For 14 years, Michael Greller has watched Jordan Spieth dial in his equipment under the expert eye of JJ Van Wezenbeeck and the Titleist Tour team. This year, Spieth and Van Wezenbeeck flipped the script—putting the fitting spotlight on Greller and the clubs he’s been playing since before Jordan won his first major.
I’ve never hit a ball that high in my life.
– Michael Greller
Getting to Know the Player
“He’s better than he says he is,” Spieth said. “He’s a low-ball hitter. One-window guy. Strong grip. He scraps it around and gets the ball in the hole.”
Greller knows who he is as a player. “I’ve got a very strong grip. I forward press a lot. I’ve never really been able to get the ball in the air,” he said. “Especially with the long irons.”
Van Wezenbeeck saw it immediately. “His ball flight was low. He’s a strong-face player with an in-to-out move,” he said. “His peak height was sitting between 65 and 70 feet, with land angles around 38 to 39 degrees. That’s not going to stop on a green.”
Reaching New Heights
As is the case with all Titleist iron fittings, the session focused on three key elements: Distance, to create proper gapping through the set; Dispersion, to tighten left-to-right consistency; and—what proved to the most critical for Greller—Descent, increasing peak height and land angle so shots could hit and hold a green.
The hour-long fitting started with some baseline shots with Greller’s 12-year-old gamers. Within a few swings it became clear that his swing mechanics and equipment setup were working against him. A strong grip and forward press made it near impossible to reach an optimal peak height to provide a land angle steep enough to properly attack a green.
That’s when Van Wezenbeeck went to work. He started with the T150, which improved distance and dispersion but still lacked the critical descent Greller needed. After some more tinkering the three found the T250 (adjusted to 1º weak) unlocked something special.
“When JJ handed me the T250, I was hitting shots that were flying through windows I didn’t think I could hit,” Greller said.
“My old dispersion was pretty great,” he joked. “And by great, I mean everywhere. With these, the mishits were still in play. I had a tighter window, and the height on all of them was more consistent.”
He added, “Before, I’d look at a front pin on a par 3 and just hope the ball rolled out the right way. Now I feel like I can hit that number and actually stop it.”
To reshape the top end of the bag, Van Wezenbeeck introduced a GT1 Hybrid and GT1 7W, replacing Greller’s traditional long irons.
“We were able to get him up to about 85 to 90 feet of peak height and just over 40 degrees on the land angle,” said Van Wezenbeeck. “Now he has two long iron replacements that are going to stop.”
Greller had carried a 3- and 4-iron for years. Seeing those clubs replaced was unexpected—but effective. “When JJ handed me a 7-wood, I thought, ‘Really?’ But then I hit it. The trajectory was night and day.”
When JJ handed me the T250, I was hitting shots that were flying through windows I didn’t think I could hit.
– Michael Greller
What Tour Players Do That Most Amateurs Don’t
“About 80% of the guys on Tour blend their sets,” said Van Wezenbeeck. “But only about 20% of amateurs do the same.”
Spieth put it simply, “It’s just about getting the right gaps and the right windows. You see guys now stop at 5-iron, then go hybrid or even 7-wood. It depends on what your game needs.”
Greller said the change in mindset clicked. “I’ve seen Jordan treat his clubs like tools—14 clubs, 14 purposes. I never thought of my own set that way. This was the first time I did.”
Not Just for Tour Players
“I always thought fittings were for scratch players,” Greller said. “Turns out, I was wrong. Even if you’re an eight or a 20 handicap, there’s something to gain. I saw it in the height, the feel, the dispersion—all of it.”
Van Wezenbeeck sees that often. “A lot of players say, ‘I’m not good enough for this.’ But they’re the ones who can gain the most. You don’t have to change your swing. You just need to give yourself better tools.”
A New Reason to Play
“I’ve seen the best in the world hit shots every day,” Greller said. “And sometimes I think I can still play, and then I go out and get frustrated. Today, I hit some shots I haven’t hit in a long time—maybe ever.”
He’s not trading in the yardage book anytime soon. Spieth’s game will always come first. But after a day of hitting shots that he didn’t think he had, the clubs in his own bag suddenly feel a little more dialed.
“I’m excited to get them out at Chambers Bay and Gold Mountain,” Greller said. “Play a few more rounds, compete a little harder—and maybe get back in my nephews’ pockets while I’m at it.”