AMcC
Journeyman Pro
After an early rise to do the swimming run I had a second breakfast and headed off to Kingsacre. As soon as I left Irvine the heavens opened and I was hoping that wasn't going to be the setting of the day. Sods law decreed that the traffic into Glasgow which should be quieter after 9 was even busier than normal and gantry signs warned of 7 miles of slowwww traffic. The closer to Kingsacre I got the drier it became. Arrived, eventually, in fact it was the earliest I have been late all week !
Met Paul from GM magazine first and he was very welcoming and really easy to talk to. Bill was already underway and I watched as him and Graeme progressed through the fitting. The driving range and especially the fitting bay was very well fitted out and the amount of shafts and stock was amazing.
Just as Bill was finishing I was sent out on to the range to warm up with a basket of pro v golf balls.
Graeme was very professional in his fitting and as I was hitting my six iron to get some stock shots recorded he chatted away to me asking about where I played, type of course, current irons etc. This certainly relaxed me and any early nervousness quickly dissipated.
He asked what my views were on the looks of clubs, I said I wasn't as much bothered by the looks and cared more about how they would help my game. Firstly I hit some AP2 s and the results recorded. Tape was fitted to both the face and base of the club to record the strike pattern on both the face and sole. A couple of tweaks on the length and lie of the clubs were made to find the optimum combination. After this Graeme switched me to the AP1s and we worked on selecting the best shaft for my swing and speed. I had been taking some recently and Graeme was taking into consideration what I had been working on when assessing my shots. He was very reassuring and gave me the opportunity to step back and have a bleather when I was getting a little up tight.
The shot patterns and all the data was viewed on the big screen on the wall and the final shaft choice showed a much reduced dispersion pattern from my own irons and an increased carry distance of a few metres. How many times do you hit pro v golf balls a a fitting. So I will be getting AP1s with slightly longer and slightly upright shafts with xp95 shafts.
It was strange how some of the preconceptions I had about my swing, speed ball striking etc we're quickly dispelled by the statistics. The hardest bit was choosing the grips.
During the fitting we had a photographer popping up taking lots of snaps and at the end I managed to complete the 2 minute question and answer video slot with Paul on the first take.
We then moved on to Archerfield for some lunch and to meet Richard from Titleist . Very salubrious surroundings and a very relaxed atmosphere.
The course was in good condition and certainly a bit more forgiving than my current track, each hole seems to be separated from the others by mounds. We played off the whites with blue and black tees further back for a more sterner test. The two Titleist boys were very handy each playing off one. We had a tight match and Graeme and I won onthe seventeenth, just. There was a couple of light showers but not much rain and as long as Bill kept his jacket on the rain stayed off.
Bill was great company all day, with more than a few witty one liners.
In summary a totally amazing day and we were treated royally all day, and a day that will long live in my memory.
So a big thank you to GM and Titleist not only for the great prize but for the warmth and cordiality of our welcome and day long hospitality.
Met Paul from GM magazine first and he was very welcoming and really easy to talk to. Bill was already underway and I watched as him and Graeme progressed through the fitting. The driving range and especially the fitting bay was very well fitted out and the amount of shafts and stock was amazing.
Just as Bill was finishing I was sent out on to the range to warm up with a basket of pro v golf balls.
Graeme was very professional in his fitting and as I was hitting my six iron to get some stock shots recorded he chatted away to me asking about where I played, type of course, current irons etc. This certainly relaxed me and any early nervousness quickly dissipated.
He asked what my views were on the looks of clubs, I said I wasn't as much bothered by the looks and cared more about how they would help my game. Firstly I hit some AP2 s and the results recorded. Tape was fitted to both the face and base of the club to record the strike pattern on both the face and sole. A couple of tweaks on the length and lie of the clubs were made to find the optimum combination. After this Graeme switched me to the AP1s and we worked on selecting the best shaft for my swing and speed. I had been taking some recently and Graeme was taking into consideration what I had been working on when assessing my shots. He was very reassuring and gave me the opportunity to step back and have a bleather when I was getting a little up tight.
The shot patterns and all the data was viewed on the big screen on the wall and the final shaft choice showed a much reduced dispersion pattern from my own irons and an increased carry distance of a few metres. How many times do you hit pro v golf balls a a fitting. So I will be getting AP1s with slightly longer and slightly upright shafts with xp95 shafts.
It was strange how some of the preconceptions I had about my swing, speed ball striking etc we're quickly dispelled by the statistics. The hardest bit was choosing the grips.
During the fitting we had a photographer popping up taking lots of snaps and at the end I managed to complete the 2 minute question and answer video slot with Paul on the first take.
We then moved on to Archerfield for some lunch and to meet Richard from Titleist . Very salubrious surroundings and a very relaxed atmosphere.
The course was in good condition and certainly a bit more forgiving than my current track, each hole seems to be separated from the others by mounds. We played off the whites with blue and black tees further back for a more sterner test. The two Titleist boys were very handy each playing off one. We had a tight match and Graeme and I won onthe seventeenth, just. There was a couple of light showers but not much rain and as long as Bill kept his jacket on the rain stayed off.
Bill was great company all day, with more than a few witty one liners.
In summary a totally amazing day and we were treated royally all day, and a day that will long live in my memory.
So a big thank you to GM and Titleist not only for the great prize but for the warmth and cordiality of our welcome and day long hospitality.
