If you read my Callaway Newsletter, I spilled the beans on this one. Here is a video of a fitter fitting a 15 handicapper and finding him 50 yards. I see these kinds of results regularly. As you watch this, take it with a grain of salt. This player has a better swing than a 15 handicapper. If he is indeed a 15, his short game and/or course management must need some serious help. Admittedly, his poor driving was costing him 3-4 penalty shots per round. Still, there is room for improvement.

Fitting Video

Here’s my thoughts:

Read as you watch.

In the pre-fit interview, he talks about the players history, and how he landed on this particular club. He digs into why the player shoots the scores he does and lays out what he needs to do to lower his handicap. I loved how he spelled out the session – “I’ll make some assumptions and ask some questions. You ask questions as you get them.” Great!!

The first thing I noticed was the hit location. I liked how he pointed that out first. With this player, the difference between good ones and bad ones was basically from hit location. Notice how the spin was on the high side? That’s from hitting it low on the face. 106 MPH club head speed, yet 146 ball speed. That’s a 1.37 smash with a 5.6* upward attack angle. He should be looking for a 159 Ball speed with no change in club head speed. That’s this players ceiling. 146 to 159 is 13 MPH. Times 3 yards per MPH is roughly 40 yards of carry. His average carry is 225 with his current club. 265 carry should be attainable.

This is a VERY real world example. I see this every day – generally not with someone who has been professionally fit, though.

He recognized the performance wasn’t going to change dramatically unless the player could find the center of the face. As he changed the club, the first one was hit on the center of the face. All of them were. He gained 30 yards with a LOWER club head speed and only a 1.7MPH increase in ball speed. It came from WHERE he hit it – not how hard he hit it. The fitter knew what the shaft’s job is. It’s to return the clubhead to where it started at address. Period. This shaft he added in the first club does just that for this player. I would venture to say that the 400 RPM drop in spin and the increase in ball speed are due to a combination of hit location and less loft.

I loved how he explained the STD Deviation of spin between the two clubs. Very nice!!

Notice the difference between the Ai Smoke TD and the Titleist he tried? I would ALWAYS keep the shaft the same or the HEAD the same – change only one variable at a time. WHAT made the change in performance? The head or the shaft? Impossible to know since he changed both at the same time. This is a major No, No. I also would not have gone to the Triple Diamond head. This is a fade biased head. It is also a stout shaft with less torque that the Ventus Blue he used in the first set up. I would have started with the Smoke Max 9* with a Ventus Blue.

As a side note, changing companies is an advantage you have over me when you fit. I can’t do that, obviously. I have to stay within the Callaway family to find a winner. As a result, I become better at 1 line. You become better with ALL the options than I do.

Back to the Titleist. A setting change and a shaft change at the same time? Another No, No. Make the shaft change with the same settings, THEN change the settings. It’s impossible to know WHAT is accounting for the change.

Hit Location Drills. I LOVE this. He’s showing the benefit of hitting it in the center. Not a swing change. Just helping the player understand what makes the ball fly better. Try a taller tee? LOVE this!! Notice how the fitter correctly saw the difference in shot shape by hit location vs. face and path? Very nice!! Shaft length? Another good one to try. Love this too.

At then end, the spin was low. This is typical for an upward attack angle. The fitter added loft to optimize it. This made a nice change to the flight. This is great and the right way to do it. Nice!!

At the end, the 265 carry that we thought we’d see, we did. He hit it straighter AND longer. The player understood WHY it went better. This was a great amount of information. His ball speed ended up in the mid 150’s, and his swing speed was slower. Still an increase. His spin was 800-900 rpm lower with the new club. This is due to hit location, squareness of the face, a shaft that times the hit correctly for the player, and the right loft. A GREAT combination for this player.

I think this fitter knew he had the right combination with the Titleist head and the Ventus Blue shaft. I think he could have found something in any line from any company that would work well for this player as long as he stayed in that shaft. I suspect the switch to the Ping was more of a show for the player. He tried all players heads, then went to a super game improvement head. It didn’t work as well. Give the player a “dud” on purpose so he sees that “This combination really is the best one for me.” I like this. The player will leave with confidence.

A couple of things I didn’t like, but overall, I loved this fitting. This is a great learning tool.

“Give me center contact and I’ll give you anything you want”. Best quote of the day…

I hope you enjoyed this.

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA