Getting custom fitted - TaylorMade Demo Day

[IJHitman]

Hi! I’ve been a member of this forum for a couple of months but this is my first post. I recently attended a TaylorMade demo day that allowed me to be “dynamically fitted by TaylorMade Tour van technicians” using Trackman, and thought I’d share the experience/outcome – all thoughts/comments welcome.... Sorry if it's TL/DR

First some background:

I live in Bristol, UK. I am 38, and first started playing golf when I was 17. I made quick progress and got down to a handicap of 4 in 2.5 seasons. However, following University I moved to London and found that I couldn’t afford to play up there and before too long was only playing a handful of times a year and gave up my Bristol club membership. This continued for 15 years until last year when I moved back to Bristol and joined a local club. To get my handicap back I recorded the first 3 rounds I played there - +6, +6 and +15 (!). Obviously they ignored the final round and gave me a 6 handicap – which quickly went up to 7.

The golf market has changed so much since I first started playing. Custom fittings were the stuff of dreams back in the day.. My only experience of custom fitting was about 6 years ago, and was ultimately a bad experience. I had some spare cash and a customer who loved to play golf and I decided to splash out on some new irons and looked to play more. I went to a PING accredited fitting outlet and placed my swing and club choice in the hands of the experts. I was recommended a set of PING i3+s, maroon spot (5 degrees upright) and 1.5” longer than standard. I had no idea at the time of just how ridiculous this recommendation was. It was only last year when I booked a lesson with the local pro when it was pointed out how unsuitable they were. I was prone to hitting the irons high and the short irons left. Accordingly they were sent back to PING and reduced to 3 degrees upright and 0.75” longer. The resultant improvement was almost instant – far more consistent, lower ball flight but it took a week or two to get used a different swing plane and shorter club length etc.

All in all a poor experience which made me very aware that if I was to be fitted again that I’d be more careful in just accepting an expert opinion.

When I came aware of the TM Tour day and had reached a decision that having sorted out my irons, that I could do with an investment in a new driver. I was using a Callaway Bigger Bertha II, with a firm flex shaft but it felt pretty whippy. Now I’ve never had a problem with achieving distance off the tee – I’m not the longest of my regular 4Ball but I know I’m longer than the average club golfer. Having said that I believe the Amateur game’s obsession with length to be counter productive. What’s the point in hitting a long drive if it’s a long way in the trees?! I’d rather lose length and be straight than be long and chipping out sideways.

Anyway, I was finding that my tee shots were very inconsistent. I’ve always played with a slight fade off the tee but my bad shots were either high and right or pull/faded left. I’ve also been working on a slightly further forward hands position at address and this has meant that sometimes I can absolutely rip it dead straight – but 50 yards left of my intended target. Now trust me, when you get on that tee and you have no clue on whether you’ll nail it down the left and cut it back or nail it straight left OOB or banana it right, then golf becomes rather unenjoyable very quickly. Couple that with a single figure handicap and you’re gonna have a nightmare on medal day. Which I did. Several times. Often burning up my shot allowance in 3/18 holes.

Clearly some/most of these problems are down to me and my swing, but I did wonder whether my old driver/shaft wasn’t helping much either. Determined to try and make an informed purchase, I looked over the Sand Trap site and read multiple driver reviews, particular those pertaining to the Titleist 910 D3 and the TM R11, and decided to try out the R11. My mate told me about the TM demo day and I booked myself a slot at the Hensol Golf Academy, in Glamorgan, Wales. It’s only 60 mins in the car from Bristol – all the other planned days appeared to be miles away.

Everything now in golf is so much more scientific with a vast array of options to tailor the clubs to your exact requirements. I knew I needed advice on the driver shaft and the Trackman device they were using might explain to me what was going wrong and add some science to their recommendations. I don’t see how an amateur can make an informed purchase without seeing stats and listening to the right opinions. There’s too much choice!

