Aztecs27
Money List Winner
Here we go then.
I arrived at Wentworth this morning, ridiculously early, and after a quick bite to eat in the car, decided to head over to the TM Performance Lab and see what was what.
It's not a big place. It's on the end of the driving range but is very plush inside.
Met GM's Paul and Neil, both thoroughly nice blokes, and stayed out of the way whilst they were finishing up their promo stuff for the new TM Drivers. Got chatting to the lovely Natalie who was one of the reps (along with Ryan) from TM HQ in Basingstoke. She's german, cant' play golf very well (yet) and loves working for TM. She also loves The Cotswolds, but I digress.
Anyway, I made use of my time whilst waiting for Mike, Stevek and Screwback to arrive by going over to the clubhouse and using the changing facilities. The place is ridiculously posh (in a good way) and I hope that some day I can play golf there for proper. For some reason, I found it very bizarre to see "regular" guys just there, practising their putting and working on their game before their rounds. I guess because I've only ever seen it as "out of reach" from behind the TV.
Paul McGinley arrived sometime while I was getting changed and when I headed back to the TM Lab he was in there hitting balls (with his clubs) and checking out his stats along with Sean from TM who's one of the big wigs on tour and basically "the guy" that the pros talk to about fitting, club adjustments etc...
Watching a tour pro up close like that is something else. And just listening in to his conversations with Sean about his ball speed, ball spin, launch angle etc...and how he wants to get it set up was so interesting. I could have watched him hit and tweak his clubs all day.
Speaking of Paul McGinley, he really is a super nice guy. He comes across as being VERY genuine and was a delight to be around for the entire afternoon. He is, however, the size of a small child! I never realised how tiny the man was, but boy, for a tiny man, he hits the ball a fair old way (less than 300 yards though, so not quite as long as some of the big boys on here!
)
The "northern contingent" showed up and we got going pretty much straight away after all the intros.
Firstly was a presentation from the TM guys about the new drivers, the technology, the reactions from tour etc...PM was as interested in all this as we were and was like a little kid wanting to try out all the new stuff, very funny to see!
After PM and the TM team ran through what would, effectively, happen on tour for getting the drivers set up to the Pro's spec, we had a bit of lunch and then it was our time to try out the R11.
We all warmed up with a 6 iron, and when I was warming up, I caught PM out the corner of my eye, I turned round and saw him standing there, very unassuming, eating a bag of Walkers Salt and vinegar crisps, watching me hit golf balls. It was all very surreal!
After we all warmed up, we all got a go with the tasty R11. I won't go into detail on Stevek and Screwback's experiences, as I'll let them share that themselves, but I'll let you know how I got on....
In a nutshell..pretty terrible! Thankfully PM was being interviewed by Neil from GM during our test session, so he didn't see me hit any balls, I'd probably have been worse! I think it was the surroundings and circumstances that made me a bit "tense" and I wasn't hitting the ball like I knew I could. A shame, but at the same time, I still got a really good feel for the R11. Sean talked me through my current setup and wanted to know what my "weakness" was on my drives (which is a slice/fade). Hit a few balls with my current setup and then he changed up the R11 (in a matter of seconds) to close the face, decrease the loft and put more weight in the heel (I think!) to help the club "close" at impact having looked at my stats on Trackman (which is a chuffing awesome bit of kit!) and seeing what needed to change. It was all very technical bit very cool to see that the club setup can be changed that quick.
It works too. I was still slicing it, but that was more down to my inconsistent swing than the club. When I was hitting it like I knew I could, It was going straighter (and even drawing a bit) than I've hit in a long time.
Also, I was told that my shoulders are very open at address, which I've now started to correct, but it felt VERY strange as I was forcing myself to do something that didn't feel natural. All this didn't help my shot consistency either, but I took in everything they said and Sean and Adrian (the TM Performance Lab resident fitter) had very encouraging things to say about my swing and that the target HC I had set myself was "very achievable" which was nice to hear. Despite not being totally comfortable with my swing, I couldn't have enjoyed it more! I'm a total TM convert and am now considering the fairway woods!
