Open Championship Gear Round-Up: Custom Golf Shoes, Limited Edition Bags And Prototype Clubs All Spotted

The Open Championship will return to Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Merseyside this year with the illustrious links course set to host the Major for the 13th time. 

Liverpool is one of the most artistic and colorful cities in the world, and from what we've seen so far, many of the 156 players who are set to tee it up at the championship will be sporting lots of new and limited edition golf gear that will pay tribute to the city. 

Earlier this season, we saw Brooks Koepka wearing some very trendy Masters-themed Nike golf shoes at Augusta National, several Hollywood themed golf bags at the US Open in Los Angeles and several prototype clubs in play at the PGA Championship. 

So what new gear is on show this week? Below, we've been taking a look at some of the biggest golf gear storylines ahead of the tournament...

LIMITED EDITION NIKE GOLF SHOES 

Rory McIlroy comes into the week after an epic win at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday afternoon, chasing down Robert McIntyre to claim his second win of the year at North Berwick Golf Club. 

He'll be hoping to undo the heartache of narrowly missing out on last month's US Open, and if he does win his second Claret Jug in Merseyside this week, he'll certainly be doing it style, with the 34-year-old set to wear a pair of Beatles themed Nike golf shoes. 

The American based sports company have paid homage to the group by releasing limited edition versions of their Air Max 1 '86 OG G NRG, Nike Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 and Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour NEXT% golf shoes ahead of the tournament.

McIlroy currently wears a pair of Air Victory Tour Air Zoom Victory Tour 3 golf shoes but will not be the only player sporting one of the fantastic looking options.

Each shoe boast some very groovy colorways and designs that are synonymous with the Beatles. 

They also feature the caption 'Play to Live', which is seen printed all around the shoe, another nod to the band. 

While the Beatles were big soccer fans, with the city being home to two of English football's most historic clubs, Everton and Liverpool, the band did in fact use a golf course as the back drop for their 1964 album cover of 'Eight Days a Week / I'm a Loser'. 

Nike Air Max 1 '86 OG G NRG Golf Shoes | $170 at Nike

Grab these limited edition shoes for $170 at the Nike website!

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Nike Air Zoom Infinity Tour NEXT% | £179 at Golf Poser

Brooks Koepka has been seen wearing a yellow pair of these at The Masters. 

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LIMITED EDITION GOLF BAGS

As has become a tradition of the Majors, brands are continuing to release limited edition golf bags that are styled to compliment the world famous venues these events are hosted at. 

If you've ever been lucky enough to visit Liverpool, you'll know that the city is one of the most unique towns in England thanks, in part, to its music culture. It is home to the iconic street Penny Lane, which was made famous by the Beatles for their 1967 hit that recalls the sights and characters found up and down the road.  

And in recognition of the track, Cobra have emblazoned a City of Liverpool road sign on the side of their limited edition bags, that is synonymous with the road sign that sits at the bottom of Penny Lane.

Cobra have also designed several very smart club head covers that follow the design of the colorful military uniforms the band wore in the album cover of their record Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. 

There is also Yellow Submarine inspired putter head cover in that collection too, that adds yet another touch of color to the stunning bag.

But they are not the only brand who are jumping on the Beatles theme this week, with Callaway having released a very colorful staff bag that features silhouettes of the Beatles members printed across splashes of pink, yellow, green and orange. 

Srixon, meanwhile, have gone for a slightly different approach in their offering, taking inspiration from the town's history as a maritime city located on the banks of the River Mersey.

It boasts a premium deep blue base color that comes with an eye-catching wave design on the side pocket of the bag, that represents the surf of the Irish Sea that crashes against Liverpool's coastline. 

TaylorMade have also designed perhaps one of the smartest looking bags I have ever seen, taking inspiration from the vibrant yellow and blue colours seen on the Open Championship scoreboard. 

It is a premium and minimalistic bag that is embroidered with the names of several places located around Merseyside including the Wirral and the two tunnels 'Kingsway' and 'Queensway' that go underneath the Mersey. 

