# TaylorMade driver fitting opportunity



## PaulOHagan (Feb 5, 2014)

Afternoon all

The guys at TaylorMade are looking to fit three GM forum members for drivers from their current range. This will take place at Wentworth in the TaylorMade performance centre on the morning of February 18th and those selected will get to keep the driver they are fitted for. If selected you will need to make your own way to Wentworth for 8.30 am on the morning of the 18th. You will appear on video and in the magazine. If you'd like to be considered to take part please email the following information to paul_o'hagan@ipcmedia.com

I will pick three people and inform them by next Tuesday (11th). 

Name
Forum name
Handicap
Home Club
Contact number
Current driver
Current loft
Average distance you think you hit the ball
Accuracy rating you would give yourself out of 10
Sentence on your current driving


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## brendy (Feb 5, 2014)

Surely not again


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## bluewolf (Feb 5, 2014)

This should be fun... Hat thrown into ring....


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 5, 2014)

Loft up I'm in.


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## bladeplayer (Feb 5, 2014)

Super chance once again , well done GM , good luck to all who enter 


cant be many tho surely


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## adam6177 (Feb 5, 2014)

I'm in and for once I already have the day off!


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## rich1981 (Feb 5, 2014)

I have chanced my arm, sounds a great opportunity.


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## HomerJSimpson (Feb 5, 2014)

Don't see how anybody can knock these opportunities whether they are a regular occurence or not. Winners are treated superbly, get to try gear (and usually play a few holes) and get a top of the range fully spec'd driver to take home. Just a shame I can't get out of work especially with Wentworth being just down the road. C'est la vie


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## Rooter (Feb 5, 2014)

Good luck guys! the team at Wentworth are awesome, the place is very special and you will certainly be well looked after! Would love to know how many of the TM bashers apply though Paul... 

Would love to stick my name in the hat again as the day there last year was that awesome!

Good luck guys and girls!!


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## stevie_r (Feb 5, 2014)

Ooh look! a fitting opportunity way down south - who'd have thought it?


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## Rooter (Feb 5, 2014)

stevie_r said:



			Ooh look! a fitting opportunity way down south - who'd have thought it?
		
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Seriously?


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## John (Feb 5, 2014)

Entered, this would be amazing and well worth the journey.


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## KJT123 (Feb 5, 2014)

Great opportunity.

Thanks GM and TM


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## Rooter (Feb 5, 2014)

John said:



			Entered, this would be amazing and well worth the journey.
		
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Is the right attitude. Good luck John!


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## jimbob.someroo (Feb 5, 2014)

stevie_r said:



			Ooh look! a fitting opportunity way down south - who'd have thought it?
		
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Rooter said:



			Seriously?
		
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I know right?! It's so selfish of Taylormade having their main fitting centre at Wentworth and providing forumers and GM readers with a chance to win free equipment


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## patricks148 (Feb 5, 2014)

Rooter said:



			Seriously?
		
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I should say so you had only been on the forun a year, picked, me 5 years nada. in fact even when there was an oppotunity in Scotland 50% of those picked were from Ireland:rofl:


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## Rooter (Feb 5, 2014)

patricks148 said:



			I should say so you had only been on the forun a year, picked, me 5 years nada. in fact even when there was an oppotunity in Scotland 50% of those picked were from Ireland:rofl:
		
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pmsl! i am probably better looking and younger too! life's a bitch. ;-)


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## patricks148 (Feb 5, 2014)

Rooter said:



			pmsl! i am probably better looking and younger too! life's a bitch. ;-)
		
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You forget, i've seen you in the mag, so def not better looking


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## jimbob.someroo (Feb 5, 2014)

Rooter said:



			pmsl! i am probably better looking and younger too! life's a bitch. ;-)
		
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Rumour has it that they only pick the photogenic ones for the magazine


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## bluewolf (Feb 5, 2014)

jimbob.someroo said:



			Rumour has it that they only pick the photogenic ones for the magazine 

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I think that I proved that theory categorically wrong...


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## daveyc2k2 (Feb 5, 2014)

Oh man!! I would be all over this but am away that day!! That's aggravating!!


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## User20205 (Feb 5, 2014)

daveyc2k2 said:



			Oh man!! I would be all over this but am away that day!! That's aggravating!!
		
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I'm in :thup: always loved TM. I've got a putter, a hybrid, I'm eyeing up the new tp mc's. All I need is the driver and the matching pants and I'm Liverpoolphil:thup:


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## richart (Feb 5, 2014)

Do we put down actually driving distance, or our forum distance ?


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## Rooter (Feb 5, 2014)

richart said:



			Do we put down actually driving distance, or our forum distance ?

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LOL i bet POH will have some interesting reading! therod will stick himself in the 300 club i reckon...


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## MadAdey (Feb 5, 2014)

What a bummer, I am at the Fiancees in America 

Then again I did get the PING putter one last year, so it would be someone elses turn I suppose.


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## User20205 (Feb 5, 2014)

Rooter said:



			LOL i bet POH will have some interesting reading! therod will stick himself in the 300 club i reckon... 

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Rolling out to 330:thup:

I can't speak about long drives with rich around incase he reminds me about the time i lost a longest drive to a pensioner


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## G1BB0 (Feb 5, 2014)

hmmm photogenic... no chance or I would never have got picked.

Cracking set up down there and I am sure those picked will remember it for a very long time :thup:


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## Evesdad (Feb 5, 2014)

bluewolf said:



			I think that I proved that theory categorically wrong...

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Beat me to it Danny! My under armour is feeling a tad tighter these days! Think it must have shrank.


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## BTatHome (Feb 5, 2014)

Wow, first opportunity that has occurred for ages in a break from school timetable


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## Paperboy (Feb 5, 2014)

That's My e-mail sent


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## Karl102 (Feb 5, 2014)

Still loving the 913 i got courtesy of GM.  Good luck to all that enter!


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## bladeplayer (Feb 5, 2014)

patricks148 said:



			there was an oppotunity in Scotland 50% of those picked were from Ireland:rofl:
		
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Never any in Ireland so we have to travel if we want it , if you want whats on offer distance shouldnt be a problem tho



jimbob.someroo said:



			Rumour has it that they only pick the photogenic ones for the magazine 

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Think i proved that theory wrong Jim


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## Andy808 (Feb 5, 2014)

Not long been in a new job so can't get the time off. Gutted!


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## Liverpoolphil (Feb 5, 2014)

therod said:



			I'm in :thup: always loved TM. I've got a putter, a hybrid, I'm eyeing up the new tp mc's. All I need is the driver and the matching pants and I'm Liverpoolphil:thup:

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Make sure you get your pants fitted :thup:


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## User20205 (Feb 5, 2014)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Make sure you get your pants fitted :thup: 

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You're right, they do need to be custom


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## golfsaint (Feb 5, 2014)

All I can say is thanks to the GM team for more opportunity's . and good luck to ALL that enter :thup:


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## Liverpoolphil (Feb 5, 2014)

therod said:



			You're right, they do need to be custom 

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Increased size at the back


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## richart (Feb 5, 2014)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Increased size at the back 

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To allow more talking ?


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## moogie (Feb 5, 2014)

Email sent
good luck to all


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## Siren (Feb 5, 2014)

Why not ill put my name down


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## Deleted Member 1156 (Feb 5, 2014)

I'll enter if it's a new range of persimmon drivers?


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## Papas1982 (Feb 5, 2014)

Im in, good luck everyone!


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## eng82 (Feb 6, 2014)

Great opportunity, thanks


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## User20205 (Feb 6, 2014)

drive4show said:



			I'll enter if it's a new range of persimmon drivers?
		
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That's next years product line gordon. Fully adjustable persimmon drivers and fairways. With a hand whittled speed slot.

'Gain 30 yards with our new revolutionary material...wood is the new metal!!'

Get down and patent that before Mark King comes knocking !!


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## Lincoln Quaker (Feb 6, 2014)

Entry sent, Got to be in it to win it. :thup:


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## philly169 (Feb 6, 2014)

Lincoln Quaker said:



			Entry sent, Got to be in it to win it. :thup:
		
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Damn! I wanted to say that!

Sounds like a great opportunity so I've thrown my hat in the ring. Not sure my Titliest/Mizuno bag will be happy though...


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## Imurg (Feb 6, 2014)

I'm willing to let TM show me that they're not all Marketing guff and that their clubs are actually quite good.


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## richart (Feb 6, 2014)

Imurg said:



			I'm willing to let TM show me that they're not all Marketing guff and that their clubs are actually quite good.
		
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 I'm not !


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## GB72 (Feb 6, 2014)

I have put my name in simply because I need what TM are selling, more distance. Fact is that I am, I will admit, pretty short of the tee and if I want to play to my new handicap of 14 then I need all the help I can get. If I can be playing in to greens with 1 or 2 clubs less than I am at the moment then it would help, if I can be hitting long irons to greens that need a hybrid or fairway wood at present then even better and if I could reach some of the par 4s that I cannot currently reach in 2 then better still. 

So, fingers crossed.


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## SaintHacker (Feb 6, 2014)

Superb opportunity again, definitely entered!


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## mark777 (Feb 6, 2014)

I hate my wife. ' Lets take the kids to Euro disney during half term. Nothing good ever happens half term week '


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## bignev (Feb 6, 2014)

Im in it might take me a few hours to get there but what the hell. 
New driver for new season.


