wbealsd Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I originally posted this as a response to "What have you bought lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)" but thought it might be best to make it a separate topic. I have a really good relationship with my local fitter, but he'll admit, he's limited in the number of options he can offer. Since I was going to the Twin Cities to play a round with some fellow MGS'ers, I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to experience "Big City Fittings" by two of the best known fitters within a few hundred miles from home, Totally Driven and 2nd Swing. I was pretty sure I'd be bringing home some "souvenirs," from this trip. What I actually ended up with though, was a complete surprise. While BarbaJo and I were calling the wedge fitting at Totally Driven an "Edel" fitting, that's not really what it was since they carry MANY different brands of equipment. I'll admit, I figured my fitting would come down to a choice between Edel or Miura, since I'm currently bagging a 60* Miura and I'm also favorably disposed toward Edel equipment. After looking over my current wedges and discussing my concerns, Adam had me take a few swings and setup a number of wedges for me to try. It was basically a "blind test," since he never told me what he was handing me and I didn't look at the back of the clubs to see what brand they were. In total, I hit 8-10 different wedges and there was one that I was consistently making the best contact with and had the best control for aim and distance. I was pretty sure I was going to be ordering a set of Miuras, since the wedge we'd selected felt pretty similar (but better) than the one I was currently gaming. I have never owned any Ping equipment. I'm not sure why, but once my set is shipped from the factory and inspected by TD, I'll be gaming the 54 SS* & 60 TS* Ping Glides! http://www.ping.com/...l.aspx?id=18283 At 2nd Swing, I was pleased to find out that Thomas Elsberry, the same master fitter that performed BarbaJo's Tour Van and Wedge fittings, was going to be my Studio B putter fitter. I've been bagging a BBX 80 model Bettinardi putter this season, and overall I've been pleased with it, but I wanted to really find out what the best model putter REALLY is best for me. Thomas looked over the 3 putters I brought with me, discussed my game and concerns, and then fired up all the cameras and after having me practice a few minutes, started the session with me using my gamer. I was pleasently surprised to find out, my eye position with my BBX 80 is where it's supposed to be!! Thomas remarked before we started that my Ping, Odyssey and Bettinardi putters all resembled each other, so apparently what "suits my eye" really does - lol The flaw that Thomas pointed out was in my loft, which was causing the ball to "jump up" off the clubface. After adjusting the loft to 2*, we recorded my putts again and my ball was tracking much better. Next, Thomas setup a number of different putters for me to try using the specs that he determined work best for me (35" long, 70* angle, 2* loft). The primary difference between the putters were head styles and aim markings. Loe and behold, after trying over a dozen putters, my BBX was still the most consistent in putting the ball in the hole. Thomas went ahead and adjusted the loft/lie on my other 2 putters and I was set. Just knowing I'm using the correct specs, gives me more confidence in my putter than I had before. Now, before my fitting I'd traded in a number of clubs I'd accumulated for shop credit, fully expecting to use it toward a new putter. What to do, what to do? Last year, someone left a Taylormade Burner 2.0 five iron on the course and I was able to take it out on the range one afternoon. I really enjoyed it and had it on my "short list" of irons I'd like to try. Since they had a special on NIB Burner 2.0 irons with graphite shafts, so I decided to take them home. Now it gets REALLY good! I figured I still owed them for the putter fitting, since I didn't buy a putter, but 2nd Swing waived the charge since I was purchasing the iron set. AND I got a free iron fitting for the Burners before I left the store with them!! I was extremely pleased with my fittings at both Totally Driven and 2nd Swing. Highly professional, no pressure to favor any particular brand and I feel all three fitters were working with me to ensure that whatever equipment I'd be playing would be the best fit, for me. Good Times!! What's In the Bag Driver - GBB Hybrids Halo XL Halo 18* & T-Rail 20* Irons T-Rail 2.0 Wedges 60* TS / SCOR 48* 53* 58* Putter Ball Bag Datrek DG Lite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GolfSpy Barbajo Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I'm out of "likes" today Bill, otherwise I'd give you one or two! Fun to play with you again, and I'm glad we were able to drive around town with no serious tire issues. I am, however, gravely disappointed that you did not share what happened on the 14th hole at Troy Burne. Gravely disappointed.... What's in the bag: Driver: TSR3; DynaPWR Carbon FW Wood: DynaPWR 3-wood; TSR 2+ Hybrids: PXG Gen4 18-degree Utility Irons: ZX MkII 20* Irons:; 699/699 Pro V2 Combo; D9 Forged; MT86 (coming soon!); VIP 1025 V-Foil MB/CB; Wedges: RTX6 Zipcore