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The Sand Trap Visits Callaway Golf: RAZR Fit Driver Fitting at the Ely Callaway Performance Center


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Sand Trap members Beachcomber and Golfingdad represented the TST community in Carlsbad today to visit Callaway Golf's  performance center.  We got to hit the entire Callaway line and got fit for our own custom Razr Fit drivers.  These drivers really perform and look great.

We arrived at 1:00 and it was a golf geek's paradise from the start.  Named after Callaway Golf's founder, Ely Callaway, the Ely Performance Center is a state of the art facility that has been featured in Callaway commercials and where all the Callaway staff pros go to test and get fit for the latest and greatest from Callaway.  It also serves as a regular practice area for San Diego native Phil Mickelson.  We got to speak with technicians in the same room where a lot of the equipment used on tours around the world are built.  We moved on to Callaway's ultimate fitting studio where camera's and sensors can pick up all the details of your swing and what the ball is doing.  This is cutting-edge fitting technology that was originally designed for research and development and is called the Callaway Performance Analysis System (CPAS) which uses high speed cameras to capture ten thousand images a second of the clubhead, pre and post impact, and the resulting ball flight. I've heard from many experts in the golf world that the machines Callaway built from the ground up is the most accurate equipment in the world to capture club and ball data.  In the fitting room there is a wide selection of Callaway clubs and a variety of shafts, shaft flexes and lengths to test to  best fit your game.

We also got an inside look at Odyssey putters, the progression of the line and how they use SAM technology to fit players for the best putter.

I'm going to save more of the details for Beachcomber and Golfingdad to share their experiences.  Both of these guys are Supporters , something to keep in mind if you want to be eligible for one of these kind of events in the future.

Special thank you's go out to Nick, Scott, Chad, and Gilbert at Callaway Golf for making this a special day!

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Available in Asia only, Legacy Black Callaway Forged Irons!

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And pics of the X Prototype Utility, this club is ONLY available on the world tour.  Look for this to be a popular club in a few weeks at Olympic Club.

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Mike McLoughlin

Check out my friends on Evolvr!
Follow The Sand Trap on Twitter!  and on Facebook
Golf Terminology -  Analyzr  -  My FacebookTwitter and Instagram 

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First of all I have to thank The Sand Trap for the opportunity to participate in this event.  It was a wonderful experience - made all the more better by the fact that it got me out of the office on a Thursday afternoon.

Mike gave you the basics already, so I will just add my personal experience.  I definitely qualify as a "golf geek" because I felt like the proverbial kid in a candy store.

We started in the room where equipment is built and tinkered with by technicians and tour pros alike.  While Nick was talking (Mike posted an excerpt above) he gestured over to the corner when he mentioned Phil Mickelson where casually leaning against the wall were 2 or 3 brand new sets of left handed irons.  Very cool.  I can only imagine how many other pros' new and/or discarded clubs were sitting around in that room.  Nick also said that he has to constantly remind Phil to wear his safety goggles when he's messing around in there.

Our next stop was Pebble Beach.  Right across the hall was their indoor fitting bay  where you get to hit into a net backed by a sunlit mural of the view down the fairway from the 18th tee.  Again, very cool.  For anybody that's really into the numbers - ball speed, spin, face and path angles, all that good stuff - this is the room for you.  I'm still pretty green on all of that, having only been measured once previously, but Shawn (Beachcomber) got a chance to tinker around with it today and surely will have something to say.

Next, they showed us into their Odyssey putter fitting room.  They use "SAM," another ultra sophisticated fitting tool that can basically measure every tiny aspect of your putting stroke.  Nick gave a great example of a touring pro (nobody specific) who has been striking the ball well and leaving himself a lot of 10-12' birdie putts but he is having trouble making enough of them to stay competitive.  He'll have the pro come and get his stroke measured to identify the problem.  More often than not, it comes down to a microscopic variation (as little as 1/2 degree) in face angle at impact.  The coolest part of this room was the autographed white walls.  I didn't have time to go through all the names, but a few that stood out (or at least were legible) were Arnold Palmer, Morgan Pressel, and Hank Kuenhe.  My favorites … Fred Lynn and Rod Laver.

