srixon Z-Star XV Golf Balls provides first-rate performance with high spin around the greens and long distance off the tee. Hideki loves the length of the Z-Star XV with the ability to control the golf ball around and on the greens.
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Questions & Answers

What’s the best stance to get more swing distance?
The best stance to generate more swing speed comes from a combination of three areas on the body. Instead of flexing your knees, you want to minimize flex with a neutral spine that stays straight, while keeping your glutes under your torso and not sticking out.
Most amateurs believe that you need an athletic stance at address, but they instead limit their ability to make a full turn. Instead, they limit their power and zap their strength.

What style of putter can help me the most?
For golfers struggling to find a rhythm on the green, a change of putter can be a major help. If you are having trouble keeping your stroke consistent, a mallet putter can smooth out the back and forth action of putting. A heavier mallet putter can keep the putter grounded, preventing the putter from going offline.
Golfers that prefer an inside-outside arc on their stroke, a blade putter is lighter and easier to follow along that path. The downside to a blade putter is that the arc stroke means you must return the putter to square at the address point of the stroke.

What is the best way to improve putting accuracy?
If you are looking to improve your putting accuracy, the best way is to teach yourself to trust your putting line and execute the stroke toward the target. Most amateurs tend to make adjustments during their backstroke because they don’t trust their intended target.
The best way to improve your putting accuracy is to find the correct line and make the putt that rolls along that path. Since most putts won’t go directly at the hole, the putt must start off-center. If you adjust the putter mid-stroke to finish at the cup, then you have already missed the putt.
If you trust your putting line, you’ll find yourself more relaxed and confident when you stand over the putt.

What is a great golf tip from Hideki Matsuyama?
With one of the smoothest swings on the PGA Tour, Matsuyama incorporates a slight delay at the top of his backswing. While the move isn’t for everyone, there are benefits to working in a delay to reset the downswing.
Matsuyama uses the delay as a trigger for making sure his body is coiled and ready for his downswing. With his weight loaded onto his right side, the brief delay also signals to the lower body that it is time to start the second part of the swing.
The move takes considerable time on the practice range to find rhythm and synchronization. You want the pause in the swing to be unconscious. The last thing most amateurs need to do during their swing is to think about everything they are actively doing.
Once the downswing starts for Matsuyama, he doesn’t want to accelerate the club too quickly. By letting the club ramp up as the swing progresses, the golfer hits maximum swing speed at the point of impact.
With mid handicappers, for example, the delay might work better than for beginners starting fresh. Either way, learning the move will take time and patience for any level of golfer, but could pay off in considerable ways.