flog2424
Philippians 4:13
Yesterday I had the pleasure of going the The Kingdom - Taylormade Fitting Facility located at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, GA.
I have heard so many things about this place from some friends and I made a promise to myself that I would make the journey here to get a baseline idea for my Morgan Cup setup. Nothing could have prepared me for the 4 1/2 Hour experience that I had. It was like the scene in Field of Dreams where the players thought they were in Heaven but were in Iowa. I never imagined that something of this quality would be located in such a remote place.
My fitting started at 1:30 PM. I walked up to the facility and was promptly greeted by Alan Stone. Alan had been working for Taylormade and doing fittings at the Kingdom for over 12 years, 10 of which at the home office in Carlsbad. I felt so comfortable with Alan as we started talking about my game. He wanted to know specifically about my tendencies, my misses, strengths and what they could do to improve what I was playing now. I told him my biggest issues was the gaps between SW and PW as well as large gaps at the top end of my bag between 4 iron and the hybrids I play. We made a pact that I would leave my ego at the door, not look at the shafts he was going to try and truly create the best scenario for me from top to bottom in my bag. Once I was warmed up, which didnt take long in the 90 degree heat, we were off to the races.
STEP 1: TAYLORMADE MAT-T System
The first real part of the fitting was going inside to create a player profile. This profile talked about averages, my current setup, type of golf ball used etc.
After the information was received I got introduced to the MAT-T system aka Hey Mom look at me.... Im in a video game. You are literally wearing a black type suit with numerous sensors on your body. This measures such things as swing speed, hand speed, actual loft at impact, alignment of shoulders to lower body and many other things. If one is a numbers geek when it comes to golf, you have to try this out. I wasnt caught up in the pictures of my swing as much as I was the numbers I have been trying to change and could see the results for myself. Once we got a baseline for a 6 iron and driver we saw no red flags and went out to the range to start trying out equipment.
IRON FITTING
Going into the iron fitting I told him that I typically play more of a players type club but would be willing to try anything out if it meant the numbers made sense. We first hit my AP2 7 iron on the Trackman to get a baseline to go off of. After about 5 swings he told me to take a little break and he would be right back. To my surprise, the first club he handed me was the Taylormade MC with the same shaft I currently have. I will admit that I had been thinking about the CB's the whole time going into this but with the first swing I knew the irons I wanted to game immediately. The ball felt so good coming off and it was at a trajectory I had not seen in some time. Shot after shot showed little change in the number and a slight increase in distance. Alan then handed me another iron. I have always played the DG SL S300's because I have always preferred the lightweight. The next club felt noticably heavier.... We went to the DG Tour Issue S400s. These felt like I was swinging an anvil and while they felt good I just didnt feel like I had any speed to the ball. Alan called me back to look at the trackman numbers and I had actually increased my carry by about 2.5 yards with the 7 iron, increased my spin and my angle of decent was about 5* better. Alan knew my bigger concern was the long irons. Since coming back from an elbow and wrist injury 2 years ago I have just not been a good long iron player. I told him I would be willing to try SpeedBlades, the TP CB's or perhaps something new...... He brought out the new SLDR irons to let me hit. He gave me the 4 iron which had a graphite shaft but he wanted me to focus on ball flight and carry distance. The first swing felt like the ball was coming off a driver, it was so hot. Trackman said the carry was 220. The next one went to 225. He immediately took these away because while I was hitting them great, it wasnt helping my gap.
HYBRIDS
I have always loved hybrids, particularly the TM offerings. I had mentioned that I wasnt opposed to carrying two hybrids. The first hybrid hit was the 18* with the Aldila Tour Green shaft which is set up like my current x2 Hot. Due to the nature of the club, I could not get it airborn. We scrapped that idea and the next shaft was the Diamana Blue. It gave me a little better ball flight but still was not close to what I was currently gaming. The third option was the Kuro Kage.....this shaft made the club lively and starting giving me even better numbers than the x2 hot which I did not know was possible. We then started playing around with the 21* to see if we could produce something I could hit 210 with a smooth swing but still give me something in the 220 range if I needed it. We tried the same shaft and got right on the numbers within 5 swings. We decided 2 hybrids would work best for me and we would be scrapping the 4 iron.
3 WOOD
I have had the opportunity to game the SLDR TS 3 Wood for about 3 months and while I have had some luck with it, I have hated the weight and had mixed results overall. Alan told me that the weight has been the number 1 complaint with this club overall and I would be amazed at what would happen when we changed shafts. The first shaft we went with was the Graphite Design BB-7s. I hit one off the tee and started smiling. 3 swings averaged at 260-265 carry. I told him that was great and all but lets see what happened off the deck. My next 3 swings gave similar results averaging at 250 carry...... The 3 wood was my biggest concern coming in to the day and we were done with the fitting after 10 swings and a little less than 5 minutes.