Before heading out to the range, the last stop on the tour was the "Iron Byron" room.  He wasn't up and running today, but when he is he's used to test not only Callaway clubs but several competitor's clubs as well.

And, finally, the best part … we headed out to the range to test out the entire line of Callaway clubs.  I enjoyed hitting forged irons for the first time (Raxr Mb's and Raxr X tours), some hybrids, fairway woods, wedges, and a really cool new iron/hybrid club.  Then it was time for my driver fitting and Garrett started me out with the setup most similar to my current driver (D3, 9.5*, Ahina Stiff shaft) and off we went.  After hitting several shots with it, and finding it pretty similar to my D3 in length, trajectory, and dispersion (all over the place) we discussed my swing and most common misses.  I told him that I tend to miss in pairs (i.e. a nasty push slice followed by an ugly hook, or vice versa) and he explained to me that a common reason for that is a swing path coming too far from the inside.  (I didn't know I was also going to get a free mini lesson out of this as well … once again, very cool)  This is the point where I should mention that their fitters/technicians are golf professionals, so they really know their stuff.

After trying to straighten out my swing (somewhat unsuccessfully since by this point I had almost depleted my entire allotment of balls and was getting a little tired) Garrett had me try the 10.5* with the Kaili X stiff shaft and, bingo.  This one I couldn't miss.  OK, I could, but the misses were far less punishing than with the 9.5 Ahina.  (They stayed on the property)  I can't wait to get my new driver out on the course and test it out for real.

I should also point out that we were out there for about 3 hours and the guys at Callaway were in no hurry to send us home.  They didn't have lights out there and I got the impression that darkness would have been the only thing that sent us home if we didn't have places to be.  They were very gracious.

After Garrett took down my final specs, I headed back inside to watch Shawn and Nick working together in the fitting bay.  When they were done, I got to listen to Nick, Shawn and Mike discuss different swing theories (Stack and Tilt, Morad, Foley, and others I've not heard of) before it was finally time to call it a day and head home.

All in all, a fantastic experience that I would obviously recommend to anybody who has the opportunity.

Andrew

Brand new left handed MB's ... who are those for??

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Reserved. Will edit with my comments and formal review soon.  I have also created a video which includes some of the conversations from the Callaway staff (very cool behind the scenes stuff) that I took with my video camera - along with a load of pictures.

Beachcomber

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That's awesome guys, can't wait to hear more! I used my tax refund this year to get some new sticks including a RAZR Fit driver, so will be interesting to hear what you think. I've found it to be extremely long and forgiving, especially off the toe. If you guys wouldn't mind posting on how much did you guys play around with the adjustments and how much it affected your ball flight, I'd appreciate it. I haven't done a lot of tweaking but plan to have a range session or two soon dedicated to Driver/3W...

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Originally Posted by harms39

That's awesome guys, can't wait to hear more! I used my tax refund this year to get some new sticks including a RAZR Fit driver, so will be interesting to hear what you think. I've found it to be extremely long and forgiving, especially off the toe. If you guys wouldn't mind posting on how much did you guys play around with the adjustments and how much it affected your ball flight, I'd appreciate it. I haven't done a lot of tweaking but plan to have a range session or two soon dedicated to Driver/3W...

Yeah, when I get my driver and actually play a few rounds with it I will add more to the review here.  I doubt that I will tinker with it much for awhile though.  In the fitting, the settings they gave me had me hitting it real well.  My current driver is also adjustable and I have tinkered with it so much I don't even remember what they set me at when I first got fitted for it.  I don't want to make that mistake again.

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And in case you guys haven't seen it yet I added pics of the X Prototype Utility , which is like a driving iron

Mike McLoughlin

Check out my friends on Evolvr!
Follow The Sand Trap on Twitter!  and on Facebook
Golf Terminology -  Analyzr  -  My FacebookTwitter and Instagram 

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Before I go into the Ely Callaway Performance Center - and the fitting day that I attended last week.  I would like to set the tone with the great admiration and respect I have for Callaway Golf.

