Pure745's 2014 Shootout - Update 6/15/14

[Dizz]

[quote name='dpb5031' timestamp='1400584692' post='9330077']
Bad demo days are a huge disappointment. This year I was all pumped up because my club was going to have 6 manufacturers at demo day, plus the TMAG rep was bringing a Trakman.

All is well and good until I get there for my Trakman session to learn that they were fitting people using really crappy rang balls. Waste of time...
[/quote]

You'd be surprised how little the ball matters on full swing shots.... range balls perform pretty well on both TrackMan and Flightscope. Now, if they're limited flight range or balls literally beat to death then that's another story.

I realize in a perfect world you could always use your ball of choice during a club fitting on TrackMan but having seen hundreds of fitting sessions I don't think it would be enough to totally dismiss the demo day where a session on TrackMan is likely free.

[golferdrmjr]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1402625902' post='9484727']
[quote name='Boydr12' timestamp='1402620253' post='9484079']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1402619570' post='9483995']
Just a quick little update to this.. tomorrow I am going in to get fit for the top of my bag (driver and 3 wood). I have been so impressed with my iron fitting that I want to complete the rest of my bag. It will be interesting to see what a true fitting will yield vs. my setup I put together on my own.
[/quote]
Don't you mean 3 wood and hybrid?? This particular thread is all about the driver experience..
[/quote]

Not even sure why I still post on here.
[/quote]I, for one, really look forward to your posts. Lots of very good information to be gleaned from your experiences in the club fitting world. Please share what you found out at your fitting today. Thanks for all you do Tai!

[bruinmw]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1402619570' post='9483995']
Just a quick little update to this.. tomorrow I am going in to get fit for the top of my bag (driver and 3 wood). I have been so impressed with my iron fitting that I want to complete the rest of my bag. It will be interesting to see what a true fitting will yield vs. my setup I put together on my own.
[/quote]

Nice... can't wait to read about the driver and 3 wood fitting. I think I need to go do one of these too. I'm about due. Last driver fitting I had was about 4 years ago, so probably time.

[ThunderBuzzworth]

I'm excited to see how it turns out.

[Pure745]

[size=5][b]UPDATE 6/15/14 - Shootout Winner vs. Actual Fitting (top of Page 1)[/b][/size]

[bhard315]

That's awesome man! Thanks for everything you do on here! Love reading about all the testing with head/shaft combos on here. I'm doing a small shootout of my own but with some older driver/shaft combos that I hope to put up here soon. Probably whenever I get ready to post my WITB. Hard to believe that you found some even BETTER set-ups than what you fit yourself into, but then again, that's what the CC guys are paid to do! Hope to hear some on course reviews once you get your new clubs!

[rymail00]

Ok, my bad if it's been said already. But did you go OTR 9.5*, or TI?

I see you went heavier. Did you go with stock head? I ask cuz your old TI was like 186g, and stock is 206g (guessing)

[Pure745]

[quote name='rymail00' timestamp='1402892822' post='9504317']
Ok, my bad if it's been said already. But did you go OTR 9.5*, or TI?

I see you went heavier. Did you go with stock head? I ask cuz your old TI was like 186g, and stock is 206g (guessing)
[/quote]

Right now it's an OTR head, it's at D5.5. I have a member/guest tournament this week, after that I will be sending the driver in to CC to get fully dialed in, pured, and SW'd. Old tour head was 194g.

[Pure716]

[color=#008080][b]Current: SLDR 460 Tour 10.5 set to LOWER @ D1.5 SW - Aldila Rogue (8.1 freq) Slide set to 2 clicks towards DRAW[/b][/color]
[color=#0000cd][b]Fit for: SLDR 460 9.5 set 1 click towards LOWER @ D4.5 SW - Aldila Rogue (8.1 freq) Slide set to NEU[/b][/color]

When I read this, it appears both your drivers were set to play 9°? I noticed a similar thing with the SLDR when I set two different heads to the same loft. In my case, a 12° set to LOWER spun less than the 10.5° head set STD, which, I was I have a 12° head even though I do not play it near 12°. Is this a similar reasoning for you?

