Went to Club Champion and got the whole bag fitted.

[skyryder]

I was not satisfied with what I was doing with my clubs.  My bag looked like a rummage sale and nothing seemed to work.  I wasn't really unhappy with any particular item but some worked, some didn't and I didn't know where to start.  I decided to not spend $400 on a club I didn't know would do any good and instead got a whole bag fitting at Club Champion.  A couple of weeks before the fitting I sent a few Trackman reports the the person that was scheduled to do my fitting.  As it turns out that was a really good thing to do.  It kept things focused and was a good base level knowledge to begin from.  A note, I asked him not to tell what shaft I was hitting or club model.  I don't care what/who makes it, just want the best performance for my swing.

To begin I hit a few 6 irons with my current club or one as close as possible (all iron fittings are done off the 6 iron until get to wedges).  Then he started with changing shafts and hitting about 5-6 each and keeping the best three.  After taking a few minutes to analyze the shaft performance (using Trackman) data we started with clubs on the shaft that performed best.  All the shafts were graphite, again not at my request.  I must have hit 6 different club types.  I know one was the P790's. I know one was Ping, one Muria, one Murano, a Titleist and Callaway Apex 21.  I am currently hitting the Rogue X that is about 4 years old.  I didn't know which clubs were which until after I hit them.  It turns out the Apex 21 were the best of the bunch, the shaft is a KBS TGI 80 shaft.  The distance with the Apex was within a couple of yards of the Rogue, but the dispersion was much tighter with the KBS shaft and it wasn't close.  I settled on a 6-A wedge.  Then tried some wedges and found I like to the Callaway Jaws that I have the best.  Changed which ones I will carry to 52, 56, 60 deg all with the KBS shaft and some lead tape to get the swing weights a little higher.

Then moved to driver, same idea, shaft first, and decided on a new shaft called Brava.  I will admit it came out of nowhere, I guess it is a recent addition to the market.  It is amazing and felt good.  I was using the Sub Zero Callaway 10.5 set to 11.5 and draw bias.  Then hit about 6 different drivers.  The new Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway, Cobra (at my request) and the Ping 425 LST. The only one that made a real difference was the PIng and it again is dramatic.  I picked up 4-5 mph clubhead speed, smash factor is constantly 1.45-1.49, the real change in numbers is the spin rate.  It went from 3100's to 2000-2100 range.  Carry yardage gained about 12-14 yards, and best of all I could find all but one shot I hit with the PIng, I really was amazed.  It feels like hitting butter, smooth and sweet.  

We hit my 3 wood and decided to take it out of the bag.  After a conversation about how I play and what my strategy is on the course decided to go with three hybrids.  the Titleist TRi2 18, 21, 24 lofts and Fujikura Motore X hybrid shaft which covers me from about 190-225ish.  If its' over 225, I will most likely lay up and hit a comfortable wedge to the green.

By the time for the putter fitting I was just about spent, which really a good time to fit a putter, because if I could make anything then, when I am concentrating it should be really good.  Rolled 5 or 6 putters and the EvenRoll 10 Outback Mallet worked the best, but the Odyssey 2-ball Tour Lined 11 was very close.

It was a long day to be sure.  I went to the shop in Charlottesville, VA and Aaron Tew was my fitter.  I could not have asked for a better experience to be honest.  He was knowledgable, professional and truly seemed invested in my fitting.  How long it took didn't enter into the session.  Never once pushed a brand or discussed buying clubs until we finished.  Now when I got the build sheet and the price sheet, it was impressive.  I would need to but the stock clubs and then the shafts, plus the build charge on all except the wedges which I already own.  I asked about options and he was upfront with expectations.  One good thing is if they build your clubs and the performance on the course doesn't match the hitting bay, they will work with you at no additional charge to make it right.  Although I am sure you would pay for a new shaft.

So I went back to Hong Kong to my club builder, he sourced all the shafts.  The KBS were back ordered for a couple of weeks.  I found a new Ping 425 HeadLST head on EBay (in Japan), and one of the guys who just buys new clubs had the TSi2 hybrids for sale at half retail.  I bought two of them at the correct loft, and one that I adjusted one degree down to get to the loft I wanted.  I have only hit the set twice at this writing.  The driver makes me smile with every swing and the irons are performing like I hoped.  I haven't bought the putter, but may request it as a Christmas gift.  The hybrids are sweet and I have a lot of confidence or as much as you can have with a few swings.  I will use some of the money I didn't spend on the real issue.....the person gripping the club and see if I can improve that part of the equation, which is usually the biggest issue.

All in all it was the best money I have ever spent of golf equipment.  I know $400 is not cheap, but now I know what should work best and wont be buying single clubs in hope of improving one area.  If I find a set of used Apex irons, I would consider getting them and putting the KBS shafts in them.  I did like the feel and look of the thinner top line.

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Glad to hear you had a great experience and also found clubs that are proper for you and your game!

Thanks for sharing your experience and insights. 

Will be excited to hear how they continue to perform over the coming season(s) for you as well!

How long is your season in Hong Kong? I have travelled a decent amount in Asia, but never to Hong Kong. 

[skyryder]

I am looking forward to getting to use them on "real grass" as well.  The season here is year round.  The weather is not the issue, but playing in the summer with 32-35 deg C temps is brutal with the humidity.  The real issue is access, especially for a single golfer.  It is required to have a valid USGA/R&A handicap to access the booking system for the public courses and there are not many of them around.  The private courses (at least some) do allow guests, but it will hit the wallet hard.  With the border to China closed, my access to the courses I used to ride a train an hour to play ceased in 2020.  I prefer to go to Thailand a few times a year for 3-4 day golf holidays, but plan to try Vietnam and Malaysia soon as well.  I do get to play in a weekly indoor league, and it is a lot of fun, but limits the experience obviously.

[GolfSpy_APH]

It is similar here in Switzerland needing a handicap. Thankfully there is a company called Migro that owns 7 courses which are more reasonable and open to public. 

Really cool that you play year round. Japan is on my bucket list as I was supposed to go a few years back. 

Would love to see photos of the courses you play and can't wait to hear about the clubs in play on grass!