It dates back to 1992; I was a sophomore in High school when I purchased my first Big Bertha driver.  The purchase is a memorable one, as it was bought with money I saved over the summer, while working at the local golf course as a bag boy and cart barn assistant.  Growing up in a rural community in central Ohio - having the Big Bertha driver in my bag at the start of that '92 season was very special... Literally, I felt like a celebrity as the rest of the golf team was talking about the driver, which at the time, was the hottest driver on the market... And every one of my teammates, and opponents wanted to hit it as I was one of the first players on the team to have the Big Bertha.

Ultimately, the Big Bertha gave me the confidence I needed when hitting drives in competition; and believe it was a key proponent to me making the leap from the Jr Varsity to Varsity team that fall. The funny thing about the wild success of the Big Bertha - is that by the end of the golf season, our entire varsity team had purchased their own!  Anyone who played golf in the early to mid 90's are aware of the wild success Callaway Golf had with the introduction of the Big Bertha driver - and it's successor the Great Big Bertha driver.  Literally, it transformed the golf industry as a whole.

Ely Callaway Performance Center

Carlsbad, CA

A few weeks back, Erik and Mike reached out to me via PM and informed me that I was selected to visit Callaway to experience a driver club fitting at the Performance Center in Carlsbad.  And that I'd have a chance to get a driver for attending.  So I knew it was going to be a fantastic day... But I really didn't expect it to be as awesome as it was.  First, as I pulled into the facility in Carlsbad, the VIP treatment started.  They had reserved parking for us.

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As I walked in for the 1:00 appointment, I was the first to arrive.

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Katie greeted me at the reception area, and got me signed in.  As I was checking in, an older gentleman walked up and was waiting on me to finish chatting with Katie.  I reached out to him with my right hand - and introduced myself.  We shook hands and he introduced himself as Roger Cleveland.  I was in awe, it was the legendary Roger Cleveland - standing there shaking my hand.  I was kind of star struck, and asked him if he minded me taking a photo for the website here at TST.  He was so kind and said 'Sure!' with a smile...

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We chatted for a few minutes as I waited for the other TST team to arrive - and he pointed out Annika's US Open trophy - and Phil's Masters flag and various clubs they had on display.  It was really cool to see these items - and it showcased the caliber of success that Callaway Golf has on their resume when talking about tour players using their equipment, and the achievements they have made.

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Roger went on his way once Scott - another Callaway staffer arrived - who was actually the TST host for the day.  As Scott and I waited for the other TSTers to arrive, I took in the rest of the lobby - where the founder of Callaway Golf - Ely Callaway was showcased.  Paying homage to Mr. Ely Callaway.

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The Club Making Room / The Callaway Development Process - Concept to Delivery

Soon the rest of the TST team arrived, and a few other Callaway staff members were introduced (Nick and Garrett) and we were off on our tour of the facility.  The first stop was the club making room - where you will find pretty much any tool required to build a golf club you'd ever need.  This room was introduced as Phil's room where he likes to build and tinker with his own clubs.  A room where Roger can come in and grind a wedge to his liking.  It was really the workshop where a lot of great innovations come to life.

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This is when, what I thought was going to be a simple club fitting day - turned into a genuine history lesson and informative review on how Callaway Golf operates.  Nick, the Callaway staff member shown in the picture above became the faceman for the balance of the day, and did an amazing job of giving us a behind the scenes look of the Ely Callaway Performance Center (ECPC).  He literally went from soup to nuts - what Callaway Golf does within the halls of ECPC.

** I interrupt this review to add a quick comment**

The video that I created - along with the video that Mike (mvmac) posted above found within the first post in this thread, gives some of the behind the scenes access from this day.  My video linked here is a little long (24 mins).  But I really encourage the hardcore users here to check it out as there are some nuggets of information that can be taken from these videos.  Not only on how Callaway operates - but also items that Callaway measures during a fitting process like 'Closure Rate'.  I thought some of this information Nick shared was fascinating, and I hope you enjoy the videos as much as I do.

Also - I'd like to state that I'm not a professional videographer/editor/director/ect... I'm a total amateur here folks.  So I apologize in advance if my video isn't up to snuff.

I learned from Nick - at Callaway Golf - within the ECPC, the club making process is quite intensive.  How Callaway takes a club from concept to delivery, plain and simple it is a lot of testing.  They really run the club through the various phases of testing before it ever becomes a product that you will find in big box retailers, pro shops or even on tour.  The development process begins on the 2nd floor (we didn't get to see the 2nd floor) - where R&D; engineers are working on 3D CAD/CAM models - interfacing with mechanical and material engineers.  The clubs that are taken from an ID concept - can be built under the 3D CAD/CAM environment and various simulations can be ran before they ever build a physical prototype.

