Back On the Road with the Titleist Performance Club Fitting Team

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By Lucas B., Titleist Performance Institute

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  1. Team Titleist Staff

    Hi Team Titleist,


    To start off, I want to say thank you for the great feedback we received on my last post. Our program is built around the philosophy of helping players, so it’s great to see all of the interest in fitting. 

    For our next installment, I thought it would make sense to share a recent iron and hybrid fitting at Pinehurst. I was working with Dave, an avid golfer who has been playing golf at a very high level for a number of years and arrived with a really dialed in set of clubs. 

    My first question to Dave was, “what can we improve on?” He talked about his struggles with maintaining optimal trajectory in the longer irons, and this is a problem I find to be quite common amongst many golfers.

    This was a very unique fit because shaft was not a huge portion of the fitting process. Dave has played Dynamic Gold S300’s for some time, loving their performance, and even after trying various alternates he has yet to find anything better for his swing.  Given Dave’s skill level, we decided to focus on looking at incremental changes. 

    We did test a few different shafts, but in the end the best feel and results came from the S300’s. You may notice in the images below that his spin rates could be considered a little high, but this can be attributed to his preferred fade shot shape.

    So let’s get into the fit…

     

    The first thing we always want to do is hit the player’s current clubs to ensure we are making positive changes. 

    Dave’s Current Gamer:

    714 AP2 4-P, +W, True Temper Dynamic Gold S300, Std Length - Std Loft – Std Lie

    915 H 18* SureFit Tour Hosel Setting: A·1, Graphite Design AD DI 105 Stiff 40.5”


    After comparing 714 to 716, we found that by keeping the specs the same we improved in some key categories with the new product. The first and most important is ball speed, which increased from 121mph to 123.7mph. This may not seem like a lot, but any increase we can find will become essential to gaining that height we talked about in the longer irons. 

     

    LONG IRONS

     

    Now that we have a baseline ball speed of roughly 124mph in the 7 iron we began hitting longer clubs.  Ball speed separation is the biggest component to achieving distance separation.  The philosophy behind iron and long game gapping is we want about 5mph of difference between irons, and about 7mph of separation when we get to clubs with larger chassis such as a hybrid or fairway metal.  This is not a firm rule nor does it have to be exact, but it is a great guideline to follow.  We still want to focus on the players distance needs. When we have two clubs with similar speeds, they will go the same distance; they will just get there at a different trajectory.

    Keeping our 5mph rule in mind, we started hitting AP2 5 irons aiming for a target ball speed of 134mph.  We can see that the AP2 is producing 132mph of ball speed with a land angle of 43°. The land angle, or angle of decent, is very important because it gives us green stopping ability. Ideally we are looking for anything around 45° which is very neutral at these ball speeds. 

    During testing with Dave we determined the AP2 4 iron wasn’t generating the ideal trajectory and overall performance he needs. The reason is due to the lack of ball speed being produced, which does not allow the player enough separation between the 5 and 4iron. At this point, the only way we can get more ball speed is to increase the size of the head; or as we refer to it, the chassis. Dave wanted to maintain a similar look and feel, so we moved into the AP1 line.  With the AP1 Dave’s ball speed increased to 136.5 mph, and this increase in speed allowed for more appropriate distance gapping, as well as a more ideal ball flight with green stopping performance. 

     

    HYBRIDS             

     

    The next club in Dave’s setup is very important because this is where he has struggled in the past.  This is a great opportunity to give the player exactly what they are looking for and help him consistently shoot lower scores. A carry distance of 210-215 yards was the goal we had in mind. Dave had his current 915 H with a Graphite Design DI 105 shaft, so we installed it into the 816 line for testing. I asked Dave to hit both the H1 and H2, and he quickly gravitated towards the H2 model. As you can see in the data, the DI shaft in an 816 H2 21° did not quite provide Dave with the results we were looking for. I then moved him into a Diamana W+ 100 S because of the similarity of weight.  Right away it was a winner; every number was reached and the feel was better than the previous club.

     

    THE RESULTS

     

    Overall the fitting was great. Dave was very open to trying some things outside the box like adding an AP1 into his set to hit that 200 yard shot he had struggled with. The hybrid is a great addition to his set because he can now hit a very high and soft 210-215 yard shot. We kept his 915 H 18° hybrid in the bag, but turned it down in loft to give him a more chasing shot to hit for placement whenever necessary. 

