#TheWRX: The EPIC Event at Callaway Golf. 8 Members are treated to TheWRX

[Tbone1976]

I don't post very often, but I have read every page of this thread at one point or another, as well as many other topics on this amazing site. To the 8 that went, were any of you fit into a shaft or shaft/head combo that maybe you didn't expect... i.e. Shaft weight, flex, launch characteristics,, etc?

 

Thank you all for your continued contributions to this thread and to the site.

 

Tony

[MtlJeff]

I don't post very often, but I have read every page of this thread at one point or another, as well as many other topics on this amazing site. To the 8 that went, were any of you fit into a shaft or shaft/head combo that maybe you didn't expect... i.e. Shaft weight, flex, launch characteristics,, etc?

 

Thank you all for your continued contributions to this thread and to the site.

 

Tony

 

I think we addressed this on like page 32, i can't believe you missed it!

 

LOL, just messing with you. Long thread and all

 

A bit of a joke with me was that i was fit into the same shafts i was already playing. S300 in irons, D+ in woods (though to be fair while i've used D+ in driver a ton, the actual driver i brought had the very similar Ahina and not a D+, though my backup driver, a Ping G20, had a D+). When i started my fitting while talking to my fitter, i joked with him "Fit me into anything, just not Diamanas and S300's" ....Of course that's what i ended up getting. I felt pretty good knowing that i had a good idea about what worked for me. But it also kinda was a bummer because i wanted to play the latest cool shafts

 

I wanted so bad to like Nippons because they are the hot shaft right now, but i didn't like them and hit them fairly high and spun them a lot. With driver shafts i hit a few of the Hzrdus line of shafts, and also another old favorite, the Matrix Black Tie

 

So yeah....it was kinda boring. A bunch of pages ago a poster asked me about getting fit into the most boring stuff of any of us LOL

[Sean2]

I don't post very often, but I have read every page of this thread at one point or another, as well as many other topics on this amazing site. To the 8 that went, were any of you fit into a shaft or shaft/head combo that maybe you didn't expect... i.e. Shaft weight, flex, launch characteristics,, etc?

 

Thank you all for your continued contributions to this thread and to the site.

 

Tony

 

Thanks for the kind words Tony.

 

And yes, to answer your question. I was put in stiff shafts for every club but the driver. I have always played regular flex, so this was a surprise for me. I still hit the ball plenty high (but not as high), and a bit straighter. I have also gained distance across the board.

[Dirt farmer]

I think we had a great group of guys go and the responses of guys following along were for the most part very constructive. There's trolls for every brand and it's hard not to snap back. Taylormade and Callaway probably get the brunt of them though.

 

Speaking of Taylormade, I see Golfwrx has another trip planned and is taking a few WRXers to their facility. That should be a great time and I'm excited to see who gets picked. These OEM's are really going out of their way to involve the consumer more and more.

 

We did have a great group. We got along great together, gave each other the needle at times, and just had a blast

 

 

That's what I love about golf :golfer: ...good groups, having a great time together and the occasional great shot!

[3_Jack_Par]

Did any of you guys who hit the SZ find that moving the heavier weight forward changed the feel of the strike? I hit one today and the numbers I was getting with the weight back were really good -- spin in the 2300 area, ball speed about 2-3 mph faster than my gamer with other stats just about identical -- so I'm not someone that would likely be helped by playing it with the weight forward, but I wanted to hit it set up that way just to see if it would change much. It definitely changed. I hit it a few times in that setup, and in addition to the fact that I found it harder to find the center of the clubface, I thought it really changed the feel in a negative way. It didn't even feel like the same driver. Really weird that it would be that much of a difference, but it felt consistently bad in that configuration. Not really relevant since I wouldn't play it that way anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed that?