At this point in the fitting I was getting pretty tired and the heat had got to me a little bit. We decided to go inside to the puting studio.
PUTTER
This club has always been a weakness but moving the SPI method has done wonders to my putting. Since I got fit for my SeeMore in January this was the first time I had putted with anythign other than my m7. I was excited for this portion of the fitting because I had more confidence that I have had in a long time on the green and also I wanted to see how much my numbers had improved since the last time I was on a SAM system over 3 years ago. We started with the same MAT-T technology. This was cool from a putting prespective as it showed where I was aligned, stroke arch, hand speed and the amount of acceleration. All of my specs fell into the tour averages which was pretty dang awesome. We then moved to the SAM system and measured my SeeMore. Overall the results were great and he did give me a vote of confidence that I was in the right direction. The one thing he felt he could improve was my RPM at the 12 inch mark. Based on the MAT-T readings, he felt the SI series would be a good fit for me. We started with the small hosel version which I had not tried and I immediately fell in love. The numbers were very similar to my SeeMore but with the insert I was getting about 300 - 500 more RPM at the 12 inch mark. This just meant my putts were rolling quicker and holding their lines a little better
DRIVER
The next part was the wild card of the day. With all of the talk about lofting up and the issues some have had with lateral forgiveness I knew that this was the most important part of the fitting. They had both the traditional SLDR clubs as well as the new S series so I was excited to get to try everything. I told him my main concerns with the SLDR were the lateral forgiveness and the overall weight in the head was not my cup of tee. We started with the 430 head with the shaft I current game (Diamana Ahina). This felt horrible and was not getting anywhere close to my specs. We struggled with a few more shafts and I was getting decent numbers but nothing that had us happy. We moved to the 460 head and had similar results. It was good and I could play with it but my numbers were no where close to being optimized. We then went into the S heads and with 3 swings I handed it back. I dont know if it was a sound or feel thing but to me they reminded me of the original RBZ offering and that was a big turn off for me. Alan suggested I swing my driver a few more times to get the old feel back before we moved on. He came back with another 430 head and a shaft I had not liked in the past. He told me not to look at the loft and just try it. After 5 swings, I almost pulled the money out of my pocket and bought it right there. I had increased my carry by about 20 yards and my overall distance by close to 25-30 yards. He told me to leave my ego behind and look at the settings. We had used the 12* SLDR 430 head and bumped it up to 13*. I never in my life would have thought I would have a driver with that much loft but if it works I wont argue.
WEDGES
The wedges were extremely fun because we had opened up the possiblity of carrying another wedge since I was taking out my 4 iron. We talked a little about my wedge game and how I went about achieving distances. I told him I typically swing nothing over 3 quarters and around the green I use the highest amount of loft in most situations. We started with the 58* witht he standard bounce. I wanted to find something that with my 3 quarters swing would go about 80-85 yards and this club did exactly that. I could also hit all the shots I wanted around the green with these. I was very impressed with both the playability, the trajectory and the spin these had; not to mention they felt great. The next distance we wanted to tackle was 100 and the 54* was landing right there with little effort. I also found I could step on it if I had to and it wouldnt spin out of control and give me the extra 5-10 yards I might need. We then played with 50* wedge and got results from 115-120. I had filled my gap perfectly and felt great about the choices. I know some will ask but they did not have the ATV grind in right hand but were expecting to receive it in the next few days. I still might try it to see what the difference is but I still think I will go traditional bounce
After all of this was done I got to go to the Tour Van where they custom build everything and hang out for a little. The main club builder and I were talking about THP and the MC. He actually was once an assistant pro at Caledonia for a few years and gave me some course advice for both venues. Alan returned with a goodie bag for me which included a hat, golf balls, a couple of gloves and a one of a kind Kingdom Knit Black and White Headcover.
In closing, I could not believe the attention to detail and the attention to the customers satisfaction that the Kingdom gave. As I told them about the Morgan Cup they felt pride in helping me out because they were excited about me representing their company. I would go back tomorrow if I had to and would give this my highest recommendation. They leave you with no doubt about your new equipment and on top of that it is just so much fun.
In terms of my final specs, here they are below. Let me know if anyone has any additional questions about this trip.
Driver
SLDR 430 12* (12.5 Actual Loft) - Matrix Black Tie 6M3 S
3 Wood
SLDR 14* TS (14.5 Actual Loft) - Graphite Design BB-7S
Hybrids
SLDR 3 18* - Kuro Kage 80h S
SLDR 4 21* (21.5 Actual Loft) - Kuro Kage 80h S
Irons
Tour Preferred MC 5-PW - DG SL S300 - 2* Strong 1* Flat
Wedges
50*
54*
58*
Putter
Spider SI Slant - 34.25" 69* Lie, 2* Loft
I have heard so many things about this place from some friends and I made a promise to myself that I would make the journey here to get a baseline idea for my Morgan Cup setup. Nothing could have prepared me for the 4 1/2 Hour experience that I had. It was like the scene in Field of Dreams where the players thought they were in Heaven but were in Iowa. I never imagined that something of this quality would be located in such a remote place.
