Truly a Fitting Achievement

Titleist Brand Ambassador Adam Scott has experienced a return to form of late with four top-ten finishes in his last four events, including a victory at last week’s Australian Open Championship. Coinciding with this torrid stretch is an equipment tweak Adam recently made to his iron set. Titleist Tour Representative Rick Nelson shares the story.

“At the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational earlier this year, Adam was introduced to the new MB irons and made the switch instantly. The set we built for him were to his existing specs and included Dynamic Gold Tour Issue shafts.

“Adam has always been a low spin player, and long irons and partial-shot short irons sometimes fall out of the air and come up short. This was notably evident after the switch from his previous AP2s to the MBs. Adam likes the classic forged blade looks and increased workability of the MBs, though, so we built him an additional set with KBS Tour shafts to try out following the Presidents Cup.

“While experimenting at home in Australia, he felt that the MBs with the KBS Tour shafts stayed in the air much better and, with the added spin, were easier to work and shape a variety of shots.”

Since making the switch in tournament play at the Barclays Singapore Open, Adam has finished T-3rd, T-6th, T-7th and 1st.

“The new shafts are giving me a much higher ball flight with more spin, which equates to more control,” said Adam. “They also have a nice feel right through the shaft into the hands. And the MBs are very traditional-looking blades, which is what I grew up playing. I love the looks, the feel, and the feedback they provide when hitting shots.”

For more on Adam Scott and the Titleist equipment in his bag, please visit his player page on Titleist.com. To find a Titleist golf club fitter near you, use Find a Fitter at FittingWorks.com.

Titleist Brand Ambassador Adam Scott in action at the 2009 Australian Open.

Add comment December 14th, 2009

SureFit Irons and Expanded Shaft Offerings

Titleist is proud to provide, well in advance of launch, new iron heads and shafts for our fitters. Advance fittings with the new AP1 and AP2 irons allow for advance custom orders, which will be among the first orders we ship upon launch in mid-November. The new CB and MB irons will begin to ship in mid-December.

We have also expanded our offering of custom shafts so golfers have more performance options such as the Fujikura Motore, Mitsubishi Fubuki, Oban Devotion, Matrix Ozik HD, and UST Mamiya Axiv Core Tour Red and Black. For irons and wedges the Dynamic Gold Tour Issue, KBS Tour, and KBS Black Nickel Wedge shafts have been added.

An enhanced Custom Options booklet and Custom Price List with new pricing will be included in this fall’s trade binder which shipped in late September. In addition, fitters with authorized access may download copies of both documents at AcushnetGolf.com. The Custom Options booklet may also be downloaded as a PDF from Titleist.com and FittingWorks.com.

We trust the combination of updated SureFit systems and additional shaft options will make it even easier to offer serious golfers the highest performing golf equipment possible.

2 comments October 26th, 2009

Arron Oberholser Discusses Fittings at Oceanside

Back in February, we introduced the Titleist and Cobra Factory Fitting program that offers consumers Tour-level fittings at our Oceanside Test Facility, home of the Titleist Performance Institute. We recently spoke with Titleist Brand Ambassador Arron Oberholser to get his thoughts on the importance of club fitting and on what it’s like to get a fitting at the Ocenaside Test Facility. Be sure to click on the video player below to hear what Arron had to say. For more information on the Titleist and Cobra Factory Fitting program, be sure to visit FittingWorks.com.

1 comment June 5th, 2009

Forum Discussion with Aldila on VooDoo Shafts

This Fitters’ Forum showcases the Aldila VooDoo shaft and the proprietary Aldila VooDoo for Titleist offered as stock and custom options in 909 metals. We feature information from Aldila Vice-President of Engineering John Oldenburg as well as Acushnet Manager of Golf Shaft Development Don Bone.

VooDoo for Titleist v. Aldila VooDoo VS6 & VS7
“After extensive player testing of numerous potential VooDoo designs from Aldila, Titleist settled on the version that worked best in the new 909 drivers,” notes Oldenburg. “The specs for the Titleist VooDoo fall roughly between the Aldila VooDoo VS6 and VS7 with its weight closer to VS7 and bending and torsional stiffness closer to VS6. So in an apples-to-apples comparison, Titleist VooDoo should play like a blend of the aftermarket VooDoo VS6 and VS7.”

“Titleist VooDoo is produced on the exact same tooling, using the exact same materials, and has the exact same S-Core technology stabilization rib as the aftermarket shafts and tour shafts.”