I did some testing with the Epic SZ that I just got, and I might have to walk this back. Unlike my earlier testing, with the weight back, I was seeing spin around 3000, so I moved the heavier weight forward, and the feel seemed about the same, and the spin dropped to as low as 2200 on good strikes. It actually didn't seem too bad when it came to forgiveness, either, though, I'm still leery of playing it that way. I ordered it an inch short, and after a grip change, the swingweight is about D1, and I'd like to bring that up, so I think I'm going to look into getting a 6 or 8 gram weight and play with that, to try to find the happy medium of low spin and forgiveness.

[Sean2]

^^^^I was the member that hit the occasional one. :-)

[misplacedtexan83]

Did any of you guys who hit the SZ find that moving the heavier weight forward changed the feel of the strike? I hit one today and the numbers I was getting with the weight back were really good -- spin in the 2300 area, ball speed about 2-3 mph faster than my gamer with other stats just about identical -- so I'm not someone that would likely be helped by playing it with the weight forward, but I wanted to hit it set up that way just to see if it would change much. It definitely changed. I hit it a few times in that setup, and in addition to the fact that I found it harder to find the center of the clubface, I thought it really changed the feel in a negative way. It didn't even feel like the same driver. Really weird that it would be that much of a difference, but it felt consistently bad in that configuration. Not really relevant since I wouldn't play it that way anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed that?

I did some testing with the Epic SZ that I just got, and I might have to walk this back. Unlike my earlier testing, with the weight back, I was seeing spin around 3000, so I moved the heavier weight forward, and the feel seemed about the same, and the spin dropped to as low as 2200 on good strikes. It actually didn't seem too bad when it came to forgiveness, either, though, I'm still leery of playing it that way. I ordered it an inch short, and after a grip change, the swingweight is about D1, and I'd like to bring that up, so I think I'm going to look into getting a 6 or 8 gram weight and play with that, to try to find the happy medium of low spin and forgiveness.

 

Did request the SW to be stock?

 

Anything under 45 and they should be providing a different weight in the bottom (other than 2g) to bring up the SW back to stock (D3).

[3_Jack_Par]

Did any of you guys who hit the SZ find that moving the heavier weight forward changed the feel of the strike? I hit one today and the numbers I was getting with the weight back were really good -- spin in the 2300 area, ball speed about 2-3 mph faster than my gamer with other stats just about identical -- so I'm not someone that would likely be helped by playing it with the weight forward, but I wanted to hit it set up that way just to see if it would change much. It definitely changed. I hit it a few times in that setup, and in addition to the fact that I found it harder to find the center of the clubface, I thought it really changed the feel in a negative way. It didn't even feel like the same driver. Really weird that it would be that much of a difference, but it felt consistently bad in that configuration. Not really relevant since I wouldn't play it that way anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed that?

I did some testing with the Epic SZ that I just got, and I might have to walk this back. Unlike my earlier testing, with the weight back, I was seeing spin around 3000, so I moved the heavier weight forward, and the feel seemed about the same, and the spin dropped to as low as 2200 on good strikes. It actually didn't seem too bad when it came to forgiveness, either, though, I'm still leery of playing it that way. I ordered it an inch short, and after a grip change, the swingweight is about D1, and I'd like to bring that up, so I think I'm going to look into getting a 6 or 8 gram weight and play with that, to try to find the happy medium of low spin and forgiveness.

 

Did request the SW to be stock?

 

Anything under 45 and they should be providing a different weight in the bottom (other than 2g) to bring up the SW back to stock (D3).

I asked for D3 and was told they do not accommodate swingweight requests. I can understand that the difference in weights is the thing with the SZ, but you'd think they could put in a couple heavier than stock weights the same difference apart to adjust the swingweight when people want it shorter than stock length. Before I put my preferred Pure grip on it, the SW was around C9 with the heavier NDMC on it.

I have some lead tape on it right now, but probably going to find a weight kit and experiment a little.

Next question: is there anywhere to get weights for the SZ? I see Golfworks has weights that fit last year's Callaway drivers, but I don't know if they're the same size.

