fairway to heaven
fed up of scoring more bogeys than birdies, our man heads to a specialised golf lab to acquire some custom-fitted new kit and get himself back on course
Saturday 30 July, 16: 37
I’ve just finished another frustrating 18 holes of golf with some mates at my local course, Saltford GC , on the outskirts of Bath. On a good day, I’m a halfdecent golfer – my standard handicap is 11. But I’m currently shooting more like 20 over par. Not good at all. My game needs a boost. Over a pint, my golf buddy (also known as T3’ s editor) Rob says, “It’s your dated, off-the-shelf clubs and random kit, mate. You need to get custom-fitted with the latest golfing tech, so that your clubs fit you and your swing.”
Rob’s right – my old clubs don’t inspire confidence any more. My TaylorMade RocketBladez irons and R1 driver are four and three years old respectively. So I immediately book myself in for a customfitting session with TaylorMade (TM).
Monday 15 August, 10: 30
I’m in the TM Performance Lab at the awesome Wentworth Golf Club. As I’m being rigged up with receptors and Velcro strapping at various points on my body, I take in all the latest TaylorMade kit, with every variety of golf club imaginable lining the walls. It’s clear to see why this is seen as the Savile Row of golf custom fitting.
I’m in the capable hands of Luke Peterken, PGA professional and TM Master Fitting Technician, who gets me to hit some special golf balls into a net with a driver and six-iron, also rigged up with receptors. Thanks to Motion Analysis Technology (MAT-T), I get to see a real-time animation of my swing on screen, along with lots of stats that it measures, and Luke is able to customise clubs to suit me. He tells me that my average club-head speed with my driver is 102.6mph, and with the six-iron it’s 88.1mph. Plus, on the screen we can clearly see whereabouts on the club face I’m striking the balls – dotted around the centre (aka the sweet spot) and towards the toe.
All this maths is lost on me, but I’m flattered when Luke tells me with a smile that, “Your numbers are pretty good, even compared to some Tour pros.”
Then the shutters open and I’m allowed to hit some real golf balls onto the range as Luke sets up Trackman. This gives him a new bunch of stats on a big screen; while it’s the ball speed, launch angles and spin rates that Luke concentrates on, it’s the carry and distance, and smash factor, that get me excited. I start off hitting balls with my own seven-iron, then Luke gets me to try out various TM iron-head and shaft options, before we settle on TM PSi Irons with the lie angle ‘1 up’, and some top-end KBS 105 stiffer shafts. They feel great – my ball striking is more consistent, most shots carrying 170 yards, and on screen my ‘dispersion’ is improved, with fewer wayward shots than with my old TM irons.
On to the driver next. The big dog! This is where ‘launch conditions’ play a bigger
“Luke tells me, ‘Your numbers are good, even compared to some pros’”
part, as everything is emphasised when you hit a driver – your mishits become massive misses off the tee, something I’m all too familiar with as my battered old TM R1 isn’t working so hot any more.
Luke confirms that my current driver isn’t right for my swing. He then gets me to try out various TM driver-head and shaft combinations, while he studies my ball flight and stats on the screen. After hitting a pile of balls, it becomes obvious that the TM M1 9.5-degree adjustable driver with the stiff shaft is my soul mate.
TaylorMade’s lab, at Wentworth golf course, is packed with hi-tech gear, from Motion Analysis Technology to Trackman, to enable them to analyse your swing and ball flight. As I hit balls with a rigged-up six-iron, they can tell me I have an average club-head speed of 88mph, a hand speed of 20.2mph, a club-face angle of 9.2 degrees, a loft of 22 degrees, a lie of -1.9 degrees, and a swing time of 1.08 seconds. All this is crucial data when customising a full set of clubs to suit your needs. Justin Rose visited the lab, and it’s no coincidence that he went on to win the US Open, as well as a gold medal at the recent Rio Olympics.
I’m hitting the ball straighter, striking it out of the middle more, my launch angle is averaging 12.2 degrees, and my spin rate average is 2,371rpm. Plus, I’m carrying it consistently over 250 yards, at times hitting it over 285 yards. This is a massive step up. Big dog indeed. Woof, woof!
The driver gets coupled with the hugely successful TM M2 15-degree metal three-wood with Aldila Rogue 110 MSI stiff and heavier 70-gram shaft, which is long and controlled off the tee, yet easier for big hits off the fairway compared to my old, smaller-headed three-wood.
Next, the short-game clubs – this is the most important part of the game, as getting down from 100 yards or less in two shots will really improve your scores. Luke fits me out with TM Tour Preferred EF wedges: 52-, 56- and 60-degree ones, to cover all pitch, chip and flop shots.
Even picking a custom putter is easy thanks to Luke and the MAT-T data. It takes minutes to fit me with a TM OS SS (OverSized technology, Super Stroke) Daytona 12 blade putter with a fatter grip. It instantly feels fantastic to putt with, and I’m no longer mishitting or under-hitting.
Sunday 28 August, 15: 27
My new golf gear has been delivered, and I’ve arranged to play a round with some mates. They rib me as I show off my custom clubs, and it doesn’t help that I’m dressed in the latest FootJoy gear: stripy FootJoy QuickDry polo shirt, WeatherSof glove and FreeStyle shoes. Plus, I’m using the PowaKaddy FW7s, the Bugatti Veyron of electric trolleys, to do my heavy work. It’s an awesome bit of kit with its dashboard display, but inconspicuous it ain’t.
Using the TM M1, I drive up the parfive, but the ball goes right into the rough. I’m a long way back from the green, so I pull out a three-iron. It’s a tricky shot, low under an overhanging tree, then high over another, but I pull it off perfectly to end up in the middle of the fairway, 200plus yards away. My mates are impressed. I hit a crisp pitch close, thanks to a 52-degree TM Tour wedge, and just miss the birdie with the responsive TM OS putter.
Golf is all about confidence, and having clubs that fit my swing perfectly has given me lots of it. The second hole is so-so, but I rip a massive three-iron off the third tee, and I’m off at the races. The usually tough front nine is a pleasure to play. My iron play is on fire, as I have so much confidence standing over the ball with my TM PSi clubs. I hit a world-class four-iron into the par-five fifth green, rolling level with the pin on the green, 238 yards away. I’ve never driven the ball longer or straighter than I do with the custom-fit TM M1. On the 453yard, par-four eighth, I smash a long draw over 300 yards straight down the middle.
I’m using TM Project (a) balls that are explosive off the tee, and controlled into and around the greens; and consequently, my wedge play and short game are much sharper too. I’m also putting like a demon, holing putts from all over the greens, and even my misses are only left as tap-ins.
While my bag-carrying mates struggle on this hot day, I’m still full of energy on the back nine as the PowaKaddy FW7s makes light work of lugging my gear over the many undulations on the course, stopping ahead where I set it to do so.
I’m also using the Bushnell Tour V4 Slope rangefinder for accurate yardages. Knowing how far to the flag is essential – if you have doubts about distance, it can lead to indecision and poor shots. The Bushnell can measure to the yard how far away the pin is, giving you confidence to hit the right club.
Sure, I still hit a few duffs and slice a ball into some bushes, but after 18 glorious holes, a total of three birdies and several pars, and with my final score of 78, I can safely say that my custom-fit hi-tech kit has radically improved my game. I can’t wait to get out and play another round.