Titleist Performance Institute - Questions Answered

[GolfSpy Tim]

Titleist Performance Institute Tour Fitting - The Questions Answered

An official MyGolfSpy.com review

 

 

Going into the Tour Fitting Experience, I had a hint of what to expect, but was absolutely floored by the whole experience, the knowledge and experience of the staff. So when it came time to ask questions, I fielded as many as I could think of/remember during the fitting, and was thankful I had written them all down to follow up via email later with Chris McGinley - VP of Marketing with Titleist Golf Clubs.

 

Chris was kind enough to thoroughly answer all of my questions, as well as those I collected from my fellow spies:

 

Q: When I was getting the tour the guys were in the ball-testing shed testing some new balls? Can you share anything about these balls? Are these ones that haven't been released at all, or just tweaks to current designs?

A: We test golf balls year round as part of the development process. At this point however there is nothing we can share about new products.

 

 

Q: Any other new stuff you can leak out at all, and/or any new innovations coming? ;-)

A: We are always working and developing. That's all I can say.

 

Q: During the tour we were shown a bay that we were told was being setup with lots of IR cameras and a huge framework to do 3d analyzing of swings. Assuming this is more for TPI stuff vs. a fitting? Can you share at all what more a golfer can get with TPI services?

A: Yes, this is something we do for the TPI experience in terms of measuring a golfer's swing efficiency. We also use it as a research tool to better understand how golfers interact with different clubs and shafts. When a golfer comes to TPI with his/her teacher or golf professional we can use this to help understand their swing. It's a very powerful tool.

 

Q: Are there any plans to ever sell the SureFit tips to the public and/or to club makers?

A: At this point there are no plans to sell individual SF tips. You can however buy individual shafts from us with the tip installed. We do not sell the tips because we do not want shafts put into 910 that have not gone through our durability and testing process. And we have a very specific way we install the tips to maintain our spec tolerances.

 

Q: What made Titleist decide to go on a 2-year life cycle with their clubs while other OEM's are on a seemingly shorter timetable?

A: We think this lifecycle is best for our brand to allow us to develop products with truly discernible differences and improvements. It also gives us enough time to test and validate products on tour before we launch. There are even some categories where our lifecycles are 3 years.

 

Q: 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?

A: Scotty and Bob have always been part of the company and we plan on keeping it that way for a long time. There were some false rumors being spread in this area.

 

Q: What separates Titleist from other OEMs?

A: We have a very straightforward, authentic, product focused strategy. We make the best performing clubs for the serious golfer validated by players at the highest level of the game. We provide the best network of club fitters and club fitting experiences. And through our Team Titleist and Consumer Concierge initiatives we work hard to link our loyal Titleist brand fans and players with the best retailers and fitters.

 

Q: What are the biggest advantages golfers will gain from playing Titleist products?

A: When you combine the performance of our clubs with our precision club fitting process and capabilities, we can help you improve or maintain your game.

 

 

Q: What is the design process like for new clubs or balls?

A: On the club side it typically starts with the tour, but it also starts with feedback from serious golfers. Over the past five years in particular we have worked hard to expand the performance reach of our clubs to all serious golfers regardless of your swing/ball speed. 910 metals, AP irons, Vokey wedges and Cameron putter are designed to work for tour players on down through aspiring serious golfers. In R&D we have advanced research and development teams working ahead on future products while we are still in the process of launching current products. The Oceanside/TPI facility is not only designed for fitting, it is also the industry's best research facility where we can test golfers under any and all conditions.

 

Q: Any big trends you foresee in golf equipment?

A: Despite the limits being placed on equipment design by the ruling bodies, we see the opportunity to continue to provide innovative, highly technical products with true performance improvements. We see adjustability as an important component because of the power it brings to help fit players better. Titleist 910 metals are a great example of that power. We looked at the way clubs were being adjusted on tour and we developed the SureFit Tour hosel technology to put this power in the hands of the fitter and golfer right on the tee.

 

Q: When we first exchanged emails, you mentioned that the Titleist fitting would blow the other fittings out of the water. I'd be curious if you could elaborate at all on what aspects of the Titleist fitting you guys feel really stand out and set it apart from any others?

A: There are so many areas and some are very subtle but I will give you the biggest points of difference for the Tour Fitting experience you went through. First is the size of our fitting matrix which is made even stronger through our adjustable and interchangeable fitting clubs. We fit outdoor using a launch monitor so our fitters and the player can use both the launch numbers and the actual ball flight. We have dedicated areas including an actual golf hole, short game range and multiple greens and bunkers. We adjust or bend clubs as part of the fitting experience. And the same fitters that work day in and day out with our tour players do the fittings.