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## Junior (Feb 6, 2014)

Good luck all. I got my sldr fitted there thanks to GM and it was a superb day. Well worth the drive down fro Manchester !


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## Crow (Feb 6, 2014)

Imurg said:



			I'm willing to let TM show me that they're not all Marketing guff and that their clubs are actually quite good.
		
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You're all heart.


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## Hacker Khan (Feb 7, 2014)

Could GM advise that, if you happen to win, how long you can wait before slagging TM off in a thread about the new launch of a TM driver or selling said driver on ebay


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## srixon 1 (Feb 7, 2014)

If it works then it goes in the bag.


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## harpo_72 (Feb 8, 2014)

I'm in, be interested to see if they can beat my 3 wood when its working tikety-boo. I was wondering about dropping the driver but I need to work out if I can or not.


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## golfsaint (Feb 9, 2014)

After today`s golf could really do with a new driver :


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## mab (Feb 9, 2014)

I would LOVE to be selected for this; if I were even a mediocre driver of the ball, I would be a much better golfer.


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## duncan mackie (Feb 9, 2014)

jimbob.someroo said:



			I know right?! It's so selfish of Taylormade having their main fitting centre at Wentworth and providing forumers and GM readers with a chance to win free equipment 

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Jim

I suspect your focus here was more on a response to the 'where' but to me the real opportunity here is nothing to do with the 'free equipement' and everything to do with being fitted by people who really understand the equipement they are fitting with.

there's also a downside to most - the 'it can't be the equipement'...but then again many on here seem to find a lot of ways round this potential dilemma


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## Hobbit (Feb 9, 2014)

Currently looking for a new driver, and will be close to Wentworth that week................................................... stuck in a Project meeting I can't get out of!!


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## Delh1982 (Feb 10, 2014)

Ahh why not , even though i am a high handicapped kak handed player


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## Dan1984 (Feb 10, 2014)

I wouldn't mind a shot at this


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## CheltenhamHacker (Feb 11, 2014)

I think my email refresh button is likely to break today..... fingers crossed!


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## Papas1982 (Feb 11, 2014)

CheltenhamHacker said:



			I think my email refresh button is likely to break today..... fingers crossed!
		
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I'm thinking if contacting O2. Were 9 hours into the day and I've still not heard anything!!


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## golfsaint (Feb 11, 2014)

Papas1982 said:



			I'm thinking if contacting O2. Were 9 hours into the day and I've still not heard anything!!
		
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must be vodafone as well lol


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## Siren (Feb 11, 2014)

golfsaint said:



			must be vodafone as well lol

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Tesco as well!


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## philly169 (Feb 11, 2014)

ooooh todays the day!!!!


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## golfsaint (Feb 11, 2014)

ahh sit down for lunch,check emails errr PPi no thank you


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 11, 2014)

golfsaint said:



			ahh sit down for lunch,check emails errr PPi no thank you
		
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maybe makey makey rich Nigerian oil opportunity bank details please I deposit loads of your money in my bank account......


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## la_lucha (Feb 11, 2014)

I hope it's not too late to get my name in the hat as I've only just seen this thread.


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## bladeplayer (Feb 11, 2014)

Cant believe ive been picked again so soon after getting the new irons ,, Bigg BIG thanks GM &TM .. 

Bit embarrassed but wahooooooooooooooooooooooooo ...


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## bladeplayer (Feb 11, 2014)

Nah only kidding ha ha didnt even enter it as i was lucky in October:rofl: .. best wishes to all who entered you will have a smashing day 

Stop calling me them names now ha


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## adam6177 (Feb 11, 2014)

have the lucky ones been notified yet?


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## Papas1982 (Feb 11, 2014)

adam6177 said:



			have the lucky ones been notified yet?
		
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Nah they've bit called me yet!


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## golfsaint (Feb 11, 2014)

adam6177 said:



			have the lucky ones been notified yet?
		
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i think it is done by email ? but not 100%


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## GB72 (Feb 11, 2014)

I suspect that there is a delay whilst those who have been picked acknowledge the invitation, check they can get the day off, arrange transport etc. No doubt the lucky 3 will make themselves known in good time. 

Sadly not me though.


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## bluewolf (Feb 11, 2014)

Certainly won't be me.. I withdrew my application after thinking it through..


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## Papas1982 (Feb 11, 2014)

GB72 said:



			I suspect that there is a delay whilst those who have been picked acknowledge the invitation, check they can get the day off, arrange transport etc. No doubt the lucky 3 will make themselves known in good time. 

Sadly not me though.
		
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 Surely people wouldn't apply if they weren't sure they could go............


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## the smiling assassin (Feb 11, 2014)

it's not me, i didn't enter....holding off my entry for the SM5 opportunity next month


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## bladeplayer (Feb 11, 2014)

Papas1982 said:



			Surely people wouldn't apply if they weren't sure they could go............
		
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dont be so sure , happens regularly .. sometimes outside peoples control , other times ?? ... 

When i got the email re the iron fitting , i didnt tell for a bit as i had to check flights etc


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## Papas1982 (Feb 11, 2014)

bladeplayer said:



			dont be so sure , happens regularly .. sometimes outside peoples control , other times ?? ... 

When i got the email re the iron fitting , i didnt tell for a bit as i had to check flights etc
		
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That's a fair point. Guess I wouldn't apply if I knew previously that I'd have difficulty going.


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## r11john (Feb 11, 2014)

the smiling assassin said:



			it's not me, i didn't enter....holding off my entry for the SM5 opportunity next month 

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What is sm5?


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## Imurg (Feb 11, 2014)

New Vokey wedges....


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 11, 2014)

r11john said:



			What is sm5?
		
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Latest version of vokey.


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## bignev (Feb 11, 2014)

Guess today wasn't the day then


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## r11john (Feb 11, 2014)

bignev said:



			Guess today wasn't the day then 

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Thought that was the awaited email.


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## mab (Feb 11, 2014)

I've checked my email about 27 times this evening...


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## golfsaint (Feb 12, 2014)

So has no one has fessed up , whom are the lucky ones?


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## MikeH (Feb 12, 2014)

Paul and I selected last night so expect emails to land this am


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## Birchy (Feb 12, 2014)

Sorry to make you guys sweat it out but one of them is me :whoo:

Wanted to confirm with work before I said anything :rofl:

Felt so bad seeing people posting on this thread while I knew! 

Thanks for the opportunity to all at GM :thup:


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## Papas1982 (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Sorry to make you guys sweat it out but one of them is me :whoo:

Wanted to confirm with work before I said anything :rofl:

Felt so bad seeing people posting on this thread while I knew! 

Thanks for the opportunity to all at GM :thup:
		
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Congrats! Now that's the mid handicapper sorted, how about I get my email as the representative of the hackers?.................


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## Karl102 (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Sorry to make you guys sweat it out but one of them is me :whoo:

Wanted to confirm with work before I said anything :rofl:

Felt so bad seeing people posting on this thread while I knew! 

Thanks for the opportunity to all at GM :thup:
		
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Did you know on Sunday ?!?!?!? 

Well deserved pal after all the hard work you have done pulling forum meets together..... Although if you find a good one, I aint playing you for cash


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## Birchy (Feb 12, 2014)

Karl102 said:



			Did you know on Sunday ?!?!?!? 

Well deserved pal after all the hard work you have done pulling forum meets together..... Although if you find a good one, I aint playing you for cash 

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No mate, got an email last night pal.

This missus thought id had a funny turn when it came through :rofl:


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## FairwayDodger (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Sorry to make you guys sweat it out but one of them is me :whoo:

Wanted to confirm with work before I said anything :rofl:

Felt so bad seeing people posting on this thread while I knew! 

Thanks for the opportunity to all at GM :thup:
		
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Nice one! :thup:


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## bluewolf (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			No mate, got an email last night pal.

This missus thought id had a funny turn when it came through :rofl:
		
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just think, now you'll be able to spend the money you had put aside for a new driver on replacing those horrible shovels you dig the course up with.


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## chellie (Feb 12, 2014)

Congratulations Scott


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## golfsaint (Feb 12, 2014)

Congrats :thup:


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## virtuocity (Feb 12, 2014)

Congrats Birchy and the other lucky two.

Try to take as many photos of the day as you can, it should be a blast!


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## BTatHome (Feb 12, 2014)

Congrats Birchy, no emails for me so hopeful for a pick some other time ... unless someone drops then I'd be happy as an alternate entry


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Sorry to make you guys sweat it out but one of them is me :whoo:

Wanted to confirm with work before I said anything :rofl:

Felt so bad seeing people posting on this thread while I knew! 

Thanks for the opportunity to all at GM :thup:
		
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Congrats :thup:


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## bladeplayer (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Sorry to make you guys sweat it out but one of them is me :whoo:

Wanted to confirm with work before I said anything :rofl:

Felt so bad seeing people posting on this thread while I knew! 

Thanks for the opportunity to all at GM :thup:
		
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Have A great day mate :thup:


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## Siren (Feb 12, 2014)

Congrats Birchy mate!!


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## garyinderry (Feb 12, 2014)

nice one Bertrand!  :thup:   true, that's the golfing gods giving some back for all the hard work you put in organising some great rounds of golf.  you and me know they didn't show the same leniency out on the course!   

just as well you didn't pull the trigger on a new driver! 

new favourite for OOM 2014 !!


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## Lincoln Quaker (Feb 12, 2014)

Congrats Scott you jammy , 

Just as you had a dream about a new driver and hey presto!!! How long before we see the *Cobra F speed driver 12 degree graphite shaft *on the for sale section


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## Birchy (Feb 12, 2014)

Thanks to all the well wishers :thup: Looking forward to it if slightly nervous at the same time :rofl:



bluewolf said:



			just think, now you'll be able to spend the money you had put aside for a new driver on replacing those horrible shovels you dig the course up with. 

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They dig it up so well though mate ne: I use them shovels to carry my winnings home from you lot :whoo:



virtuocity said:



			Congrats Birchy and the other lucky two.

Try to take as many photos of the day as you can, it should be a blast!
		
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Will do twitter updates and post up pictures and review etc when I calm down 



garyinderry said:



			nice one Bertrand!  :thup:   true, that's the golfing gods giving some back for all the hard work you put in organising some great rounds of golf.  you and me know they didn't show the same leniency out on the course!   

just as well you didn't pull the trigger on a new driver! 

*new favourite for OOM 2014* !!
		
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I see what you did there Gary, your not fooling anyone 



Lincoln Quaker said:



			Congrats Scott you jammy , 

Just as you had a dream about a new driver and hey presto!!! How long before we see the *Cobra F speed driver 12 degree graphite shaft *on the for sale section 

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Its an antique that mate! might take it down to the BBC and see if they fancy showing it on antiques roadshow :rofl:


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## NWJocko (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Sorry to make you guys sweat it out but one of them is me :whoo:

Wanted to confirm with work before I said anything :rofl:

Felt so bad seeing people posting on this thread while I knew! 

Thanks for the opportunity to all at GM :thup:
		
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Top stuff Birchy, well deserved :clap:

If they can improve your driving we might aswell pack up and go home!!

Have a top day.


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## bladeplayer (Feb 12, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Thanks to all the well wishers :thup: Looking forward to it if slightly nervous at the same time :rofl:
		
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Nervous is natural mate , i was the same with the iron fitting , was bricking it wondering what if this , what if that , the fitter put me at ease straight away and worked with what i had , im sure the TM boys will be the same , you will have a ball .. enjoy


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## garyinderry (Feb 12, 2014)

The Iceman awakens! :rofl:


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## Dan1984 (Feb 12, 2014)

Received the confirmation email last night, thanks to Paul and the team for the selection.
Looking forward to a great day and meeting some new faces


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## bladeplayer (Feb 12, 2014)

Dan1984 said:



			Received the confirmation email last night, thanks to Paul and the team for the selection.
Looking forward to a great day and meeting some new faces
		
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Enjoy your day :thup:


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## r11john (Feb 12, 2014)

Enjoy your day. Looking forward to reading your adventures.


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## mab (Feb 12, 2014)

Davyhulme and Stoke... if only the pin had dropped exactly half way between the two!

Enjoy the experience chaps.  I have no doubt it will be excellent!


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## bignev (Feb 12, 2014)

Well done guys hope you have a great day.


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## Qwerty (Feb 13, 2014)

Nice one Birchy. I think the TM staff will have a job getting that cobra out of your bag!!

I think you'll be getting fitted for TMs latest driver, its out next week,  The TM Cooliojetforcespeed.  It's TMs Coolest driver to date :thup:


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## Liverpoolphil (Feb 13, 2014)

Soon to be a couple more Taylor Made converts - we will take over the world 

Good luck guys and enjoy your expirence - the TM centre is great


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## Birchy (Feb 13, 2014)

Who is number 3 then? Is Justin Rose playing next week?


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 13, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Who is number 3 then? Is Justin Rose playing next week? 

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best check my spam ........ :rofl:










no no no its not me come in no.3 reveal yourself you lucky devil!


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## the smiling assassin (Feb 13, 2014)

Liverpoolphil said:



			Soon to be a couple more Taylor Made converts - we will take over the world 

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Shudder...


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## GB72 (Feb 13, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Who is number 3 then? Is Justin Rose playing next week? 

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How sad is it that I keep checking my emails even though the third person I am sure has been chosen and just needs to confirm.


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## golfsaint (Feb 13, 2014)

Would like to think the email is in my inbox/junk box waiting for me to be over the moon , but alas i guess not this time .

good luck to all and whom ever is the third ??


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## BTatHome (Feb 13, 2014)

Shame, as I'm off work for the whole of that week (first time I've actually been off work for one of these fittings in the last year or so), can't get time off for these so participation is gonna pot luck!


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## philly169 (Feb 13, 2014)

maybe they spelt my e-mail wrong!!


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## bluewolf (Feb 13, 2014)

philly169 said:



			maybe they spelt my e-mail wrong!!
		
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You don't need a new driver mate. You just need to get on the course and play regularly. With your swing you'll be single figs in no time..:thup:


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## philly169 (Feb 13, 2014)

bluewolf said:



			You don't need a new driver mate. You just need to get on the course and play regularly. With your swing you'll be single figs in no time..:thup:
		
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Thanks mate, you've made me go all tingly inside....


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## bluewolf (Feb 13, 2014)

philly169 said:



			Thanks mate, you've made me go all tingly inside....
		
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I have that effect on people.. It's my piercing blue eyes and confident manner.... Oh, and my modesty..


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## Birchy (Feb 13, 2014)

bluewolf said:



			I have that effect on people.. It's my piercing blue eyes and confident manner.... Oh, and my modesty..
		
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[Mod Edit]


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## bluewolf (Feb 13, 2014)

[Mod Edit]

I didn't know you took pictures of Dave in York mate...


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## GB72 (Feb 13, 2014)

BTatHome said:



			Shame, as I'm off work for the whole of that week (first time I've actually been off work for one of these fittings in the last year or so), can't get time off for these so participation is gonna pot luck!
		
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Same here, had a couple of days off already next week and was potentially going to be at my father in laws in Sunningdale.


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## titleistho (Feb 13, 2014)

I came to post something here but forgotten now as I cant get past that disgusting image that was just posted - arent you one of the chosen winners?


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## m9wst (Feb 13, 2014)

I am the other winner...BUT...keep Tuesday free, I've recently arrived in Windsor to help out with the floods and at the mo the organisation/communication isn't great and the rumour mill is working overtime so I don't know when I will be returning.

Obviously gutted I won't be going, I also got picked for the Ping day recently too but had to cancel. I hope whoever gets my spot has a great time. Paul is aware. 

Westy


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## Lincoln Quaker (Feb 13, 2014)

m9wst said:



			I am the other winner...BUT...keep Tuesday free, I've recently arrived in Windsor to help out with the floods and at the mo the organisation/communication isn't great and the rumour mill is working overtime so I don't know when I will be returning.

Obviously gutted I won't be going, I also got picked for the Ping day recently too but had to cancel. I hope whoever gets my spot has a great time. Paul is aware. 

Westy
		
Click to expand...

Blimey Westy, that's bad luck.


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## GB72 (Feb 13, 2014)

m9wst said:



			I am the other winner...BUT...keep Tuesday free, I've recently arrived in Windsor to help out with the floods and at the mo the organisation/communication isn't great and the rumour mill is working overtime so I don't know when I will be returning.

Obviously gutted I won't be going, I also got picked for the Ping day recently too but had to cancel. I hope whoever gets my spot has a great time. Paul is aware. 

Westy
		
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Really harsh mate. I have friends and relatives in and around Windsor so good on you for what you are doing.


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 13, 2014)

m9wst said:



			I am the other winner...BUT...keep Tuesday free, I've recently arrived in Windsor to help out with the floods and at the mo the organisation/communication isn't great and the rumour mill is working overtime so I don't know when I will be returning.

Obviously gutted I won't be going, I also got picked for the Ping day recently too but had to cancel. I hope whoever gets my spot has a great time. Paul is aware. 

Westy
		
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Thats real tough luck mate a right gutter, I had to withdraw from the Ping pro am too so know exactly his you feel on that one.


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## golfsaint (Feb 13, 2014)

agree with Lincoln bad luck mate, but your doing a great job helping out in the floods, keep up the good work buddy:thup:

As said before good luck to third person Paul & team pick #IamFree


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## Lincoln Quaker (Feb 13, 2014)

golfsaint said:



			agree with Lincoln bad luck mate, but your doing a great job helping out in the floods, keep up the good work buddy:thup:

As said before good luck to third person Paul & team pick #IamFree

Click to expand...

#ratupadrainpipe lol


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## r11john (Feb 13, 2014)

What a Shame.


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## golfsaint (Feb 13, 2014)

Lincoln Quaker said:



			#ratupadrainpipe lol
		
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## mab (Feb 13, 2014)

I am number 3 and am absolutely elated!

Westy - I see you can't make it due to helping with a very good cause.  I'm not sure thanks is the right thing to say, but thanks anyway. 

Birchy / Dan - see you Tuesday fellas.  To say I'm excited is something of an understatement; I've been shaking a little since getting the email a short while ago.

Woohoo!  Here's hoping TaylorMade can make something of the worst part of my game...


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## r11john (Feb 13, 2014)

Have a good day.


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## m9wst (Feb 13, 2014)

Thanks for the kind messages, to be honest the people I've seen in the surrounding areas have been great considering the water is horrendous in places. It just seems crazy that we've only just been sent down here, should have been here a month ago. 