TaylorMade British Open 2023 Staff Bag | $600 at PGA TOUR Superstore

A stunning premium golf bag from TaylorMade that comes in a yellow and blue colorway that is synonymous with the iconic Open Championship score board. 

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NEW PING IRONS SPOTTED

Earlier this year, Ping dropped their brand new Ping G430 golf irons, a forgiving yet powerful set of clubs that paired nicely with the exciting new G430 drivers, that we've had a fantastic time testing. 

But it seems the brand will have a new iron in play this week at Hoylake, which is currently being called the Ping Blueprint Forged S.

It was used by some of Ping's ambassadors at the Scottish Open last week, with Tyrrell Hatton and Viktor Hovland both reportedly playing with the clubs.  

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It has a very similar head shape to the G430 irons, featuring a notched hosel design and sleek clubhead shape. 

The most notable difference here is that Ping has removed the inserts at the rear of the club and instead kept the club's cavity open. 

Both Hovland and Hatton finished inside the top 25 in North Berwick, so it will be interesting to see how they perform with the new clubs this week.

MCILROY'S 2-IRON

But they won't be the only ones playing with unique clubs this week, with McIlroy set to be bringing his TaylorMade P760 2-iron that he used to smash that stunning approach shot on the 18th hole at North Berwick at the weekend. 

According to Jonathan Wall the Northern Irishman had "Pulled it out of the garage prior to leaving for Scotland and plans to use it at Hoylake too."

The P760 was initially released in 2018 and comes in a forged 1025 body that is welded to a SUS630 face. The club is filled with SpeedFoam that helps to support the club face and deliver a better feel on impact and plenty of ball speed.

NEW MIZUNO CLUBS

Golf Monthly editor Neil Tappin is on the ground at Royal Liverpool and has happened upon some brand new golf clubs.

Neil's been visiting the Mizuno Tour truck and has spotted some ST-G metal woods and some very eye-catching T-24 wedges which are both yet to be released onto the market. 

It comes after the Mizuno ST-Z driver was released earlier this year and came in a very smart glossy black and blue clubhead. We thoroughly enjoyed testing this fantastic club, but it seems Mizuno are back once again with their latest offering the ST-G driver.

The new club boasts some noticeable changes in its club head design, including two adjustable weights that span the length of the clubhead. It also comes in a sleek, all-black design and boasts an enormous clubface. While we're yet to get a full description of what this club is designed to do, it certainly looks like players can have a lot of fun tinkering with the weighting system on it's sole.

The ST-G fairway woods also have an adjustable weight, which seems to have been moved slightly towards the middle of the sole of the club, compared to the one found on the ST-Z fairway woods, which is located towards the rear of the clubhead. 

Finally the wedges look to be the next upgrade on the stunning T-22 model which was released in 2022. It seems Mizuno aren't changing the design up too much here, but have cleaned up the aesthetics a little bit, with these new wedges offering up a minimal, yet sophisticated look that oozes class. 

VIKTOR HOVLAND'S EYE-CATCHING SHIRTS

Speaking of Hovland, J.Lindeberg has kitted the Norwegian golfer out with some very interesting polo shirts for the tournament, that each take inspiration from designs of the 80s. 

While they are not themed around the Open, they are some of the most vibrant polo shirts we've seen this season. 

His wardrobe for the week will include two shirts that come with baby blue and pink designs that will no doubt have heads turning this week.

It comes after the brand gave Hovland a very loud Azalea themed shirt at the Masters as well as a sunrise orange golf top at the PGA Championship, which was one of the brightest tops in the field. 

J.Lindeberg Special Tour Tech Print Golf Shirt | $100 at Golf Poser

Viktor Hovland is vying to win his first Major this week at the Open Championship, and he could do it in style, with the Norwegian set to wear this vibrant polo shirt from J.Lindeberg. 

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RAHM RE-SIGNS WITH CALLAWAY

It's been a massive year for the 2023 Masters champion, Jon Rahm, who comes into the week hoping to win his third Major title. 

The Spaniard has been in mixed form of late, missing the cut at the Travelers Championship, despite finishing T10 at the US Open just before that. 

