Spank818
Brian Gaysian
Well I just got back from SoCal (specifically OC, LA, and Palm Desert) and I thought I would share my experience at the TaylorMade Performance Lab in Palm Desert, California. First, I want to apologize for the long post as I want to make sure that I can describe this as best I can for folks that are thinking about trying this or have been curious about the experience altogether. Second, I want to thank Jennifer at the Palm Desert TMPL for not only providing the fitting but also being very patient with me as I asked a bunch of questions. I learned a lot about not only equipment but my swing which makes the cost all worth it.
That leads me to why I decided to go ahead and go through with this experience. First off I want to let folks know that I am not a tour pro and would consider myself your average recreational golfer. I would probably fit in the category of those who don't take this game seriously enough to pay a considerable fee to see my average swing digitized and dissected for a teaching pro to see. I have only been playing this game 1.5 years regularly but I felt that my knowledge of the game and how equipment matters into it are above average (thanks to THP). I have been reading about the TMPL experience through others here on THP and through their website. http://www.tmplabs.com/ I saw that cost wise it was far more investment worthy to take that money and spend it on lessons and eventually go down this road when an opportunity came and I was more comfortable with my swing. Well, through my research I ended up "being a fan" on Facebook and this past July they posted that they were running a special for a full fitting at their Palm Desert location for $175 (normally $350) only in the month of August. The stars aligned since my trip to SoCal was to take me to Palm Desert and staying on the same property of the TMPL. After much Q&A and prodding from the boys here in THP (thanks guys!) I decided why not.
I confirmed everything with Jennifer through email and some details of the fitting that needed to be addressed. One was to wear a dark shirt so the MATT system would not reflect the imaging sensors and distort the rendering (I wore a navy blue shirt that even the small Slazenger logo on my left sleeve had to be folded because it was interfering with the sensors). Not needed but if you have it bring your shoes, glove and clubs. Show up at least 15 minutes early to warm up and answer a questionnaire for the fitter.
After all prelim stuff, Jennifer had me put on the "equipment" for the rendering. It wasn't at all too involved it just felt like I was putting on some spandex braces for the certain body parts. The clubs Jennifer had me use were also outfitted with the sensors and painted matte black so not to reflect light. I must admit that I'm not the most svelte of men and was glad to see the animation did not reflect the actual fitee size.
Jennifer had to take 5-6 readings of 3 clubs (driver, iron, putter) and as you would calculate that to max 18 swings it was more to 36-50 depending on the readings that MATT would get. Jennifer averaged out the numbers that would lock on with MATT and get a proposed fit sheet with actual numbers for readings that MATT took. Jennifer also would comment on my swing using the animation as a reference as well as the readings as a good, ok, could be better scenario. Overall, she was happy with my swing (she said that for 1.5 years my instructor should be commended for teaching me good fundamentals). She also wanted to tweak some of my swing since I was crouched too low and wanted me more upright with a better follow through (my back hip gets lazy at times). Through her golfer database (which was awesomely extensive) she picked Sean O'Hair's swing to match with mine (animation and real video wise) and pointed out how I can improve better by looking at his swing.
Now here's the reason why we just don't go to a computer simulator to get fit and need an actual teaching pro to complete the experience. As MATT spat out these club recommendations, Jennifer would pull certain shafts and clubs based on those and took me to the range to a) compare with my current clubs and b) confirm or decline MATT's recommendations. Jennifer saw that through my stance and swing action that I would compensate by a) flipping my hands or b) adjusting my clubhead on the R9. She grabbed a SuperTri head and a couple of shafts to try out. Based on everything she learned about me she recommended to go with a heavier shaft (to help combat the flipping or manipulation of the club as how she says it) with low torque (for my quick transition) in a stiff shaft. For irons, MATT spouted out that I needed to bend the irons 4 degrees flat and Jennifer was quick to point that it was mostly stance related and that it wouldn't be that drastic once I get more comfortable with an upright stance. She repeated the process with the irons, hybrid, and wedge and came to a conclusion of a final fit. I will list below what I have, what MATT recommends, and what Jennifer concluded I should get.
Overall the experience took 2 hrs and 15 mins. and none sooner because I was going to pass out from the desert heat if stayed out there any longer. I was sent home with a CD (which I have not looked over yet) and printouts of results and recommendations. There are perks for going through the process and purchasing or adjusting clubs through TaylorMade direct.
I was extremely happy with my overall experience and I would definitely recommend it to those who are thinking about doing it. It really doesn't matter what level your game is to experience something like this but as a forewarning it does help if you are familiar with some terminology and know some parts of your swing (do you slice, push, hook, pull, etc.). It was extremely enlightening to see your swing in that manner and extremely educational to learn about all the facets of your swing.