Mab, no worries, it wouldn't be fair to risk it and then still be waist deep in water on Tuesday morning. Tough decision and I will cry if I get back before Tuesday! Enjoy the day!


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## Birchy (Feb 13, 2014)

mab said:



			I am number 3 and am absolutely elated!

Westy - I see you can't make it due to helping with a very good cause.  I'm not sure thanks is the right thing to say, but thanks anyway. 

Birchy / Dan - see you Tuesday fellas.  To say I'm excited is something of an understatement; I've been shaking a little since getting the email a short while ago.

Woohoo!  Here's hoping TaylorMade can make something of the worst part of my game...
		
Click to expand...

Im feeling pretty much the same mate! :rofl:

Ive just booked a hotel down there Monday night just to make sure i get there in plenty time :whoo:


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## louise_a (Feb 13, 2014)

Congrats Birchy and the other winners, hope you have a great day.


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## mab (Feb 13, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Im feeling pretty much the same mate! :rofl:

Ive just booked a hotel down there Monday night just to make sure i get there in plenty time :whoo:
		
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I'd have given you a shout to see where you're staying but I have family in Warwick and have tapped them up for an overnight stay, hopefully including dinner and an early breakfast!


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## Dan1984 (Feb 13, 2014)

mab said:



			I'd have given you a shout to see where you're staying but I have family in Warwick and have tapped them up for an overnight stay, hopefully including dinner and an early breakfast! 

Click to expand...

Well there goes my idea of seeing if you 2 wanted to travel down in my car lol


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## mab (Feb 13, 2014)

Dan1984 said:



			Well there goes my idea of seeing if you 2 wanted to travel down in my car lol
		
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Ha!

I'm north of Macclesfield which means the alarm would be going off around 3.30am, just in case traffic was bad.  You're practically half way there in comparison!

Thanks for the offer though - much appreciated.


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## golfsaint (Feb 14, 2014)

Mab have a brilliant day mate , enjoy :thup:


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## srixon 1 (Feb 14, 2014)

Have a great day lads.


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## MikeH (Feb 14, 2014)

Dan, mab, birchy I'll be joing you for the fitting so look forward to seeing you on Monday - sure we will all be launching it out the back of the range at wentworth by the end of the session!

remember boys, nice clean shoes please. Regular forumers will know I get very upset by dirty golf shoes


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## Birchy (Feb 14, 2014)

MikeH said:



			Dan, mab, birchy I'll be joing you for the fitting so look forward to seeing you on Monday - sure we will all be launching it out the back of the range at wentworth by the end of the session!

remember boys, nice clean shoes please. Regular forumers will know I get very upset by dirty golf shoes
		
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I best clean mine then :mmm:  They are filthy at the moment!

P.S Its Tuesday isn't it?


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## MikeH (Feb 14, 2014)

Birchy said:



			I best clean mine then :mmm:  They are filthy at the moment!

P.S Its Tuesday isn't it? 

Click to expand...

sounds like youve got the weekend activities sorted then!


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## Birchy (Feb 14, 2014)

MikeH said:



			sounds like youve got the weekend activities sorted then!
		
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Looking at the weather forecast, they will be the shiniest shoes known to man!


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## golfsaint (Feb 14, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Looking at the weather forecast, they will be the shiniest shoes known to man! 

Click to expand...

Not after Tuesday they wont lol


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## matts1984 (Feb 14, 2014)

Well done guys, have a blast


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## Dan1984 (Feb 14, 2014)

mab said:



			Ha!

I'm north of Macclesfield which means the alarm would be going off around 3.30am, just in case traffic was bad.  You're practically half way there in comparison!

Thanks for the offer though - much appreciated. 

Click to expand...

No worries pal, just thought I'd ask seeing as we're all coming from the same area-ish.
I'll just meet you both there then


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## mab (Feb 14, 2014)

MikeH said:



			Dan, mab, birchy I'll be joing you for the fitting so look forward to seeing you on Monday - sure we will all be launching it out the back of the range at wentworth by the end of the session!

remember boys, nice clean shoes please. Regular forumers will know I get very upset by dirty golf shoes
		
Click to expand...

See you there Mike... on *Tuesday*. My heart skipped a beat when I read that!  And yes, I assume TM can find an extra 60 yards of carry for me with all this technology, right? 

Thanks for all the good wishes guys - much appreciated. 

Cheers
Mark


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## virtuocity (Feb 18, 2014)

Hope everyone has a good day.  Anyone going to put pics up on twitter?  If so, what's your twitter handles?


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## chellie (Feb 18, 2014)

Looking forward to hearing all about it later on. Have fun


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## BTatHome (Feb 18, 2014)

Not sure on the other guys but ... @birchybwfc


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

Have a great day guys.


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

I am jealous and i did it last year!! have a good one fella's! watching birchy's twitter with interest!


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## garyinderry (Feb 18, 2014)

get us all the juicy details lads.  have a good one!


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## virtuocity (Feb 18, 2014)

Just joined tweeterville so I could have a look.


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

not sure you'll get that much on twitter the signal is not great.


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

first update from TM

https://twitter.com/TaylorMadeTour/status/435719836631842816/photo/1


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## richart (Feb 18, 2014)

Rooter said:



			first update from TM

https://twitter.com/TaylorMadeTour/status/435719836631842816/photo/1

Click to expand...

 For some reason lambs to the slaughter comes to mind.


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## Lincoln Quaker (Feb 18, 2014)

richart said:



			For some reason lambs to the slaughter comes to mind.

Click to expand...

Will we see a 13 degree driver on offer???


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## davidy233 (Feb 18, 2014)

Rooter said:



			first update from TM

https://twitter.com/TaylorMadeTour/status/435719836631842816/photo/1

Click to expand...

Does that data on the screen show a genuine 304 yard drive in there?


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

Lincoln Quaker said:



			Will we see a 13 degree driver on offer???
		
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Not on the 1st victim  9.5 to 10 not much of a #loftup but 12 yard gain is decent :thup:


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

davidy233 said:



			Does that data on the screen show a genuine 304 yard drive in there?
		
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Most Definiately it is a forumer hitting a new TM!


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## virtuocity (Feb 18, 2014)

pbrown7582 said:



			Not on the 1st victim  9.5 to 10 not much of a #loftup but 12 yard gain is decent :thup:
		
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Would like to see those numbers!


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

If i remember rightly, their system is set up to be absolute perfect summers day conditions etc, so would take them with a pinch of salt.


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## virtuocity (Feb 18, 2014)

Rooter said:



			If i remember rightly, their system is set up to be absolute perfect summers day conditions etc, so would take them with a pinch of salt.
		
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However, I assume you would have taken along your existing driver and hit a good few balls in those conditions?


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## pokerjoke (Feb 18, 2014)

Good luck all have a great day


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

virtuocity said:



			However, I assume you would have taken along your existing driver and hit a good few balls in those conditions?
		
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Exactly, so a 12yrd gain is still a gain.. probably better worked out as a %..


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

Rooter said:



			If i remember rightly, their system is set up to be absolute perfect summers day conditions etc, so would take them with a pinch of salt.
		
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Arent all launch monitors set up this way. We don't want to be told that a nailed drive just carried 150!


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## phildunphy (Feb 18, 2014)

Rooter said:



			first update from TM

https://twitter.com/TaylorMadeTour/status/435719836631842816/photo/1

Click to expand...

as the marketing campaign is loft up I suspect all will be higher


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

phildunphy said:



			as the marketing campaign is loft up I suspect all will be higher
		
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Well the marketing campaign is led by the club development and the change in COG, launch angles etc, so yes everyone will be higher!


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## Junior (Feb 18, 2014)

What did you all end up with .... SLDR , jetspeed ??

Did any one hit hte 14 degree SLDR ?


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## brendy (Feb 18, 2014)

Absolutely, when we went, back in Dec 11, there was widespread ice in the area so I believe my figures of 275 or whatever it was was greatly reduced, Id say allowing for temp, forum girth etc, I was easily over the 350 mark. True Story.



Rooter said:



			If i remember rightly, their system is set up to be absolute perfect summers day conditions etc, so would take them with a pinch of salt.
		
Click to expand...


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

Junior said:



			What did you all end up with .... SLDR , jetspeed ??

Did any one hit hte 14 degree SLDR ?
		
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there all too busy playing the east course to update at present.


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

pbrown7582 said:



			there all too busy playing the east course to update at present.
		
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I know! awesome!

I would imagine they will all come away with SLDR's as thats the theme of the event.


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## HickoryShaft (Feb 18, 2014)

brendy said:



			Absolutely, when we went, back in Dec 11, there was widespread ice in the area so I believe my figures of 275 or whatever it was was greatly reduced, Id say allowing for temp, forum girth etc, I was easily over the 350 mark. True Story.

Click to expand...

I remember it well Brendy, if it wasnt for the the temperature they would have had to extend the driving range length for you 

Hey it also means that my 215 - 225 yards was probably a 280 - 300 yards - yay :lol:

It wasn't stopping the third member (Weekend Warrior?) from spanking some to the back though - shafts had to be switched to extra extra stiff if I remember correctly  - thats after the normal flex and stiff flex they started with went off into the surrounding houses as the shaft couldn't get back to straight from the speed of the swing....now that is a true story!


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

Rooter said:



			I know! awesome!

I would imagine they will all come away with SLDR's as thats the theme of the event.
		
