Kicking off tomorrow on THP is the Golf Ball Experience from Club Champion HQ with Titleist and the two lucky THP Forum Members that won this trip.
Fitting and data continue to shape how golfers choose their equipment. Titleist has created something to take that to another level with the RCT golf ball. This ball was designed for indoor data capture, the ability to get more consistency while playing indoors, and with the added benefit of better fitting data.
Itinerary (Kicks off at 1pm CT)
Meet Titleist and Club Champion at HQ
Ball Education on Titleist and Ball Fitting
Ball Fitting with new Titleist RCT
Presentation on New 2023 Titleist Products
Group Steak Dinner with Titleist and Club Champion
And so much more
You will be able to follow every aspect of what takes place at Club Champion HQ with our two lucky THPers and the Titleist Ball Team. They will share information, get your questions answered and take you through a tour of how to find the right ball for your game.
Join in and follow all day long as this THP Experience takes a deep dive into everything you wanted to know about ball fitting.
I knew about descent angle and spin, but apex is a new one for me. How does that fit in? Do the three metrics work together? So a higher apex would need less landing angle and/or spin to have the same green holding ability as a lower apex with higher numbers in the other two areas?
Ha! Many things. Jake, the cameras and mic, the type of mat, hitting 12 balls back to back, Jake having different shafts and grips and on his personal sets, Nick, the Left Dot News, fire alarms!, .. the ball fitting stuff for me – not really.
AVX was lowest spin, highest and longest in the short irons for me same as when I played a prior version of it. I wasn’t as surprised by wedge spin with left dash as everyone else I think because I had played that too and knew it spun plenty on full wedges for me. Nearly even with V1x and just above V1. V1x let me hit the trajectory that’s best for me throughout, with the most spin, and that’s why I prefer it. Also prefer a firm ball and it fits that bill too.
How quickly it caught up to me maybe being the most surprising. How few I actually hit when I try something normally, and at what pace really stood out to me. My ribs and back were on fire pretty early. So even when I’m a little less worn down I know I would only want to fit one part of the bag per CC visit now. Which is great because I plan to when they get the heads in early next year at the one near me and probably would have wasted part of it.
Ian announced some more immediate plans in one of their very recent videos, and from conversation it sounded like there are some longer term goals that should bring more access to you up there.
Like how far back in the past? He’s been doing this in golf for a long time from what I gathered. Had a custom shop from the sound of it. EJL. Man you’re testing my sleepless memory on this one. He told us this himself – Had EJL, and went to Joe Lee (sp?) and told him he had this great thing, but no money, and thought it could really be something.. Partnered up and things grew and grew.
Little sidenote – In the story he said ‘told him I had this great thing’, and that was the only *I* I heard him use about any company stuff. Lots of *we* in everything else that felt genuine and I noticed it and liked it.
Impossible not to side glance every set with a shaft you like or want on the drying racks as you’re walking around trying to listen. I’m pretty sure a few of the iron shafts we’ve talked about were actually following me around to toy with me. They were everywhere.
Decided what I’m using my Budget Golf gift card on.
When I started playing again I ordered some customized ProV1x with a number and phrase to remind me what’s important and why I get to be out there. Used them in tourneys and events. Easy to recognize (I hate marking balls), and good for the playing mindset. Ran out a while back and never ordered more. So when the new ones are available I’m going to get a couple dozen and have the added bonus of remembering this experience along with the rest when I look down at them! Then you @Ryan_BudgetGolf !!
Yes they work together. Apex or peak height as its often labeled on other launch monitors is how hight it reaches at the top.
A higher apex allows for a steeper decent angle. It’s all about the correlation between those data points, and all data points really.
We didn’t even plan that.
You missed an answer by one day. haha. Great question though.
Hey are you saying I’m a little slow?!
