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Titleist Performance Institute Tour Fitting - The Reconnaissance


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Titleist Fitting Works and TPI Tour Fitting – The Reconnaissance

Your high-handicap fellow spy gets fit like a Tour pro

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Introduction:

 

Having been back at the game for not quite a full two years now, I've been hesitant to invest in a new set of clubs. I've wanted to perfect my swing first, I've been taking lessons, and playing as much as possible.

 

During my most recent playing lesson, my instructor suggested - for the second time - that my clubs were holding me back and that I should look into a better set. Asking how much this would help, he pointed out my mis-hits and pointed out his (which still landed on the green) suggesting it would be a huge difference.

 

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I was still on the fence about how serious I should take getting a “new” set of clubs. Do I hop on ebay and buy the cheapest current clubs I can find to hold me through, or do I go all out and get custom fit?

 

I just assumed custom fitting was only for the best and most serious players, guys who are pushing toward scratch. But then I started reading the answers to questions in GolfSpy Dave's Operation Callaway article, and realized that custom fitting makes sense no matter your level of play. Just like riding a bike, with a bad fit, you'll never perform to your current full potential if it doesn't fit right.

 

Armed with more confidence that I wouldn't make a mockery of the sport by being custom fit, I contacted the guys at the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) about their Tour Fitting. Chris, VP of marketing, said they'd love to setup a time and give me the full works of the Driver, Long Game, Iron and Wedge fitting, and that they'd be happy to answer as many questions for me and my fellow Spies as possible.

 

So, next Tuesday, May 31 I will be traveling down to Carlsbad, CA to experience the Tour Fitting first hand, armed with my camera and a list of questions.

 

(subsequently I may be doing reviews of Titleist's other fittings, including their traveling van as well as their local fitters available at golf courses and businesses across the United States)

 

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Your questions?

 

I've heard a couple of questions already about the Titleist fitting from my fellow Spies, but I want get questions from everyone.

 

Give me anything/everything about the fitting process - it will be an outdoor fitting and Brett Porath, Director of Club Fitting from Titleist will be chiming in with answers.

 

Have questions about Titleist in general, and/or the clubs I'll be checking out, or anything new you've heard about? Their VP of marketing will be helping answer these.

 

Anything you want me to pay special attention to at their facility? (I've been told that I will be limited on what I can photograph because they do R&D there, but I'll be sure to try and get pics of anything/everything they'll allow me access to - maybe they'll slip me some spy love and let me release some pics of something top secret??)

 

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Your predictions?

How many strokes do you think it's possible for me to drop just from an updated set of custom fit clubs? (I'm a high handicapper right now - I'd thought I was close to a 21, but have since found out I'm more like a mid to upper 20's)

 

Which clubs do you think I'll end up with? (I will try and come up with a fun prize for the closest guess)

 

Having never been fitted before, I don't have any numbers for club speed or anything of the likes, but let me know what details you'd like that I can give, ie: wrist to floor or anything else helpful.

 

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My Current Bag:

 

Currently I'm gaming some "interesting" clubs. When I got back into the game my dad had sold all my old gear and all my buddies were playing brand new gear from all the big name companies. I asked if I should follow suit to keep up, but they insisted that I didn't need to spend the money (I'm pretty sure this just meant they wanted to do their own experiment and see how far I could get with crap gear) - So instead one of my buddies who just scored new clubs gave me his OLD set.

 

So, I present to you my current equipment:

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Wilson Staff Midsize irons 5-p (I have the 3 and 4 irons at home, but can't hit them to save my life - I'm told these irons are about 13 years old!)

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Vokey 56/14 wedge

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Ram 4 hybrid and Driver

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Carbite putter

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(my last round I borrowed a friend's TaylorMade R7 xd driver and will be gaming this until I receive my new Titleist set)

 

The putter is the only club not being replaced (unfortunately Scotty Cameron was not interested in having their fitting as a part of this review)

 

 

My Goals:

 

Ultimately my goal is to end up with a set of clubs that fits me better and helps me lower my score. (I plan to compare my most recent score cards to score cards I fill after receiving the custom fit set, as well as take note of my current mis-hits and how they differ with a new set.)

 

I'm really curious to see how much of a difference in my game I'll immediately see, and I'm curious how much of an adjustment period I will have with the new clubs. Will I need to spend hours at the range, or will I just be able to hop onto the course and start playing better.

 

Currently I only have 11 clubs in my bag, so I've got some big gaps in my game, especially between 150 and 200 yards.

 

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I'm excited to report back next week about the fitting process with lots of pictures and hopefully a video or two.