Thanks again to Jennifer for making my experience an A+. Like I told her numerous times, this had to be the coolest thing I've ever done up to date (in golfing terms). Top notch facility TaylorMade and I'm glad that you have places like this for us common folk to enjoy.
That leads me to why I decided to go ahead and go through with this experience. First off I want to let folks know that I am not a tour pro and would consider myself your average recreational golfer. I would probably fit in the category of those who don't take this game seriously enough to pay a considerable fee to see my average swing digitized and dissected for a teaching pro to see. I have only been playing this game 1.5 years regularly but I felt that my knowledge of the game and how equipment matters into it are above average (thanks to THP). I have been reading about the TMPL experience through others here on THP and through their website. http://www.tmplabs.com/ I saw that cost wise it was far more investment worthy to take that money and spend it on lessons and eventually go down this road when an opportunity came and I was more comfortable with my swing. Well, through my research I ended up "being a fan" on Facebook and this past July they posted that they were running a special for a full fitting at their Palm Desert location for $175 (normally $350) only in the month of August. The stars aligned since my trip to SoCal was to take me to Palm Desert and staying on the same property of the TMPL. After much Q&A and prodding from the boys here in THP (thanks guys!) I decided why not.
I confirmed everything with Jennifer through email and some details of the fitting that needed to be addressed. One was to wear a dark shirt so the MATT system would not reflect the imaging sensors and distort the rendering (I wore a navy blue shirt that even the small Slazenger logo on my left sleeve had to be folded because it was interfering with the sensors). Not needed but if you have it bring your shoes, glove and clubs. Show up at least 15 minutes early to warm up and answer a questionnaire for the fitter.
After all prelim stuff, Jennifer had me put on the "equipment" for the rendering. It wasn't at all too involved it just felt like I was putting on some spandex braces for the certain body parts. The clubs Jennifer had me use were also outfitted with the sensors and painted matte black so not to reflect light. I must admit that I'm not the most svelte of men and was glad to see the animation did not reflect the actual fitee size.
Jennifer had to take 5-6 readings of 3 clubs (driver, iron, putter) and as you would calculate that to max 18 swings it was more to 36-50 depending on the readings that MATT would get. Jennifer averaged out the numbers that would lock on with MATT and get a proposed fit sheet with actual numbers for readings that MATT took. Jennifer also would comment on my swing using the animation as a reference as well as the readings as a good, ok, could be better scenario. Overall, she was happy with my swing (she said that for 1.5 years my instructor should be commended for teaching me good fundamentals). She also wanted to tweak some of my swing since I was crouched too low and wanted me more upright with a better follow through (my back hip gets lazy at times). Through her golfer database (which was awesomely extensive) she picked Sean O'Hair's swing to match with mine (animation and real video wise) and pointed out how I can improve better by looking at his swing.
Now here's the reason why we just don't go to a computer simulator to get fit and need an actual teaching pro to complete the experience. As MATT spat out these club recommendations, Jennifer would pull certain shafts and clubs based on those and took me to the range to a) compare with my current clubs and b) confirm or decline MATT's recommendations. Jennifer saw that through my stance and swing action that I would compensate by a) flipping my hands or b) adjusting my clubhead on the R9. She grabbed a SuperTri head and a couple of shafts to try out. Based on everything she learned about me she recommended to go with a heavier shaft (to help combat the flipping or manipulation of the club as how she says it) with low torque (for my quick transition) in a stiff shaft. For irons, MATT spouted out that I needed to bend the irons 4 degrees flat and Jennifer was quick to point that it was mostly stance related and that it wouldn't be that drastic once I get more comfortable with an upright stance. She repeated the process with the irons, hybrid, and wedge and came to a conclusion of a final fit. I will list below what I have, what MATT recommends, and what Jennifer concluded I should get.
Overall the experience took 2 hrs and 15 mins. and none sooner because I was going to pass out from the desert heat if stayed out there any longer. I was sent home with a CD (which I have not looked over yet) and printouts of results and recommendations. There are perks for going through the process and purchasing or adjusting clubs through TaylorMade direct.
I was extremely happy with my overall experience and I would definitely recommend it to those who are thinking about doing it. It really doesn't matter what level your game is to experience something like this but as a forewarning it does help if you are familiar with some terminology and know some parts of your swing (do you slice, push, hook, pull, etc.). It was extremely enlightening to see your swing in that manner and extremely educational to learn about all the facets of your swing.
Thanks again to Jennifer for making my experience an A+. Like I told her numerous times, this had to be the coolest thing I've ever done up to date (in golfing terms). Top notch facility TaylorMade and I'm glad that you have places like this for us common folk to enjoy.