Rahm this week announced a new long-term deal with his current apparel supplier Callaway and will now continue to play Callaway clubs and Travis Matthew golf gear. 

The California-based brand announced the news on their Instagram channel, posting  the caption: "Run. It. Back. Happy to announce a NEW long term extension with @jonrahm. VAMOS!" 

Rahm has also today been unveiled as Santander's new global ambassador and will wear the brand's logo on his arm. 

The 28-year-old, who has 11 wins on the PGA Tour, has been speaking on his new deal with Callaway at Royal Liverpool this week, saying: "You know, I like to be involved in companies I believe in.

"The fact that they allow me to have equity in it, it shows faith in both parts. I'm all in on what I do, and I'm going to give it my best on the golf course, and they're showing me that they trust me enough to be a part of it, and I know they're going to give it their all to give me the best product possible. 

"With that said, even before that, before this deal was signed, they've asked me my input in equipment, and I probably could have demanded a lot more, I'm just not going to be the kind of person who is thinking about what to do so much.

"They obviously have engineers that are much better at that than I am. I can only give them what I'm feeling on the golf course. They've taken that into consideration and they've come up with some products."

FOOTJOY AND HARRIS TWEED HEBRIDES UNVEIL SHOE COLLABORATION

FootJoy are renowned for producing some of the best golf shoes in the game and have released a new limited edition collection of shoes ahead of the each of the last three Open Championships.

In 2021 the brand dropped the Black Watch Packard and last year unveiled their Shawbost Collection. 

But in 2023 they'll team up once again with Harris Tweed Hebrides to release the FJ x Harris Tweed Premiere Series Hoylake shoes. 

FootJoy say these are a "true embodiment of modern elegance" and taking stock of these stunning golf shoes, I couldn't agree more. Both Premiere Series Wilcox and Field models have flashes of the Hoylake Green cloth stitched throughout their design, a nod to the historic Liverpool golf course. 

These shoes are crafted in the Outer Hebrides using traditional methods and pure virgin wool, which adds to the level of quality here. As with many of the best FootJoy golf shoes, the brand really have got the balance right creating two modern yet classy offerings that will pair nicely with any outfit. 

From the bronze FJ logo on the Wilcox, to the excellent stitching on the heel of the Field, the brands have clearly gone the extra mile in adding the smaller details here. They will also deliver plenty of comfort and support too, with users able to take advantage of the VersaTrax+ outsole on the shoe, that will help to deliver greater grip and stability around the golf course. 

Speaking on the release, creative director at Harris Tweed Hebrides, Mark Hogarth, said: “Hoylake Green had to be the colour of the2023 Harris Tweed Premiere Series edition. 

"The Royal Liverpool Golf Club, or Hoylake as it is more commonly known, sits at the end of the Wirral Peninsula with only sand and sea beyond”.

“Its glorious golfing heritage spans three centuries from the tweed-clad amateur champions Allan Macfie and John Ball to the talents and elegance of Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. The green grass of Hoylake has been a constant of this rich history and heritage.”

“The Harris Tweed Hebrides design – a subtle wide herringbone – is inspired by the deep summer hues of the Harris hills and pays homage to the spectrum of green that makes Hoylake a special place for golf”.  

Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Wyndham Clark and Billy Horschel will all be presented with a pair of the limited edition shoes ahead of the 151st Open this week. The shoes will be available to buy from August 3rd. 

ADRIAN MERONK DESIGNS HIS OWN SHOES

Speaking of FootJoy, it appears Adrian Meronk is putting a twist on the classic Tarlow golf shoe.

Meronk admitted in an interview with Golf Monthly that he'd been on the brand's 'MyJoys' customisation site and has created himself a totally new design that comes with an excellent tartan pattern, befitting of the Scottish Open and the Open Championship. 

"I've always worn FootJoy shoes since I can remember and my favorite ones, I used to wear a lot of Icon shoes, but the Packard is really nice. 

"I always tend to go to MyJoys and design my own style as you can see. The model is Tarlow, that's what I'll use this year. I just went a little bit crazy on the design." 

"I did it all myself. I think it fits the Scottish Open and British Open - I think it's going to be a good fit."