When the R&D; team comes to a consensus that the club is worthy of being physically built (after a number of successful 3D simulations), Callaway will first build the club and test its performance within a controlled environment using a robot.  The robot enables Callaway to test the prototype club using ideal launch conditions, and obtain performance numbers without bias as the robot eliminates variables found in human testing.

An interesting note, is that within the robot room, you will not only find Callaway golf clubs being tested, but also competitors clubs.  As Callaway stated, it is common practice to understand where their competition is at with their current generation of product (clubs found within the retail marketplace).  It's always good to have a pulse on the competition.

The Robot Room

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As the R&D; team achieves optimal performance numbers off the robot - Callaway will then place the prototype club into the hands of their own staff.  Folks like Nick and Garrett will actually get to test the clubs at the ECPC, using both their indoor and outdoor launch monitors and test equipment.  The things that the Callaway staff members are looking for are launch angle, trajectory, ball flight, feel and sound.  Many of these items are preferential items that can vary from golfer to golfer, so the staffers are an important phase of testing as they can provide the R&D; team the first constructive criticisms based on the design, and they can make mods as necessary.

Finally, after the prototype club passes the staffers performance testing and feedback, and those mods or tweaks are made, Callaway will invite their tour players - and the lucky Joe Schmo golfer (who signs a confidentiality agreement) to visit the ECPC to demo these next generation prototype clubs.  These proto demos give Callaway additional user data and information to digest - prior to the club going to market.  The club may go through dozens of changes and revisions before it ever reaches the general public.  As Nick mentioned things like the sound the driver emits is heavily scrutinized.  While the club may perform beautifully - if it doesn't pass the sound check, then it likely won't be introduced to the market place.  I found it interesting that Callaway actually has sound engineers on staff who will study the number of decibels the impact of a driver creates with a golf ball - and monitor that sound through the engineering development process as they make tweaks and changes to the club head.  Talk about being precise!

Ely Callaway Performance Center - Club Fitting

After Nick gave us a sound understanding of Callaway's development process, he brought us into the club fitting areas found within the ECPC facility - there are really three.

(1.) Callaway Golf Indoor Fitting Studio - Used for full swing analysis and club fitting

(2.) Odyssey Putter Fitting Studio - Used for putter fitting

(3.) Outdoor Range and Practice facility - Used for outdoor demos and fittings

Indoor Club Fitting Studio

The Indoor Fitting Studio looked like a command and control center for some government agency.  It was setup with monitors and camera systems - all integrated to support the Callaway Performance Analysis System (CPAS), a proprietary state of the art shot analysis system.  The system consist of several high speed camera systems which monitor the club in microseconds - it can capture up to 10,000 images a second of the clubhead.

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For those that are familiar with Trackman - many of you are - the primary difference that you will find with Callaway's proprietary CPAS versus Trackman... Is that Callaway's system monitors the club through the entire swing.  There is no back calculations found within Callaway's setup, whereas you will find back calculations on the Trackman, being the Doppler radar doesn't see the club head at ~P3/P4/P5.  Therefore, Callaway believes they have the most accurate fitting systems in the world.  The accuracy found within the CPAS didn't come at a small price either...

The system that Callaway created is homegrown and contains a total of four cameras - which run forty thousand dollars each ($160K just in cameras).  The following two photos show the high end cameras which are mounted into the ceiling of the fitting studio... It may not look like much - but those four cameras are equivalent to the the price tag of the BMW i8 Hybrid that Tom Cruise was tooling around in during Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol movie which was out in theaters earlier this year!  Sick!!

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As well the CPAS consist of proprietary software and hardware to make the solution all come together (you really can't put a price tag on the cost to develop a home grown system like CPAS).  It took Callaway several years of development, just to create the CPAS fitting solution.  So Callaway's setup is indeed legit - but even they admit that using third party fitting tools like Trackman (which is very accurate) is used for their outdoor fittings as it can be setup and tore down within minutes.  That isn't feasible with Callaway's proprietary CPAS.