Putter: HB Soft Milled 10.5; Newport Special Select; Willamette, BB8; 8802; MATI Monto Ball: Tour B RXS; Z-STAR Diamond; Triad Stat Tracker/GPS Watch: Follow @golfspybarbajo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Dang Bill! Wish I had been there. Would have loved just watching you go through the experience. OK, I'm waiting for the 14th hole story... “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wbealsd Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Just BarbaJo making a routine Eagle, no big deal I thought he did it all the time! Maybe not... What's In the Bag Driver - GBB Hybrids Halo XL Halo 18* & T-Rail 20* Irons T-Rail 2.0 Wedges 60* TS / SCOR 48* 53* 58* Putter Ball Bag Datrek DG Lite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Just BarbaJo making a routine Eagle, no big deal I thought he did it all the time! Maybe not... "... no big deal." Nice Caddyshack quote!! “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Theoo Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Awesome experience! I just had a wedge fitting at club champion last week and it was a fun experience as well. I ended up being fitting into the PXG wedges. At 300 a head and 400 a club I did not buy lol Driver: Epic 10.5 set to 9.5 w/ Tour AD-DI 44.5 FW: F6 baffler set at 16º Hybrid: NONEIrons: 3i 2014 TP CB 4-PW 2011 TP MC w/ TT S400 Wedges: 52º 56º 60 º w/ KBS C-Taper XS Soft-stepped Putter: Sigma G Tyne 34 inches Gold dot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfilly20 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Awesome experience! I just had a wedge fitting at club champion last week and it was a fun experience as well. I ended up being fitting into the PXG wedges. At 300 a head and 400 a club I did not buy lol What goes into a wedge fitting? I figure I should probably do that as I'm gaming 3 different brands right now. R15 White 10.5° Accra FX-260 M4 915F 3W Aldila Rogue Black 110 stiff 915H 4H MRC Diamana D+ Whiteboard 90 HY Stiff 716 T-MB 3 iron True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT S-300 Rsi 2's 5-9 - True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT S-300 SM6 46 SM6 52* SM6 56* Mack Daddy 2 PM grind 60* Newport 2.5 Dual Balance ProV1X Game Golf : kfilly20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Theoo Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 What goes into a wedge fitting? I figure I should probably do that as I'm gaming 3 different brands right now. For mine it was mostly on feel. We did look at the numbers and he told me he wanted to keep the carry and total distance as close as possible. I found out that I do swing heavier clubs better than lighter ones. Driver: Epic 10.5 set to 9.5 w/ Tour AD-DI 44.5 FW: F6 baffler set at 16º Hybrid: NONEIrons: 3i 2014 TP CB 4-PW 2011 TP MC w/ TT S400 Wedges: 52º 56º 60 º w/ KBS C-Taper XS Soft-stepped Putter: Sigma G Tyne 34 inches Gold dot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wbealsd Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 A lot of mine was gapping, consistency, contact and feel. In my case, the Pings stood out in all categories. In my case, 5-6 degree loft gaps on wedges work better for my needs than the "standard" 4. What's In the Bag Driver - GBB Hybrids Halo XL Halo 18* & T-Rail 20* Irons T-Rail 2.0 Wedges 60* TS / SCOR 48* 53* 58* Putter Ball Bag Datrek DG Lite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 A lot of mine was gapping, consistency, contact and feel. In my case, the Pings stood out in all categories. In my case, 5-6 degree loft gaps on wedges work better for my needs than the "standard" 4. I liked my Ping Eye 2 wedges, but the SCORs came along. I never really warmed up to the new Ping wedges. “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wbealsd Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 I liked my Scors quite a bit, until I broke up the set to make room for the Nike Toe Sweep, which was MUCH better for me out of bunkers. That's when I started struggling to switch back and forth between wedgec"styles." Since I knew I was making the trip to the Twin Cities, I figured I'd go ahead and get properly fit. The Scors worked great for me for full and partial swings, but I always had problems with bunkers and chipping near the green with them. What's In the Bag Driver - GBB Hybrids Halo XL Halo 18* & T-Rail 20* Irons T-Rail 2.0 Wedges 60* TS / SCOR 48* 53* 58* Putter Ball Bag Datrek DG Lite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny B Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 My wedge game including bunker play improved immensely when I started playing the SCORs. I am really not a good bunker player because I have no practice bunkers to play from and most courses around here don't have very many and they are not maintained very well. But since I got the SCORs, I really have had no problem getting out of them. I may not get as close to the pin as I would like, but I'm better than I used to be. I have become very fond of my 50* for chipping. I will use others depending on how close the pin is, but I have made more chips from just off the green since I got them. It might have something to do with the amount of practice I put in to get the feel of them. “We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.