 

Honestly, it's pretty irritating to buy a new driver and have to jump through these hoops to get it to a reasonable swingweight, when other companies do that as a standard part for any custom order. Callaway has a good reputation for service, and this seems like they're dropping the ball a bit.

[nwlim]

Looking forward to my epic fitting on the 18th!

[minteq]

Did any of you guys who hit the SZ find that moving the heavier weight forward changed the feel of the strike? I hit one today and the numbers I was getting with the weight back were really good -- spin in the 2300 area, ball speed about 2-3 mph faster than my gamer with other stats just about identical -- so I'm not someone that would likely be helped by playing it with the weight forward, but I wanted to hit it set up that way just to see if it would change much. It definitely changed. I hit it a few times in that setup, and in addition to the fact that I found it harder to find the center of the clubface, I thought it really changed the feel in a negative way. It didn't even feel like the same driver. Really weird that it would be that much of a difference, but it felt consistently bad in that configuration. Not really relevant since I wouldn't play it that way anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed that?

I did some testing with the Epic SZ that I just got, and I might have to walk this back. Unlike my earlier testing, with the weight back, I was seeing spin around 3000, so I moved the heavier weight forward, and the feel seemed about the same, and the spin dropped to as low as 2200 on good strikes. It actually didn't seem too bad when it came to forgiveness, either, though, I'm still leery of playing it that way. I ordered it an inch short, and after a grip change, the swingweight is about D1, and I'd like to bring that up, so I think I'm going to look into getting a 6 or 8 gram weight and play with that, to try to find the happy medium of low spin and forgiveness.

 

Did request the SW to be stock?

 

Anything under 45 and they should be providing a different weight in the bottom (other than 2g) to bring up the SW back to stock (D3).

I asked for D3 and was told they do not accommodate swingweight requests. I can understand that the difference in weights is the thing with the SZ, but you'd think they could put in a couple heavier than stock weights the same difference apart to adjust the swingweight when people want it shorter than stock length. Before I put my preferred Pure grip on it, the SW was around C9 with the heavier NDMC on it.

I have some lead tape on it right now, but probably going to find a weight kit and experiment a little.

Next question: is there anywhere to get weights for the SZ? I see Golfworks has weights that fit last year's Callaway drivers, but I don't know if they're the same size.

 

Honestly, it's pretty irritating to buy a new driver and have to jump through these hoops to get it to a reasonable swingweight, when other companies do that as a standard part for any custom order. Callaway has a good reputation for service, and this seems like they're dropping the ball a bit.

 

I ordered mine at 45", SW at D3, they made it 45" SW at D3.

[misplacedtexan83]

Did any of you guys who hit the SZ find that moving the heavier weight forward changed the feel of the strike? I hit one today and the numbers I was getting with the weight back were really good -- spin in the 2300 area, ball speed about 2-3 mph faster than my gamer with other stats just about identical -- so I'm not someone that would likely be helped by playing it with the weight forward, but I wanted to hit it set up that way just to see if it would change much. It definitely changed. I hit it a few times in that setup, and in addition to the fact that I found it harder to find the center of the clubface, I thought it really changed the feel in a negative way. It didn't even feel like the same driver. Really weird that it would be that much of a difference, but it felt consistently bad in that configuration. Not really relevant since I wouldn't play it that way anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed that?

I did some testing with the Epic SZ that I just got, and I might have to walk this back. Unlike my earlier testing, with the weight back, I was seeing spin around 3000, so I moved the heavier weight forward, and the feel seemed about the same, and the spin dropped to as low as 2200 on good strikes. It actually didn't seem too bad when it came to forgiveness, either, though, I'm still leery of playing it that way. I ordered it an inch short, and after a grip change, the swingweight is about D1, and I'd like to bring that up, so I think I'm going to look into getting a 6 or 8 gram weight and play with that, to try to find the happy medium of low spin and forgiveness.

 

Did request the SW to be stock?

 

Anything under 45 and they should be providing a different weight in the bottom (other than 2g) to bring up the SW back to stock (D3).

