PING fitting opportunity

[BrizoH71]

Well, I've arrived back home and I'd just like to add my own sentiments to those of Snelly and Simon already.

Firstly, a very big thanks to all at Golf Monthly, PING, and the Centurion Club for a cracking day out. Simon has already covered the unfortunate PING Tour truck scenario so I'll skip that.

After flying down to Luton from Edinburgh and staying overnight in Hemel Hempstead, my taxi to the club took less time than anticipated and I met Mike Harris in the car-park just after arriving. A chat and plenty coffee ensued as we waited until everyone had arrived and we got started with the Tour Truck tour, and then it was off to get the clubs sorted.

I'm still using a beginners' set of irons I bought from DG to get me started; I gave my 7-iron to the PING guys for evaluation and it came back with some startling results; firstly, it was half-an-inch shorter than the standard PING length, and the True Temper steel shaft was fairly soft in comparison to the PING regular shaft, more towards their soft-regular. This perhaps explained why I struggled so much to get a consistent strike on the ball and get it airborne.

I had fancied the G25s, but having tried both them and the Karstens at the recent Golf Show, I felt the Karstens were the better fit.

My fitter, Mike, asked me several questions about my iron-play and then got some static measurements.. my wrist-to-floor measurement and height put me in the Green dot (I had got Blue at the Golf Show) but Mike explained that the mats can sometimes throw the static measurement out a little.

He handed me a Green-dot 7-iron, with a standard regular shaft which took a little getting used to. I chunked the first one, cutting a big divot and the second and third were fairly thinned. I got it on the fourth attempt and thereafter I was hitting it well.

After a dozen or so balls, Mike got me to hit my regular 7iron to get comparison. I have a relatively slow swing speed, around 75mph, but the results were staggeringly different.

My regular 7-iron saw me throw the ball off the face at around 89mph, with a carry-distance of around 125yds and 3yards rollout.

With the PING Karsten, the ball was coming off the face at around 95mph with a carry-distance of around 138yds and a similar rollout - so I'd instantly gained 13yards. More importantly, I had very little dispersion off the club, and a nice little group of shots had formed. Not so with my regular, which was much more scattergun.

It was looking good, but Mike reckoned my swing-speed was borderline on the regular and soft-regular, and wanted to try the softer shaft. Similar to my 7-iron, I could almost feel the shaft flexing on my backswing, and I struggled to control it as well as the regular-shaft, and the numbers backed that up.

While slightly better than my regular 7, they were lagging behind the regular shaft, and so that decision was made for me. Then it was onto the woods and hybrids.

Firstly Mike tried me with a 22deg hybrid, and pitching it against my current 20deg hybrid, the former won out well to replace my 4-iron. We tried a 19deg hybrid next, but I struggled to get it airborne so we swapped that for an equivalent 5-wood from the G25 range, which worked well in it's place.

We got our interviews and photoshoots done, then headed for a quick lunch and back out for 18 holes of the Centurion Club. It is a cracking course, but a bit of a long slog if you're carrying, and the greens were a bit on the slow side but ran true. Having parred the first and second to quickly put us 2 up against Simon and his fitter, my wheels came off and I struggled for the remainder of the round, although I only had a half-set of clubs with me, electing not to bring the full bag in anticipation of having to carry them all the way back up to Edinburgh.

A couple of beers afterwards the gentlemen who were Snelly, Simon and Mike, and a brief chat with Rickg and we all went our separate ways.

The trip did go on a bit of a downward angle though when I claimed my golf bag back once I 'd arrived in Edinburgh... Easyjet had managed to not only mangle my travel case, but also my stand bag and my waterproof jacket... I'm just glad the PINGS weren't in there...

 

[Snelly]

For a beginner or very new novice CF can save months if not years of potential error.

I agree with this, as does the fitter that I was with yesterday, primarily because there are now so many bewildering options from the manufacturers.

Finally, I should make the point that I don't think that the new clubs will make any difference to my handicap (if I had one). I still feel that the only way to get this down or play to a consistent level will be to join a club and play a lot of golf again.

I really enjoyed yesterday but excellence still comes down to the person at the end of the club and their ability to play a golf course well - something that is quite different to hitting a club nicely through having optimised equipment.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

When are you guys expecting to receive the new clubs?

Simon/Dave...christen them at Hayling?

 

[Duckster]

Great write up - seems that you all had a great day. Can't get better than a PING truck fitter!

BrizoH71 - I hope th'easyjet are going to give you compensation for that, looks like they've made a right mess!

 

[Snelly]

When are you guys expecting to receive the new clubs?

Simon/Dave...christen them at Hayling?

No idea. But yes to Hayling of course, especially given the weather forecast.

 

[srixon 1]

Nice write-ups chaps, sounds like you all had a great day(s) out.

 

[wookie]

When are you guys expecting to receive the new clubs?

Simon/Dave...christen them at Hayling?

Next trip down was probably going to be Easter Monday but did you mention you were playing at Saunton then?

 

[rickg]

Nice to meet you all yesterday and to put faces to some new names.

