Why did Justin Thomas change putter grips before the Masters? Real reason explored

Justin Thomas is getting ready for the upcoming Masters. The American golfer changed his putter grip ahead of the tournament on the advice of his father and swing coach, Mike Thomas.

Justin has made slight changes to his golf gear to enhance his grip. He equipped his putter with a thinner Scotty Cameron pistol grip.

The two-time major champion revealed in a press conference on Tuesday, April 4, that his father helped him make the changes. He said:

“In terms of the putter grip, actually I played with Rory last week, and he had it," he said. "And I’ve seen it. It’s very similar to a grip I’ve used and won with quite a bit. And my dad had it as well.

"We played on Sunday, and I picked his up and I said ‘this does feel pretty good.’ I’ve traveled with an identical backup every single week, and I just threw it on there to see how it felt, to be perfectly honest, and feels pretty good, so why fight it?”

Justin Thomas uses a Scotty Cameron X5 Tour mallet head putter with a slant neck specially modified with a super stroke grip.

Interestingly, Justin Thomas' friend Rory McIlroy has also changed his driver ahead of the Masters. McIlroy missed the cut at The Players Championship and soon made the changes. Speaking about his decision, McIlroy said:

"I feel like this is as penal as I’ve seen it out of the rough for a long time. You don’t hit it on the fairway here, you’re going to struggle. These driver heads are so finicky, it's hard to get one exactly the same."

During the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Rory McIlroy revealed that he ordered a couple of wedges that Justin Thomas uses. McIlroy explained:

“I see Justin Thomas all the time at home and messing around with some of his wedges and some of the grinds he has. I got in touch and ordered a couple, and they’ve worked really nicely.”

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What's in Justin Thomas' bag in 2023?

Justin Thomas uses Titleist TSR3 with a 10° loft driver. Most of his golf equipment is from Titleist but his putter is from Scotty. He often makes changes with the putter to get his job done perfectly.

Here's a list of all the golf gear of Justin Thomas:

Driver

• Specification: Titleist TSR3 with 10° loft

3-wood

• Specification: Titleist TS3 with 15° loft

5-wood

• Specification: Titleist 915 Fd with 18° loft

Irons

• Specification: Titleist T100 (4-iron), Titleist 621.JT (5 to 9-iron)

Wedges

• Specification: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (47.5° loft, 52.5° loft, 57° loft) & Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60.5° loft)

Putter

• Specification: Scotty Cameron T-5 Prototype

Ball

• Specification: Titleist Pro V1x

Justin Thomas paired up with current World No.3 Jon Rahm to start the opening round of The Masters on April 6. He will be joined by Cameron Young. Thomas will start teeing at 10:42 am ET.

The first round of the 2023 Masters will start at 8 am ET, with Mike Weir and Kevin Na taking the first shot of the day. Scottie Scheffler, last year's winner, will start his game alongside Sam Bennett and Max Homa at 1:36 pm ET.