I asked for D3 and was told they do not accommodate swingweight requests. I can understand that the difference in weights is the thing with the SZ, but you'd think they could put in a couple heavier than stock weights the same difference apart to adjust the swingweight when people want it shorter than stock length. Before I put my preferred Pure grip on it, the SW was around C9 with the heavier NDMC on it.

I have some lead tape on it right now, but probably going to find a weight kit and experiment a little.

Next question: is there anywhere to get weights for the SZ? I see Golfworks has weights that fit last year's Callaway drivers, but I don't know if they're the same size.

 

Honestly, it's pretty irritating to buy a new driver and have to jump through these hoops to get it to a reasonable swingweight, when other companies do that as a standard part for any custom order. Callaway has a good reputation for service, and this seems like they're dropping the ball a bit.

 

I would call back, because more than a few people have gotten a 7 gram instead of a 2 to make up for being under stock length. Unless all of these people are a Callaway staffers (teaching pros) but I doubt all of them.

 

I would Call back.

[3_Jack_Par]

Did any of you guys who hit the SZ find that moving the heavier weight forward changed the feel of the strike? I hit one today and the numbers I was getting with the weight back were really good -- spin in the 2300 area, ball speed about 2-3 mph faster than my gamer with other stats just about identical -- so I'm not someone that would likely be helped by playing it with the weight forward, but I wanted to hit it set up that way just to see if it would change much. It definitely changed. I hit it a few times in that setup, and in addition to the fact that I found it harder to find the center of the clubface, I thought it really changed the feel in a negative way. It didn't even feel like the same driver. Really weird that it would be that much of a difference, but it felt consistently bad in that configuration. Not really relevant since I wouldn't play it that way anyway, but I was wondering if anyone else noticed that?

I did some testing with the Epic SZ that I just got, and I might have to walk this back. Unlike my earlier testing, with the weight back, I was seeing spin around 3000, so I moved the heavier weight forward, and the feel seemed about the same, and the spin dropped to as low as 2200 on good strikes. It actually didn't seem too bad when it came to forgiveness, either, though, I'm still leery of playing it that way. I ordered it an inch short, and after a grip change, the swingweight is about D1, and I'd like to bring that up, so I think I'm going to look into getting a 6 or 8 gram weight and play with that, to try to find the happy medium of low spin and forgiveness.

 

Did request the SW to be stock?

 

Anything under 45 and they should be providing a different weight in the bottom (other than 2g) to bring up the SW back to stock (D3).

I asked for D3 and was told they do not accommodate swingweight requests. I can understand that the difference in weights is the thing with the SZ, but you'd think they could put in a couple heavier than stock weights the same difference apart to adjust the swingweight when people want it shorter than stock length. Before I put my preferred Pure grip on it, the SW was around C9 with the heavier NDMC on it.

I have some lead tape on it right now, but probably going to find a weight kit and experiment a little.

Next question: is there anywhere to get weights for the SZ? I see Golfworks has weights that fit last year's Callaway drivers, but I don't know if they're the same size.

 

Honestly, it's pretty irritating to buy a new driver and have to jump through these hoops to get it to a reasonable swingweight, when other companies do that as a standard part for any custom order. Callaway has a good reputation for service, and this seems like they're dropping the ball a bit.

 

I would call back, because more than a few people have gotten a 7 gram instead of a 2 to make up for being under stock length. Unless all of these people are a Callaway staffers (teaching pros) but I doubt all of them.

 

I would Call back.

I haven't personally talked to anyone at Callaway yet, so it's possible I got bad info from Discount Dan's, but it sounded like they were just relaying what Callaway told them. They were able to request length and tipping, so I don't know why they'd be able to ask for those customizations and not swingweight, especially when I am just looking to get it at D3, which is the stock swingweight.

I have an email in to Callaway now, do we'll see what they say.

[misplacedtexan83]

3JP...