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No.2 is unveiled up from 10.5 to 11.5 and 23 yards longer....


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## brendy (Feb 18, 2014)

I think it is fair to say the young lad couldnt keep it in the wentworth estate never mind the fairway area, he was a little wayward!


HickoryShaft said:



			I remember it well Brendy, if it wasnt for the the temperature they would have had to extend the driving range length for you 

Hey it also means that my 215 - 225 yards was probably a 280 - 300 yards - yay :lol:

It wasn't stopping the third member (Weekend Warrior?) from spanking some to the back though - shafts had to be switched to extra extra stiff if I remember correctly  - thats after the normal flex and stiff flex they started with went off into the surrounding houses as the shaft couldn't get back to straight from the speed of the swing....now that is a true story!
		
Click to expand...


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## Fish (Feb 18, 2014)

No2

Who wouldn't want to be 23 yards longer? Golf Monthly reader Mark Bell takes the #LoftUp challenge & smashes it 271yds


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

White belt? must be off scratch!


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## pokerjoke (Feb 18, 2014)

Fish said:



			No2

Who wouldn't want to be 23 yards longer? Golf Monthly reader Mark Bell takes the #LoftUp challenge & smashes it 271yds

View attachment 9191

Click to expand...


Was it a 5 wood fitting.
Of course I was joking.
I also have recently lofted up to an 11 degree.
However I hardly ever use it,even though im 20 yards longer.
At Burnham I never used it once.


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## BTatHome (Feb 18, 2014)

Where is #3 ... seems to have been an awful long time between them.


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## rich1981 (Feb 18, 2014)

Was it a 5 wood fitting.
Of course I was joking.
I also have recently lofted up to an 11 degree.
However I hardly ever use it,even though im 20 yards longer.
At Burnham I never used it once.
		
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You didn't need to with the distance you were hitting your 3w!


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

BTatHome said:



			Where is #3 ... seems to have been an awful long time between them.
		
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3g is terrible at wentworth, expect twitter to explode tonight when jess gets online!


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## Fish (Feb 18, 2014)

BTatHome said:



			Where is #3 ... seems to have been an awful long time between them.
		
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Birchy isn't very photogenic :rofl:


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## Rooter (Feb 18, 2014)

Fish said:



			Birchy isn't very photogenic :rofl:
		
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PMSL! his pic is still being photshopped!


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 18, 2014)

Rooter said:



			3g is terrible at wentworth, expect twitter to explode tonight when jess gets online!
		
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i had to read that twice!!


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## bluewolf (Feb 18, 2014)

Considering how high Birchy hits it, the increased loft may just send that ball stratospheric.. His first shot will still be falling now..


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## Fish (Feb 18, 2014)

Here's another release


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## Karl102 (Feb 18, 2014)

Maybe Birchy's trusty gun barrel straight cobra has got the TM boys stumped !


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## Fish (Feb 18, 2014)

The 3 Amigo's


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## MikeH (Feb 18, 2014)

I'm just back but will let the boys update you all properly tonight (as has been said 3G and wireless pretty much non existent at Wentworth)
Dan and Mark both went up in loft and gained yards
Birchy actually went down .5 degrees (I think) but got more yards with carry and roll
all are out ripping round the east course!

I went up from 10.5 to 12 deg and into the 430 SLDR head and gained yardage and tightened up my dispersion

the science of low forward CG and extra loft definitley works but as with all fitting individual swings determine how much benefit you're going to gain
As Luke the fitter said to me... there a point at which technology can only do so much and technique becomes the key to unlocking further yards - that was a nice way of saying to me I need to flatten out my attack angle because at its current level (of massive descent) then I will never get my spin much below 3000 and my launch above about 10degrees - optimum is 1700 spin and 17 deg launch.


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## Junior (Feb 18, 2014)

Im not surprised Birchy came down from 12 degrees, he does hit a high ball....deadly straight though.

The technology really does work and being fitted with all the heads/shafts on hand is a real help. 

I would never have set myself up with an x-flex 12 degree tour head driver , but that is what came out tops. I actually thought id been fitted for a stiff shaft so its surprising how it turns out. The driver really helped me finish the season strong and I had my biggest cut of the year in my last comp (which I won) . I hope the guys who got fitted today enjoy the day and have the same success as I did.


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## Dan1984 (Feb 18, 2014)

Just got back from wentworth now but I've literally got to go straight out to work!! So I'll post about my day/experience tomorrow.
But I will say what a brilliant day I've had, and the round on the east course after realy topped it off!!!
Big thanks to Paul and mike from gm, Jess from taylormade and Luke the TM fitter.
And met two top lads in birchy and mab
Cheers guys


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## Birchy (Feb 18, 2014)

Well after a chippy run on the way back im home and absolutely done in! 

You probably wont see as many pictures of my stat/loft because i destroyed the marketing campaign :rofl:

Just looked at my spec on the email and my loft has actually stayed the same! I will just put together some sort of write up then you can all destroy me after that :rofl:


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## Siren (Feb 18, 2014)

I hope you guys had a great day, looking forward to the write ups.


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## Birchy (Feb 18, 2014)

I arrived at Wentworth castle  nice and early as i was only staying very local and arriving at the main entrance did nothing to calm the nerves! Straight away you can see the place is full of class and we were about to find out why.

After finding one of the car parks i managed to get to the Taylormade fitting centre eventually as the place is like a small town and getting lost is quite easy! I met up with Luke (taylormade fitter), Jess (Taylormade PR rep), photographer (always one name you cant remember) Mike and Paul from GM plus Mark and Dan off the forum.

After having a good chat with everyone and a cup of coffee etc the fitting process started off with Dan the bomber going first while me and Mark where in the next bay along trying to warm up (in my case trying  ). I started off trying to hit a few wedges and skulled 5 straight to start with and immediately began to dread the thought of the fitting! After watching Mark smoking everything down the range i thought im gonna be that guy who they cant even fit a club for! i got back up and hit a few ok shots and got the old big dog out and was in fine fettle with it phew! Good job i wasnt getting fitted for irons today! :rofl:

Me and Mark popped in to see how Dan was getting on after seeing from our bay a ball nearly going out of the back of the range! He was absolutely smashing it and easily carrying 280+. That job as a brickie is certainly good for hitting bombs mate!! After seeing his stats up on the board i began to think im going to look an absolute knob when i go in!!

Anyway moving on im next up for the fitting, gulp . Luke the fitter started off by asking me about my current driver etc and how long have i had it. Told him all the usual about having it since i started etc and i think ive only ever hit one or two others until a week of two ago and usual ball flight and bad misses etc. Luke then told me to hit a few with my current Cobra driver. After hitting 5 balls in a row straight down to the target he asked me to aim at he looked at me like i was taking the piss, if a custom fitter had a nightmare i would probably be it :rofl:

Carry was almost identical with all the shots at around 215 yards which all rolled out a little bit but not much. This is pretty much the exact guess i told him when were chatting so that was all fine. The spin was through the roof as i thought it would be so this would prove the way in to getting more out of a new big dog.

After hitting a lot of different combos i couldnt get anything to carry up the same distance as the cobra driver. I thought this might prove difficult after having mine for so long and being so used to it. During the fitting Luke was switching between current conditions and ideal regular conditions and we finally managed to get better results with SLDR TP with 430cc head in current conditions. The much reduced spin helped me to get good results i guess as the carry was still just under the cobra but the run out saw the total yardage improve.  Towards the end I started to feel the difference in this new setup and the flight was definitely improving but I was getting a bit ragged as hitting 700 driver shots in a row gets a bit sloppy eventually .

Following me Mark went in for his fitting while i had my video chat thingy with Paul from GM. I asked if airbrushing was free or extra and sadly that option was not available  We had a chat about the fitting and some details from it. I hope them subtitles are working Paul!  

After this I popped in to see how Mark was getting on and he seemed to be getting much more out of the new equipment compared to his current driver. Mike from GM went in after for a fitting and he also seemed to work well to the loft up marketing. There is always one problem in every group and this time it was me! 

After we finished the fittings we all went out onto the first tee on the West course and had a photoshoot with the new driver setups. The weather then started to turn a bit so we headed back to the fitting centre and started to wind everything up. Then Mike questioned us to what we were doing this afternoon and enquired if we fancied a game while we were there. All three of us politely told him that even if we had to shoot off home we wouldnâ€™t be going . 

I thought this was going to be interesting after thinning virtually every iron I had tried in the morning and driving the ball like a complete wimp compared to Dan the bomber and Mark with his classy swing! Luckily golf is not played on a trackman  

After pulling a few strings in the royal quarters of Wentworth somewhere Mike and Tess returned with good news of we have got a complimentary round on the East course. This was recommended over the West as it drains much better and to say the area was wet was an understatement! With the rain getting heavier while we spoke we all agreed this was definitely the best way to go. We met the starter at the East and he was really superb! Plenty of nice chat and a brief history of the course highlighted that this was the first course that the Ryder cup was played on. Another Wentworth official joined us at the tee for a chat and was very friendly. He even offered to take us over to the west course if we wanted but he said the course wasnâ€™t in great nick as it was very, very soft. 