I arrived early and hit a few balls to warm up. The high fade and the low straight left shots were still there. Finally my appointment time came up and met with the TM pro and explained why I was there and what I wanted from the session. He asked me to hit a few with my own driver – which I did. In fact the first two drives were so bad I suggested we should start again! From there on I hit better shots and was able to replicate the shots I’d been hitting consistently (left and right). Now unfortunately I wasn’t given a print out of the Trackman’s findings but the Pro talked me through the results – in a nutshell, my spin rate was wildly inconsistent – ranging from 2500rpm to 4000+! My launch angle was too high too. The only positive thing was my club head speed – I am told I have a high tempo swing.

Over the course of the next 30 mins I hit multiple reiterations of the R11. Firstly the 10.5 degree head and then the 9 degree. Each time I’d hit 5 or so balls, he’d look at the readings and change the shaft until finally he told me that the hand speed I was generating meant that we needed to look at the TP version (which I believe is essentially a more specialist shaft). Even then there seemed to be too much bowing of the shaft and he moved me on to a X flex instead. Now at this point I’m very aware that the potential price of this driver is going up! However, the difference was immediate. He had changed the loft to 8.5 with a 1 degree closed face and I was hitting long, straight tee shots with a hint of draw. Finally he suggested a slightly heavier shaft – this went even better!

The final recommendation was a 9 degree R11 TP with an X flex Fubuki Alpha 70 shaft (45.5”), FCT upright and 0.5 degree lower, ASP closed, MWT 10g in heel. They only had one of the Fubuki shafts on the tour van but they made it up on the spot and I parted with a wedge of cash.

Anyhow, you’ll want to know the Trackman stats – he jotted them down based on the above driver performance:

Distance 275 yards

Ball Speed 158 mph

Smash 1.44

Spin rate 2700rpm

Launch angle 12.1

Descent angle 37.8

My club head speed was typically 112 mph apparently, although I don’t recall seeing that stat for the last club. I guess a heavier shaft would slow that a little.

All in all, was it all worth it? I guess time will tell but I was hitting the ball so much better than before and with a beautifully penetrative flight path. I was way more consistent too. I just hope that lasts and I wasn’t sold an expensive lemon like my PINGs...

The lesson I’ve learnt is that using a scientific device like Trackman when receiving a custom fitting can clearly assist you in identifying and understanding your weaknesses/strengths whilst allowing you to purchase a club that gives you a greater experience on the golf course. Quite how you’re able to choose the correct shaft without this assistance is beyond me!

All comments/observations welcomed.

Kind regards,

Ian

[ControlJunkie]

Was it all worth it? Absolutely! If it has you playing better, more consistent golf, then it's definitely worth it. The way I think about it is if buying what works is $100 or so more, that cost is negated when you consider how many fewer balls you may lose over the life of the club. Besides, it only equals out to the cost of a round or two.

Jumping into that whole process blind can be a terrifying experience because you never really know if the retailer has a hidden agenda. In my experience, there are definitely those out there that do. That's why technology such as Trackman can be so invaluable. Also compounding the problem is the lack of industry standards for shaft flex, but that's an entire subject on it's own. I think it's kind of funny that they put you in a heavier shaft, whereas they have boasted about their longer, lighter shafts leading to longer distances (is it obvious I hate that trend yet?). It goes to show how that isn't the solution to being better off the tee for everyone. Someone not knowing any better would just take the stock shaft and have no idea why they're spraying the ball all over. Kudos to the guy fitting you, I'm glad to see that he was honest enough to fit you with something that was geared towards consistency rather than pure distance. I think the longer you play, and the more equipment you try, the better idea you get about what shafts work, and which ones dont.

Your story is a prime example of how helpful adjustability in today's clubs can be. While everyone is always quick to say fix the swing, not the clubs, I think it's obvious you're able to play good golf based on those few scores you mentioned, and I think this experience you've had goes to show how much having the proper equipment can change your game. The cool thing is that if you do undergo any swing changes, the adjustability of the R11 will allow you to tweak the club based on those changes without having to buy anything new. All you need now is a can of black spray paint for that white club head.

As a side note, it makes me appreciate what the Tour pros of previous generations did a little more, considering they didnt have the technology (such as Trackman) to fine tune their equipment. I think we should all be thankful for it, though I really wish I read more posts like yours where people did go through full fittings.