My Titleist Fitting at St Ives

[HawkeyeMS]

I had my titleist fitting at St Ives yesterday and at the risk of boring some of you with a long post, I thought I'd let you know how I got on.
I decided to go up on Thursday night in order to avoid rush hour on the M25 yesterday morning so I was able to get to the fitting centre an hour early. As luck would have it, my technician, Daniel, had just finished his previous appointment so we got going early.
We had a bit of a chat about my game and what I wanted out of the session and he explained to me the process. After a quick warm up we got going with the Driver...

Driver
I wasn't intending on changing my Driver but Mrs Hawkeye had booked me in for 2 hours and I was intrigued to see how my R9 performed so we started with half a dozen shots with that and then Daniel explained the stats to me. Part of me was secretly hoping to find another 20yds but the R9 stats were actually pretty good. Smash factor was 1.5 on all shots but Daniel explained the launch angle was a bit high and the spin rate was through the rootand very inconsistent. He suggested an 8.5deg head to start with and though maybe a regular half would suit my low nineties swing speed. I didn't like the shaft from the off so we tried various stiff ones but kept coming back to the Diamana Kai'li. With the head set at 9.25deg this gave a good launch angle and spin dropped to consistently between 2600 and 2900 which Daniel liked. However, this combination only got me an extra 10 yds and a little better dispersion.

Fairways
Working off the Driver stats Daniel suggested starting with a 13.5deg head with the same Kai'li shaft and after a bit of tinkering we settled on this head set at 14.25deg. I have to say I've always liked my R9 3W but although the stats weren't a drastic improvement with the 910, swapping back to my R9 felt as though I had to work harder to get the results
By this time I'd been hitting Drivers and Fairways for over an hour and the shots were becomming a bit more inconsistent so Daniel suggested we went onto the irons.

Irons
Daniel asked me if I had any model in mind, we both knew I was joking when I said I like to be able to hit the MB so daniel suggested the CB or the AP2.
We started taking a few stats of my 6i with the impact tape and it turns out my 3deg upright S59s are about 3deg too upright, All of the shots were the toe side of the sweet spot. Daniel also suggested an extra 1/2" on the length as I grip it rather high up - I had suspected this for a while now so it was nice to see it was right.
The first thing I noticed about the AP2 at address was how good it looked, I was standing over my first shot thinking that it would be impossible not to hit a good one. The head is nice and compact just the way I like it and it just felt right - queue a nice top about 100yds
The stats with the stock shaft weren't up to much so Daniel suggested the Project X 5.5 shaft and that was far better, only maybe 1yd average longer then my S59s but more consistent and the first 6 came straight out of the sweet spot. We tried a few other shafts but came back to the project X 5.5. We didn't try the CB as Daniel didn't think it would bring anything to the party and I was more than happy with the AP2 anyway.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Fairways Part II
We had a discussion about whether I wanted long irons or hybrids and I though hybrids would be better. At this point we were trying to fill the gaps between the 5i and 3W and Daniel suggested a 19deg 5W might compliment the 3W - That was a done deal after the first shot, I absolutely loved it and since it would be replacing my Yonex Hybrid it was a done deal. All the stats looked good, it fitted in the yardage we were looking for so it didn't take long to come to a conclusion.

Hybrids
We now had a 5i at 165 carry and the 5W at 185 so there was only really one gap to fill at around 175. Daniel suggested the 24deg hybrid. the first one had a standard length Kai'li shaft in it whihc I hated from the first shot so we added half an inch. Why this makes a difference I don't know but I went from hate to love in just a few shots, again all the stats worked out and the flight was awesome and so easy to hit so that was job done. All that was left were the wedges.

Wedges
For a while now I've not been totally happy with my wedges, haven't been sure why but not totally happy. I hit one shot with my 52, it was a decent shot but Daniel immediately said it sounded like there was too much bounce so gave me an SM4 52/8. I now know what was wrong with my wedges. This lower bounce made so much difference. I had decided I didn't want a 60deg wedge and I told Daniel that I'm happy taking yardage off my wedges with a shorter swing. The 52 was carrying about 88yds so Daniel asked me to hit one 75, down on the grip 3/4 swing, 76.4yds - Even I impressed myself with that one Daniel Suggested a 58/9 would work well in my setup so we tried that and it was perfect.
We had a chat about the shafts in the wedges and whether to go with the same as the irons or stick with the stock wedge shaft but he didn't think the price uplift was worth it.
We also discussed the head and I opted for the oil can finish.

Grips
For a while now I've felt my grip was a bit too much in my palm as when I try to get it more in my fingers it's to far round to the left. I always thought this was because I had long fingers but it turns out it's because I have long palms!!! - nothing a couple of extra layers of tape can't solve though.

Summary
I read some comments on the other Titleists Fitting thread saying they thought charging for the fitting was a rip off but I couldn't disagree more. My 2 hour session lasted the best part of 3 hours, they have every head a shaft imaginable and the technicians have a huge amount of knowledge.
You can probably see from my write-up that my stats don't deliver much more in terms of distance than I have now. I will probably not be buying the Driver and 3W just yet as I'm not sure the £400 is worth it but I am probably going to go for everything else. The 5W and hybrid are no brainers as are the wedges and I could feel enough difference in the irons and see enough in the consistency of the ball striking to make it worth while - plus those APs are a thing of beauty.
All in all I had a great day, and it was well worth the money.