    Dave came into this fitting as a great player and left a great player with enhanced versatility in his longer clubs. He is able to hit all the shots the course demands without any overlap, and each club now plays a specific and important role for his game.

     

    DAVE’S NEW SETUP

    816 H2 21° Diamana W+ 100 S 40” SureFit Tour Hosel Setting: A·1

    716 AP1 4 Iron Dynamic Gold S300 Std Length – Std Lie – Std Loft

    716 AP2 5-P, +W Dynamic Gold S300 Std Length – Std Lie – Std Loft

  2. Steve N

    Steve N
    Sarasota, FL

    This is a great story from Lucas.  Anyone reading this should know that this kind of experience is exactly how Lucas conducts all his fittings.  I know because I had a fitting with Lucas last Fall in Charlotte.  Even though I am only a 10 handicap, we went through the same progression of distance and trajectory control with my driver, fairway woods and hybrid.  I came away with a greater understanding of how each club filled a gap.  In the end, I got a fine tuned set of woods that deliver the results I am looking for.  I can only say that if you are considering a fitting, you should do it and make sure it is a professional like a Titleist certified fitter (not a salesman in a retail store).

  3. Team Titleist Staff

    Steve,

     

    Really appreciate the kind words.  I am happy to see you had such a positive experience from a Performance Fitting Van day.  We strive to give the best service as possible for each player and I am glad we could achieve that for you.  Thanks again for your support and look forward to seeing you again in Charlotte!

  4. Team Titleist Staff

    Steve,

     

    For some reason your last reply diud not get posted, but I have it in my email so I will address it here.  We will be in Florida for most almost all of the winter.  Our dates are not solidified yet, but your best bet is to get in contact with the customer srervice line at Team Titleist.  They have an updated schedule and can potentially help you find where we will be and what dates.  Again thank you for your support!

  5. AJ L

    AJ L
    Edna, TX

    Hey Lucas- Any dates in Texas for Team? AJ
  6. Team Titleist Staff

    Hey AJ,

    Sorry for the delayed response.  Glad to hear about your interest.  Get with the Team Titleist customer service line, I know Texas is a good spot for our Midwest team to be in January/February.  But I am not certain on the exact dates since they are a different squad.  Thanks again!

  7. Gabriel G

    Gabriel G
    Cedar Park, TX

    Military

    Yes!  How about Austin, Texas where it is happening.  Home of many professional golfers.  Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Rich Beem, etc....

  8. Team Titleist Staff

    Gabriel,

     

    Please check with our Customer Service team to find out more details and exact locations.  I am uncertain of their exact scheduling plans.  Thanks for the interest!

  9. Hi Gabriel,

    Our Midwest Van will be in Austin around the middle part of March. Please give us a call towards the end of February, and we will be happy to check on avilability for you. 888-TITLEIST

    Happy New Year

  10. Michael W

    Michael W
    Highlands Ranch, CO

    I am kicking myself for not reserving a spot last fall when the van was in Houston.  After reading Lucas' post this is high on my list of priorities for the new year as I really would like to get my new sticks completely dialed in. 

    Chris T:  can you tell me when the van will be in the Greater Houston area so I can mark my calendar to call the service line for an update?  If I have to drive to Austin, i'll do that too!

     

    MW

  11. Hi Michael,

    The Midwest Van is currently scheduled to be in Houston the first two weeks of March before heading over to Austin. Give us a call in mid-February and we'll see what's available.

  12. Matthew P

    Matthew P
    Spring, TX

    where in houston ? also are you check/adjust loft on hybrids,fairway,drivers? 

  13. Michael W

    Michael W
    Highlands Ranch, CO

    If i am correct its quite an in-depth session that addresses all clubs.

  14. Don O

    Don O
    Madison, WI

    Michael W said:

    If i am correct its quite an in-depth session that addresses all clubs.

    When the van was at my club in Wisconsin, I only contracted for a wedge fitting. Full bag was an option, but I also had a Manchester fitting for irons around that time. That session was in depth, and involved hitting my current wedges to start. I don't think getting my current set checked for loft/lie was an option.
  15. Michael W

    Michael W
    Highlands Ranch, CO

    Chris T., Club Concierge said:

    Hi Michael,

    The Midwest Van is currently scheduled to be in Houston the first two weeks of March before heading over to Austin. Give us a call in mid-February and we'll see what's available.

    Hi Chris - Do I call the contact number on the site or is there another number to call to find out about the fitting schedule.

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