I bit the bullet and went through a full driver fitting today. It was first time going through a full custom fitting where I'd have an opportunity to work with an expert fitter and find a head/shaft that will hopefully be my gamer for some time to come.
Background - 51 years old. My handicap has hovered between 13 and 16 the last 3 years..though trending the wrong direction at the end of this season largely due to the big stick. I played my best golf when I had the G400 Max. For 2 seasons driving was automatic. Then I stupidly sold it and spent the last 2+ years in the driver desert. (It also included 2 more spins with the G400 Max, but never captured the magic from the original.) My misses are typically pushes or hooks. Though I developed a really bad push slice at times this year. My SS is 100-102. Ball flight is pretty straight. My iron play is my strength...so my scoring is largely about not getting in trouble off the tee.
I thought I had things fixed after a PXG fitting a few months ago. The honeymoon was great....but then things fell apart quickly and hard. I've bounced around a couple of Callaway's since. My instructor has my swing in a good place..but even in lessons I'm WAY less consistent with my driver than every other club.
They started with the Titleist Performance Institute assessment to take me through a series of physical tests to assess my overall flexibility and range of motion. Tim nailed what my usual misses were from that assessment. I warmed up with a 9-iron. My swing was spot on. Which was huge to me. I usually get nervous with a fitter, hey made the whole thing so relaxing that I was swinging my normal swing.
From there it was going through each head to see what was a good fit. Here are my thoughts on each.
PING G430 - It was the leader in the clubhouse. It was giving me the best dispersion and was right up there from a distance perspective. I was lukewarm on the 410 Plus. I could not stand the sound of the G425. Neither of them were as good as my G400 Max. The G430 reminded me of that club....just point and shoot. The sound was MUCH improved.
Titleist TSR - I've never owned a Titleist club. They always seemed to 'playa' too me. I'd almost bought a TSi2 at a fitting day at my club a few years ago, but didn't pull the trigger. The TSR2 gave me the highest ball speed and was the longest driver I hit today. It was a bit less forgiving than the G430, but I'd have no issues playing it. The only thing I didn't like was the glossy head. (Personal preference)
TaylorMade Stealth 2- I hit this club the straightest. But it was much shorter than the other drivers for me and I hated the feel. It seemed mushy and dead.
Srixon ZX5 - I REALLY hoped I'd love this driver. But I'd describe the feel as 'clanky'. Decent distance, but wasn't as forgiving as the PING. And the misses were bigger.
Callaway Paradym - It has a bit of a funky look at address. I think it felt worse than the Rogue Max and was shorter. I'd play a Rogue Max before this club 7 days a week.
Mizuno ST-230 - It's a great looking driver. It was 'good' at everything, but..just didn't' stand out compared to the others. Solid all the way around.
Cobra Aerojet - I hated everything about this driver. The look, the feel, the performance. It was just a bad fit for me. Two shots and we were all like - 'let's move on.'
We went back and hit some shots back and forth with the G430 and TSR2. Ball speed with both was 148-152. I would have been happy with either, but preferred the forgiveness of the PING over the raw distance of the TSR. The spin was a touch high. They had me hit the G430 LS, but felt my numbers were better overall with the Max.
From there we started looking for the right shaft. Tim was dead on about the Ventus Red being a good fit out of the gate. I loved how it felt and how it performed. We tried more shafts than I could count or remember. I wish I could provide more details...but I think shafts are such a personal thing that it really is all about fit. I learned a LOT about how different the same head performs, and how different a swing can feel based on shaft characteristics. I realized a lot of my 'self fitting' was 'throwing a dart'
I had been honest about my budget. And that if there was a good/better/best option with similar results, I'd be fine with the 'better' to keep me closer to my budget. Tim was great seeking other options. I ended up with the VA Composites 'Slay' shaft. The gas tank was around E after 60+ minutes of driver swing, but I was getting results close to the original G430/Ventus Red shots.
Overall it was an amazing experience. Getting fit by an expert who truly knows their stuff and guides you through the process was a lot of fun. Comparing different heads/shafts in the same environment was an eyeopener about how different things feel to each of us. And that fitting is personal. Every one of those drivers I hit today could be the perfect fit for someone else. But it's all about what works for me.
Now it's just the wait. I knew this excursion would be expensive. And it was. I do like that Tim has been doing this for 18 years and I've heard great feedback. I felt like he was invested in my results, not just making a sale. I've spent so much money churning drivers the last few years that the investment will be worth it if I have a club I truly love.