 

[CMAC]

nice write up and that looks well worth the money. Think I'll book in for Driver/3wood and wedges.
My Mizuno fitting put me off fittings but yours is what we would all hope for.

good luck with the new clubs

 

[Scottjd1]

Sounds good mate, very similar to my experiance there, I also had Daniel as the fitter. I dont get why people wont pay £40, if they cant improve on your current gear then surely that saves you ££££'s. Obviously your current driver is working well for you - plus as they cant sell to you and they are getting paid whether you buy or not they are not under pressure to sell, just observe, advise and recommend - well worth it!!

 

[G1BB0]

wow, I think this has reinforced how much a proper custom fitting can benefit for a not exactly large fee (I am sure we pay more for a lot of other things that give less long term benefit)

If I ever hit the dizzy heights of a low teen h/c I would deffo go for it.

Nice write up Hawkeye

 

[Tiger]

Good luck with the new clubs fella sounds like you had a top day as well! The SM4s are fantastic wedges and the oil can finish is very nice. Doesn't last long mind but still looks cool

 

[chrisd]

Great write up, in depth enough without being boring!

I would love to go and do a session there but already am pretty much 100% Titleist.

I have Project x 5.5's in AP2's and love them and also have a 910 D2 diver as well as 3 Vokey wedges so its really only hybrids that i have in other makes but would love to see the stats


chris

 

[Scottjd1]

Great write up, in depth enough without being boring!

I would love to go and do a session there but already am pretty much 100% Titleist.

I have Project x 5.5's in AP2's and love them and also have a 910 D2 diver as well as 3 Vokey wedges so its really only hybrids that i have in other makes but would love to see the stats


chris

The 910H is a lovely club. expensive, but worth it as you get the feeling that it will be in the bag for a few years!!

 

[Piece]

Excellent write up. I'd be interested in the driver fitting there sometime soon.

 

[noble78]

Nice writeup mate, I do like the look of the new titleist irons :thup:
I recently got fitted with pings at gainsbrough and thought it was worth every penny to pay for the fitting.

 

[Region3]

Sounds good, and a good job done on the write up too.

I had AP2's and the PX shaft also felt best in it. Strange, because they felt a bit dull when I tried them in my current irons so I now have S300 (which didn't feel right in the AP2?)

 

[Dreamer2]

plenty of information but no price tag :blah:

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Sounds good, and a good job done on the write up too.

I had AP2's and the PX shaft also felt best in it. Strange, because they felt a bit dull when I tried them in my current irons so I now have S300 (which didn't feel right in the AP2?)

Shaft fitting is a dark art I think. Daniel the technician said that on paper with my swing speed I should be using regular shafts in my Driver but it just doesn't work for me. He also said his swing speed is 102 and so should be using stiff shafts but he has regular - go figure

We also tried a Fujikura shaft that was supposed to be the same as the one in my R9 but the stats were terrible. I'm not gonna claim to understand it, in fact I don't think I'll even try. Thank heaven for Trackman I say.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

plenty of information but no price tag :blah:

What price tag do you want?

 

[JustOne]

Maybe a stupid question but how did you end up with 3° upright in the first place if you need 0°? Is this the fallacy of custom fitting and swings constantly changing?

Secondly how tall are you? I'm 6' 0" and am thinking of having my clubs cut down as I feel like I'm crowding the ball when I'm in a decent posture.... or do you have short arms?

 

[philly169]

Was this at the St Ives GC in Cambridgeshire? It's next door to me and they have the factory where the clubs are made in st Ives too!

 

[pbrown7582]

Great informative write up sounds a great session.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Maybe a stupid question but how did you end up with 3° upright in the first place if you need 0°? Is this the fallacy of custom fitting and swings constantly changing?

Secondly how tall are you? I'm 6' 0" and am thinking of having my clubs cut down as I feel like I'm crowding the ball when I'm in a decent posture.... or do you have short arms?

It's a fallacy of bad custom fitting by American Golf. When I bought my S59s it was spec'd on static measurements and the Ping chart. Length of finger, wrist to floor blah blah blah. I knew nothing about custom fit back then and put my trust into the guy at AG. There was no impact board used and needless to say they didn't have any 3deg upright in stock. Since then I've become a much better golfer and had several lessons all of which changes the measurements.

I'm about 6'1" but I'm not sure that really matters, it's how tall you are when you hit the ball I think. Personally I think Ping are wrong to give web-fit and static measurements. It's assuming everyone of the same height has the same swing and that clearly isn't the case.

 

[Val]

plenty of information but no price tag :blah:

He can get a price from anyone with all that info and buy from the cheapest offer, he's paid Titleist and the fitter now doesn't car if he buys or not.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Great write up matey. I knew you'd enjoy yourself as you've been excited for a while about it. I gave you the big build up this morning expecting you to rock up and tell everyone how great it was and you didn't show. Didn't miss a lot as it was hard in the wind.

I thought you were nailed on for a D3 driver especailly having tested one last summer. I had a feeling you might have got the CB's as the swing is working well but the AP's do look a nice club. How long does it take for delivery and did you order directly or do you have to go back via your pro.

It means you've got money in the kitty for later in the year for something else. Maybe the I20 driver might be the one or the new R11S. Interesting about the wedges though and as you already have a decent short game they should help shave a shot or two off that handicap