 

Q: Fitting indoors vs. outdoors. Obviously you guys are doing an outdoor fitting. Was this a big choice, an obvious decision? Why?

A: In our opinion nothing is better than seeing the full ball flight to evaluate trajectory, peak trajectory, landing angles and shot shape. This combined with launch data can make for a very powerful and accurate fitting. Many of our partners fit indoors and some of them do it very well. However, if given the opportunity we believe seeing full ball flight is an important component.

 

 

Q: How different would this experience be for a Tour Pro? Ie: would they have the range to themselves for the day, or would their fitting include any more technology like the TPI stuff in the bays?

A: Everything we do for tour players is available to consumers either through our Tour Fitting or TPI experiences. We do allow our players to practice at TPI which is not available to the general public. And our players have first access to the new products and shafts we are developing. Otherwise, the fitting experience is the same.

 

Q: Besides the numbers and the fitter's experience, what initially leads a fitter to choose what head and shafts to try? (ie: handicap, age, years of experience…?)

A: We typically ask some specific initial questions about the player's game while watching the player hit some shots. This gives us some baseline data. We look at a number of things to point us in the right starting direction like the player's current set composition, their angle of attack and swing type, if they are better off the tee or off the turf, as well as listening to what they think their strengths and weaknesses are. However, if we cannot determine a specific place to start we start somewhere neutral and because of our interchangeable fitting tools for most players we can quickly find the correct model and types of shafts to try.

 

Q: What skill level would you suggest a golfer attain before being fit? (Seems like you wouldn't want a guy who's never swung a golf club showing up, but at the same time, you don't want to go 2 years with clubs that just don't fit right). For someone such as myself with a higher handicap, but working hard to quickly lower this and improve my swing and my game, playing 2-3 times per week, how long would you think until I might want to stop by a tour van and have my fit updated?

A: Every golfer can benefit from being fit and any time is a good time to start, even if you are just beginning or going through some swing changes. There are only so many ways a golfer can improve or maintain their skills – practice, instruction, club fitting and golf specific fitness are the primary ways. We see all kinds of golfers every day for fittings from PGA Tour players to aspiring higher handicaps and in every single case we can always find a way to help their game with better fit equipment. You should always get fit when purchasing new equipment and have your fit checked by your club fitter or golf professional once a year if possible.

 

Q: What is the best way for someone to prepare for a fitting session? (head to the range a bunch? Or just play your normal game/schedule)

A: There is really nothing special that needs to be done to prepare for a fitting. The fitting will typically provide time to hit some warm up shots. There is a common misperception that you have to be playing your best golf to be fit. This is not the case. Some of the most effective fittings come from understanding a golfer's most common miss. During the course of the fitting the fitter will typically get enough good shots out of the player to determine what is needed. But seeing the bad shots is just as important.

 

Q: You guys use the Trackman system. During the fitting Steve and I talked about how it is a mixture of the Trackman and the fitter that creates the perfect fit. How do these two come together vs. just using raw data?

A: Fitting is both art and science. The launch monitor data is just that - data. If you don't have an expert to interpret the data and interact with the player the fitting will not be as effective. There are many cases when the theoretical fit from the launch monitor numbers is not right for the player's needs or preferences. Some players are more comfortable with say a lower trajectory or specific shot type. You need the fitter's expertise to help find what works the best.

 

Q: What questions should any fitter ask you during a fitting?

A: Certainly they should ask about your goals. Are you trying to improve? Maintain? Hit a certain type of shot? Eliminate a certain type of miss? Strengthen a certain area of your game? They should ask about the strengths and weaknesses of your game. Are you better off the tee or turf? Are you better in firm or soft conditions? Questions like this can give the fitter valuable insight into your game and help them find the best solutions.

 

Q: We talked about lofts a little during the fitting, and came to the conclusion that with different lofts, it doesn't so much matter if a company is creating stronger lofts, the thing that matters in a fitting is that the distances are correct, from the spin, launch angle, balls speed… can you elaborate on this any? Our readers are curious about a perceived trend of club makers coming out with stronger lofts on clubs.

A: For every golfer there is what we call the critical loft threshold. Below that loft the golfer cannot achieve the proper carry distances. There comes a point where loft is your friend. Proper ball flight and yardage gaps are created by getting the proper launch angle and spin rate for your speed. Golfers with less speed will need more loft. In iron fitting it's important to find that point in the set and begin to mix in hybrids and fairway metals. For drivers the secret to distance is typically high launch with low spin. The bottom line is that stronger lofts are not a magic bullet.