I was playing my usual municipal on Sunday and found a Left Dot (yes I nearly had a heart attack considering the usual balls are nitros, noodles, and top flites with a Pro V or CS mixed in). It was buried in the rough behind a driveable par 4 (at 225 yards but OB all along the right side of the fairway and the green complex being the widest part of the whole hole). There was a slight scuff on one side but I played it a bit. Much more playable for me than the left dash, which like the CS X, tended to fly a bit too high for me. The spin and launch profile is much closer to the CSX LS I frequently play. It might have just been me (or softer greens) but I felt it spun a bit better on the greens than the LS. Good luck with today’s comparison round as well!
The launch differences are relatively small. Feels like it should be said with flying, or trajectory, because it’s really about the flight. And Chris talked about the dimple patterns, the different Tour players he works with, and why they play what they do because of what they want. And "JT (X) wants that 4i to be all carry. To get up there and come down in an elevator".
I wonder if my time around here have changed my way of thinking as that’s all I really care about when looking at data!
Its one of the key metrics that I use. The ratio of descent angle to ball spin tells you whether or not a ball will stop when it hits a green, continues to roll off or spins back so far it because useless. Lots of descent angle means you need less spin to hold a green which in turn changes which ball you could potentially use to maximize the launch window. Lots of spin? You can get away with a less descent angle which means you can drive the ball more on a lower launch window which helps playability in windy conditions or allows you again to play with ball choices.
If a fitting works backwards from green to tee, then each segment of afitting should look at the data from the landing back to the launch. My 2 cents.
I had a non covid bug two and a half weeks ago, still have a lingering cough.
Don’t put that evil on me!
I’m going to swing this out of my system by 6 p.m. . #TitleistHealingPower
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Really not fair to compare as the front nine was mild breezes and the back 9 was 20mph winds into the 30 gusts.
Also…me, kinda lost something on the back as pace started to crawl. (Need to fix that mental piece once and for all)
I still prefer the Left Dot over the X on approach. It doesn’t come back as much and I don’t have the skill set to "adjust" my spin. It is what it is. Flight looks lower as well. Apex and descent are plenty good for less spin for me.
Greenside chips both roll and hop and stop were similar today on both. Slight edge to the X as the breaks apply a little quicker.
Putting, the X sounded/felt better but both were fine.
Driver, the Dot seemed more firm and it did cut through the wind better. Most of the back 9 issues were my delivery.
I need another round in like conditions on both sides. More importantly I need to get numbers and I just don’t have the equipment for that. This rambling is just guessing without the data.
Even with the skued numbers on the card, the Left Dot would still be my pick. Thanks to the info provided on the Dot here as I’ve reached out.
I won’t continue with the comparisons and leave that up to the studs that went to this wonderful event! They are doing a bang up job!
I agree with why oogle over a ball that is not available to the public. Will eventually give up.
I can’t go without saying that @GolferGal absolutely knocked this out of the park.
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Your 7 iron goes a long way haha
Numbers like that and you bought a new driver ?
So I mostly hit current version RCTs, and mostly V1x, because I neeeeeds the spin right now.
Well a store friend sent this to me yesterday while we were playing.
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Never had RCT anywhere retail here before now. Had them set aside some for me since we’re getting a winter meant for Chicago instead of the Mid-South this year it seems. And I’m really looking forward to people being able to get their hands on these easier, and in the new models coming out in ’23.
Nice. I hope I will likely try to find some X’s for the times am at the sim.
Yeah, I meant to post it yesterday, but was busy, and then @Hawk reminded me with a post of his this morning. I thought of you and a couple others when they sent me that message. Anything that can help with the data is awesome.
I’ve been using the same 3 balls for close to a year in the sim. A big part of this is because I’m not hitting trees and cart paths.
You mean the simulated trees and paths you do hit just don’t cause damage, right?
aaaaand Trackman session booked. Let’s go!
And $49.99/box.
Maybe I’ll look for just a sleeve.
You should. They’re selling sleeves here. 12.99 same as usual. They’re going to go like hot cakes over the holidays with our forecast.
So much goes into it. I needed more spin for my driver to go further, not less!