Why this pro is embracing Tour gear trends

For years, Erik van Rooyen‘s bag was a throwback, going from driver to 3-wood (or Apex UW in recent years) and then straight into a driving iron and his iron set.

But over the past year, van Rooyen has taken up some of the Tour’s most popular trends by adding a mini driver, 5-wood and even testing out a 9-wood at the U.S. Open.

Van Rooyen is far from the only pro swapping out utility irons for high-lofted fairway woods and adding a mini driver, but he explained on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped how he went from being a reluctant tester to taking up both trends.

“I’ve never been the guy to test a ton of stuff and to change a ton of stuff. But I think my eyes have opened up to other possibilities,” van Rooyen told Fully Equipped co-host Johnny Wunder. “The Mini came into the bag in Utah of last year, so it’s almost been 12 months. It pretty much hasn’t left the bag. It’s freaking awesome. Off the deck, off the tee, so consistent.”

Callaway Elyte Mini Driver

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When it comes to the fairway woods, which are a big deal for van Rooyen at all as he solely played an Apex Utility Wood as his “3-wood” for several years, the 5-wood and occasional 7-wood have become course-dependent options.

Callaway even gave him a 9-wood to try at the U.S. Open.

“It’s more, I think, coming from a place of curiosity, trying to let the equipment help me instead of me, like trying to figure something out, muscle a three iron through this heavy rough, you know?” van Rooyen said. “It’s taken me a long time to get to this point where you realize, there’s so much you can do to make the club change. If it’s too draw bias, you know, you can do something on the heel or change the setting in the driver.”

For more Wunder and van Rooyen, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2025? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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