P.S. I did notice that you claim the switch was due to your typical miss, however, I wasn't sure if that miss was cured by changing spin characteristics.

[Pure745]

[quote name='NCWolfpack' timestamp='1402893950' post='9504383']
[color=#008080][b]Current: SLDR 460 Tour 10.5 set to LOWER @ D1.5 SW - Aldila Rogue (8.1 freq) Slide set to 2 clicks towards DRAW[/b][/color]
[color=#0000cd][b]Fit for: SLDR 460 9.5 set 1 click towards LOWER @ D4.5 SW - Aldila Rogue (8.1 freq) Slide set to NEU[/b][/color]

When I read this, it appears both your drivers were set to play 9°? I noticed a similar thing with the SLDR when I set two different heads to the same loft. In my case, a 12° set to LOWER spun less than the 10.5° head set STD, which, I was I have a 12° head even though I do not play it near 12°. Is this a similar reasoning for you?

P.S. I did notice that you claim the switch was due to your typical miss, however, I wasn't sure if that miss was cured by changing spin characteristics.
[/quote]

It wasn't cured.. it was minimized by adjusting the club to play more neutral biased and also knocked the spin down about 100 rpms on average. If you look at the dispersion on the plot graph you will see that the grouping is tight, but the distance grouping is also tighter. The 9.5 set slightly lower should also be a lower loft as well. First round was exceptional, 2nd round was not great, still getting used to the heavier SW and the face looking more closed at address. Next round and range session should be dialed in.

[Pakan]

[b]"Fit to: Callaway X2HOT Pro - DI-8X (7.1 freq)"[/b]

[b][color=#000000]I'm wondering if this was the standard 15* or the stronglofted one. I use the 1st gen. 13,5* and it seems like the woods in the Hot-series overall perform really well.[/color][/b]

[Pure745]

[quote name='Pakan' timestamp='1402906476' post='9504773']
[b]"Fit to: Callaway X2HOT Pro - DI-8X (7.1 freq)"[/b]

[b][color=#000000]I'm wondering if this was the standard 15* or the stronglofted one. I use the 1st gen. 13,5* and it seems like the woods in the Hot-series overall perform really well.[/color][/b]
[/quote]

Normal X2HP 15˚

[VNutz]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1402924861' post='9505595']
[quote name='Pakan' timestamp='1402906476' post='9504773']
[b]"Fit to: Callaway X2HOT Pro - DI-8X (7.1 freq)"[/b]

[b][color=#000000]I'm wondering if this was the standard 15* or the stronglofted one. I use the 1st gen. 13,5* and it seems like the woods in the Hot-series overall perform really well.[/color][/b]
[/quote]

Normal X2HP 15˚
[/quote]

Beast of a club. X2HPs are awesome. Thanks for the updates.

[TMBob]

You need a Silver Tour Head to test!

[GC70]

Thanks for the Great wright up and details as always! I hope therapy goes well. So was the 2014 the last of the driver shoot outs? Some Golfwrx members don't realize how lucky they are to get all the feed back you put in to this great site.

Thanks,
G

PS what will you do with all that money you'll save next year?

[ThunderBuzzworth]

Interesting. Subtle but effective changes. How are you liking the balls?

[howeber]

How are you liking the new iron setup?

[Pure745]

[quote name='MNNikeGuy' timestamp='1402935454' post='9506849']
Thanks for the Great wright up and details as always! I hope therapy goes well. So was the 2014 the last of the driver shoot outs? Some Golfwrx members don't realize how lucky they are to get all the feed back you put in to this great site.

Thanks,
G

PS what will you do with all that money you'll save next year?
[/quote]

It will definitely be one of the last years where I am buying multiple setups. Next year I might document my fitting more in depth and discuss the different setups. Might also add any setups I really want that they might not have.