 

Let us know.. Will DD check the tipping before shipping or does it come straight from Callaway? Callaway doesn't keep record or send any proof that customization has been completed---this part is a little frustrating..

[3_Jack_Par]

3JP...

 

Let us know.. Will DD check the tipping before shipping or does it come straight from Callaway? Callaway doesn't keep record or send any proof that customization has been completed---this part is a little frustrating..

It shipped direct from Callaway. Looking at the packing slip, it doesn't actually say anything about tipping, just that it was built at -1". DDs told me that tipping and length adjustments were no issue, but now I'm wondering if the tipping was done as requested. It's not a huge deal either way,as I'm probably going to put a Callaway adapter on my Rogue 125 and put that into it anyway, but it would be nice to know if the tipping was done as I ordered it. Either way, performance seems fine with the shaft, so it's more of an academic question.

[misplacedtexan83]

3JP...

 

Let us know.. Will DD check the tipping before shipping or does it come straight from Callaway? Callaway doesn't keep record or send any proof that customization has been completed---this part is a little frustrating..

It shipped direct from Callaway. Looking at the packing slip, it doesn't actually say anything about tipping, just that it was built at -1". DDs told me that tipping and length adjustments were no issue, but now I'm wondering if the tipping was done as requested. It's not a huge deal either way,as I'm probably going to put a Callaway adapter on my Rogue 125 and put that into it anyway, but it would be nice to know if the tipping was done as I ordered it. Either way, performance seems fine with the shaft, so it's more of an academic question.

 

Yeah I went through it with mine. Inquire with the customer service about tipping and they said they saw the note.

 

Never measured it but I had one untipped and the other tipped so I could see a difference.

 

So do you have it now? What are the bottom weights?

[3_Jack_Par]

3JP...

 

Let us know.. Will DD check the tipping before shipping or does it come straight from Callaway? Callaway doesn't keep record or send any proof that customization has been completed---this part is a little frustrating..

It shipped direct from Callaway. Looking at the packing slip, it doesn't actually say anything about tipping, just that it was built at -1". DDs told me that tipping and length adjustments were no issue, but now I'm wondering if the tipping was done as requested. It's not a huge deal either way,as I'm probably going to put a Callaway adapter on my Rogue 125 and put that into it anyway, but it would be nice to know if the tipping was done as I ordered it. Either way, performance seems fine with the shaft, so it's more of an academic question.

 

Yeah I went through it with mine. Inquire with the customer service about tipping and they said they saw the note.

 

Never measured it but I had one untipped and the other tipped so I could see a difference.

 

So do you have it now? What is the bottom weights?

Yes I have it and the weights are the standard ones - 2g and 12g

[misplacedtexan83]

3JP...

 

Let us know.. Will DD check the tipping before shipping or does it come straight from Callaway? Callaway doesn't keep record or send any proof that customization has been completed---this part is a little frustrating..

It shipped direct from Callaway. Looking at the packing slip, it doesn't actually say anything about tipping, just that it was built at -1". DDs told me that tipping and length adjustments were no issue, but now I'm wondering if the tipping was done as requested. It's not a huge deal either way,as I'm probably going to put a Callaway adapter on my Rogue 125 and put that into it anyway, but it would be nice to know if the tipping was done as I ordered it. Either way, performance seems fine with the shaft, so it's more of an academic question.

 

Yeah I went through it with mine. Inquire with the customer service about tipping and they said they saw the note.

 

Never measured it but I had one untipped and the other tipped so I could see a difference.

 

So do you have it now? What is the bottom weights?

Yes I have it and the weights are the standard ones - 2g and 12g

 

Thats a bummer.. Did you contact Callaway?

 

Im really interested because Im thinking of going 44 or 44.5 as well but the Epic GBB version.

[3_Jack_Par]

Thats a bummer.. Did you contact Callaway?

 

Im really interested because Im thinking of going 44 or 44.5 as well but the Epic GBB version.

