First time poster, long time lurker. First and foremost, thank you to Cathi and Chris for all of their help. I've ordered a number of custom clubs from Titleist over the past month, and I constantly harass them about shipping dates to make sure someone is home to receive the clubs. They've been gracious and knowledgeable every time I've called, and I truly appreciate the customer service they have provided.
I didn't know where to put this post because it covers clubs, balls, custom fitting for clubs, and the general excellence that is Titleist. I had the opportunity to visit TPI Oceanside in May for a custom fitting for the entire bag, and it was an incredibly informative experience. Mike Gibson welcomed me at the front desk, showed me around the facilities, and then turned me over to Robert Bunn, who was my club fitter for the day.
Robert had a challenge in front of him, as I hadn't played a full round of golf with my own ball in over 6 years and was coming off ACL reconstruction last December. To give you an idea of how long it had been since I consistently played golf, my bag had a SQ driver, Steelhead III three wood, 975D five wood, first edition swoosh Pro Combo irons, and three Vokeys from the 200 series. Also, my swing is challenging because I generate a lot of clubhead speed in an "unorthodox" manner, which means I generally tend to have a two-way miss with serious distance to go along with it. The holy trinity of bad golf, and something I wouldn't wish on any club fitter.
Undeterred, Robert took me through the whole bag, starting with the driver, moving to the fairway woods and hybrids, onto the irons, and finally finishing up with wedges. We focused primarily on avoiding the sharp hook, and also on making sure that when I lost it right, it was playable instead of OB. And in addition to being an excellent fitter, Robert also gave me setup advice that almost instantly turned me into a better ball striker and helped me narrow my dispersion pattern.
After hitting a huge number of balls and viewing the Trackman numbers, we narrowed down the shafts to provide consistent gaps throughout the set. We settled on the following setup: 915D3 (9.5 degrees) with a S+ Blue 70 in X-Stiff, 915F (15 degrees) with a S+ Blue 80 in X-Stiff and tipped 1/2", 915H (21 degrees) with a Rogue Black 85H in X-Stiff and tipped 1", 714 AP2s in Project X PXI 6.5, and three SM5 wedges. We also discovered that the Pro V1X was the best ball for me given the Trackman numbers. All in all, it was an excellent experience, and one that opened up my eyes as to how much shafts and proper fitting can change ball flight and dispersion patterns.
I came home and ordered the AP2s and wedges right away, and now I'm waiting on the 915F and 915H to be delivered.*** Having played irons from swoosh, png, TM and cally, I can say without hesitation that the AP2s are the best iron I've hit. They have the perfect combination of feel and forgiveness, and they are beautiful clubs at address. In previous iron sets, I could find forgiveness or feel, but never both. With the AP2s, I get feedback on poor shots without the torture of watching my ball fall 30 yards short and right of the target.
I'm preaching to the choir here, but if you ever get the chance to experience the custom fitting at a TPI location, you absolutely should do it. It will open your eyes to how much club fitting can make a difference, even for a relatively poor golfer such as myself.
*** Cathi and Chris, I'll be calling you Monday to check on my shipping date for the 915F and 915H. :)