[quote name='ThunderBuzzworth' timestamp='1402937358' post='9507021']
Interesting. Subtle but effective changes. How are you liking the balls?
[/quote]

I like the balls a lot, switching between the TPX and the ProV1X.

[quote name='howeber' timestamp='1402941398' post='9507533']
How are you liking the new iron setup?
[/quote]

Irons have been really impressive for me. My dispersion and distance control has been the best it has been in a long time.

[bcflyguy1]

Whoa Tai, that Callaway 3 wood is a seriously good fit for you. Would be curious to see how well the SLDR 14* TS would stack up against the X2HP.

[Yellow Jacket]

[quote name='J.W.' timestamp='1400113749' post='9297313']
The one tour rep said for wedges "its a Tour Issue S400 world and everybody else is just living in it..." LOL.
[/quote]
You know, I've been wondering more and more about this lately. Until this season, Zach Johnson was playing the same flex in his wedges as his irons (X100 soft stepped), and Luke Donald does the same with S300. I can understand going with a weaker shaft for the LW, but the SW is predominantly used as a full swing club between your PW and LW and maybe also for bunker shots. With that in mind, wouldn't it make sense for the SW to be the same as your irons and only put the softer flex in the LW?

[JJK947]

Only one callaway club in the bag? Hater. [size=4] [/size]

[size=4]I've been impressed with the callaway fairways the last couple years. What did you think of this year's 3deep? A little surprised that you ended up with the regular X2hot over the deep but those numbers would be hard to beat. The whole process was really cool and fun to follow, thanks for documenting it as much as you did! Turns out there is a Cool Clubs a little over an hour from me. Wheels are turning for sure...[/size]

[Pure745]

[quote name='JJK947' timestamp='1402955576' post='9509245']
Only one callaway club in the bag? Hater.

[size=4]I've been impressed with the callaway fairways the last couple years. What did you think of this year's 3deep? A little surprised that you ended up with the regular X2hot over the deep but those numbers would be hard to beat. The whole process was really cool and fun to follow, thanks for documenting it as much as you did! Turns out there is a Cool Clubs a little over an hour from me. Wheels are turning for sure...[/size]
[/quote]

Honestly waiting for that one.. the guy is probably lurking just waiting for the perfect time to unload it! He's not the only one though If there is a CC near you, it is a no brainer. Numbers don't lie.. and the consultative approach is not like any "fitting" I have had so far (not counting the Oven, that is a different animal).

[swizbeatz]

Did you also say they had all the setups put together so you didn't have adapters and all that? We are lucky in MI to have so many quality fitting places but as far as I know not a single one lets you hit off grass. I swing differently inside a bay on a mat, teeing it up outside is probably a big + to CC.

[bjno1300]

Pure thanks as always for the info. I'm also curious how you would like the new 3deep. I still play the rfe 3 wood with black tie even though I have benched the driver for the sldr. How would you compare your numbers with the x2hot pro 15 to the rfe you tested ? I'm also curious what other cally is lurking in the bag. Love to hear if ya do get to hit the new 3 deep as I still am tempted to grab one. Thanks again for what you do.

[Pure745]

[quote name='swizbeatz' timestamp='1402961068' post='9509735']
Did you also say they had all the setups put together so you didn't have adapters and all that? We are lucky in MI to have so many quality fitting places but as far as I know not a single one lets you hit off grass. I swing differently inside a bay on a mat, teeing it up outside is probably a big + to CC.
[/quote]

They have an adapter (proprietary?) that fits on all shafts and heads so that they are all interchangeable within brands (irons) and the woods, they have every shaft for every head. I'm in Southern California, so we too have a lot of fitting operations, none of them that I have been to (which is a lot) are as transparent and take so much ownership over the quality fit and build. They said their build tolerance with the frequencies is within .1 which is just extra reassurance. It's a shame that none of them are outdoor, I think seeing the ball flight is something that is mandatory for me to make an investment like this and really to trust the numbers.

[quote name='bjno1300' timestamp='1402961468' post='9509781']
Pure thanks as always for the info. I'm also curious how you would like the new 3deep. I still play the rfe 3 wood with black tie even though I have benched the driver for the sldr. How would you compare your numbers with the x2hot pro 15 to the rfe you tested ? I'm also curious what other cally is lurking in the bag. Love to hear if ya do get to hit the new 3 deep as I still am tempted to grab one. Thanks again for what you do.
[/quote]

I didn't hit the 3 deep, there was no need to. I also didn't hit the RFE, that was last year's test which eventually lost out to the 913FD (ironically the 13.5 was 2nd place to the X2HP). No other Cally clubs in the bag, was just a joke since I have been accused of being a Cally "hater" by someone on here earlier. I was curious to test the Deep, but the fitter said they sent them back due to such a small market and overall not great results with them. They said they can get one in for me to try, but what I saw with the X2HP was plenty good, and also more versatile off the ground. He said they have really only used the Deep for guys that hit the ball insanely high and spinny.

[bjno1300]

Gotcha. The 13.5 FD finished second in this fitting? Interesting. Know you didn't hit rfe this year just wondering what you thought of it compared to this fitting with the x2hotpro considering the rfe was longer last year than the FD.

[Pure745]

[quote name='bjno1300' timestamp='1402964242' post='9510037']
Gotcha. The 13.5 FD finished second in this fitting? Interesting. Know you didn't hit rfe this year just wondering what you thought of it compared to this fitting with the x2hotpro considering the rfe was longer last year than the FD.
[/quote]

Interesting indeed. The FD has always been super solid.. the 13.5 dialed in was much better than the 15 that I was using. Like I said, the experience and process of the fitting is what really made the difference in the outcome. Also, yes it was longer, but I'm not trying to gain max distance. I'm looking for the longest possible combination with the best dispersion. My bad swings are always going to be bad swings, and no club will be able to fix that.. but seeing the difference in shot grouping on average has been very nice to see.

[TMelectric]

Hey Tai,
I know a lot of time, effort and money is put into doing the shootouts. I want to acknowledge all the effort put into typing the reviews. To me, this is more impressive. Hitting golf balls is fun. Sitting at a computer typing a review in a well thought out format is hard. Thank you for typing a well thought out review

[FullOfBrushMan]

[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1402924861' post='9505595']
[quote name='Pakan' timestamp='1402906476' post='9504773']
[b]"Fit to: Callaway X2HOT Pro - DI-8X (7.1 freq)"[/b]

[b][color=#000000]I'm wondering if this was the standard 15* or the stronglofted one. I use the 1st gen. 13,5* and it seems like the woods in the Hot-series overall perform really well.[/color][/b]
[/quote]

Normal X2HP 15˚
[/quote]
One of the best fairway woods that have come out in the past few years imo. Love the way it looks/sits on all shots.

[hayzooos]

[quote name='FullOfBrushMan' timestamp='1403013482' post='9513811']
[quote name='Pure745' timestamp='1402924861' post='9505595']
[quote name='Pakan' timestamp='1402906476' post='9504773']
[b]"Fit to: Callaway X2HOT Pro - DI-8X (7.1 freq)"[/b]

[b][color=#000000]I'm wondering if this was the standard 15* or the stronglofted one. I use the 1st gen. 13,5* and it seems like the woods in the Hot-series overall perform really well.[/color][/b]
[/quote]

Normal X2HP 15˚
[/quote]
One of the best fairway woods that have come out in the past few years imo. Love the way it looks/sits on all shots.
[/quote]
I'll jump in and add some praise for the Callaway fairway woods as well. I still have the XHP from last year (also 15*) and have zero intention on getting rid of it. The last fairway wood I had lasted me quite some time (TEE CB1) and I fully expect this one to do the same. It's strange considering it's normally tough to find a real, solid fairway wood you can trust from both tee and fairway/rough, but these cut it.

Pure - Good on ya for bringing all reports back to the site, much appreciated as always. There's both a Club Champion and a Cool Clubs within a reasonable drive from where I am, and next year I might just take that plunge and go full on fitting through them throughout the whole bag.