Tiger's TaylorMade Testing Session

[DeadMan]

This article was interesting, about Tiger's equipment testing: https://www.pgatour.com/news/2018/01/22/tiger-woods-taylormade-testing-session.html

What stood out to me from that article:

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That's evident from the 125-126 mph head speed and 181 mph ball speed that's producing 12-plus degrees of launch and upwards of 316 yards of carry on a regular basis.

If those numbers are correct, then they're capital E elite. That would put him in the top 5 of club head speed from last year's PGA Tour stats, and top 10 in ball speed. 

[mvmac]

Fun read here. Very interesting the bit about Tiger not adjusting his swing to the equipment, very rare as they point out.

https://www.pgatour.com/news/2018/01/22/tiger-woods-taylormade-testing-session.html

 

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Finding a new set of irons for one of the greatest ball-strikers in the history of the sport is akin to putting together a puzzle with 10,000 pieces. Eventually, it will all come together, but it takes significant time and effort to get there.

Woods recalls knowing it was time to find a new iron set when he wore through the plating on three clubs in particular - the 8-, 9- and 7-iron (in that order). It was at that point he started the unenviable task of cherry-picking clubs from eight or nine sets to get the CGs to match. With the rise in iron technology and design, Woods knows he doesn't have to go to those lengths to find a new set.

Asked what separates Woods from other high-level professionals when it comes to his testing habits, Sbarbaro points to his unwillingness to adapt to the equipment he's testing.

"He doesn't adjust," Sbarbaro said. "He swings the club. The only other guy I've worked with a bunch, as a friend, who does that is Phil [Mickelson]. They don't adjust. So many guys will hit an iron high like Tiger did on the first ball and then they'll hit it lower the next time. He's a tough critic. Tiger doesn't adjust to the equipment; he makes it adjust to him."

Welcome to testing with Tiger Woods, an old-school gearhead who provides brutally honest feedback when he's working through new product - even when the cameras are rolling, as they were on this particular day as Woods worked through a myriad of TaylorMade gear during the 90-minute session.

When it comes to pinpointing the differences between his current sticks and a potential contender, Woods is wired to recognize even the most subtle change when he picks up a new club, beginning with the way it feels during the initial waggle. A number of times during the session, Woods verbalized to Sbarbaro and Brian Bazzel, TaylorMade's VP of Product Creation, if a club passed the waggle test before ever taking a swing.

"This club feels great going through the ground, especially when I waggle," Woods said early on as he was getting acquainted to the prototype 6-iron.

 

[Club Rat]

Describing the feel of the waggle is spot on, IMO.