 

Q: With SureFit – is this meant to be played around with after a fitting, or is it mainly there to ensure a proper fit and then not to be played with later? And how much of a difference has this made for fittings?

A: In our opinion the SureFit Tour Hosel is the most innovative fitting technology in the industry. It allows you to independently adjust loft and lie, shaft and weight, right at the point of fitting. We call it “tour van in a hosel” because literally it allows us to do the things we used to be able to only do in a tour van, right at the point of fitting. Surefit puts great power in the hands of a fitter to find the right combination for your game. And it allows those players that want to experiment with their fit and ball flight to do so very easily. You can always go back to the standard or original fit setting.

 

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

A: In our opinion the head does most of the heavy lifting in terms of achieving the proper launch and spin. And loft tends to be the variable that has the most affect. That said both the head and shaft are important. The head typically gets you in the right region and the shaft typically provides the fine tuning. We are finding with the SureFit Tour Hosel we can really dial in the proper launch and spin for a player with the head. This allows the shaft fitting to be more about speed and timing. Sometimes the tendency is to turn to the shaft too quickly to change the launch and spin. If you can get the head dialed in you can allow the shaft to become what it essentially is – a timing device to maximize your distance and distance control.

 

Q: You guys offer a lot of options from the Tour Experience, the Tour Van Fitting Experience, and then local clubs with Titleist trained fitters. How important is it to you guys to get golfers custom fit? How many trained fitting locations are there in addition to your own services?

A: We feel strongly about fitting. The best way to unlock the performance of your equipment, and the performance of the golfer, is to be properly fit. There is some great technology available in golf clubs today, what good does it do if you are not properly fit? In terms of fitting locations, we have over 2,200 certified locations outside of our Titleist run national centers and fitting vans.

 

Q: What is the biggest challenge in getting golfers to do a fitting?

A: It's a matter of awareness and understanding. We need to do a better job explaining to golfers the benefits. There are enough fitting locations and different types of fitting experiences from free to paying for the full tour treatment to satisfy the needs of all golfers.

 

Q: For my swing we didn't get into any “exotic” shafts. At what point do you fit into more extreme shafts?

A: We don't bias towards our stock shafts, or our standard custom shafts with no upcharge, or our exotic shafts that carry an upcharge. We try to fit the player into the best performing shaft. There are however cost differences and we make the golfer aware of them so they can make the best choice. The good news is there are more and better performing shaft choices that do not carry an upcharge.

 

Q: How many strokes might you predict I will be able to improve my game just by updating from my 13-year-old clubs to a custom fit set?

A: You will definitely see an improvement because of the better technology and better fit. However, as I mentioned before there are many aspects to improving so it's hard to pull out just the club fitting component and assign a number of strokes to it.

 

Q: We talked about the difference between the D2 and D3 driver heads and that the launch and spin differ between the two. Can you give me more details on how this is accounted for during the fitting with the driver heads as well as the fairway and hybrid heads?

A: The D2 and D3 drivers by virtue of their size and weight distribution differences provide different performance in the standard A1 hosel setting. In general the D3 launches and spins a bit less than D2. What is interesting with adjustability is that we can change the flight characteristics of both drivers so there is some crossover. The biggest difference then is the D2 has a higher MOI and is a bit more forgiving than D3. So for instance we can fit a player that needs reduced launch and spin but also needs forgiveness into a D2 because of the adjustability. And we have fit some players into D3 because they prefer the smaller headsize but might have needed the additional launch of a D2. Adjustability has given the fitter and player much more flexibility.

 

Huge thanks to Chris, Steve, Cliff and Titleist for being so open, sharing, fitting and answering so many questions.

 

[bwelshmit]

Excellent information. I look forward to a Titleist fitting at the facility someday myself. Thank you Tim, Golfspy and Titleist.

[Matt Saternus]

Thanks, Tim, and thanks to Titleist for taking the time to answer all the questions. As has been said before, it's interesting to see how different manufacturers/fitters answer the same question differently. It seems one of Titleist's big things is the outdoor & short game elements of the fitting, which I think are really nice.

[ninetails]

Nice read. Thanks Tim and Titleist.

[GolfSpy Tim]

Totally, I think the outdoor part of this really made it an amazing experience. And being fit in the short game area was awesome (though it was the shortest part, and I feel like the biggest thing about the short game part was the fitter already knowing my swing and my divots, it made the short game part simple as could be)