My fitting started at 1:30 PM. I walked up to the facility and was promptly greeted by Alan Stone. Alan had been working for Taylormade and doing fittings at the Kingdom for over 12 years, 10 of which at the home office in Carlsbad. I felt so comfortable with Alan as we started talking about my game. He wanted to know specifically about my tendencies, my misses, strengths and what they could do to improve what I was playing now. I told him my biggest issues was the gaps between SW and PW as well as large gaps at the top end of my bag between 4 iron and the hybrids I play. We made a pact that I would leave my ego at the door, not look at the shafts he was going to try and truly create the best scenario for me from top to bottom in my bag. Once I was warmed up, which didnt take long in the 90 degree heat, we were off to the races.
STEP 1: TAYLORMADE MAT-T System
The first real part of the fitting was going inside to create a player profile. This profile talked about averages, my current setup, type of golf ball used etc.
After the information was received I got introduced to the MAT-T system aka Hey Mom look at me.... Im in a video game. You are literally wearing a black type suit with numerous sensors on your body. This measures such things as swing speed, hand speed, actual loft at impact, alignment of shoulders to lower body and many other things. If one is a numbers geek when it comes to golf, you have to try this out. I wasnt caught up in the pictures of my swing as much as I was the numbers I have been trying to change and could see the results for myself. Once we got a baseline for a 6 iron and driver we saw no red flags and went out to the range to start trying out equipment.
IRON FITTING
Going into the iron fitting I told him that I typically play more of a players type club but would be willing to try anything out if it meant the numbers made sense. We first hit my AP2 7 iron on the Trackman to get a baseline to go off of. After about 5 swings he told me to take a little break and he would be right back. To my surprise, the first club he handed me was the Taylormade MC with the same shaft I currently have. I will admit that I had been thinking about the CB's the whole time going into this but with the first swing I knew the irons I wanted to game immediately. The ball felt so good coming off and it was at a trajectory I had not seen in some time. Shot after shot showed little change in the number and a slight increase in distance. Alan then handed me another iron. I have always played the DG SL S300's because I have always preferred the lightweight. The next club felt noticably heavier.... We went to the DG Tour Issue S400s. These felt like I was swinging an anvil and while they felt good I just didnt feel like I had any speed to the ball. Alan called me back to look at the trackman numbers and I had actually increased my carry by about 2.5 yards with the 7 iron, increased my spin and my angle of decent was about 5* better. Alan knew my bigger concern was the long irons. Since coming back from an elbow and wrist injury 2 years ago I have just not been a good long iron player. I told him I would be willing to try SpeedBlades, the TP CB's or perhaps something new...... He brought out the new SLDR irons to let me hit. He gave me the 4 iron which had a graphite shaft but he wanted me to focus on ball flight and carry distance. The first swing felt like the ball was coming off a driver, it was so hot. Trackman said the carry was 220. The next one went to 225. He immediately took these away because while I was hitting them great, it wasnt helping my gap.
HYBRIDS
I have always loved hybrids, particularly the TM offerings. I had mentioned that I wasnt opposed to carrying two hybrids. The first hybrid hit was the 18* with the Aldila Tour Green shaft which is set up like my current x2 Hot. Due to the nature of the club, I could not get it airborn. We scrapped that idea and the next shaft was the Diamana Blue. It gave me a little better ball flight but still was not close to what I was currently gaming. The third option was the Kuro Kage.....this shaft made the club lively and starting giving me even better numbers than the x2 hot which I did not know was possible. We then started playing around with the 21* to see if we could produce something I could hit 210 with a smooth swing but still give me something in the 220 range if I needed it. We tried the same shaft and got right on the numbers within 5 swings. We decided 2 hybrids would work best for me and we would be scrapping the 4 iron.
3 WOOD
I have had the opportunity to game the SLDR TS 3 Wood for about 3 months and while I have had some luck with it, I have hated the weight and had mixed results overall. Alan told me that the weight has been the number 1 complaint with this club overall and I would be amazed at what would happen when we changed shafts. The first shaft we went with was the Graphite Design BB-7s. I hit one off the tee and started smiling. 3 swings averaged at 260-265 carry. I told him that was great and all but lets see what happened off the deck. My next 3 swings gave similar results averaging at 250 carry...... The 3 wood was my biggest concern coming in to the day and we were done with the fitting after 10 swings and a little less than 5 minutes.
At this point in the fitting I was getting pretty tired and the heat had got to me a little bit. We decided to go inside to the puting studio.
PUTTER
This club has always been a weakness but moving the SPI method has done wonders to my putting. Since I got fit for my SeeMore in January this was the first time I had putted with anythign other than my m7. I was excited for this portion of the fitting because I had more confidence that I have had in a long time on the green and also I wanted to see how much my numbers had improved since the last time I was on a SAM system over 3 years ago. We started with the same MAT-T technology. This was cool from a putting prespective as it showed where I was aligned, stroke arch, hand speed and the amount of acceleration. All of my specs fell into the tour averages which was pretty dang awesome. We then moved to the SAM system and measured my SeeMore. Overall the results were great and he did give me a vote of confidence that I was in the right direction. The one thing he felt he could improve was my RPM at the 12 inch mark. Based on the MAT-T readings, he felt the SI series would be a good fit for me. We started with the small hosel version which I had not tried and I immediately fell in love. The numbers were very similar to my SeeMore but with the insert I was getting about 300 - 500 more RPM at the 12 inch mark. This just meant my putts were rolling quicker and holding their lines a little better
DRIVER
The next part was the wild card of the day. With all of the talk about lofting up and the issues some have had with lateral forgiveness I knew that this was the most important part of the fitting. They had both the traditional SLDR clubs as well as the new S series so I was excited to get to try everything. I told him my main concerns with the SLDR were the lateral forgiveness and the overall weight in the head was not my cup of tee. We started with the 430 head with the shaft I current game (Diamana Ahina). This felt horrible and was not getting anywhere close to my specs. We struggled with a few more shafts and I was getting decent numbers but nothing that had us happy. We moved to the 460 head and had similar results. It was good and I could play with it but my numbers were no where close to being optimized. We then went into the S heads and with 3 swings I handed it back. I dont know if it was a sound or feel thing but to me they reminded me of the original RBZ offering and that was a big turn off for me. Alan suggested I swing my driver a few more times to get the old feel back before we moved on. He came back with another 430 head and a shaft I had not liked in the past. He told me not to look at the loft and just try it. After 5 swings, I almost pulled the money out of my pocket and bought it right there. I had increased my carry by about 20 yards and my overall distance by close to 25-30 yards. He told me to leave my ego behind and look at the settings. We had used the 12* SLDR 430 head and bumped it up to 13*. I never in my life would have thought I would have a driver with that much loft but if it works I wont argue.
WEDGES
The wedges were extremely fun because we had opened up the possiblity of carrying another wedge since I was taking out my 4 iron. We talked a little about my wedge game and how I went about achieving distances. I told him I typically swing nothing over 3 quarters and around the green I use the highest amount of loft in most situations. We started with the 58* witht he standard bounce. I wanted to find something that with my 3 quarters swing would go about 80-85 yards and this club did exactly that. I could also hit all the shots I wanted around the green with these. I was very impressed with both the playability, the trajectory and the spin these had; not to mention they felt great. The next distance we wanted to tackle was 100 and the 54* was landing right there with little effort. I also found I could step on it if I had to and it wouldnt spin out of control and give me the extra 5-10 yards I might need. We then played with 50* wedge and got results from 115-120. I had filled my gap perfectly and felt great about the choices. I know some will ask but they did not have the ATV grind in right hand but were expecting to receive it in the next few days. I still might try it to see what the difference is but I still think I will go traditional bounce
After all of this was done I got to go to the Tour Van where they custom build everything and hang out for a little. The main club builder and I were talking about THP and the MC. He actually was once an assistant pro at Caledonia for a few years and gave me some course advice for both venues. Alan returned with a goodie bag for me which included a hat, golf balls, a couple of gloves and a one of a kind Kingdom Knit Black and White Headcover.
In closing, I could not believe the attention to detail and the attention to the customers satisfaction that the Kingdom gave. As I told them about the Morgan Cup they felt pride in helping me out because they were excited about me representing their company. I would go back tomorrow if I had to and would give this my highest recommendation. They leave you with no doubt about your new equipment and on top of that it is just so much fun.
In terms of my final specs, here they are below. Let me know if anyone has any additional questions about this trip.
Driver
SLDR 430 12* (12.5 Actual Loft) - Matrix Black Tie 6M3 S
3 Wood
SLDR 14* TS (14.5 Actual Loft) - Graphite Design BB-7S
Hybrids
SLDR 3 18* - Kuro Kage 80h S
SLDR 4 21* (21.5 Actual Loft) - Kuro Kage 80h S
Irons
Tour Preferred MC 5-PW - DG SL S300 - 2* Strong 1* Flat
Wedges
50*
54*
58*
Putter
Spider SI Slant - 34.25" 69* Lie, 2* Loft
