Driver Dilemma

[theeaglehunter]

Hi Folks!

I am currently in a dilemma as to what I should do in terms of getting myself custom fitted for a driver- a route I am keen to go down before the start of the season as I do not like the draw bias in my current driver and am pretty sure I could find myself a much more effective set up.

My problem comes in the fact of my logistical options of how / where to get fitted. I am fairly adamant that I should get a manufacturer based fitting and as such possibly not from my club pro who I am going to have fit me for some wedges- as the shaft options will surely be far superior at these even if my pro is a registered fitter and has the fitting carts etc?

Fortunately at my club I have the chance in about a months time to have a Ping driver fitting (If I book up) on a trackman launch monitor with a Ping fitting expert from Gainsborough who will be bringing the complete range of driver shafts / options Ping offer. What is more this will be based on the range so I won't be hitting solely into a net. This therfore is one possible option.

Secondly there is Titleist national fitting centre not to far away which I could get to without much hassle. Obviously the experience of this has been detailed by a lucky forumer in a post on the main forum so is also an attractive option.

The problem so far though is both of these would result in me having the option between only Ping drivers (G10 / Rapture V2 I presume) or solely Titleist drivers (The 909 range).

I am therefore considering a more inconvenient trip to the Belfry about an hour and a half away- so I can have confidence in them having a huge array of shafts from which to choose from along with the added bonus of being able to try more than one brand. I think you are allowed up to 5.

Obviously despite what I said at the start my Pro is an option and he is very good at what he does and has a reasonable selection of Taylormade, Ping and Mizuno heads / shafts to choose from and is fully authorised to custom fit by all of these brands. I am just presuming I would get more options from either the Ping fitter (who is supposedly bringing all of their options) or Titliest / Belfry fitting centre's. My pro also has a vector launch monitor which means my launch stats would be considered in all cases, and doing it through him would also have the benefit of me being able to try the club out on the course.

Therfore I would like to ask the following:

1) Which option would people overall recommend I take ?
2)Is it wise limiting myself to one manufacturers option, and if yes Ping or Titleist?
3)Does anybody have any advice of what to look for / expect in a good driver fitting? (I think I have a good idea but it would be good to consolidate this with the experience of those who have actually been fitted for a driver)

Thanks very much in advance for any replies- and apologies for the lengthy post.

All advice welcomed.

 

[bobmac]

Can I ask your
1.handicap
2 age, ish
3 aspirations
4.driver distance with current driver
5. do you practice?

 

[Imurg]

Not having been fitted for a driver I can't comment on that. But I think if I was in your boots I'd go for the Belfry. really only because you'll have a bigger choice at the end of the day. Going to Ping or Titleist, as you say, you'll end up with a Ping or Titleist. Choice of shaft isn't going to be an issue as they'll all have the same ones but the difference will be in the head of the club.

Unless you want a specific brand go to the Belfry with a completely open mind.

 

[theeaglehunter]

Sure Bob:

1) Handicap= 22, although I regularly play to the low/mid teens (Haven't entered a qualifying comp in 6 months +) so I would say think of me as a 13-15 handicapper.

2) Aspirations= professional golfer Just kidding! This year I would like to get down to single figures although that is maybe a bit optimistic, in the long run I would like to be a category 1 player.

3) Driver distance currently= About 230 average (90% swing speed), 250 with 100% effort, 260+ on a middled one with 100% effort.

4) Practice= Yes about once a week throughout the year on the practice ground, with at least 1 round a week from Spring through to Autumn. Up to 3 rounds a week during high summer. And I play a round about once a fortnight during the winter / at the moment.

I think that answers all your questions- I can't remember what they were from your post, having got to the 'preview post stage'!

 

[andiritchie]

Heads are more a personal prefernce the only diff is some heads are low spin some are high spin.If you like the head to look down on and like the design is more important

Its all down to the shaft options to make the head work for you,the more choices the better however a good fitter can narrow it down to 2 or 3 quickly

Personnally i would give the Ping demo day a go,you dont have to buy one from them,just to test the water,then maybe try another route Titleist etc

 

[thecraw]

I went to Ping in St Andrews a couple of years back and it was a great experience, I also bagged myself an amazing bargain due to a customer cancelation!!!!

 

[bobmac]

Firstly, I'd like to say I am a qualified club fitter so I know a bit about this.
My first reaction having seen the clubs in your bag is to suggest the Titleist. It's just about the only club manufacturer you dont have in there at the moment. Just kidding.
What you have to remember is the big manufacturers dont make bad clubs. Either wise the tour players wouldn't use them.
No-one can say Titleist are better than Ping or vice versa.
What you have to consider is the
shaft, stiff or regular
kick point...high med or low
spin rate...high med or low
launch angle...high med or low
and so on.
Next is the length of the shaft and the grip size.
Basically you want a shaft that starts the ball on a good tredjectory with not too much spin to give you the "rainbow" shape.
The shaft should match your swing speed. Yours is border line between stiff and regular and as your drives shoot off to the right, I would give you a regular, but not tell you lol.
If your launch angle is a bit low, then suggest 10.5 loft with low kick point. If its too high, then 9-9.5 with high kick point.
When you are happy with all those specifications, then look at the head of the drivers you are considering and decide which one gives you the feeling of "yes, I can hit this a mile"
Even the sound the club makes when it hits the ball can affect how you feel about the club
So to sum up, start with your local pro. Try what he suggests on the course and see how you feel.
If your not happy, go to the fitting centres and try theirs. Bear in mind the Belfry charge £50 which is redeemable in the shop.
My gut feeling is if your happy with your Ping irons, go for the Ping G10 driver witht the red pro launch shaft. I wouldn't swap mine for anything, even the Ping Rapture........but thats just my opinion. Hope this helps

 

[theeaglehunter]

Cheers Bob, thats all very informative and much appreciated, I will certainly take it on board.

I am very happy with the irons at present, they were custom fitted (only club in my bag to be so far) and I hit them very well indeed, my only gripe would be they do launch very high which isn't great into wind, but is great when trying to stop longer irons on the green.

As for your brands in the bag comment I use what I have tried and hit best, I have no brand allegiance although I must admit I could end up with a Ping Driver now and also in the near future Ping Wedges (I liked these on testing them!) So the way my bag comes across could soon change!

My current drivers flight has a pretty high launch so it will be interesting to see what specs I come out with. Also the thing about my shots going right, strange how you know that lol!... it only happens when I'm playing badly and currently is not to much of a problem provided I get my timing right.

Anyway thanks for the advice- and also thanks to the others who have commented so far, it is as always much appreciated.

 

[nmartyn]

you'll have to check with the Belfry but when i went a couple of weeks ago i could only book for one of the manufacturers for the fitting - not sure if they'll let you do more than one make.
(ps its a great day and worth the drive!)

 

[Macster]

If my experience told me anything at Titleist, its that the Shaft is much more important than the head.

460cc G10 v 909 v Callaway v Cobra..... = not much difference I wouldnt have thought,

whereas if any of those are fitted with a shaft that doesnt suit, you wont get on with it.

Personally, I'd only ever go for a Custom fitting at a purely impartial manufacturers Fitting Centre, and not a commercial operation as in AG/Belfry etc etc.
maybe i'm just a little naturally suspicious ;-)

 

[golf_bug]

Why not try somewhere like American Golf? They have a huge range of manufacturers and a Pro will analyse your current driver on a launch monitor to see what your requirements are. I think that the fitting is also free.

 

[viscount17]

eagle,
AG Biggleswade, this Saturday. Callaway and Yonex fittings on offer, on the monitors (I think) but in an outside bay so you can see the flight. With Callaway and Yonex fitters not AG staff.

Booking in 30 min sessions and as of this evening there are acres of vacant slots for both. Sessions run from 11:00 'til 14:00

I'm booked in with Yonex, but if they've got nothing I want I'll ask to do Callaway as well.

01767 318040

 

[HomerJSimpson]

You'll love the demo days. The Nanospeed driver is pretty decent and yo do get to see the scores on the doors from the monitors. From experience though the Cally monitor and staff are normally a bit more attuned to average golfers needs

 

[theeaglehunter]

Thanks for the advice people, but having attended the Ping demo day and been on a trackman monitor whilst outside on the range I am definitely going to go to a manufacturer at some point to get the full fitting experience. I have decided though, due to my driver being pretty dam consistent over the period since the ping day, that I will persevere with my own driver until I fix some obvious faults (see other thread) and then when my swing is in better shape I will go to one of the national fitting centers. It is just a case of buying 3 wedges (these are needed due to huge gaps in my bag), and then buying the driver when finances permit.

Viscount cheers for the suggestion but I work Saturdays so wouldn't be able to make it anyway and as I say I am sticking with the current beast at the moment. Oh and Homer I know demo days are good fun- I went to a taylormade one last year and although there wasn't a monitor present the advice was very good.