What’s In The Bag: Hyo Joo Kim

WITB Hyo Joo Kim

Today’s Golfer takes a look in the bag of serial Tour winner Hyo Joo Kim

Jump to: Kim’s WITB

Hyo Joo Kim is no stranger to the winner’s circle, she’s been there often enough! The South Korean’s most recent victory at the 2023 Volunteers of America Classic was her sixth on the LPGA Tour and her 22nd professional win.

Since turning pro in 2012, Kim has enjoyed a very successful career, mainly on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA Tour of Korea – it was on this Tour she had her first victory as a professional in her inaugural season. Fast forward 11 years and Hyo Joo Kim continues to be a name featuring at the top of the leaderboard.

Kim first appeared in a Major at the 2014 Evian Championship, as a 19-year-old. It turned out to be a very special week for the youngster, because not only was it her first appearance, she ended the week as a Major Champion.

Since that Major victory in 2014, The South Korean has failed to win another Major, but she’s won 14 times on Tour which has seen her climb to the top of the game. At only 28 years old she has a lot more to offer, and it might not be too long before we see her lifting a trophy once again.

The South Korean golfer is one of very few athletes playing with Yonex golf clubs, but as one of the brand’s staffers, Yonex features throughout the majority of her bag. Let’s take a look at the equipment Kim relies on.

What’s In The Bag: Hyo Joo Kim

What driver does Hyo Joo Kim use?

1

Yonex EZONE GT 460 Driver

Hyo Joo Kim plays with a Yonex EZONE GT 460 Driver (9°) with a Yonex REXIS KAIZA-M 6 S shaft

www.ebay.com

Buy Now

www.ebay.com

Buy Now

Driving is one of Kim's strong suits - not so much for distance but definitely for accuracy. This season on the LPGA Tour Kim has found the fairway 83.24% of the time which is good enough to rank second among her competitors.

What fairway woods does Hyo Joo Kim use?

2

Yonex EZONE GT Fairway Woods

Hyo Joo Kim has two Yonex EZONE GT Fairway Woods with Yonex REXIS KAIZA-M2 shafts

www.ebay.com

Buy Now

www.ebay.com

Buy Now

Kim is known to rely on her fairway woods both off the tee and from the fairway. The South Korean tends to carry two fairway woods in the bag to help her stay on line and tackle par 4s and long par 5s.

What hybrid does Hyo Joo Kim use?

3

Yonex EZONE GT Hybrid

Hyo Joo Kim bridges the gap to her irons with a Yonex EZONE GT Hybrid with a Yonex REXIS KAIZA shaft

www.ebay.com

Buy Now

www.ebay.com

Buy Now

Rather than having an extra long iron in the bag, Kim elects to play with a hybrid (as do many other professional golfers). Hybrids are easier to hit and tend to travel farther than their iron equivalent. They also tend to fill golfers with more confidence.

What irons does Hyo Joo Kim use?

4

Yonex EZONE CB 701 Steel Forged Irons

<meta charset="utf-8">Hyo Joo Kim's long irons are Yonex EZONE CB 701 Steel Forged irons with Nippon N.S. Pro Zelos shafts

Kim carries seven irons in her bag, it's our understanding that her 5-iron and 6-iron are Yonex EZONE CB 701 Steel Forged Irons which have a similar profile to the short clubs in her bag so it's unknown why she has this combo set. However, I'm not going to argue with a golfer who's found GIR 74.07% this season on the LPGA Tour.

5

Yonex EZONE CB 501 Steel Forged Irons

Hyo Joo Kim's short irons are Yonex EZONE CB 501 Steel Forged irons with Nippon N.S. Pro Zelos shafts

The rest of Kim's irons are Yonex EZONE CB 501 Steel Forged Irons which we believe run from 7-iron down to a gap wedge. Kim is one of the strongest iron players in world golf and we very much doubt she'll be changing irons anytime soon.

What wedges does Hyo Joo Kim use?

6

Titleist Vokey Design SM9 Wedges

Hyo Joo Kim chooses to play with two Titleist Vokey Design SM9 Weedges with Nippon N.S. Pro Zelos shafts

Price: £159.00 / $179.00 RRP (per club)

www.pgatoursuperstore.com

Buy Now

Price: £159.00 / $179.00 RRP (per club)

www.pgatoursuperstore.com

Buy Now

It seems as though most of the time Kim is only carrying two wedges (because she carries a gap wedge as part of her iron set). These wedges are her sand and lob wedges. She moves away from Yonex and elects to play with the ever-popular Vokey wedges.

Read our full Titleist Vokey Design SM9 Wedge review.

What putter does Hyo Joo Kim use?

7

Odyssey O Works Tour R-Ball S

Hyo Joo Kim's flat stick is an Odyssey O Works Tour R-Ball S

Price: £249.99 / $249.99 RRP

www.dickssportinggoods.com

Buy Now

Price: £249.99 / $249.99 RRP

www.dickssportinggoods.com

Buy Now

Putting is one of Kim's biggest strengths, especially this season. On the LPGA Tour in 2023, she ranks fourth in putts per green and has a putting average below 30 per round. She is known to chop and change the putter, but she's putting her best with the Odyssey O Works Tour R-Ball S.

The exact putter used by Kim can't be purchased but there are other versions of the putter still available.

What golf balls does Hyo Joo Kim use?

8

Titleist Pro V1x golf balls

Hyo Joo Kim plays with Titleist Pro V1x golf balls

Buy Now

Buy Now

Alternative Retailers

Walmart

$54.97

View offer

The 28-year-old is yet another golfer who chooses to play with Titleist golf balls. Her ball of choice is the Titleist Pro V1x.

Read our full Pro V1x Golf Balls review.

BECOME A TODAY’S GOLFER MEMBER: Unlimited access to premium content and exclusive rewards!

About the author

James Hogg – Golf Equipment Writer

James Hogg is a golf equipment writer for todays-golfer.com.

He has a degree in English Language from Newcastle University and an MA in Journalism from Kingston University.

James previously worked for American Golf alongside his studies as part of the sales and fitting team. Having worked in golf retail for seven years he has all the skills and knowledge necessary to review and recommend the perfect equipment for golfers of all abilities and has a strong knowledge of putters, golf balls, and golf apparel, including trousers.

Despite nobody else in James’ family playing golf he took a keen interest as a teenager which saw him become a junior member at Saltburn Golf Club, North Yorkshire. Since returning to Teesside in 2022 James has joined his home course, Cleveland Golf Club. His handicap index is 4.7 thanks to consistent distance off the tee.

Away from golf, James enjoys a multitude of sports, specifically watching Formula 1, American Football and Horse Racing. He’s also a proud supporter of Middlesbrough FC, likes cooking and reading travel literature.

James uses a Callaway Mavrik SZ Driver, Callaway Mavrik SZ 3-Wood, TaylorMade Stealth UDI 3-iron, Ping i210 Irons (4-PW), Cobra King Snakebite 50° Wedge, Mizuno S23 56° and 60° Wedges, TaylorMade Spider X Putter and a TaylorMade Tour Response Stripe golf ball.

You can contact James via email for loads more golf equipment insight.