Yeah, sent an email this morning through their website. It said I'd get a response within 48 hours. I'm not in a huge rush, and I'm hoping to get an answer in writing that I can share on the board, but if the answer Isn't to my satisfaction, I'll call to start bothering them.

[misplacedtexan83]

Thats a bummer.. Did you contact Callaway?

 

Im really interested because Im thinking of going 44 or 44.5 as well but the Epic GBB version.

Yeah, sent an email this morning through their website. It said I'd get a response within 48 hours. I'm not in a huge rush, and I'm hoping to get an answer in writing that I can share on the board, but if the answer Isn't to my satisfaction, I'll call to start bothering them.

 

Please do since I'll more in likely be chasing the rabbit down a hole on a shorter driver..

[3_Jack_Par]

Thats a bummer.. Did you contact Callaway?

 

Im really interested because Im thinking of going 44 or 44.5 as well but the Epic GBB version.

Yeah, sent an email this morning through their website. It said I'd get a response within 48 hours. I'm not in a huge rush, and I'm hoping to get an answer in writing that I can share on the board, but if the answer Isn't to my satisfaction, I'll call to start bothering them.

 

Please do since I'll more in likely be chasing the rabbit down a hole on a shorter driver..

I was kind of wondering if any of the Callaway people were still monitoring this thread and might weigh in. I'll report back with whatever response I get.

[MtlJeff]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

[Sean2]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

 

I don't understand that. Many professionals play sub 45-inch shafts. I'm sure Ping could probably accommodate you.

[3_Jack_Par]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

 

I don't understand that. Many professionals play sub 45-inch shafts. I'm sure Ping could probably accommodate you.

Ping and Titleist will definitely adjust the weights in the clubheads for shorter lengths when you order from them. I believe TaylorMade also does that, but don't quote me on that. I definitely kind of understand with the Sub Zero how Callaway would be a little reluctant to mess with the weights, since a core piece of the technology of the head is that the difference between the two weights in the head affects spin and MOI, and if you start changing the weights around, it can change the characteristics of the head. I'm no engineer, so I don't totally understand the impact, but it seems that if they put two heavier weights in it that are the same difference in weight as the 2 and 12 gram weights, it would keep the performance characteristics the same. Maybe I'm wrong about that. But shipping a club with a swingweight of C9 doesn't seem like a good solution, either.

[MtlJeff]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

 

I don't understand that. Many professionals play sub 45-inch shafts. I'm sure Ping could probably accommodate you.

Ping and Titleist will definitely adjust the weights in the clubheads for shorter lengths when you order from them. I believe TaylorMade also does that, but don't quote me on that. I definitely kind of understand with the Sub Zero how Callaway would be a little reluctant to mess with the weights, since a core piece of the technology of the head is that the difference between the two weights in the head affects spin and MOI, and if you start changing the weights around, it can change the characteristics of the head. I'm no engineer, so I don't totally understand the impact, but it seems that if they put two heavier weights in it that are the same difference in weight as the 2 and 12 gram weights, it would keep the performance characteristics the same. Maybe I'm wrong about that. But shipping a club with a swingweight of C9 doesn't seem like a good solution, either.

 

As it happens Ping was one of the OEM's who told me they would not guarantee it. Just that they'd do what they could. In my original post they were the ones I basically quoted.

 

Wishon was the only one who I contacted that said they could for sure do it.

[3_Jack_Par]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

 

I don't understand that. Many professionals play sub 45-inch shafts. I'm sure Ping could probably accommodate you.

Ping and Titleist will definitely adjust the weights in the clubheads for shorter lengths when you order from them. I believe TaylorMade also does that, but don't quote me on that. I definitely kind of understand with the Sub Zero how Callaway would be a little reluctant to mess with the weights, since a core piece of the technology of the head is that the difference between the two weights in the head affects spin and MOI, and if you start changing the weights around, it can change the characteristics of the head. I'm no engineer, so I don't totally understand the impact, but it seems that if they put two heavier weights in it that are the same difference in weight as the 2 and 12 gram weights, it would keep the performance characteristics the same. Maybe I'm wrong about that. But shipping a club with a swingweight of C9 doesn't seem like a good solution, either.