Following is a snap-shot of a swing within the bay with the output of the CPAS.

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The key shot analysis items output on the CPAS were as follows:

  • Angle of Attack
  • Club Speed
  • Ball Speed
  • Club Path
  • Swing Direction
  • Face Angle
  • Impact Position of the ball in relation to club face (Monitor Center vs Off Center Hits)
  • Ball Speed
  • Launch Angle
  • Back Spin
  • Side Spin ( I'm curious as to why they have Back Spin and Side Spin - as there is only one Spin Axis - but I didn't notice this until after we left Callaway )
  • Carry Distance
  • Total Distance
  • Apex (Maximum Height)
  • Closure Rate *I thought this was an interesting data point that Callaway collects.

*I hadn't heard anyone really discuss 'Closure Rate' before - the rate at which the clubface rotates throughout the swing.  Especially from any of the guys I know that are using Trackman.  So I was intrigued that Callaway's CPAS tracked this.  My understanding is that for Closure Rate - maintaining a square clubface at impact is key - but maintaining consistency in your Closure Rate is really what determines a consistent Pro level ball striker versus the average amateur golfer.  Also, the faster your club speed, the higher your closure rate will be.

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Overall - I was impressed with the technology that Callaway uses in their fitting - and believe they should be proud in the IP they have created as it is their own.  They had an impressive setup for an indoor studio for sure... One that I could only dream of having in my own home.  And it didn't hurt the eyes that we were teeing off on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach! Above is Mike (mvmac) getting ready to Hulk smash a drive with the Callaway RAZR Fit driver!

Putter Fitting Studio

The ECPC putting studio was in the room next door to the fitting studio.  The first thing that Nick pointed out was that rather than Callaway creating a home grown putting fitting solution, and developing it from the ground to conduct detailed putting stroke analysis... This was an area Callaway utilized a 3rd party commercial off the shelf solution - also known as the SAM PuttLab . It makes sense, the SAM is highly recognized as one of the most comprehensive putting fitting solutions in the world, and rather than try and recreate something on your own - why not leverage a system which is commercially viable and affordable?
Below is a photo of the SAM fitting solution which Callaway/Odyssey uses within the ECPC studio.
Here they will calibrate the SAM analysis system to monitor a players putting stroke.  One of the key metrics taken from the fitting is a users Impact Alignment Angle.  The following photo shows how Impact Alignment Angle - when putting from distances ranging from 3ft out to 20ft - varying your impact alignment can greatly influence making or missing a putt.
GREEN = Make
YELLOW = Potential Miss
RED = Miss
I was intrigued to see this table as I had never seen it published.  It makes sense and proves how important alignment aids - and then finding a putter that is properly weighted is as if your impact alignment shifts by as much as 1-deg - you're chances of making anything longer than a 3ft putt is greatly impacted.  Great data points - and one of the most influential pieces of information I walked away with during my tour of the ECPC.

Outdoor Range and Practice Facility

As a golf enthusiast - who doesn't like to go out and hit golf balls?  I know I do!  This was the exciting part of the day - getting to go outside in the beautiful Southern California ocean air - with the sun beating down... With the entire armada of Callaway golf clubs at my finger tips; drivers, fairways, hybrids, irons, wedges - they were all there to hit, in a plethora of head and shaft combinations.  I was in heaven!  And the best part, I had the Callaway staff right there, one-on-one to answer any and all questions I had.  Sweet!

TheSandTrappers Getting Ready to Grip it and Rip it

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350+ Yds of Fairway

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Unlimited premium golf balls to hit

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I'll never forget - I was grabbing the clubs off the rack and hitting them - half a dozen shots at a time.  One particular moment - I was working with Nick and Garrett and while I was waiting for the RAZR Fit driver with the 10.5* head, I was hitting a RAZR Fit 3W 15* Fairway wood.  I was hitting some low penetrating balls off the turf.  Laser beams and really was hitting it straight and long.  Then Nick hands me the new X Prototype Utility - 21-deg - again hitting some laser beams with low trajectory.  I just was smiling ear to ear on and then he says... "Lets get that ball flight up a little."  And hands me a RAZR X Hybrid 21* - and bam!  The ball goes soaring in the air with a nice high ball flight that seemed to fly off the face.  It is amazing how a club with the same static loft can cause such a different ball flight by simply changing the shaft, and altering the club heads weighting.  Really - if you didn't tell me the X Hybrid was 21* and the X Prototype Utility was 21-deg - I would have said the X Prototype was 18* and the X Hybrid was 24*.  Makes me want to go buy some new clubs for those days when you have windy/dry conditions!