I'm glad you enjoyed the course.....as commented already the greens were slow yesterday....certainly the slowest I've ever seen them.

Speaking to the team they advised that they had recently been fed and this had resulted in a spikey growth which had slowed them down.
This is a temporary but necessary procedure and they are about to be top dressed cut and rolled and should be back to their usual (scary) pace by the Bentley member/guest day on Sunday.... Bring your putting shoes Murph!! :whoo:

Hope you all enjoy your new Pings........

 

[wookie]

Speaking to the team they advised that they had recently been fed and this had resulted in a spikey growth which had slowed them down.
This is a temporary but necessary procedure and they are about to be top dressed cut and rolled and should be back to their usual (scary) pace by the Bentley member/guest day on Sunday.... Bring your putting shoes Murph!! :whoo:
...

It was weird to start with as they looked and felt as if they should be super quick. Still true as you like

 

[scottkw2003]

Hi Guys

glad you all had a great day and are looking forward to your new ping equipment,

hope it gives you as much as my 21yr old ping zings that are still going strong.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Great write up guys. Still gutted I went too soon to get my own when this was in the pipeline. Damn your hide MikeH. Still I'm very happy with my own I25's but sounds like the guys had yet another of these money can't buy experiences GM provide so often for us on here. Can't wait to here about all these great scores thanks to the Pings sticks

 

[matt71]

Brizho71: did you go for the karsten or g25 in the end. And if the karsten what were the hybrids like?

 

[BTatHome]

Brizho the karsten are quite a bit stronger than the g25 in loft and a bit in length too, so not all those 13 yards are comparable. Hope they perform well when they arrive.

 

[mikepops]

Forgive the full write up, which will include some details already covered, but I wrote half of this last night but haven’t had a chance to publish it till now:

I stayed at my Uncle’s in St Albans, so I arrived nice and early, and even though I’d seen pictures of the PING tour truck on here before I left the house, it still sent a little tingle down the spine when I pulled into the car park and saw it sat there in front of the impressive temporary clubhouse.

The weather was fantastic from the moment I woke up, and I knew we were in for a fantastic day.

After introductions, coffees and a chat, we headed to the truck for a tour from PING European Tour Technician Steve Purdy. It was intriguing to look around what is essentially a full PING factory on wheels.

We saw some interesting technology, which, combined with brute force to adjust lofts and lies, delivers winning clubs to some of the best players in the world. The number of combinations available to players is incredible, and Steve shared some interesting stories about players’ idiosyncrasies – PING still manufactures some grips and shafts for tour players who refuse to change. A highlight was seeing a couple of Bubba’s shafts, which look even more garish in the flesh!

We left a 7 iron with the truck, and Steve checked the length and lie angle of each of our clubs. Interestingly my TM R9 was only 1/4in longer than standard, when I had been fitted for (and told I’d been given) a set ½in longer.

We then headed to the range, and were introduced to our allocated fitter. I was partnered with Ed, who talked me through how we’d go about the fitting. It was immediately obvious that Ed knew his stuff, but most importantly he was brilliant company, and great at explaining things in simple terms that made sense quickly, which is important when you’re hitting ball after ball and just need some simple feedback on each swing.

Based on the self-assessment that we had submitted, I had been initially allocated the I25 range, but Ed assured me that that was not a done deal, and that if it wasn’t working for me we could look at another of the sets in the PING range. I didn’t know that I’d been given the I25s in advance, but from everything I’d read I had thought that that would certainly be a good starting point for me, as they are similar to the R9s that I currently use, and would also continue to be a suitable iron if my game improves as I hope it will.

We did some quick measurements, and from my height and wrist to floor height the indication was that I should be starting with 1/2in longer, 4deg upright clubs. The length is the same as my current clubs, which were also custom fit, but that were 2 deg more upright. As there is no industry standard that doesn’t mean that I’ve definitely moved 2 whole degrees more upright, but that amount of difference indicates that I have definitely now moved to a more upright set. (I’m 6’3” and I’m comfortable moving to a more upright swing). I did have a hit with a 2deg upright club, and it immediately felt (and Ed said it looked) like I was crouching in address and the resulting shots were distinctly average. We didn’t experiment with different lengths, as 1/2 in longer felt really comfortable. I was also producing a very consistent divot.

We tried 4 shafts with Trackman – including a stock PING shaft, a KBS shaft that matched the ones in my current irons, and another couple – all stiff. It took me a little while to settle into it – we had a long chat in between the first and second shaft about the various things that can be changed, including weight, and when Ed handed me the second shaft to hit, I was convinced that it was heavier. Though he politely didn’t point it out at the time, Ed later told me that that shaft was in fact lighter (though as it was stiffer I could have been fooled into feeling it was heavier). I think as I’d been so excited about the day, I was keen to pick up on every little difference, and it was easy to imagine differences between different options.

Ed had obviously picked up on this, and from then on didn’t tell me what to expect from each shaft, and just let me hit them without any expectations, leaving Trackman to tell us which was right for me.

I didn’t get on with the stock shaft particularly, but the KBS shaft that matched my current set, combined with the I25 head, was working well. I gained over 10 yards on my R9s, with a reasonably tight dispersion.

