Then and Now: What's In Bernhard Langer's Bag at The Masters

The year is 1985, and it's April. “We are the World” is the number one song on the Billboard top 100, the Coca Cola Company has just launched what is sure to be a can’t miss drink with “New Coke,” NASA has launched its 16th and 17th Space Shuttle Flights, and a young German by the name of Bernhard Langer has just won the Masters.

Now, 40 years later, Luther by Kendrick Lamar & SZA is the number 1 song. New Coke is a distant memory of the 1980s cola wars and is remembered as a marketing disaster. NASA ended the Space Shuttle program in 2011 after 135 missions flown, but one thing remains. Bernhard Langer, the seemingly ageless golfers from Augsburg, Germany will once again play in the Masters—except this one will be his last.

Looking back on his storied career at the Masters, Langer is remembered for many things beyond his two wins nearly a decade apart in 1985 & 1993. He also had 7 other top-10s and holds two unique places in equipment lore thanks to his win in 1993. He was the last golfer to win a major championship with a persimmon (wooden) driver, and was the first golfer to win a major with a Scotty Cameron

Langer made headlines again in 2020 when he played with Bryson DeChambeau on Sunday during the final round. Although the final scores were not impactful at the top of the leaderboard (Langer finished at T29 and Bryson at T34), they did showcase how someone could give up an average of more than 60 yards off the tee and still beat someone by 2-strokes.

(Coincidentally, 2020 was also the year Bryson infamously said he would play Augusta National as a Par 67)

That round in 2020, was a masterclass in strategy, precision, and experience, something Langer has a lot of as he heads into his 41st and final Masters.

Although Langer might not look that much different than he did 40 years ago—a testament to his commitment to maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes going to the gym multiple times a week, one vastly different thing are is clubs. So with that in mind lets compare the clubs Langer used during his first Masters win and what he we be using to play his last.

Bernhard Langer's 1985 Masters Winning Clubs

Driver: Unconfirmed Persimmon Driver (Likely Wilson) 3-Wood: Unconfirmed Persimmon (Likely Wilson) 2-Iron: Ping Eye 2 Irons: Wilson Staff Blades (3-PW) Wedges: Ping Eye 2 (SW and LW) Putter: TP Mills

Bernhard Langer's Most Current Clubs

Driver: Ping G400 Fairway Wood: Srixon ZXi Hybrids: Adams Idea Pro 2i (18) (22) Irons: Tour Edge Exotics CBX (4-6) Pro 723 (7-9) Proto (PW) Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX (SW) Vokey Prototype (LW) Putter: Odyssey 2-Ball Long