One of the things that impressed me the most - and was pleasantly surprising about the Callaway club demo - was hitting the new RAZR X Muscleback Irons.  I've been playing with the Mizuno MP-59's since the fall of 2011 when they were originally released to the public.  And while I love my Mizzy's the RAZR X Musclebacks were every bit as solid during my time demoing them.  The shafts assembled into the RAZR X Musclebacks were the Project X 6.5 Steel (125g).  I'm telling you, these irons were sick.  I loved them - and would highly recommend that if you are in the market for a new set of irons - to check these out.

According to the Callaway staff, the RAZR X Muscleback irons - the center of gravity for these players irons are found closer to the heel - or slightly off center.  This may have been why I liked them so much as my typical impact position is in that area of the clubface.  Speaking to the staff, they stated that just because an iron is slated as a Players Iron - the golfer should understand where the CG is located, and where they typically make impact with the club.  And don't be afraid to try clubs out that you may believe you don't have the swing to game such a club.  If I was in the market for a new set of irons, I would definitely give these a serious consideration.  They were not only beautifully designed, but the performance was excellent.

RAZR X Muscleback Specs

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I enjoyed checking out the Callaway offering as I had not hit any of the new RAZR line in 2012 until this ECPC visit.

The RAZR Fit Driver Fitting

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Being that I have the R11 TP (2011 driver) - I've been using an adjustable driver for a while now.  And while I play it at a neutral setting (the R11) - I have the peace of mind that if I wanted to tweak something I could.  Being that Callaway has joined the party on adjustability in drivers, my interest was officially peaked when I first learned about the driver this past winter.  And in January, I took a look at the RAZR Fit driver at address, and liked the look of it.  But I had yet to actually hit it.  Fast forward to the ECPC fitting, and I was finally able to give the RAZR Fit driver a go.  And the peace of mind that I should I have any questions, I had the Callaway staff on hand to answer.

I started the RAZR fit driver demo with the 9.5* head, using the Fujikura Stiff Blur T65 (45.5", 65g, mid-low torque).  My ball flight with this driver setup seemed lower than my R11 TP with the Fujikura T65, so the suggestion was that I go to the 10.5* head.  I hit many drives with both setups, but to no avail - I still had a low ball flight.  So we went back indoors into the ECPC studio -to the indoor fitting bay and checked my angle of attack on the launch monitor.  According to the monitor, I was in the -1 to 0 to +1 range.  After playing around with my placement of the ball (inside sole of my left foot - moving to toe of my left foot) and varying the tee height my numbers on attack angle would only slightly move.

The RAZR Fit driver in both the 9.5* and 10.5* head, with neutral settings, and weight ports set to normal - I was hitting it very straight.  Unfortunately, I was hitting the driver lower than I'd like.  It was also difficult for me to see the distance in rollout given there was no outdoor launch monitor (Trackman was not setup) and the indoor launch monitor - my numbers seemed to be lower than what I have found on other monitors.  For instance, my swing seemed to be in the 96mph to 100mph range.  Whereas on Trackman I'll range from 102 to 105mph on swing speed with my R11 TP driver.  Therefore, I'm going to reserve my formal review of the RAZR Fit driver until I receive the driver from Callaway and can do additional testing.

My settings and preference for head, shaft and grip were provided to the ECPC staff - and I expect to receive the custom built driver from them within the near future.  At that the time of receipt, I'll be able to hit it on Trackman - as well as play some rounds with it to get additional data, so that I can give a fair and honest review of the club to the TST community.

Overall my experience at Callaway was awesome - and I can't wait to get the RAZR Fit driver into my hands so I can do additional testing.  I'd like to thank TheSandTrap (Erik, Mike and Steve) - and Callaway Golf for giving me the opportunity to participate in the event.  It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Best Regards,

Shawn (Beachcomber)

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My RAZR Fit 10.5* driver with the Fujikura Blur T65 shaft arrived today in the mail.  I'll be taking this bad boy to the range soon!