Selecting a VooDoo for 909 metals
“Because of the stability promise of S-Core technology, we had Aldila make many variations of VooDoo designs and we did extensive player testing on them at our Oceanside Test Facility,” Bone begins. “The version we selected worked best for a broad range of swing speeds in the 909 drivers, which was not the case with the tour-focused, aftermarket VooDoo VS6 and VS7. With the Titleist VooDoo, more people can benefit from the very stable feel of S-Core technology and still have a playable shaft. If someone does need a shaft that’s a bit more aggressive, then the 1″ tip trim we offer custom order brings the Titleist VooDoo closer to its aftermarket, parent VooDoo shafts with their lower spin and lower ball flight characteristics.”

About S-Core Technology
All VooDoo shafts are specially designed with S-Core Technology, a patented, one-piece carbon fiber rib system that dramatically stabilizes the shaft’s cross-section for increased accuracy and distance. Its hoop design allows the shaft to stay round and more concentric during the swing, preventing shaft ovaling, deformation and wasted energy. This innovative rib structure increases hoop strength/stiffness by over 80 percent compared to conventional graphite shafts. This design not only helps to keep the shaft’s structure stable, but also assists in transferring the maximum energy a golfer can deliver to the ball, generating consistently straighter and longer shots.

All VooDoo shafts feature Aldila’s patented S-Core Technology for
increased stability, accuracy and distance.

138 comments March 19th, 2009

Wedge Fitting Helps McIlroy Tighten Yardage Gap

Titleist Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy recently visited our Oceanside Test Facility in preparation for this week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. While at Oceanside, Rory worked with Tour Fitting Manager Cliff Walzak and Master Craftsman Bob Vokey to find a pitching wedge that provided the proper yardage gaps with his 9-iron and 52° approach wedge.

“Rory arrived with an uncomfortable yardage gap between his ZM 9-iron and his 200 Series 48° pitching wedge,” relays Cliff. “His 9-iron is bent 1° strong at 42°, while his 248.06 is at the stock 48° loft. We did not want to touch his gamer 248.06 wedge but decided to bend a 48° Vokey to 46°.”

Voke and his team built Rory a couple of 248s bent to 46°, both finished at 35.75″ (standard length) with Project X 6.5 shafts, and 65° lie angles (1° upright). Rory uses the Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord 58 ribbed grip with one extra layer of tape, and has RORY stamped in white on the flange.

Voke checked back in with Rory earlier this week in Tucson, and said, “Rory likes the lower flight of the new 248 at 46°, as well as the feel of the club through the turf. He has noticed an increase in distance that gives him a preferred yardage gap with his 9-iron. He looks really solid out here. I like his confidence.”

Click on the video player below to hear more from Rory about working with Voke.

Rory McIlroy

2 comments February 27th, 2009

New Titleist Fitting Program at Oceanside Test Facility

In the past, we’ve chronicled Titleist Brand Ambassadors such as Zach Johnson, Nick Watney and Davis Love III getting fit for their new Titleist equipment by our fitters at the Acushnet Oceanside Test Facility. We often hear from consumers who think it would be great if they, too, could get fit for their Titleist equipment by these same fitting experts at this world-class facility. We’re happy to say that the time has come, and we are pleased to announce the new Titleist Factory Fitting program.

Titleist Factory Fitting gives consumers access to premium quality fittings using our Tour-proven fitting methods. Each half-day fitting session is conducted at the Acushnet Oceanside Test Facility, home of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), and includes:

1. Driver fitting for both distance and accuracy using proprietary golf ball launch and trajectory data
2. Fairway and hybrid fitting including finding the optimum 3-metal loft as well as gap and set make-up analysis
3. Iron fitting to determine the ideal performance and specifications to produce your desired iron trajectory and performance
4. Wedge fitting to determine optimum gapping, bounce configurations, and spin characteristics from a variety of turf and sand conditions
5. Golf ball selection to determine the golf ball that best combines short-game control with the need for distance to help you shoot lower scores
6. Fitting cost of $750, with $250 credited toward the purchase of a set of Titleist golf clubs

A Titleist Factory Fitting can also be combined with the new half-day TPI Experience, giving consumers the complete Tour treatment. At TPI, players are placed through a complete array of tests usually reserved for the best golfers in the world. By assessing a “total picture” of your body, swing, and equipment, our team will recommend a program that will seamlessly integrate into your existing PGA or LPGA professional’s instruction to help you optimize your performance. The Titleist Performance Institute includes one of the most technologically advanced golf evaluation facilities in existence focusing on swing efficiencies, conditioning, and custom equipment fitting. The full-day Factory Fitting and TPI Experience package costs $2,000, again with $250 credited toward the purchase of a set of Titleist golf clubs.