The R11 itself is a striking club. As you are probably all aware, it's very white. The TM guys went into some depth about why it was white and I can see why it's white and it's not just a gimmick. It definitely helps alignment and helped me focus and it's not off putting at all. Having seen pictures on the website and not liking it, to seeing it in the flesh, I now love the look and can't wait to get my hands on it.
After we'd all done our bit we got the chance to see Paul hit some more balls with his newly adjusted Driver (with shorter shaft) and his newly shortened 3 and 5 woods, freshly delivered (while we were there) from down the road at Sunningdale!
It was awesome to see just how into the technology Paul was and how he wanted to try different things to optimise his ball speed, distance, launch angle, ball spin etc..etc...Obviously it's how he makes his living and needs everything to be performing to the max, but I was just in awe of everything. It was comforting to see him push a few of his shots though...But granted, 99% of them were arrow straight or drawing very nicely.
All the TM and GM guys made us feel very welcome and couldn't have been more hospitable. Felt like they really appreciated us being there, which was ridiculous! We were the ones who appreciated it! We even got a dozen TM PentaTP balls to take home from PM's personal stash (according to the sticker on the box). No "PM" specific markings on the balls though, but a very nice gesture and completely not expected.
I would very much consider paying to go back to pay and get fitted for some fairway woods using their motion capture technology to the max, as it's a very impressive facility.
Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on the club and use at the range in a less "pressurised" atmosphere/situation.
I must say, it was an absolute pleasure meeting Stevek and Screwback, both thoroughly nice blokes who can both hit a mean golf ball (especially screwback!)...Even if I couldn't understand a word either of them were saying.
So, that was that. Apologies if it's at all disjointed or you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about. I didn't plan on it being this long!
In summary it was an epic day and I have to say a massive thanks again to Mike, Neil, Paul and the rest of the GM team for selecting me for the opportunity and to TaylorMade for providing us with the toys and to Paul McGinley for taking the time out to just hang out with us all this afternoon.
Not sure about the interview I had to give, not looking forward to that appearing on the website!
Amazing day!
I arrived at Wentworth this morning, ridiculously early, and after a quick bite to eat in the car, decided to head over to the TM Performance Lab and see what was what.
It's not a big place. It's on the end of the driving range but is very plush inside.
Met GM's Paul and Neil, both thoroughly nice blokes, and stayed out of the way whilst they were finishing up their promo stuff for the new TM Drivers. Got chatting to the lovely Natalie who was one of the reps (along with Ryan) from TM HQ in Basingstoke. She's german, cant' play golf very well (yet) and loves working for TM. She also loves The Cotswolds, but I digress.
Anyway, I made use of my time whilst waiting for Mike, Stevek and Screwback to arrive by going over to the clubhouse and using the changing facilities. The place is ridiculously posh (in a good way) and I hope that some day I can play golf there for proper. For some reason, I found it very bizarre to see "regular" guys just there, practising their putting and working on their game before their rounds. I guess because I've only ever seen it as "out of reach" from behind the TV.
Paul McGinley arrived sometime while I was getting changed and when I headed back to the TM Lab he was in there hitting balls (with his clubs) and checking out his stats along with Sean from TM who's one of the big wigs on tour and basically "the guy" that the pros talk to about fitting, club adjustments etc...
Watching a tour pro up close like that is something else. And just listening in to his conversations with Sean about his ball speed, ball spin, launch angle etc...and how he wants to get it set up was so interesting. I could have watched him hit and tweak his clubs all day.
Speaking of Paul McGinley, he really is a super nice guy. He comes across as being VERY genuine and was a delight to be around for the entire afternoon. He is, however, the size of a small child! I never realised how tiny the man was, but boy, for a tiny man, he hits the ball a fair old way (less than 300 yards though, so not quite as long as some of the big boys on here!
)The "northern contingent" showed up and we got going pretty much straight away after all the intros.
Firstly was a presentation from the TM guys about the new drivers, the technology, the reactions from tour etc...PM was as interested in all this as we were and was like a little kid wanting to try out all the new stuff, very funny to see!