We ploughed on with playing the east which we kicked off in terrible conditions for the first 5 or 6 holes. The course was very wet and the greens were sodden on a couple of holes until the rain stopped. Once the rain stopped the conditions were lovely and the sky was nice and clear. The course was fantastic and a real lovely setup. A lot of tough holes with tight fairways and some very long par 3s. Greens even though very wet were still rolling great although chipping proved hard to judge sometimes.

You will be happy to know that in true underdog fashion the guy who drove the ball like a twonk and bladed all his irons in the morning finished the day on a high with a lovely haul of 38 points in the afternoon. :whoo:

Funny old game.........


Can i just finish off by saying a massive thanks to all the people involved in making this day happen. Massive thanks to Mike, Paul, Jess, Photographer, Luke etc for being great to chat to and enjoyable company on the day. You would think they might get bored of taking us chompers around these nice places but they were fantastic and treated us like royalty. Thanks to Mark and Dan for being great company for the day too and hope to see you at a NW meet soon!

A great day that will live long in the memory :thup:


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## Birchy (Feb 18, 2014)

P.S i did start to take pictures to try and do twitter updates but signal there was horrific. My phone then decidied to die despit it saying 45% battery!! Nightmare, missed out on loads of pictures!


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## Siren (Feb 18, 2014)

Great write up mate thanks for sharing.


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## garyinderry (Feb 18, 2014)

nice one birchy!  glad to hear you didn't give them an easy ride with the fitting. make them earn their corn!  nice 38 points too! :thup:


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## srixon 1 (Feb 18, 2014)

Nice write up Birchy. Hope the new driver works well for you.


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## MikeH (Feb 18, 2014)

top write up Scott!
good to meet you Dan and Mark and glad you got round the East (in style by the sounds of it) and back home safely


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## Lincoln Quaker (Feb 18, 2014)

Great write up Scott :thup: New driver and 38 points round wentworth, what a day to remember.


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## Cheifi0 (Feb 18, 2014)

Great write up Scott sounds like an epic day!  I would of just been happy to be out on a course at the moment let alone all the added extras.


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## Crow (Feb 18, 2014)

Sounds like a cracking day Scott, and despite your tumbling handicap last season you can still rack up 38 points in dodgy conditions, coul be anotner great year coming up for you!


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## Junior (Feb 19, 2014)

Great write up Birchy!! What shaft did you end up with ??


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## Duckster (Feb 19, 2014)

Nice write up, sounds like you all had a blast!


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## Birchy (Feb 19, 2014)

Junior said:



			Great write up Birchy!! What shaft did you end up with ??
		
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Aldila RIP beta 60 in regular I think mate. Will have to check to be certain :rofl:


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## BTatHome (Feb 19, 2014)

Great write up, they always sound like great days beforehand and that shows that they are usually better!


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## pbrown7582 (Feb 19, 2014)

Top write thanks for sharing your expierience. :thup:


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## Birchy (Feb 19, 2014)

MikeH said:



			top write up Scott!
good to meet you Dan and Mark and glad you got round the East (in style by the sounds of it) and back home safely
		
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike! Was a fantastic day and a great experience. :thup:


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## Birchy (Feb 19, 2014)

One other thing I forgot to mention. The staff at Wentworth :-

Absolutely fantastic. The starter informed Dan that trolleys weren't allowed on the first tee and instead of looking at us like we were idiots he just went back into the royal castle and pulled out a carry bag for him. We also bumped into the starter on the back 9 as he was driving around and he came over and asked us how everything was and any problems etc. Just first class.

On finishing the round we walked back to the clubhouse and there was an steward to outside and I thought he was going to tell us to do one but he came over and asked how we had got on and had we enjoyed it etc.

Everybody just made us feel really welcome and like they wanted us to be there. The myths of snottyness at these top courses was certainly dispelled by Wentworth :thup:


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## chellie (Feb 19, 2014)

Sounds like a fabulous day Scott


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## Hunka Turf (Feb 19, 2014)

Sounds like a great day. These are fantastic opportunities organised by GM and the brands.


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## mab (Feb 19, 2014)

Apologies for the delayed write-up chaps. I didnâ€™t arrive home until late last night and my wife had two full daysâ€™ worth of information to update me with!

This is a relatively long post. If you decide not to read it, the two main points are:

1. Yes, I wore a white belt.
2. Dan is a beast.



I arrived around 8.10am, having been told to get there for 8.30am. I sat in the car for a few minutes while the rain died down, removed bag from boot and popped the golf shoes on at a very leisurely pace and meandered over to the TM Performance Labâ€¦ to find everyone was waiting for me. Ooops. 

After some brief intros, Dan was advised he would be going first as he was the first to arrive. Scott and I then made our way next door to warm up while Dan made a start. TM had left a ginormous bag of balls for us to hit down the range at our leisure. Excellent.

Taking a break from practice, Scott and I went next door to see how Dan was getting on. At this point, the quality of the setup hit me; Trackman switched on AND watching the actual ballflight down the range was excellent. I have done a couple of Flightscope sessions before, but only into a net; this was much better. The second thing to hit me was that Dan had a clubhead speed of 109mph! When he controlled that power, the results really were impressive and distances shown on the Trackman were very real, albeit set up to allow for summer roll as opposed to winter plugging (the former being very sensible imo). When Dan didnâ€™t control that power, look out if you own a house anywhere in or around Wentworth!

Back in our bay, Scott and I continued to practice. Mike came in having realised he had forgotten his driver, so asked to borrow my similar Cleveland. He was incredibly close to doubling / halving the value of my driver depending on your view of whether or not a Golf Monthly Editor induced sky mark would be considered â€˜provenanceâ€™. Unfortunately / fortunately, whilst the ballflight was ugly, there was no mark left making me richer / poorer. To manage the risk, we then agreed a â€˜you mark it, you buy itâ€™ for the remainder of the day. 

Birchy was up next and I see heâ€™s already written about his experience. #loftisalreadysufficient gives you an idea of his conclusion. 

I was third up. I took a few swings with my own driver and was slightly disappointed with the results, but just one of those things. Iâ€™d been on Flightscope a week and a half before and was getting 102mph swing speed, 13* launch and 2600rpm spin (240 carry); the best single shot I managed yesterday was 100mph swing speed, 11* launch and 2700rpm spin (232 carry). Still, it was a decent enough baseline. I then tried a number of different combinations.

The Jetspeed was all wrong for me; I donâ€™t recall which shaft I was using, but it spun like a top. Next I went to the SLDR 10.5, which I tried with a number of options including Kaiâ€™li 60s x5ct, RIP Beta 60s and Matrix RUL 60s. My launch was still lower than desirable, so Luke began cranking up the loft. At that stage, however, I starting pulling more shots as increasing the loft effectively means closing the face. So, Luke then grabbed the 12* and reduced the loft by 0.5* to 11.5* (which means opening the face 0.5*), set the weight bar to full fade and installed a Matrix RUL 60s. This straightened me out quite a bit and the numbers were significantly improved over my existing driver, with the best drive being 99mph swing speed, 13* launch and 2000rpm spin (239 carry) which also gave an improved angle of descent for increased roll (total distance 271 yards). Luke was happy at that point and we were done.

I gave the fitting quite a bit of thought on the drive home as it was a long drive. My honest appraisal was that it was a great experience, really useful, but I wish Iâ€™d influenced the fitting more than I did. I know a reasonable amount about shaft profiles and Trackman / Flightscope numbers but thought a little knowledge could be a dangerous thing; accordingly, I decided in advance to let the trained PGA Pro do his thing and not to go into the fitting with any preconceptions. I genuinely thought, before the fitting, that I would come out with a 12* SLDR, set at 12* loft, the weight bar set towards â€˜fadeâ€™ and shafted with a Matrix White Tie 6X3 s flex / Tour AD Di-6 s flex / Oban Kiyoshi Purple 65 04 flex but didnâ€™t want to influence the fitting in any way. When Luke was happy with my results with the Matrix RUL 60s, and I can see exactly why he was happy, we finished the sessionâ€¦ but I wish Iâ€™d asked to try a couple of additional shafts in an attempt to increase launch further whilst maintaining existing spin rates. The aforementioned shafts I thought Iâ€™d end up with are advertised as high launch / low spin and, regardless of whether or not you agree the laws of physics allow for that, trying a couple of examples would have left me more certain of the results of my fitting. At this point, I know I am â€˜significantly improvedâ€™, but am I â€˜optimisedâ€™? Iâ€˜m not sure we tried enough shafts in the new head configuration to know that. 

I donâ€™t want this to sound like a negative by any means. The fitting really was excellent and I'm sure any additional potential gains would have been minimal (if any gains were even possible, that is), but I wanted to provide some balance on what is otherwise a perfectly glowing thread.

Mike went last. Can you say SPIN!? It was really interesting to see what Mikeâ€™s optimal launch conditions wereâ€¦ for him. Itâ€™s all well and good knowing that 17* launch and 1700 spin is optimal for everyone but for many, and Mike is a prime example (imo, heavily influenced by his significant downward angle of attack), this is not achievable with currently available technology. I believe Mike ended up with 3500+ spin as being the best for his existing swing.

After a series of interviews and photographs, Scott, Dan and and I were pleasantly surprised and rather excited by the news we could play the East course. What a great day! The course was fairly wet, but that didnâ€™t detract from a very enjoyable round.

I didnâ€™t ask Scott the results at the end of the game, but (and not just because he was keeping score!) Iâ€™m sure Scott took the match. Dan won longest drive by some margin on the custom fitting session. I didnâ€™t win anything but had a fabulous day with great people. Oh, hang on a minute, Iâ€™ve won a custom fitted Taylormade SLDR driver!