 

I have a feeling this will be a humbling experience for me, but I'm excited for that because I think there are probably a TON of golfers out there in similar shoes as myself who would do a custom fitting, they just don't realize how much of a difference it might make, and/or are as I have been, too self conscious to realize that we can take just as much advantage as others with having our clubs fit correctly.

 

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Ok, here's my guess for the bag they come up with:

 

910 D2 Driver with Kaili

910 3W with Kaili

19* and 22* 910 hybrids with Kaili

AP1 5-GW with Nippons, stiff flex

Vokey 54* and 58*

 

I'll come up with some questions in the next few days. I'm eager to hear the results, this should be great fun for you!

Follow me on Twitter: @MattSaternus

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How many strokes do you think it's possible for me to drop just from an updated set of custom fit clubs? (I'm a high handicapper right now - I'd thought I was close to a 21, but have since found out I'm more like a mid to upper 20's)

Possible to lose about 4-6 shots a round by improving THAT equipment...

 

Which clubs do you think I'll end up with? (I will try and come up with a fun prize for the closest guess)

I'm gonna need more detailed info about your game and physicality if I am going to make an educated guess.

 

Having never been fitted before, I don't have any numbers for club speed or anything of the likes, but let me know what details you'd like that I can give, ie: wrist to floor or anything else helpful.

I'd like to know how far you hit a typical 7 iron, and driver, what a typical shot looks like, how tall you are, do you have any physical ailments, do you prefer a heavier or lighter feel in the club....

Driver - Ping G430 Max 9° | Ventus Blue TR 
Hybrid - :srixon-small: ZX 16° & 18° | GD Tour IZ S

2 Iron - :srixon-small: ZU65 17° | AeroTech SteelFiber 110icw S

Irons -  :srixon-small: ZX7 MKII  4-Pw | TTDGTI S400, std length  1° flat
Wedges - :cleveland-small: RTX 6 Tour Rack 50° 54° 58° | TTDGTI S400, std length 1° flat

Putter -  L.A.B. Golf Link.1 | LA Golf P135 shaft | Garsen Quad Tour grip
 

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To piggyback on nic's last question, what's your wrist to floor measurement and what does your typical divot look like (ie are you a digger or slider)?

In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400

SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"

Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo.

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MY Guess:

 

910 D2 Driver(B2 setting) with regular flex MITSUBISHI RAYON DIAMANA KAI'LI 65 FOR TITLEIST shaft

 

910 fd fairway wood 15 degree loft with regular flex MITSUBISHI RAYON DIAMANA KAI'LI 75 FOR TITLEIST shaft

 

910H hybrid in 19 degrees and 22 degrees with regular flex MITSUBISHI RAYON DIAMANA KAI'LI 80 FOR TITLEIST shaft

 

Ap2 irons 5-PW -.5 length and 1 flat with NIPPON NS PRO 105T FOR TITLEIST regular flex shafts

 

Vokey spin milled cc wedge set in 52 degree 8 bounce standard length and 56 degree with 11 bounce standard length and 60 degree 7 bounce standard length (TRUE TEMPER DYNAMIC GOLD shaft with wedge flex in all)

 

(New decade black and white grip in all clubs)

 

Putter Carbite Polar Balanced

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I do have a few questions for you to ask them, though, before trying to predict the bag.

 

1. Are there any plans to ever sell the Surefit tips to the public or to clubmakers? (Sorry, even though I've dumped my 910 stuff, it's still a sore spot for me).

 

2. What made Titleist decide to go on a 2 year life cycle with their clubs when other manufacturers are on a seemingly shorter timetable?

 

3. With the recent acquisition by Fila, do Mr. Vokey and Don T. Cameron plan on staying with the brand, or would the rights be in name only?

In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400

SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"

Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo.

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I'd like to know how far you hit a typical 7 iron, and driver, what a typical shot looks like, how tall you are, do you have any physical ailments, do you prefer a heavier or lighter feel in the club....

My 7 iron is getting about 145 in the air followed by roll out. (in the midst right now of really grooving my iron shots and getting more distance by keeping the ball a bit lower, I've been hitting the too high, and therefore losing distance with them)

 

The R7 driver that I just started gaming this past week I've been driving about 250 on solid contact. I think I got it to 270+ today on one really tasty drive.

 

My solid hits go pretty straight without a lot of shape to them, most of my mishits go right.

 

I'm 5'9 1/2" (I thought I was 5'10" until a friend called me out in the past year)

 

No physical ailments. I'm a health 30-year-old at 180 pounds.

 

As for the feel of a club, I think I prefer lighter over heavier, but not so light that I beging to the feeling of balance and something there (not sure if that's the correct way to describe this)

 

To piggyback on nic's last question, what's your wrist to floor measurement and what does your typical divot look like (ie are you a digger or slider)?

 

Wrist to floor without shoes on - 33" on the dot.

 

My divots have been behind the ball up until my last lesson, and now my divots are moving forward - this was my biggest focus during my game today was moving my divot in front of the ball.

 

From my last practice session videos and comparing online to this video: http://www.mygolfperformance.com/2011/02/18/slider-versus-digger/ - I'm currently a bit more of a slider, though working toward being a bit more of a digger to move my divot forward and gain more distance from my irons.

 

Let me know anything else you guys wanna know and anything you need me to clarify.

 

Also stoked to get more questions to hand off to the guys at Titleist.

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Thanks for the info. I am out if town at a tournament right now, but I will get my guesses together when I get back to the shop.

Driver - Ping G430 Max 9° | Ventus Blue TR 
Hybrid - :srixon-small: ZX 16° & 18° | GD Tour IZ S

2 Iron - :srixon-small: ZU65 17° | AeroTech SteelFiber 110icw S

Irons -  :srixon-small: ZX7 MKII  4-Pw | TTDGTI S400, std length  1° flat
Wedges - :cleveland-small: RTX 6 Tour Rack 50° 54° 58° | TTDGTI S400, std length 1° flat

Putter -  L.A.B. Golf Link.1 | LA Golf P135 shaft | Garsen Quad Tour grip
 

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Prediction:

 

Driver: Titleist 910 D2 9.5 w/ Aldila R.I.P 60 R flex, tipped 1/2" at 44.5" and set in the D-4 position (Actual loft is 10.25 and is a degree closed)

 

Fairway Metal: Titleist 910 Fd 15 degree with Diamana Kai'Li 42.75" R-flex, tipped 1/2" length and set in the D-4 position

 

Hybrid: Titleist 910h 19 degree with Diamana ahina' R-flex -0.5", set in the B-2 position

 

Hybrid: Titleist 910H 24 degree with Diamana ahina' R-flex -0.5", set in the B-2 position

 

Irons: Titleist AP2 5-GW -0.5" and 1 degree upright with Dynamic Gold SL R300 (hardstepped once possibly (depending on your numbers after seeing you hit them with that shaft)).

 

Wedges:

Vokey 56.11 bent to 55 degrees, shafted with Dynamic Gold S400, -0.5" standard lie angle

Vokey 60.07, shafted with Dynamic Gold S400, -0.5" standard lie angle.

 

Putter is going to be yours unless they somehow decide to fit you for an OTR Scotty (cause Don T. isn't fiting you, let's be real, he already said that ain't happening), my guess would be a Studio Select Newport 2.5 at 33" and 1 degree upright.

 

 

Well, that's my guess at what you'll end up with, regardless of if I'm right or not, hopefully they'll get you into what's right for you based off of your numbers and LM results. Can't wait to see what you end up with and hearing about the experience.

In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400

SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"

Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo.

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I normally hit the ball a bit too high on longer shots, this is something my instructor pointed out at our last lesson and we've been working on in order to gain more distance. I do get some roll out on my shots, but not a lot (exception being my driver, I am getting decent roll out on my driver)

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Updated with my prediction.

In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400

SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"

Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo.

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I know it's been a hot topic here and elsewhere, and I've heard some varying opinions from smart people lately, soooo:

 

In fittings, what is more important: head or shaft? Which do they do first? How important is the shaft to overall club performance?

Follow me on Twitter: @MattSaternus

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Some final recon on the way to TPI today - stopped at the Rainbow Factory Store in San Clemente to try and see if they have any golf sandals in the works. Can't say they do, but I did walk out with a brand new pair of flippy floppies.

 

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Now onto Titleist to see what I can scope out and to find out just how bad my swing really is and how much difference a custom fitting can make. Wish me luck that their equipment can keep up with a golfer with as sloppy of a swing as myself ;-) We'll be testing it at it's lower limits I'm sure!

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T -

 

Are they going to put you through a TPI fitness thing-a-ma-jiggy? or is it strictly clubfitting?

 

If they do a former, i will be curious to hear their answer when confronted on why they base their entire fitness program around the golf swing, instead of basing their fitness around the physique?