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I received mine today as well, here are a few pics ...

Golf Club1.jpg

Golf Club2.jpg

Golf Club3.jpg

I will hopefully get out to the range with it tomorrow, and I have a couple of rounds scheduled for next week so this guy will get a good workout soon.

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Played my first round with the RAZR Fit driver today... Hit some nice shots with it.  So far, so good.

The ball flight is a little lower than my R11 - but the dispersion was much tighter.  I was hitting some tight lines from the box - with the ball not moving much off it's original line at all.  My only gripe - which is small - is I haven't felt that 'Wow, I just put a hurt on that ball.' feeling just yet with the RAZR fit driver.

With my R11 TP, there are times when I can just tell the ball was compressed and is going to be 275+ (above average drive for me) off the tee.  Maybe I just haven't found the sweet spot on the club face of the RAZR fit? But I know I have to be close because I did hit one drive that went 258 in wet/uphill conditions (early morning round with wet/damp fairways) - and it had a very nice ball flight.  Just a baby draw.  And that felt solid - but still not bombed at least in comparison to the R11.

scorecard-060812.png

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Well done Beachcomber!  12/14 fairways with the new driver ... outstanding.  Were you using driver on all of the holes just to try it out, or were you just that confident with it?  I would think you'd normally use 3W or hybrid on 3, maybe 4, 10, and maybe 14 as well.

I don't have time for a round today, but am taking mine out to the range at lunch to give it a test drive.  I couldn't do a side by side when we got them since I didn't have my old driver, so I'm going to do one today.

I'm also going to attempt to video myself so I can get started on Evolvr.

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Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Well done Beachcomber!  12/14 fairways with the new driver ... outstanding.  Were you using driver on all of the holes just to try it out, or were you just that confident with it?  I would think you'd normally use 3W or hybrid on 3, maybe 4, 10, and maybe 14 as well.

I don't have time for a round today, but am taking mine out to the range at lunch to give it a test drive.  I couldn't do a side by side when we got them since I didn't have my old driver, so I'm going to do one today.

I'm also going to attempt to video myself so I can get started on Evolvr.

Yeah I normally use driver a lot at RSJ.

Hole 3  - Just fly the trees on the left and leaves me with a PW/50 wedge.

Hole 4 - Aim at the barber pole and hit a cut which puts me at 8i or 9i approach...

Hole 6 - I normally hit my RBZ 3W - but I was hitting very tight lines with the Callaway so I just went at the barber pole and flew past the trees on the right - and left myself with an 8i from 135.  Just caught the fairway.  I typically have a 6i or 7i into this green with the 3W.

Hole 10 - I usually hit a driver and cut the corner (fly the fence on the left of the tee box) which is aggressive, but when I try and hit it straight - with a 3W - I often find myself in a dang trap.

Hole 14 - I usually pound a driver and leave a 50/54* wedge in by aiming just to the inside left of the three palm trees on the right side of the fairway.

I was pretty happy with the way I was hitting the driver.  I probably wouldn't hit it again off of 6 - just because that could get me in jail if I block it right (OB) or pull it into the pond.  But I was just hitting it so easy with very little dispersion - just figured what the heck.

Sick thing is - I missed 3 birdies from inside 5ft.  Hahhaha

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Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Played my first round with the RAZR Fit driver today... Hit some nice shots with it.  So far, so good.

The ball flight is a little lower than my R11 - but the dispersion was much tighter.  I was hitting some tight lines from the box - with the ball not moving much off it's original line at all.  My only gripe - which is small - is I haven't felt that 'Wow, I just put a hurt on that ball.' feeling just yet with the RAZR fit driver.

With my R11 TP, there are times when I can just tell the ball was compressed and is going to be 275+ (above average drive for me) off the tee.  Maybe I just haven't found the sweet spot on the club face of the RAZR fit? But I know I have to be close because I did hit one drive that went 258 in wet/uphill conditions (early morning round with wet/damp fairways) - and it had a very nice ball flight.  Just a baby draw.  And that felt solid - but still not bombed at least in comparison to the R11.