As the other boys have already mentioned in this thread, a big thanks to Mike, Paul, Jess and Luke for the opportunity and for a great day.


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## Fish (Feb 19, 2014)

Interesting media just put out, how much did they explain this concept to you guys?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZaUebwnOZg&list=PL4BB093A22661E8DC&feature=share


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## Birchy (Feb 19, 2014)

Fish said:



			Interesting media just put out, how much did they explain this concept to you guys?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZaUebwnOZg&list=PL4BB093A22661E8DC&feature=share

Click to expand...

Yeah the guy doing the fitting Luke explained the technology and how it worked etc. The thing is the loft and launch was already there for me its just the spin was astronomical  With this fixed I had slight improvements but no massive difference.

For guys playing lower lofts I would definitely give it a try though as this could make a much bigger difference for them imo.


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## Fish (Feb 19, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Yeah the guy doing the fitting Luke explained the technology and how it worked etc. The thing is the loft and launch was already there for me its just the spin was astronomical  With this fixed I had slight improvements but no massive difference.

For guys playing lower lofts I would definitely give it a try though as this could make a much bigger difference for them imo.
		
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I'm reading about the difference between the 430 & 460 now as the amount of 460's that are available cheap is growing, am I right in thinking you can change the loft on both these, so, if you buy a 10.5* how many degrees can it be adjusted each way?


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## mab (Feb 19, 2014)

Fish said:



			I'm reading about the difference between the 430 & 460 now as the amount of 460's that are available cheap is growing, am I right in thinking you can change the loft on both these, so, if you buy a 10.5* how many degrees can it be adjusted each way?
		
Click to expand...

I've read quite a bit about 17* / 1700 over the past few months. Those numbers were not volunteered yesterday (other than by me to Luke, advising that I was expecting him to help me get there  ), but lofting up to increase launch whilst maintaining low spin due to centre of gravity location was discussed numerous times. As I mentioned above, whilst 17* / 1700 is optimal, not many people will be able to achieve it with today's equipment and with their existing swings.

All the SLDR heads have the ability to increase or decrease loft by 1.5*, in 0.5* increments, from the number stamped on the clubhead (9.5*, 10.5*, 12*... and soon to be 14*, though not sure whether the 430 model will be available in 14*). Note that changing the loft in that way also changes the face angle... going up in loft closes the face, going down in loft opens the face.

The 14* heads were not available yesterday for testing.


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## Birchy (Feb 19, 2014)

mab said:



			I've read quite a bit about 17* / 1700 over the past few months. Those those numbers were not volunteered yesterday (other than by me to Luke, advising that I was expecting him to help me get there  ), but lofting up to increase launch whilst maintaining low spin due to centre of gravity location was discussed numerous times. As I mentioned above, whilst 17* / 1700 is optimal, not many people will be able to achieve it with today's equipment and with their existing swings.

All the SLDR heads have the ability to increase or decrease loft by 1.5*, in 0.5* increments, from the number stamped on the clubhead (9.5*, 10.5*, 12*... and soon to be 14*, though not sure whether the 430 model will be available in 14*). Note that changing the loft in that way also change the face angle... going up in loft closes the face, going down in loft opens the face.

The 14* heads were not available for testing yesterday.
		
Click to expand...

As you can see somebody does know what they are talking about :rofl:

Nice work Mark :thup:


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## Fish (Feb 19, 2014)

mab said:



			I've read quite a bit about 17* / 1700 over the past few months. Those numbers were not volunteered yesterday (other than by me to Luke, advising that I was expecting him to help me get there  ), but lofting up to increase launch whilst maintaining low spin due to centre of gravity location was discussed numerous times. As I mentioned above, whilst 17* / 1700 is optimal, not many people will be able to achieve it with today's equipment and with their existing swings.

All the SLDR heads have the ability to increase or decrease loft by 1.5*, in 0.5* increments, from the number stamped on the clubhead (9.5*, 10.5*, 12*... and soon to be 14*, though not sure whether the 430 model will be available in 14*). Note that changing the loft in that way also changes the face angle... going up in loft closes the face, going down in loft opens the face.

The 14* heads were not available yesterday for testing.
		
Click to expand...

So by that analogy, if I bought a 10.5* 430 and lofted it up to 12*, it becomes draw biased?


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## Birchy (Feb 19, 2014)

Fish said:



			So by that analogy, if I bought a 10.5* 430 and lofted it up to 12*, it becomes draw biased?
		
Click to expand...

Yeah I believe that would be correct mate :thup:


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## Wabinez (Feb 19, 2014)

Fish said:



			So by that analogy, if I bought a 10.5* 430 and lofted it up to 12*, it becomes draw biased?
		
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Sounds that way...but if you bought a 14* and lowered it to 12*, you would open the face!


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## mab (Feb 19, 2014)

Yep - that's right. Only correction is that the most you could deloft the 14* model is to 12.5*. Also, you can further influence with the moveable weight on the sole of the club, with 21 positions available between full draw weighting and full fade weighting.

However, if you think about available loft configurations (9.5*, 10.5*, 12*, 14*), you can get to any desired loft between 9* and 14.5* (except 13*) by adjusting only 0.5*, which has only a small corresponding effect on face angle. Personally, I would prefer a head loft closest to my desired loft and adjust a small amount, rather than select a head loft 1.5* out and adjust the full amount. However, others may disagree with this.


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## Fish (Feb 19, 2014)

mab said:



			Personally, I would prefer a head loft closest to my desired loft and adjust a small amount, rather than select a head loft 1.5* out and adjust the full amount. However, others may disagree with this.
		
Click to expand...

I can understand that, my reasoning was, as I currently have a 9.5* driver and if I went for a 10.5* 430, I could try the loft up marketing at that 10.5* degrees or greater all the way up to to 12* but if it didn't work for me, I could drop down to my current 9.5*


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## mab (Feb 19, 2014)

Fish said:



			I can understand that, my reasoning was, as I currently have a 9.5* driver and if I went for a 10.5* 430, I could try the loft up marketing at that 10.5* degrees or greater all the way up to to 12* but if it didn't work for me, I could drop down to my current 9.5*
		
Click to expand...

Ah, gotcha.

Based on yesterday's results and depending on your current driver model, I'd be surprised if you didn't benefit from going up in loft on the SLDR.  I seem to recall you using an AMP driver (not sure if you still do).  Using that as a comparison and from my experience, the AMP is a MUCH higher spin head than the SLDR; a higher lofted SLDR would very likely, and certainly in my hands, still produce a spin reduction over a lower lofted AMP.


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## Fish (Feb 19, 2014)

mab said:



			Ah, gotcha.

Based on yesterday's results and depending on your current driver model, I'd be surprised if you didn't benefit from going up in loft on the SLDR.  I seem to recall you using an AMP driver (not sure if you still do).  Using that as a comparison and from my experience, the AMP is a MUCH higher spin head than the SLDR; a higher lofted SLDR would very likely, and certainly in my hands, still produce a spin reduction over a lower lofted AMP.
		
Click to expand...

Cleveland Launcher


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## G1BB0 (Feb 19, 2014)

great write ups chaps, sounds like wentwroth is cursed for weather when GM goes as we had it a bit damp aswell 

same shaft as me in the R1 mab, mine is at 12deg, really did make a difference.

I had the same issue as birchy, crap signal and barely took any pics lol, its all etched in the memory though as no doubt it will be for all 3 of you. :thup: to GM as always and of course TM :thup:


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## Karl102 (Feb 19, 2014)

Great write up guys.  Topped up by a round at Wentworth as well!  Like i said before Coolio, well deserved after all the hard work you have put in arranging all the meetsâ€¦. If you half as straight with this new bat then i know who to bet for for this years OOM !


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## mab (Feb 20, 2014)

I wonder if the driver will arrive tomorrow in time for the weekend round?

Really excited to put it into play properly...


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## HomerJSimpson (Feb 20, 2014)

Great write ups. I've said it before and unashamedly repeat it. GM really know how to treat forum members and these days are not to be missed if you are lucky enough to get picked. Might be worth remembering when things get tough on here, GM only put these on if there is something for them. Keep it the best forum on the web and the good times will keep on rolling. Here's to a Ping prize soon. I have a few words I'd like to have with them about shafts


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## Siren (Feb 20, 2014)

HomerJSimpson said:



			Here's to a Ping prize soon. I have a few words I'd like to have with them about shafts 

Click to expand...

:clap::clap::clap:


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## Birchy (Feb 20, 2014)

mab said:



			I wonder if the driver will arrive tomorrow in time for the weekend round?

Really excited to put it into play properly...
		
Click to expand...

I thought this too mate. I cant wait to try and hit it properly :rofl:


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## Birchy (Feb 25, 2014)

Well the new beast has just been delivered :whoo:

You know that means a trip to the driving range tonight :swing:

You ever seen anybody hit 100 drivers one after another at the driving range? Yep that will be me


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## john0 (Feb 25, 2014)

Time to update your sig then :thup:


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## Cheifi0 (Feb 25, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Well the new beast has just been delivered :whoo:

You know that means a trip to the driving range tonight :swing:

You ever seen anybody hit 100 drivers one after another at the driving range? Yep that will be me 

Click to expand...