After PM and the TM team ran through what would, effectively, happen on tour for getting the drivers set up to the Pro's spec, we had a bit of lunch and then it was our time to try out the R11.
We all warmed up with a 6 iron, and when I was warming up, I caught PM out the corner of my eye, I turned round and saw him standing there, very unassuming, eating a bag of Walkers Salt and vinegar crisps, watching me hit golf balls. It was all very surreal!
After we all warmed up, we all got a go with the tasty R11. I won't go into detail on Stevek and Screwback's experiences, as I'll let them share that themselves, but I'll let you know how I got on....
In a nutshell..pretty terrible! Thankfully PM was being interviewed by Neil from GM during our test session, so he didn't see me hit any balls, I'd probably have been worse!
I think it was the surroundings and circumstances that made me a bit "tense" and I wasn't hitting the ball like I knew I could. A shame, but at the same time, I still got a really good feel for the R11. Sean talked me through my current setup and wanted to know what my "weakness" was on my drives (which is a slice/fade). Hit a few balls with my current setup and then he changed up the R11 (in a matter of seconds) to close the face, decrease the loft and put more weight in the heel (I think!) to help the club "close" at impact having looked at my stats on Trackman (which is a chuffing awesome bit of kit!) and seeing what needed to change. It was all very technical bit very cool to see that the club setup can be changed that quick. It works too. I was still slicing it, but that was more down to my inconsistent swing than the club. When I was hitting it like I knew I could, It was going straighter (and even drawing a bit) than I've hit in a long time.
Also, I was told that my shoulders are very open at address, which I've now started to correct, but it felt VERY strange as I was forcing myself to do something that didn't feel natural. All this didn't help my shot consistency either, but I took in everything they said and Sean and Adrian (the TM Performance Lab resident fitter) had very encouraging things to say about my swing and that the target HC I had set myself was "very achievable" which was nice to hear. Despite not being totally comfortable with my swing, I couldn't have enjoyed it more! I'm a total TM convert and am now considering the fairway woods!
The R11 itself is a striking club. As you are probably all aware, it's very white. The TM guys went into some depth about why it was white and I can see why it's white and it's not just a gimmick. It definitely helps alignment and helped me focus and it's not off putting at all. Having seen pictures on the website and not liking it, to seeing it in the flesh, I now love the look and can't wait to get my hands on it.
After we'd all done our bit we got the chance to see Paul hit some more balls with his newly adjusted Driver (with shorter shaft) and his newly shortened 3 and 5 woods, freshly delivered (while we were there) from down the road at Sunningdale!
It was awesome to see just how into the technology Paul was and how he wanted to try different things to optimise his ball speed, distance, launch angle, ball spin etc..etc...Obviously it's how he makes his living and needs everything to be performing to the max, but I was just in awe of everything. It was comforting to see him push a few of his shots though
...But granted, 99% of them were arrow straight or drawing very nicely. All the TM and GM guys made us feel very welcome and couldn't have been more hospitable. Felt like they really appreciated us being there, which was ridiculous! We were the ones who appreciated it! We even got a dozen TM PentaTP balls to take home from PM's personal stash (according to the sticker on the box). No "PM" specific markings on the balls though, but a very nice gesture and completely not expected.
I would very much consider paying to go back to pay and get fitted for some fairway woods using their motion capture technology to the max, as it's a very impressive facility.
Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on the club and use at the range in a less "pressurised" atmosphere/situation.
I must say, it was an absolute pleasure meeting Stevek and Screwback, both thoroughly nice blokes who can both hit a mean golf ball (especially screwback!
)...Even if I couldn't understand a word either of them were saying. So, that was that. Apologies if it's at all disjointed or you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about. I didn't plan on it being this long!
In summary it was an epic day and I have to say a massive thanks again to Mike, Neil, Paul and the rest of the GM team for selecting me for the opportunity and to TaylorMade for providing us with the toys and to Paul McGinley for taking the time out to just hang out with us all this afternoon.
Not sure about the interview I had to give, not looking forward to that appearing on the website!
Amazing day!
