We had a good run, but...

Have fun! I switched to R9's from Adams Pro Golds. Since the switch (along with a little swing change) I am hitting the ball 2 clubs further and have seen my handicap drop about 5 strokes to a 6. I can't be more happier with the R9's.
 
About 3.5 years.

Thats a good run id say. Im sure some have played Irons longer but Its always nice to get something New and Exciting.

Im looking forward to seeing what you go with.
 
Have a great time!
It will be interesting to compare the differences between where you are going and the Kingdom in Carlsbad where 3 of us THP'rs are going this weekend.
 
Looking forward to this followup for sure, and do take plenty of pics.
 
Part 1

Part 1

I am feeling moderately wasted after today's trip, but here goes.

The drive down to PGA National and the TM NPC just outside of Malmö is usually about 4 hours, took 5 today. Snowstorm with some sleet and hail half the way, torrential rain the rest! Lovely! Got down at around 2pm, had lunch and met the reps at 3pm.

First off, we did something resembling the movie TRON, at least that's what I was thinking of. It's called the MAT-T System and they strapped all these small sensors on my body and had me do a bunch of swings with a driver, 6-iron and a wedge while hitting balls into a net. This felt very awkward (5 hour drive, somewhat rusty swing etc) especially since I didn't get any visual feedback. Then they took that data and made a 3D model of my swing, got a bazillion numbers and the program then suggested a setup.

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This felt, at least for me, somewhat superfluous but it can be useful since you get a DVD and can use to help you with your swing practice. Probably should've done it later on in the fitting though, so I could've warmed up and got my feel re: good shot/bad shot in. But I digress...
 
Sounds/looks like quite an experience Pete. Were you hitting the Tour Preferred MC or is that what MATT recommended? Do you feel comfortable with what MATT came up with?
 
Part 2

Part 2

We quickly proceeded with the irons. I had of course been eyeing the MBs but the computer suggested the MCs. Just relieved it didn't say CBs! :D I started hitting some balls with a MC 6-iron, DG S300 shaft, standard everything. Apparently the computer likes to suggest upright but the rep said to basically subtract about a degree from the suggestions. The rest of the fitting was trying out clubs, hitting balls and then getting feedback from the Flightscope.

I hit really good shots with the MC (see screencap further down) and it's a very easy club to hit. The S300 shaft also helped transfer much more power than the Rifle 6.0 I've had with my old set. Good high ballflight (hit it almost a full club further than with my current Callaway 6-iron), great numbers and that was basically it. I'd been thinking of going 3-6 in MC and 7-PW in MB, but I dunno. I didn't get nearly as good numbers with the MBs and while I hit them well (and I do like them, felt very solid) I just didn't have the same smash value (1.40+) as with the MCs. We went with MCs in 3-PW with the S300s, everything standard.

We went on with the driver and I had a R11 with me to Spain a few weeks ago and fell totally in love with it. Regularly knocked it close to 300 yards (roll included) and very straight too. The rep wanted me to try the Superfast TP 2.0 and considered it vastly superior and I get why. It's very easy to hit, really light and it felt good. I'm not that happy with how the fitting went after the irons, because I started to feel a bit tired and the +2 C conditions outside didn't exactly help! I probably hit 4-5 drives that I was happy with, the rest were pretty bleh and my numbers weren't that good. In the end we settled for a Superfast TP 2.0 with the Ozik HD6 (not the TP version) stiff shaft. I'm not entirely sure about the driver because two weeks ago I was bombing it with the R11 and today I just didn't have it. The combination of +2C, tired body and tons of wind from behind pushing down the ball probably played in a fair bit. It's not that big of a deal, I can just pluck myself an R11 if I want to, but this part of the day could've gone better. I think my carry was about 245-250 and then about 275-280 including roll.

I've played 52/56/60 wedges for awhile but I need another FW/rescue more than my 52, so I opted for the 54/60 combo, XFT wedges. Still haven't settled on the bounces yet, need to try them out around the greens before I decide. KBS wedge shaft and standard everything are the basic specs though.