I just got back from the range and I had just about the same experience with my Razr Fit as you did.  The dispersion is noticably tighter than my D3, which is very promising because unlike you, keeping it in the fairway is a huge problem of mine.  The biggest difference in the specs of the two is the shaft.  D3 has Diamana Ahina 72g S flex, and the Razr Fit has Diamana Kaili 70g X flex.

I also didn't ever feel like I crushed one but I think that had to do with the muted sound.  There seemed to be very little difference in carry between the 2, just that there were a lot more good ones with the Razr Fit than the D3.

Can't wait to get it out on the course!

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Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I just got back from the range and I had just about the same experience with my Razr Fit as you did.  The dispersion is noticably tighter than my D3, which is very promising because unlike you, keeping it in the fairway is a huge problem of mine.  The biggest difference in the specs of the two is the shaft.  D3 has Diamana Ahina 72g S flex, and the Razr Fit has Diamana Kaili 70g X flex.

I also didn't ever feel like I crushed one but I think that had to do with the muted sound.  There seemed to be very little difference in carry between the 2, just that there were a lot more good ones with the Razr Fit than the D3.

Can't wait to get it out on the course!

Great point on the muted sound.  That may be it?  It definitely isn't as loud as the R11.

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Originally Posted by Beachcomber

My settings and preference for head, shaft and grip were provided to the ECPC staff - and I expect to receive the custom built driver from them within the near future.  At that the time of receipt, I'll be able to hit it on Trackman - as well as play some rounds with it to get additional data, so that I can give a fair and honest review of the club to the TST community.

I had heard from a clubfitter that (regardless of manufacturer) each individual shaft and each head is a bit different, and that in a stack of identical-appearing drivers ("same" shaft, "same" loft) there could be quite a bit of variation from club to club. The point was that when you demo a driver, you demo (and buy) an individual club; in other words, don't demo a club and then buy a different one from the rack or on-line and expect it to perform like the one you tested.

Is this different for the clubs they build there on-site? (Better quality control for their on-site build compared with those sold at retailers?)

I'm not claiming that my swing is anywhere close to being able to detect such differences, but I'm curious. Or was the clubfitter I heard giving bad info?

Craig
What's in the :ogio: Silencer bag (on the :clicgear: cart)
Driver: :callaway: Razr Fit 10.5°  
5 Wood: :tmade: Burner  
Hybrid: :cobra: Baffler DWS 20°
Irons: :ping: G400 
Wedge: :ping: Glide 2.0 54° ES grind 
Putter: :heavyputter:  midweight CX2
:aimpoint:,  :bushnell: Tour V4

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Originally Posted by Missouri Swede

I had heard from a clubfitter that (regardless of manufacturer) each individual shaft and each head is a bit different, and that in a stack of identical-appearing drivers ("same" shaft, "same" loft) there could be quite a bit of variation from club to club.

That seems completely plausible, but like you, I don't know that I would have the experience to tell the difference.  (I would guess, though, that the differences are slight)

Originally Posted by Missouri Swede

The point was that when you demo a driver, you demo (and buy) an individual club; in other words, don't demo a club and then buy a different one from the rack or on-line and expect it to perform like the one you tested.

Definitely not the case for us.  We demo'd their demo's, so to speak, and they sent us a new, in the package, club.  But like I said above, I don't know that I have a consistent enough swing to be able to tell subtle differences, and this one so far performs like the one I demo'd

Originally Posted by Missouri Swede

Is this different for the clubs they build there on-site? (Better quality control for their on-site build compared with those sold at retailers?)

Yes and no.  They are there primarily for their tour pros (on all of the tours) who they build the clubs for, and they spend time tinkering and fine tuning the clubs, practicing, etc.  So while they might build a club for the tour pro from his specs, he will certainly come in and do extensive testing with that actual club to get it just right.

On the other hand, for their non tour pro guests like us, I'm going to assume that most fittings are just like ours, and clubs are mailed to you weeks later that aren't the exact clubs you demo'd.

Originally Posted by Missouri Swede

I'm not claiming that my swing is anywhere close to being able to detect such differences, but I'm curious. Or was the clubfitter I heard giving bad info?

Again, I'm not consistent enough to be able to tell either, but your clubfitters info seems perfectly reasonable.

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