I’m afraid I can’t recall all of the data, as we talked through so much, but another of the shafts could be immediately discounted. I was getting on with the two heavier shafts, but it was clear that I needed something a little softer at the tip just to help me achieve an optimal flight. Either way my dispersion with both was nice and tight, and I was still gaining 10 yards or so.

I wasn’t expecting the numbers to provide such a stark judgement, but it made the decision relatively simple in the end – narrowing it down to just two shafts. After hitting another two batches, it was clear that the KBS was the way to go. I did wonder whether the results would have been the same if I hadn’t known I was using my current shaft, but either way, the numbers don’t lie and it was performing brilliantly.

After that we discussed grips, and decided that the standard ones I had been using were the way forward.

We then looked at either end of the bag, and we adjusted my wedge set up. I currently have a bit of a gap between PW and my 52deg, so we had a play with a 50/54/58, which seems to match my wedge play really nicely. They’ll all be specced the same as the irons, which will be great, as currently my wedges are off the shelf.

At the other end I was getting on really nicely with a G25 20 deg hybrid, which will also be specced the same as the irons, and will offer me a genuine step between my 3W and 4i, where currently I have a hybrid that is roughly equivalent to my 4i, but with a regular shaft that I used to cheat a little bit by generating extra height.

I also had a play with a beautiful G25 4wood, which I was striking really nicely, but I think I was pushing my luck at that point!

I am really pleased with the set that we ended up with, and I think that they’ll really help push my game in the direction that I’m hoping to go in (high single figures should really be in reach).

Whilst I ended up with the same shaft as my current set, in the future I would only have a custom fit session using Trackman (or similar). The numbers simply don’t lie. With a couple of the shaft options I felt like I was striking it really nicely, but the stats were clearly showing that it was an inferior choice. Once I’m feeling comfortable with the new set I’d also love to had a session on Trackman with my whole set, to exact numbers for every club in the bag.

In the context of it being a “tour fitting”, I think it’s easy to think that the pro’s are the only ones who need to know “exact” details about their swing, given that most amateurs struggle to repeat their action, but whilst the changes in their set up might be ½ degree here or there, whilst I might find out I need a whole different set of irons, every little helps, and anything that gives you more confidence when you’re stood over the ball has to be a good thing!

After a good lunch we headed out to play, but I’ll try and review the course separately, as the fitting was the highlight of the day, and I’ve rambled enough. That said, Centurion was a fantastic test, and whilst my driving let me down and made it a tough round, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would definitely return, although I would give it a year or so to mature and settle down.

I had an absolutely fantastic day, and it was great to meet Brian, Dave and Simon, and to see Mike and Neil. Tom (the photographer) and the guys from PING were all great company, and it was good to meet rickg too.

I will feedback again once I’ve had a chance to play with the new clubs, but in the meantime, thanks again to GM, PING and Centurion Club for a truly memorable day!

 

[BrizoH71]

Brizho71: did you go for the karsten or g25 in the end. And if the karsten what were the hybrids like?

The Karstens.. I felt for someone of my fairly limited ability that they were just that little bit easier to hit than the G25s. The hybrids were very nice; the 22 had quite a deep face, and I could see plenty of loft on the club when standing over it, which gave me more confidence in hitting it compared the much shallower face of my 20.

Brizho the karsten are quite a bit stronger than the g25 in loft and a bit in length too, so not all those 13 yards are comparable. Hope they perform well when they arrive.

Indeed, the G25s are I believe around 1-2degrees weaker compared to the Karstens; the ease and consistency of the strike with the Karstens over the G25s is what won the day rather than the distance gain. I'm sure they'll perform admirably. :thup:

 

[Paperboy]

So how long til you guys get your new shinies?

I need to know how long I've got to make a dent in my handicap before Wookie gets his

 

[BrizoH71]

So how long til you guys get your new shinies?

I need to know how long I've got to make a dent in my handicap before Wookie gets his

Hopefully they should be with us sometime next week.

 

[Paperboy]

Hopefully they should be with us sometime next week.

Good job I've got two qualifiers this weekend then

 

[mikepops]

Clubs arrived in the post today - hadn't planned on playing until the weekend, but might have to try and sneak out before work tomorrow to break them in!

Hadn't known when to expect them, so was a pleasant surprise to get them before the weekend - no excuse in Saturday's comp now...

 

[wookie]

Mine also arrived today about an hour before I was off to play in our midweek stableford.

I left the pitching wedge and the 3 new wedges at home until I get a chance to get some ideas of distances and unfortunately can't really report a great deal on the other irons as I hit fat after fat!

I probably connected with the ball properly with around 5 irons and they flew well - certainly longer than my old clubs and didn't feel the need to hit them at all as you know they're not going to struggle to get airborne etc.

The hybrid went well a couple of times off the deck but with problems in just about every area today including being stuck behind a four ball who wouldn't budge (4.5 hours for us as a 3 ball isn't on for a Wednesday afternoon) I'm afraid it's definitely not a case of wow look what that's done for my scoring.......yet