The proof will be in the pudding. For this to be worth it, I need to see the results on the course. I'm in two different golf leagues. My driving was the primary reason for not reaching my goals in either. We'll see how it goes....
Background - 51 years old. My handicap has hovered between 13 and 16 the last 3 years..though trending the wrong direction at the end of this season largely due to the big stick. I played my best golf when I had the G400 Max. For 2 seasons driving was automatic. Then I stupidly sold it and spent the last 2+ years in the driver desert. (It also included 2 more spins with the G400 Max, but never captured the magic from the original.) My misses are typically pushes or hooks. Though I developed a really bad push slice at times this year. My SS is 100-102. Ball flight is pretty straight. My iron play is my strength...so my scoring is largely about not getting in trouble off the tee.
I thought I had things fixed after a PXG fitting a few months ago. The honeymoon was great....but then things fell apart quickly and hard. I've bounced around a couple of Callaway's since. My instructor has my swing in a good place..but even in lessons I'm WAY less consistent with my driver than every other club.
They started with the Titleist Performance Institute assessment to take me through a series of physical tests to assess my overall flexibility and range of motion. Tim nailed what my usual misses were from that assessment. I warmed up with a 9-iron. My swing was spot on. Which was huge to me. I usually get nervous with a fitter, hey made the whole thing so relaxing that I was swinging my normal swing.
From there it was going through each head to see what was a good fit. Here are my thoughts on each.
PING G430 - It was the leader in the clubhouse. It was giving me the best dispersion and was right up there from a distance perspective. I was lukewarm on the 410 Plus. I could not stand the sound of the G425. Neither of them were as good as my G400 Max. The G430 reminded me of that club....just point and shoot. The sound was MUCH improved.
Titleist TSR - I've never owned a Titleist club. They always seemed to 'playa' too me. I'd almost bought a TSi2 at a fitting day at my club a few years ago, but didn't pull the trigger. The TSR2 gave me the highest ball speed and was the longest driver I hit today. It was a bit less forgiving than the G430, but I'd have no issues playing it. The only thing I didn't like was the glossy head. (Personal preference)
TaylorMade Stealth 2- I hit this club the straightest. But it was much shorter than the other drivers for me and I hated the feel. It seemed mushy and dead.
Srixon ZX5 - I REALLY hoped I'd love this driver. But I'd describe the feel as 'clanky'. Decent distance, but wasn't as forgiving as the PING. And the misses were bigger.
Callaway Paradym - It has a bit of a funky look at address. I think it felt worse than the Rogue Max and was shorter. I'd play a Rogue Max before this club 7 days a week.
Mizuno ST-230 - It's a great looking driver. It was 'good' at everything, but..just didn't' stand out compared to the others. Solid all the way around.
Cobra Aerojet - I hated everything about this driver. The look, the feel, the performance. It was just a bad fit for me. Two shots and we were all like - 'let's move on.'
We went back and hit some shots back and forth with the G430 and TSR2. Ball speed with both was 148-152. I would have been happy with either, but preferred the forgiveness of the PING over the raw distance of the TSR. The spin was a touch high. They had me hit the G430 LS, but felt my numbers were better overall with the Max.
From there we started looking for the right shaft. Tim was dead on about the Ventus Red being a good fit out of the gate. I loved how it felt and how it performed. We tried more shafts than I could count or remember. I wish I could provide more details...but I think shafts are such a personal thing that it really is all about fit. I learned a LOT about how different the same head performs, and how different a swing can feel based on shaft characteristics. I realized a lot of my 'self fitting' was 'throwing a dart'
I had been honest about my budget. And that if there was a good/better/best option with similar results, I'd be fine with the 'better' to keep me closer to my budget. Tim was great seeking other options. I ended up with the VA Composites 'Slay' shaft. The gas tank was around E after 60+ minutes of driver swing, but I was getting results close to the original G430/Ventus Red shots.
Overall it was an amazing experience. Getting fit by an expert who truly knows their stuff and guides you through the process was a lot of fun. Comparing different heads/shafts in the same environment was an eyeopener about how different things feel to each of us. And that fitting is personal. Every one of those drivers I hit today could be the perfect fit for someone else. But it's all about what works for me.
Now it's just the wait. I knew this excursion would be expensive. And it was. I do like that Tim has been doing this for 18 years and I've heard great feedback. I felt like he was invested in my results, not just making a sale. I've spent so much money churning drivers the last few years that the investment will be worth it if I have a club I truly love.
The proof will be in the pudding. For this to be worth it, I need to see the results on the course. I'm in two different golf leagues. My driving was the primary reason for not reaching my goals in either. We'll see how it goes....
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