As the seven-time All-Star third baseman and captain of the New York Mets, David Wright is one of the more decorated baseball players of the century. Unfortunately, recurring back issues forced him to retire in 2018 after a 14-year major league career that included two Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Glove awards and three trips to the playoffs. Needing something to fill the void, Wright, 39, traded his 34-inch, 32-ounce Marucci baseball bat for golf clubs. “I instantly fell in love with the game. I can go practice, work on my short game, or play five or six holes by myself,” Wright said. “It’s the perfect fit. I needed something to work at, to accomplish some sort of goal. I’m ultra-competitive and want to see how the work I put in practice-wise can pay off.”
To help the process, in March, Wright was custom-fit for new clubs at the Ely Callaway Performance Center just up the road from Callaway Golf headquarters in Southern California. “It was my first time getting an in-depth, full bag fitting. I was so excited for it, like when you wake up on Christmas morning. It was amazing,” he said.
As one would expect, a guy who slugged 242 career home runs has no issue generating a powerful golf swing. “I’d trade some of the speed for finding the middle of the clubface [more often],” said Wright, a 7.1 handicap index at the time of the fitting.
