Why PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia has added a small driver to his bag at East Lake

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Akshay Bhatia started his TOUR Championship debut ranked 19th in the FedExCup rankings leaving him with a lot of work to do to reach the leaders.

Bhatia, who started the week eight shots behind No.1 Scottie Scheffler in the Staring Strokes format, is testing his equipment because the greens at East Lake Golf Club are firmer than in previous years following a restoration project.

The most notable addition to Bhatia's collection in Atlanta is the Callaway Ai Smoke Paradym Ti340 Mini Driver. According to Bhatia, he enjoys drawing the ball in the fairway and feels more comfortable shooting a controlled drive when using a smaller driver.

“I think there's a lot of opportunity (to switch to a younger driver) this week,” the 22-year-old said earlier in the week. “If I have limited first lines, I can draw the driver, but if I have this mini driver where I can turn it very easy, that is a good option.

“I can hit (my hybrid) 260 yards – and a 3-wood for me can be really good, or I can heel it one day, or I can get a hot pull. It's very conflicting for me. So a small driver gives me a lot of options; it's fast, but it turns slowly, so the consistency of the ball flight is tight, and that's what I need.”

His Callaway Rogue ST driver remains in the bag, but Bhatia switches to a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft for added speed and control.

“It definitely feels like it's kicking a little bit, so if I feel like the shaft is really tight, I feel like you're losing control on the face, at least for me,” Bhatia said. “Actually my speed went up like 2 mph.”

Bhatia also opted to change the ball to help deal with the increased green intensity at East Lake.

“I'm going to a softer golf ball, so from the (Callaway Chrome) Tour X to the Tour,” Bhatia said.

“Obviously the greens are really strong this week. It's soft for me, like, you want to win big tournaments, you need to hit it hard and soft. And the golf ball that I play is a low-spinning ball for, well, say, 16 weeks of the year, but then you've got four majors and, obviously, some of the Signature Events play a lot harder.

“I have wanted to make this change for a long time. I feel like there is no better reason to do it than this week. I mean, it's a free game and you're trying to get used to the golf ball, and preparing for majors and other big events.”

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