I thought that was range protocol  looking forward to seeing you bomb a few on Sunday!


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## Birchy (Feb 25, 2014)

Cheifi0 said:



			I thought that was range protocol  looking forward to seeing you bomb a few on Sunday!
		
Click to expand...

It is for us who like to hear a big boom every 2 mins. Some of the more serious members of the forum wont agree 

Yeah i was really impressed with it tonight. It has improved my ball flight a lot and will help me get more yards over the ground rather than stopping very quickly. 

Not decided whether he is coming on Sunday yet though. Im not sure if he is ready for the heat of the winter links OOM battle yet. I might stick with the old faithful as i need to get myself back into the game, played crap in it so far :rofl:


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## G1BB0 (Feb 25, 2014)

pfffft get the new big dog out on sunday.

He who dares Rodney


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## Siren (Feb 25, 2014)

Get the big dog out and go for it, if youve played rubbish so far then things can only get better!

GL Birchy :fore:


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## mab (Feb 26, 2014)

Excellent news Scott, excellent news.

Mine has also arrived, but don't think I'll get to the range until later this week.  Playing Saturday morning and potentially Sunday as well, so it should get a good outing this weekend. :fore:


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## FairwayDodger (Feb 26, 2014)

Sooner you put it in play the sooner you'll be able to rely on it. 

Go for it!!

:whoo:


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## bluewolf (Feb 26, 2014)

Birchy said:



			Not decided whether he is coming on Sunday yet though. Im not sure if he is ready for the heat of the winter links OOM battle yet. I might stick with the old faithful as i need to get myself back into the game, played crap in it so far :rofl:
		
Click to expand...

Get it in play matey.. You've already got some serious catching up to do this year....


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## mab (Feb 28, 2014)

The SLDR will be getting an outing later this afternoon for 6 holes and then joining me for 18 holes tomorrow morning.  To say I'm excited is something of an understatement.

I shall let you all know how it goes.  Surely 12* is going to help my inconsistency and broader driver woes... it's practically a 3 wood isn't it!?


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## Birchy (Feb 28, 2014)

mab said:



			The SLDR will be getting an outing later this afternoon for 6 holes and then joining me for 18 holes tomorrow morning.  To say I'm excited is something of an understatement.

I shall let you all know how it goes.  Surely 12* is going to help my inconsistency and broader driver woes... it's practically a 3 wood isn't it!? 

Click to expand...

You tell yourself whatever you need to get it to work mate! Rest of your game is very very good!

Hope it makes the difference :thup:


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## mab (Feb 28, 2014)

Birchy said:



			You tell yourself whatever you need to get it to work mate!
		
Click to expand...

Shhhh, my brain might read that!


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## mab (Mar 1, 2014)

Played 6 holes last night and around 30 holes today, so the SLDR has had a decent outing.

Overall, I think this is a very good driver.  Whilst there are an insane number adjustability options overall, I find the ability to fine tune really useful.  I have lowered the 12* loft by one click (0.5*) and am playing the sole weight all the way towards fade, which has helped me to reduce albeit not irradicate my round destroying snap hook.  So, straightness wise, it was particularly decent for me this afternoon as we got to know one another a little better.

Distance wise, I do find this head a little... strange.  Take my closing two holes this afternoon, holes 17 and 18.  I hit 2 drives off the 17th tee and both missed the sweet spot but not by a horrendous amount, and they carried in the region of 200yards (total distance 205 yards).  I hit 3 drives off the 18th tee, all of which were good strikes out of the middle; one shot was with 3 wood and was a total distance of 230 yards, whilst both drives with the driver were 255 yards.  Whilst I wasn't able to see the 3 balls land, there was only limited roll today so the carry distance of the SLDR shots would have been a minimum of 240 yardsâ€¦ which I'm very happy with given my c.100mph swing speed.

However, a difference of 40 yards of carry between the sweet spot and narrowly missed sweet spot I think is quite harsh.  I believe forward CoG results in less forgiveness on miss hits; out of the middle and you're as long as / longer than anything else on the market, but miss the middle and you are penalised.

I'd love to pick up a new Adams XTD head at some stage to do a direct comparison (it takes the same adaptor as the SLDR, so a true head-to-head test could be performed).  Adams states that their new XTD driver gives significantly greater ball speed across the face compared with their previous LS driver (read more forgiving with greater distance on off centre strikes) so it would be interesting to see whether the SLDR has an advantage out of the middle and XTD has an advantage on off centre contact.

Overall a good day and I'm pleased with the SLDR.


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## Birchy (Mar 1, 2014)

mab said:



			Played 6 holes last night and around 30 holes today, so the SLDR has had a decent outing.

Overall, I think this is a very good driver.  Whilst there are an insane number adjustability options overall, I find the ability to fine tune really useful.  I have lowered the 12* loft by one click (0.5*) and am playing the sole weight all the way towards fade, which has helped me to reduce albeit not irradicate my round destroying snap hook.  So, straightness wise, it was particularly decent for me this afternoon as we got to know one another a little better.

Distance wise, I do find this head a little... strange.  Take my closing two holes this afternoon, holes 17 and 18.  I hit 2 drives off the 17th tee and both missed the sweet spot but not by a horrendous amount, and they carried in the region of 200yards (total distance 205 yards).  I hit 3 drives off the 18th tee, all of which were good strikes out of the middle; one shot was with 3 wood and was a total distance of 230 yards, whilst both drives with the driver were 255 yards.  Whilst I wasn't able to see the 3 balls land, there was only limited roll today so the carry distance of the SLDR shots would have been a minimum of 240 yardsâ€¦ which I'm very happy with given my c.100mph swing speed.

However, a difference of 40 yards of carry between the sweet spot and narrowly missed sweet spot I think is quite harsh.  I believe forward CoG results in less forgiveness on miss hits; out of the middle and you're as long as / longer than anything else on the market, but miss the middle and you are penalised.

I'd love to pick up a new Adams XTD head at some stage to do a direct comparison (it takes the same adaptor as the SLDR, so a true head-to-head test could be performed).  Adams states that their new XTD driver gives significantly greater ball speed across the face compared with their previous LS driver (read more forgiving with greater distance on off centre strikes) so it would be interesting to see whether the SLDR has an advantage out of the middle and XTD has an advantage on off centre contact.

Overall a good day and I'm pleased with the SLDR.
		
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Funny you should say that Mark as i noticed a very similar thing today whilst out and about trying the new big dog.

I noticed that the drives out of the middle were a good 10-15 yards further than out of the sweet spot on my old driver. This is good for me as i do tend to hit the driver very consistently and out of a similar spot on the driver face.

However i did try a few shots off a few tees and different setups which resulted in a few off centre hits and they were a good way shorter. This in deffo not a driver for forgiveness! 

When im on my game with this club i will get the rewards so im really happy with that, i will back myself to hit enough out of the middle to get its worth but we will see :thup:


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## mab (Mar 2, 2014)

Birchy said:



			However i did try a few shots off a few tees and different setups which resulted in a few off centre hits and they were a good way shorter. This in deffo not a driver for forgiveness!
		
Click to expand...

This is hilarious!  Basically, what you're saying Scott, is that you had to physically try and miss the sweet spot or mess with the driver settings to the point the club didn't work for you in order to test how forgiving it is on off-centre strikes!  For me and most others, our standard play allows for that test without having to engineer it! 

I would expect this to be an excellent driver for you.  It's really long out of the middle and the consistency of your driving suggests you hit it out of the centre the vast majority of the time.

For someone like me, a poor driver of the ball, I do wonder whether or not a driver this unforgiving is the best option.  Realistically, I should be using my 3 wood off most tees and only using driver when I need that extra 25 yardsâ€¦ and this driver would likely work well with that approach to the game.  Problem is that I find myself pulling driver more frequently than that and a little more forgiveness, given my competence with the big dog, would be happily taken.

I know I'm looking for the best of both worlds, which most likely doesn't exist.  I'm going to keep my eye out for an Adams XTD head and hopefully do a direct comparison between the two using the exact same shaft.  I'd take 5 yards shorter out of the middle for significant forgiveness benefits on off-centre strikes, that's for sure.

I do love the ball flight with this club, though.  It get's up quickly with a high launch but flattens out beautifully with the low spin.  If I could only improve my consistency of ball striking with the driver...


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## BTatHome (Mar 2, 2014)

Did you not hit any poor shots in the fitting?


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## mab (Mar 2, 2014)

BTatHome said:



			Did you not hit any poor shots in the fitting?
		
Click to expand...

Oh, absolutely - I hit plenty of poor shots during the fitting.

The aim of the fitting process was to determine a combination of head loft, head settings and shaft selection which improved the launch conditions compared with my existing driver. However, we didn't go any further than that... for example using impact tape and a selection of varying shaft lengths to determine which length and shaft combo allowed me to strike the centre of the face more frequently. 

I firmly believe that I'd be a more consistent ball striker with a shorter shaft in the region of 44" with a negligable detrimental impact on distance, which would then need a bit of tweaking during the club build phase to get back the 7-8 swingweight points lost by shortening the driver by 1.25". But that wasn't part of the fitting process. 

As I wrote in my earlier write-up, I wouldn't say I was 'optimised' during this fitting... rather the best shots with the SLDR were better than the best shots with my previous driver plus the average was also improved, but I still hit a number of horrendous drives.


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