Shinnecock Flashback: Shop the Clubs That Won the US Open

It's US Open week, so we're taking a look back at the last time this major championship was held at Shinnecock Hills, back in 2018. That year, Brooks Koepka became the first golfer in almost 30 years to win back-to-back US Opens, grinding out a one-over-par 281 on what's widely regarded as one of the toughest major setups in history.

Shinnecock Hills is no stranger to hosting the US Open. This year's championship marks the sixth time the tournament has been held there, following previous editions in 1896, 1986, 1995, 2004 and 2018, making it the only club to have staged the US Open across three different centuries. One of the USGA's five founding clubs, Shinnecock has long been considered one of the toughest tests in golf, and its return in 2026 has plenty of fans and players thinking back to that brutal 2018 finish.

What's worth remembering: at the time, Koepka's clubs were premium, top-of-the-range equipment, the same gear plenty of golfers would have been chasing in the pro shop that summer. Fast forward to today and that exact tour-level kit, driver, fairway wood, irons and all, is now sitting in the second-hand market at a fraction of the original price.

Here's what was in Brooks Koepka's bag the last time the US Open came to Shinnecock, and where you can pick up the same or comparable clubs for a fraction of retail.

Brooks 2018 US Open WITB

  • Driver: TaylorMade M3 (9.5°) Released in 2018, the M3 was TaylorMade's flagship driver the same year Koepka won at Shinnecock. It introduced Twist Face, a curved face designed to correct off-centre hits, alongside a Hammerhead slot for a bigger sweet spot and an adjustable Y-Track weight system.

  • 3-Wood: TaylorMade M2 Tour HL (16.5°) The M2 launched in 2017 and remains one of the most trusted fairway woods on tour. Koepka still has the exact same model in his bag today.

  • Driving Iron: Nike Vapor Fly Pro (3-iron) Nike stopped making clubs back in 2016, but this driving iron was a fixture in Koepka's bag throughout his major-winning run, including at Shinnecock, and he still uses it to this day. 

  • Irons: Mizuno JPX 900 Tour (4–PW) Released in 2017, the JPX900 Tour is a forged player's iron built using Mizuno's PowerFrame technology, blending the look and feel of a blade with extra forgiveness on off-centre strikes. 

  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 (52°, 56°, 60°) The SM7 wedges came out in 2016, featuring Spin Milled grooves and a progressive centre of gravity for added spin and consistency, and were a staple in tour bags for years.

  • Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2. A tour-only build of one of the most iconic putter shapes in golf. 

  • Ball: Titleist Pro V1x remained the most played ball in professional golf for around 25 years, still used by roughly 70% of players on the PGA Tour.

A Run That Belongs Among the Greats

Shinnecock wasn't a one-off for this bag, it was the middle chapter of one of the most dominant major runs in modern golf. Koepka had already won the 2017 US Open at Erin Hills with this same setup, then backed it up at Shinnecock in 2018, won the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive just two months later, and completed the run with a fourth major at the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black. That's four majors in under two years, with a lot of the same clubs in the bag throughout. Koepka became the first player in history to hold the US Open and PGA Championship titles back-to-back at the same time, a feat that puts the equipment behind it in some pretty rare company.

What Makes Shinnecock Such a Brutal Test

Part of the reason Koepka's 2018 win still gets talked about is the course itself. Shinnecock Hills is consistently ranked among the hardest US Open venues, and it's not down to one single thing, it's a combination of factors that punish even the smallest mistake. The fairways look generous from the tee, but the firm, sandy soil means the ball runs out and effectively shrinks the target. The greens are the real challenge: many are pitched above their surrounds with sharp run-offs on the edges, so anything slightly off line doesn't just miss the green, it rolls 30 or 40 yards away from the hole. Add in a fast bent and poa annua grass mix with very little grip, constant coastal wind, and bunkers with firm sand that demand a clean strike, and you've got a course that plays a lot harder than it looks. It's why a one-over-par winning score in 2018 wasn't an embarrassment, it was a genuine reflection of how unforgiving Shinnecock can be.

The Real Takeaway: Today's Tour-Level Gear is Tomorrow's Second-Hand Bargain

The M3 driver, M2 fairway wood and JPX900 Tour irons in Koepka's bag at Shinnecock were exceptional clubs, capable of winning the toughest major in golf. The only reason they're not still front and centre in pro shops is that golf brands release new models every single year. A club doesn't lose its performance the moment a successor is announced, it just loses its place on the shelf.

Koepka himself is proof of this. He's still using that same TaylorMade M2 Tour HL 3-wood today, alongside a Nike Vapor Fly Pro driving iron that hasn't been manufactured since 2016, because they're trusted, proven, and they still perform at the highest level. Years on, they're still doing the job for one of the best golfers in the world.

It's proof of something we say a lot at Next2newgolf: clubs age fast in the public eye but not on the course. A well-maintained, properly fitted second-hand driver or iron set can still perform at the highest level. You're just not paying the "new release" premium.

Conclusion

This week, with the major returning to one of America’s oldest and most prestigious courses, a new name will be added to a list of Shinnecock champions that includes Raymond Floyd, Corey Pavin, Retief Goosen and Brooks Koepka. Whoever lifts the trophy, and whatever's in their bag, one thing's for sure: in a couple years, you'll be able to buy it second-hand from us too.

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