We went with an R11 15.5 3W with a S flex 70g shaft. I didn't even try the Superfast 3Ws, the numbers were there and it felt good. The FCT was set to higher and the ASP to open, FYI. Carry was around 230 I think.

We also chucked a Rescue 11 in there, 18 degrees. Tried it with the 70g shaft (IIRC, can't remember) first and it just didn't have any whip, so we put the RIP 85g shaft in there and then it really started to fly! FCT was set to 1 lower than standard. Carried it about 215-220, so it'll slot in nicely between my 3-iron and 3W, which was the idea.

Overall, a very cool experience and a lot of fun. Unfortunately they didn't have everything, they'd just gotten the irons a few days ago and only had scattered clubs from each set with the different shafts and so on. They had all the drivers and shafts though, most of the FW woods and rescues, new putters and so on. I didn't try everything (it wasn't a demo day) but I got a very clear picture of what I need and what suits me, which was the purpose after all. The fitting, start to finish took about two hours.

Next post will be...pics!
 
Inside the fitting studio.
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Do note that all distances are in meters, not yards! :p
First three were with my old Cway BB 2-iron, next four MC 6-iron, then I hit a few with an MB 9-iron and MC PW.
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Some numbers with the driver. The best ones were with the Superfast, my best numbers with the R11 were like my avg ones with the Superfast.
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A cup of coffee after lunch in the (very classy) clubhouse.
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Lovely weather.
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Clubhouse. The PGA National opened a few years ago, has 2 courses (Links and Lakes) that have different themes. One is very Florida-esque, one is like a Links (but without the sea...but with a loooot of wind). They also have a 9-hole par 3 course. I'll play the Swedish PGA Championship there in about 6-7 weeks.
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Sounds/looks like quite an experience Pete. Were you hitting the Tour Preferred MC or is that what MATT recommended? Do you feel comfortable with what MATT came up with?

The first ones were the recommendations, I tried both of course. MCs ended up just feeling better and the numbers were also much better. The MATT system felt a bit meh, since you didn't get any visual feedback. Sure, you could see the tendencies etc but I don't think it was that great. I have yet to watch the DVD I got though, need to run it on a PC apparently. Not very well in tune with the new white look of TM! :p

Edit: summary of the new gear (I still have to get it delivered):

TP MC 3-PW, standard everything, DG S300 shafts.
XFT wedges, 54 & 60 with KBS wedge shafts.
R11 15.5 degrees 3W, S flex, Fujikura Blur 70g shaft.
Rescue 11 18 degrees, RIP 85g shaft.

And a big fat Staff bag.
 
sounds like a great experience! A high tech system like that doesn't have a shot simulator that you can see? That seems counter-productive to me. Either way the stats look great. What club were you hitting for the first set of cpu charts you have pictured?
 
sounds like a great experience! A high tech system like that doesn't have a shot simulator that you can see? That seems counter-productive to me. Either way the stats look great. What club were you hitting for the first set of cpu charts you have pictured?

I think it had one (my brain's a bit of a blur now, spent 10 hours driving today...) but we never looked at it much. I guess both the reps and I felt that this part didn't serve much of an immediate purpose and we wanted to get on with trying all the stuff. The suggestions ended up being pretty accurate though...well, besides the CPU suggesting a 2-iron instead of a lobwedge!

The clubs were older models, they also had these sensors glued on. They had a dozen or so clubs with different shafts etc.
 
Congratulations Pete! No pun intended but your gear will now be tailor made for you...also, impressive smash factor numbers with the driver. :)
 
Congratulations Pete! No pun intended but your gear will now be tailor made for you...also, impressive smash factor numbers with the driver. :)

I see what you did there!

My smash factor numbers were very high the TM equipment, I got quite a lot out of my swing with them. Very happy, especially with the irons. The numbers were very consistent and almost a club longer than with my old sticks :)
 
Thank you for sharing your day with us. You seem wiped out buddy. Get some rest.

tapatalk: even available for lefties!
 