 

As it happens Ping was one of the OEM's who told me they would not guarantee it. Just that they'd do what they could. In my original post they were the ones I basically quoted.

 

Wishon was the only one who I contacted that said they could for sure do it.

That's weird. I've ordered from them before and they just put a heavier weight in the head to bring the swingweight up to what I requested. I think a lot of this is a matter of who you talk to. It would be good if the different companies would train their customer service people a little better, though I'm guessing those of us who care about this stuff are a pretty small minority compared to the rest of the market that is largely content to buy off the rack.

[Hot Rod 71]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

 

I don't understand that. Many professionals play sub 45-inch shafts. I'm sure Ping could probably accommodate you.

 

The difference is these professionals players have the luxury of access to a tour van every week. While the tour vans may deal with 50-100 players each week, they have several people working in the vans and every tool at their immediate disposal, including hot-melt machines.

 

Its much easier to accommodate 50-100 orders over the span of two or three days across 5 or 6 tour vans than the thousands of orders coming in every day to a single OEM.

[Tcann32]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

 

I don't understand that. Many professionals play sub 45-inch shafts. I'm sure Ping could probably accommodate you.

Ping and Titleist will definitely adjust the weights in the clubheads for shorter lengths when you order from them. I believe TaylorMade also does that, but don't quote me on that. I definitely kind of understand with the Sub Zero how Callaway would be a little reluctant to mess with the weights, since a core piece of the technology of the head is that the difference between the two weights in the head affects spin and MOI, and if you start changing the weights around, it can change the characteristics of the head. I'm no engineer, so I don't totally understand the impact, but it seems that if they put two heavier weights in it that are the same difference in weight as the 2 and 12 gram weights, it would keep the performance characteristics the same. Maybe I'm wrong about that. But shipping a club with a swingweight of C9 doesn't seem like a good solution, either.

 

As it happens Ping was one of the OEM's who told me they would not guarantee it. Just that they'd do what they could. In my original post they were the ones I basically quoted.

 

Wishon was the only one who I contacted that said they could for sure do it.

That's weird. I've ordered from them before and they just put a heavier weight in the head to bring the swingweight up to what I requested. I think a lot of this is a matter of who you talk to. It would be good if the different companies would train their customer service people a little better, though I'm guessing those of us who care about this stuff are a pretty small minority compared to the rest of the market that is largely content to buy off the rack.

 

I think you're spot on with "it matters who you talk to." Through all my experiences in golf equipment, and any other retail environment for that matter, you'll get the guy who A: knows his stuff, and B: is willing to go a little above and beyond, if it isn't necessarily standard operating procedure.

 

Or else you'll get the CSR who doesn't really understand what you're talking about, and will just say no because the situation requires more than they have to offer. I'm not knocking people who don't know a ton of technical information, as some people just aren't as passionate about what they do, as others, but it's the ones who just really don't care to do anything extra to answer a question that bothers me.

 

It's off topic, but a funny example of the latter: I called a big box store the other night and asked if they had any inventory left on a particular item that I had seen on sale the prior week. I got the response: "I'm not sure, if we do, it'd be in our clearance section. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

 

In my head, I'm just thinking to myself: Now, can you guess what the next logical step would be in this situation, and what I am probably going to be asking you next? My answer: "Yes there is, can you transfer me to someone who can help me out by telling me if there is any inventory left of this product so I don't have to drive there to go look in the clearance section?"

 

A: "Oh, I guess I could go look for it quick if you would like."

 

Yes, that would be very helpful, thank you.