 

I got into a bit of a discussion with them at the PGA show, but once dr rose saw who i was, he kinda blew me off - As you know, i believe that the body should be improved as a whole, symmetrically, to make a bigger/faster/stronger athlete. tpi focuses on making your golf swing 'stronger/better' by doing golf specific exercises. Anyone outside the golf industry clearly sees that this does nothing but CREATE imbalances. The PGA pros that have come to me in the MET section to help them fix with what tpi has broken is my valuable empirical data.

 

unsure.gif

 

:cobra-small: Staffer 

:Arccos: Staffer 

www.MANAVIANGolf.com

 

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Manvas, it was just a fitting, no TPI fitness (not sure my body would have held strong through both in one day) Though I did get to see the training room, and I gotta say, that's a SWEET gym.

 

Awesome experience, looking forward to posting the review of the fitting asap.

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The question is, was anyone's guesses close as to what you were fit into?

In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400

SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"

Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo.

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I just want to know what gear they set you up with, and if they still did a putter anyway, even if Don T. wasn't involved.

 

More importantly, though, have you played a round with them yet and did you see any improvement?

In The Bag
Driver: TaylorMade M2 (2017) w/ Project X T1100 HZRDUS Handcrafted 65x 
Strong 3 wood: Taylormade M1 15* w/ ProjectX T1100 HZRDUS handcrafted 75x
3 Hybrid: Adams PRO 18* w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4 Hybrid: Adams PRO 20* (bent to 21*) w/ KBS Tour Hybrid S flex tipped 1/2"
4-AW: TaylorMade P770 w/ Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Black Onyx S400

SW: 56* Scratch Tour Dept(CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
LW: 60* Scratch Tour Department (CC grooves) w/ Dynamic Gold Spinner
XW: 64* Cally XForged Vintage w/ DG X100 8 iron tiger stepped
Putter: Nike Method Prototype 006 at 34"

Have a ton of back-ups in all categories, but there are always 14 clubs in the bag that differ depending on the course and set-up. Bomb and gouge. Yes, I'm a club gigolo.

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ok.. the review is almost ready, just waiting for approval of images from Titleist. So... since I've kept you all waiting so long for this, here's the clubs I was fit with:

 

Irons:

AP2 5-PW, Dynamic Gold S300 shafts

 

Wedges:

Vokey TVD52 with Dynamic Gold S300 shaft, Vokey TVD58 with Dynamic Gold S200 shaft

 

Hybrids:

910H 21 and 24 degree heads, Kai'li 80HBY Mid flex-S – tip set to A-1

910F 15 and 19 degree heads, Kai'li 75 Mid flex-s – tip set to A-1

 

Fairway woods:

910F 15 and 19 degree heads, Kai'li 75 Mid flex-S – tip set to A-1

 

Driver:

910 D2, Kai'li 65 Mid flex-S – tip set to A-1

 

I've played several rounds with these clubs, and they have improved my game. More on that to come.

 

(and I need to double check the Sure Fit Tip settings) Soon as I have that, the review will be up, with TONS of writing.

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ok.. the review is almost ready, just waiting for approval of images from Titleist. So... since I've kept you all waiting so long for this, here's the clubs I was fit with:

 

Irons:

AP2 5-PW, Dynamic Gold S300 shafts

 

Wedges:

Vokey TVD52 with Dynamic Gold S300 shaft, Vokey TVD58 with Dynamic Gold S200 shaft

 

Hybrids:

910H 21 and 24 degree heads, Kai'li 80HBY Mid flex-S – tip set to A-1

910F 15 and 19 degree heads, Kai'li 75 Mid flex-s – tip set to A-1

 

Fairway woods:

910F 15 and 19 degree heads, Kai'li 75 Mid flex-S – tip set to A-1

 

Driver:

910 D2, Kai'li 65 Mid flex-S – tip set to A-1

 

I've played several rounds with these clubs, and they have improved my game. More on that to come.

 

(and I need to double check the Sure Fit Tip settings) Soon as I have that, the review will be up, with TONS of writing.

 

Very nice set-up.

Looking forward to all the pics and additional info.

Cheers,

 

Bryan

In my bag: 06.10.11

 

Titleist 910 D3 10.5- Fujikura F3 S

Titleist 909 F2 15.5- Voodoo S

Titleist 909 H 19 & 24- Voodoo S

Mizuno MP-32 5-9 DG S300

Vokey 46, 51, 55, 59 (Bent from 48, 50, 54, 58)

Cameron SSL NP2 34/340 (Current Gamer)

Cameron SSS NP2.5 34/350

Cameron Del Mar 34/350

Cameron Newport Oil Can

Cameron Newport Gun Blue

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