To learn more about the new Titleist Factory Fitting program, be sure to check out the program details on FittingWorks.com. For more on the TPI Experience, please visit MyTPI.com.

Add comment February 17th, 2009

Charley Hoffman Optimizes 909D2 at Oceanside

Titleist Brand Ambassador Charley Hoffman was recently fit for a 909D2 by Oceanside Test Facility fitter Dino Antenucci.

“Charley’s been using a 9.5° 909D2 with the UST Proforce V2 76 TX at 44.5” since the end of last year,” Dino said. “He knows his spin rates are higher than other drivers he’s tested but he likes the consistency and ball flight on the course. Recently, we built him a few 909D2s at 8.5° with the Mitsubishi Diamana White 83 X looking to reduce his spin through the club’s loft while maintaining the consistency he demands.”

“I know I can get more distance with a lower spinning driver,” Charley said. “I really like the weight and feel of this 8.5° D2 with the Diamana White 83 X. Testing showed I’m launching it higher with less spin and more ball speed. Win. Win. Win. I prefer the ball flight so I’ll play a few practice rounds and get comfortable with it, and we’ll see what happens.”

Charley used his new driver during his second place finish at the FBR Open in Scottsdale and top ten finish this past weekend at the Buick Invitational in San Diego. Click on the video player below to hear what he had to say after the second round at Torrey Pines.

See Charley’s launch conditions below:

12 comments February 9th, 2009

909D3 Fitting with Titleist Staff Professional Eric Barlow

Titleist Staff Professional Eric Barlow and Glenn Mahler from Titleist discuss the effects of tee height on launch conditions

Titleist Staff Professional Eric Barlow from Wollaston Country Club in Wollaston, Massachusetts was fit for a new 909D3 by Titleist FittingWorks Tour Van fitter Glenn Mahler.

“I’ve always driven the ball longer down wind and very short into the wind,” Eric said. “I knew my driver launch conditions had too much spin and I thought the 909D3’s lower launch and spin characteristics would be the best fit for me. I really like the look, sound, and feel of this driver and when Glenn suggested I increase my tee height, my launch conditions fell into the proper window.”

“Eric’s strike location was low on the face due to his lower tee height,” Glenn said. “This resulted in higher spin rates even with 909D3. You couldn’t see much of the ball above the club face so I suggested he tee it a little higher and his strike location moved dead in the center. This helped improve his launch conditions significantly.”

See a summary of Justin’s launch conditions below:

1 comment February 6th, 2009

909D2 Fitting with Titleist Staff Professional Justin DeFont

Titleist Staff Professional Justin DeFont during his fitting at the 2009 PGA Merchandise Show

Titleist Staff Professional Justin DeFont from South Bend Country Club in South Bend, Indiana was fit for a new 909D2 by Acushnet East Coast Test Facility fitter James Kroeger.

“Justin’s baseline driver was a Titleist 905T,” James said. “The new 909D2 has a lower and deeper CG so I figured we had a good chance to increase his launch angle and decrease his back spin. We also increased his ball speed quite a bit. This was a result of the 909D2 and Titleist Aldila Voodoo shaft, which is not as tip stiff and has slightly higher torque than his baseline driver shaft. An overall better fit for Justin.”

“My ball flight with the 909D2 was terrific and looked flatter and more penetrating than my 905T,” Justin said. “Also, the Titleist Aldila Voodoo gave me more feel and a tighter dispersion. I’m really excited to put this driver in play!”

See a summary of Justin’s launch conditions below:

Add comment February 5th, 2009

909DComp Fitting with Titleist Staff Professional Jack Widger

Titleist Staff Professional Jack Widger gets fit by Glenn Mahler of Titleist

Titleist Staff Professional Jack Widger from Elkdale Country Club in Salamanca, New York was fit for a new 909DComp by FittingWorks Tour Van fitter Glenn Mahler.

“Jack told me he has trouble hitting driver into the wind. The ball balloons too much and results in a loss of distance,” Glenn said. “His baseline driver was 10.5° and watching him hit shots you could see the ball rise down range with too much spin. This was a result of too much loft. Initially, we tested 8.5° 909D2 and 909D3 models and both reduced his spin but also lowered his launch too much. The 909DComp 8.5° was ideal for Jack. The lower loft reduced spin and the lower CG, achieved by the composite crown, helped increase his launch angle.”

“As a high spin player, I was surprised the 909DComp was a good fit for me.” Jack said. “The fitting made sense though, using loft to reduce spin and DComp to increase my launch angle. I really like the sound and feel of this driver.”

See a summary of Jack’s launch conditions below:

1 comment February 4th, 2009