 

To clarify, it was 8 at night and not a busy time of day, and I don't expect any over the top treatment, but I've worked retail enough in the past to know that my managers would always want me to give good service, and do what I could to answer the customers question. As a manager, I expected the same of my employees, and I guess I've just come to expect that most other retail workers would be expected to do the same thing. It's your job. lol

[misplacedtexan83]

As I was told, anything 45 or less should be adjusted. However, I don't know if it has to be requested.

 

I know one guy received a 7 gram and 12 gram, which seems like it would be similar to stock...one weight less and one heavier.

 

It's funny that OEM hasn't realized that many people will pay extra to have their equipment built to the degree tour guys do--- i felt Callaway was heading in this direction with the Fusion option at 44.5...hoping I don't get let down.

[Sean2]

Be interested to hear what they say too....FWIW when i wanted to order a 44.5 inch driver a couple of years ago, a couple of major OEMs basically said the same thing, that they would not guarantee swingweight they would just do the best they could.

 

In the end i wasn't satisfied with that and ordered a Wishon

 

I don't understand that. Many professionals play sub 45-inch shafts. I'm sure Ping could probably accommodate you.

 

The difference is these professionals players have the luxury of access to a tour van every week. While the tour vans may deal with 50-100 players each week, they have several people working in the vans and every tool at their immediate disposal, including hot-melt machines.

 

Its much easier to accommodate 50-100 orders over the span of two or three days across 5 or 6 tour vans than the thousands of orders coming in every day to a single OEM.

 

I can see that, but I don't think you would get all that many people asking for a sub-45 inch driver.

[TM_HOYER]

Please don't interpret what I stated as encouragement to disregard your doctor's directives. It didn't occur to me that it might have come across that way until I reread my post. He's obviously a helluva lot smarter than I am and if you're like me the last that you need is another smartazz influencing you to do even more stupid stuff!

 

I get the sense that we're both the kind of guys that probably played football, basketball and baseball with torn and sprained tendons and ligaments, cracked bones and jammed joints. The problem is, you're only eight foot tall and bulletproof for so long. After that, you're just stupid. Learning where the breaking point occurs is kind of important in how your quality of life will shake out for whatever productive future you have left. I've always erred on the side of doing more rather than less but even that has its limitations.

 

I will say, however, that when undergoing the "block" be sure to listen VERY carefully to the doc and make sure that you provide him with the most accurate feedback possible when he asks about pain, tingling, etc. as he maneuvers the needle around. Any misinterpretation of this process could result in him burning out the wrong nerve clusters. Not that that in and of itself is harmful it's just that the offending nerves will remain unaffected as will your pain.

 

Also, be patient regarding the recovery. The burned nerves will be very "angry" for up to three weeks and it can take that long for them to actually "die". In my case, I always feel way better immediately after the procedure but that's primary due to the numbing agents injected in the area prior to the procedure - much like the epidural and block. However, within a couple of days you might notice a slight increase in discomfort as the anesthesia wears off and the nerves start throwing tantrums. Do not despair - it's just part of the deal. In fact, I have found that the journey to "pain free" sometimes is akin to when your foot falls asleep. It's somewhat uncomfortable while it's "waking up" but then suddenly and almost without you even realizing it, it's awake and back to normal. It's not always (in fact, seldom) a night to day deal.

 

Again, best of luck. If you have any specific questions that I might be able to help answer feel free to PM me. I know that going into it for the first time can be a little daunting and mess with your head. I'm no doc but I am a "veteran" of the war on back pain!

 

I got a lumbar medial branch block yesterday (not a facet block). There was a injection of the medial branch nerve on each side of the facet at L2, L3, L4, and L5. The doctor wants me to wait 10 days and then go hit some balls. That will give him an idea of how the procedure is working. If the weather is good I might try and get out and play 9 holes the weekend of the 25th. I really want to try out the Epic, Chrome Soft X balls, and the O-Works #1W that should be delivered by then. Plus I had my BB Fusion fairways reshafted with Fujikura Pro 73 by Club Champion, so I will want to get them a try and I got a Nikon VR 80i using a Christmas gift card. So lots of new toys to play with.