Thank you for sharing your day with us. You seem wiped out buddy. Get some rest.

tapatalk: even available for lefties!

I'm still pretty revved up. Waiting for the tiredness to kick in! Plus, I have to update my signature...

I'm very pragmatic about my gear, but I'm almost a bit saddened that I didn't get the numbers with the MBs. They were good but not quite right. The feel however was really good, like the ball stuck on the face just a fraction longer and the feedback was really sweet. The MCs look very good on address but in terms of pure looks otherwise they look pretty ordinary vs the MBs. In person the MBs are sex on a stick. *drumroll* Another downside to the MB/MC combo set is that theres a slight gap in yardage between the 6 and 7 (just a degree but it makes a difference).

I wish I could've taken more pics, but there was work to be done which was a bit more important. There's a site, http://www.tmplabs.com/, that pretty much shows all we did. I wonder why I had to hit into a net while the dude on the frontpage gets to launch 'em?
 
wow Pete, looks like you had a very eventful day! Thank you so much for sharing your findings, pics, and thoughts with us!
 
That sounds totally awesome. I am amazed at how generour Taylormade and THP is to all of here. I have not been a member a long time, but it seems to me Taylormade is the most generous company out there and most concerned with consumer feedback. I really admire all the work Taylormade and THP put into pleasing all of us golf fanatics!
 
Wow, what an awesome day Pete. I hope the guys going to the Kingdom get to do something very similar to this.
 
Sweet write up Pete, you did a great job explaining everything! The entire time I was reading it all I could think about is the Kingdom this weekend, they have the MAT-T system there as well. I could not imagine having all that data at my finger tips, it's almost like information overload! I'm glad you found a setup that will work for you and can't wait to hear how you're season goes once it all arrives, good luck with everything!
 
Great report, that 17th drive must have felt soooooooooo good, a 1.50 smash factor is insane.
 
Have a great time.
 
Pete,

Great post. Wow that was such a thorough evaluation you gave us (felt like I was there lol). I'm sure your a bit surprised you walked out with the MC's instead but I bet they are great clubs and are gonna do great in your hands. Didn't you just get an R11 driver? Are you going to sell that. I did a little bit of a skim and am wondering why you gave it up in favour of the 2.0?

Jealous of your experience and let us know how the clubs are once you actually get to play them!
 
Thanks for filling me in, good luck with the new sticks! I too just got new irons so we are in the same boat!

I think it had one (my brain's a bit of a blur now, spent 10 hours driving today...) but we never looked at it much. I guess both the reps and I felt that this part didn't serve much of an immediate purpose and we wanted to get on with trying all the stuff. The suggestions ended up being pretty accurate though...well, besides the CPU suggesting a 2-iron instead of a lobwedge!

The clubs were older models, they also had these sensors glued on. They had a dozen or so clubs with different shafts etc.
 
Thanks for sharing your experience is such detail with us. I like how you explained everything and shared the pics and all of the details. I really want to do something like this one day. I think my husband and I need to go together for an anniversary present to each other one of these years.
 
Pete,

Great post. Wow that was such a thorough evaluation you gave us (felt like I was there lol). I'm sure your a bit surprised you walked out with the MC's instead but I bet they are great clubs and are gonna do great in your hands. Didn't you just get an R11 driver? Are you going to sell that. I did a little bit of a skim and am wondering why you gave it up in favour of the 2.0?

Jealous of your experience and let us know how the clubs are once you actually get to play them!

Not really surprised Dent - I know what blades are like. I am surprised by the MCs though, they felt stupendously good.

I got an R11, but I didn't pay for it :). I'm going with the Superfast TP because I'm pragmatic. I had way better numbers with it than with the R11. My best numbers with the R11 were like my average ones with the Superfast. I was extremely surprised by this and I'm still wondering how that could be, but we'll see. I'll probably do some checking/fitting myself with our launch monitor at my home course when I get the clubs and then make a decision.
 
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