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

[Golfingdad]

OK, I played my first round with my new Razr Fit today.  Coincidentally, I debuted the driver on the same course as Beachcomber (Rancho San Joaquin in Irvine) and had a fantastic day.  Shot a 74, which just happens to be my best score ever on a par 72.  The driver performed as advertised.  I hit 7 of 14 fairways, which for me is a lot, but more importantly the shots that missed the fairway missed by small margins, whereas I am used to being OB or sitting in the middle of the wrong fairway.  (When I miss, I really miss - but it looks like that won't be the case anymore)  I also nailed a couple big ones today that pushed close to 300 yards.

Overall I was extremely pleased with it.  Now I need to get back the confidence that my drives will go where I want them to go, and not be so chicken on holes with trouble to one side.

[mvmac]

Wow, that's awesome to hear.  Callaway does a great job with their products and we look forward to doing more events/contests with them in the future.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by mvmac

Wow, that's awesome to hear.  Callaway does a great job with their products and we look forward to doing more events/contests with them in the future.

I also saw the video you took inside the tour van the other day at the open.  That was cool.  I loved the drawers of driver heads and shafts.

And certainly some of my success yesterday can also be attributed to incorporating stuff from my first evolvr lesson as well.  Yes, it was a much easier course than my last round and the driver helped immensely too.  But my last round pre-Evolvr was a 92, and my first post-Evolvr was a 74.  I think you guys need to develop a TM RBZ-esque slogan ... "Cut 18 strokes off your game in just one 5 minute lesson!"

[sac1]

Bit off topic, but does anyone know of a device for marking lines on balls which will give as good as results as those  in the bucket on picture 13 in the first post, or how does Callaway do it?

Ive tried the ones commonly available and there is no way you can get the line straight to go all the way around the ball and get them to go through each other at perfect right angles.

I obviously require it for putting, line the face of the putter with one line and point the ball in intended line of travel and strike through that line, works great(no lining up spots on the green), but once the lines are slightly wonky or don't go through each other at 90 deg, takes guess work as by how much to vary the strike and address position.  I can hit the  ball straight along the intended line every time with this method....only leaves reading the break and hitting speed as variables for me.

[LovinItAll]

Callaway Golf Center - Las Vegas

I visited the Callaway Golf Center in Las Vegas for a fitting, so I thought I'd share the results and impressions of my visit.

I arrived about 30 minutes early without an appointment, but there was no issue scheduling the fitting. I decided to hit some balls on the range first and warm up - not a problem since it was 105 outside - and scheduled the fitting for 30 minutes after my arrival.

The staff was friendly and helpful, and the young lady behind the counter was very easy on the eyes (sorry - I'm a dog). I was directed to a station on the range that had synthetic mats, not a favorite of mine. I recently suffered an arm injury, and hitting off the mats certainly didn't help. Still, I hit a couple of dozen balls and returned inside for the fitting.

The guy that helped me during the fitting was nice and seemed knowledgeable. We started off hitting my 6i and recorded the numbers for that club. I'm sure it's just me, but I really don't like hitting balls inside. I had a hard time really recognizing my ball flight and then making adjustments. On the range or course, visualizing what I want to do is important, and I think I struggled a bit indoors. After hitting about 3 balls with that, he handed me a bunch of shaft/clubhead combinations, recorded those results, and them we moved on to 3w.

I hit four or five of my own 3w's very solidly. We didn't spend much time on Callaway 3w's, as every club he handed me didn't come close to my own. After hitting maybe 20 balls total with 3w, we moved on to driver.

I hit seven balls with my own driver before he began handing over Callaway's product. At this point, my arm felt like it was about to fall off, and just lifting the club hurt like hell. Still, I went through the various clubs he offered up, made the best passes I could at them, and after another three dozen balls or so, we wrapped up the fitting.

There were a few things that really had a negative impact on the process:

1. My Health: I thought I'd be able to beat a hundred balls without issue, but my doctor recently took me off of a steroid medication that helped with the pain, and I just couldn't last. I felt like I was taking off a good percentage from my regular swing at the end, though I think the numbers for driver below accurately reflect my swing in terms of speed.

2. The Whole Indoor Thing: I'd really love to try this process (or Trackman) at an outdoor facility. It may not affect the results any, but I'd have a lot more confidence in my swing.

The guy made a point of telling me to take as much time as I wanted, but I kept rolling balls onto the little red dot and hitting them. I didn't feel rushed at all, but I was hitting balls much faster than I ever would on the range. The next time I do something like this, I'll take more time between shots.

When all was said and done, it was determined that I hit the clubs I already own as well as or better than any of the offerings he showed me (I went through an extensive fitting when I purchased them ~eight years ago. I was very surprised. He didn't try to sell me anything, and he did offer to do another fitting at no charge in the future. I think he may have sensed that I was hurting at the end, though I tried my best to not let it affect the process.

Overall, the process was worth the $100, but I think if I did it again, I'd take more control of (and pay more attention to) the different clubheads/shafts we tried. For example, I'm swinging S300 shafts in my irons, but I think they're too stiff. I didn't focus on a particular shaft long enough to make a decision, though - I'll take the responsibility for that.

On To The Numbers (No comments from the peanut gallery....I know there's room for improvement after I figure out what's good/bad/optimum):

Driver (Average of 7 Swings)

Head Speed - 92.30

Ball Speed - 135.30

Back Spin - 1786

Launch Angle - 13.90

Side Spin - 199 (r)

Side Angle - 2.8 (r)

Swing Path - 3.14 (r)

Angle of Attack - 3.99

Efficiency - 1.47

6i (Average of 3 Swings)

Head Speed - 77.80

Ball Speed - 110.20

Back Spin - 5376

Launch Angle - 17.80

Side Spin - 199 (r)

Side Angle - 1.8 (r)

Swing Path - 2.89 (r)

Angle of Attack - 4.22

Efficiency - 1.42

The printout didn't have the nice dispersion chart that Trackman prints out, so I think I'll try that next time. I really don't know which of the above stats are good, bad, or ugly other than Efficiency and driver swing speed (I know I'm not very fast).

That's all the data I have, but if anyone has questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them.

EDIT: I don't have carry/total distances on the sheet they gave me. There were so many numbers that I don't remember exactly what those figures were for the above clubs, but I **think** I was getting driver out there ~255 and 6i between 150-160. I consider 6i my 150 club, and I usually hit driver 240-250 on the course. I can squeeze more out of 6i if necessary, but I was trying to take my normal swing. I occassionally hit a bigger drive, but not only do I have to get after it, I have to hit it solid, too - those two things don't always go together

[Jimbo Slice]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

........  I was in heaven! .........

Wow, it does indeed look like you guys died and went to GOLF heaven.