Golf - MD in KC

[Another80]

How did it go?

[High Draw]

It went great! Mike Dickerson is top notch and a learned several things in my first true fitting. I will be writing a full review later on. Thanks another 80, Golf MD is great, well worth the long drive and money. I will definitely be going back anytime I need (want) something else. Stay tuned!

[High Draw]

[quote name='Another80' timestamp='1408480163' post='9967589']How did it go?[/quote]

Ok, so last Tuesday I went to Golf MD in Kansas City.  I make the nearly 4 hour drive down there and it was well worth it.  I walked in a little before 10:00 and was greeted by Mike.  He got the trackman fired up and I started warming up stretching and hitting a few balls.  Mike asked what I was wanting to do for the fitting?  I said that I wanted to go through my whole bag and make sure that what I have “fits” me and if it doesn’t find something that does.  He said fair enough and we started. 

 

Now just to clarify I have never been on trackman prior to this, nor have a done an actual fitting other than a big box store, so if some of the terminology that I use is not correct, I apologize.  I do know enough from reading other posts, what is good and what is not.  A little about myself, I am not a long hitter anymore do to a back injury from a few years ago and age that is trending upward.  My ss is around 100 mph, some swings higher, some swings lower.  I am a 8 handicap that is trending down since my injury, but driving is by far my weakness.  I feel like I am a good ball striker, hitting the center of the face.  My miss is a low left shot with the driver and normally I hit high draws with my irons. 

 

I started hitting my 6 iron into the screen and Mike was looking at the numbers.  After about 5-6 shots Mike told me to stop and take a look at his screen.  The numbers on the screen verified what I had already knew, 6 iron = 185 yards.  I said ok, what are we looking at?  Mike showed me another angle that I had never seen on other trackman post, which was a side version of the shot and it had a “shadowing” of optimum ball flight.  Pretty neat feature!  Well low and behold, my shots were perfectly in the center of that “shadow”.  Mike says “I can’t do anything for you here.  That’s as good as it gets for you.”  I ask if I could hit a few different shafts (steel fibers, recoils, etc…) and he obliged, but none of the shafts gave me any better numbers than what I had.  So I am thinking this is great, no need to spend any money in this area!

 

Next we went on to the woods.  I currently hit a 10.5* X2 hot driver with stiff aldila blue shaft.  Well I started hitting shots into the screen and after 5-6 Mike said to stop and look at the magic screen.  The nice little shadow showed that I was not anywhere close to where I needed to be.  Again this was not a shock.  I am a low ball hitter with the driver and knew that my driver needed to be “lofted up”.  So we went through several shafts (Fuji Fuel, Fuji Pro, Speeders, Accra’s) with several different flexes, profiles and weights.  We ended up adjusting my 10.5 up to 12* and settled on a Fujikura Pro 63x.  I could not believe how much getting into my optimum launch help out increasing my carry and total distance.  I ended up gaining 20-25 yards!  I was quite surprised about the x flex since my swing speed is 100mph, but maybe it is do to my transition or how I swing.  With all of the swings and shaft switching, I didn’t even think to ask if I was an early or late release person or hard or easy transition person.  I assume that I must have a fairly quick tempo is the reason for the x flex maybe, but have read on here multiple times that shaft flexes basically mean nothing, so it might just be this manufacturer version of x flex is another’s stiff, I don’t know? 

 

Next we went on to the 4 wood.  I play a 16.5* TEE XCG4 with pro launch red stiff.  Second verse, same as the first, way too low of carry and ball flight.  So I started hittinginto the screen with several shafts again and we settled on a Fujikura Motore F3 70 gram x flex.  This combination put me into the shadow and Mike was happy with the results.  He check my x2 hot hybrid with stock shaft and it was perfect as well.  Mike checked all of the wedges and verified all of the lie angles and lofts.  He asked how my putting is going and I said that I used to be a really good putter, but haven’t holed a lot lately.  He watched me hit 1 putt and said stop.  He took my putter and bent it about 2-3* upright so I was standing closer to the ball and more on top of it.  I hit 5 putts after that, holed 4 of them.  He then checked for putt distances and back weighted my putter so my distance control is right.

 

Mike asked what I thought and my head was spinning from the most detailed fitting that I have ever had.  My other “fittings” were from big box stores that just have 2-3 shaft offerings and that is basically it.  I promptly said that I would buy the driver and 4 wood shaft.  Mike said that he didn’t have the Fuji Pro 63x for the driver in stock, but did have the Fuji Motore F3 and could install it in my 4 wood right away.  I was kind of bummed about the driver shaft, but Mike said he has a Fujikura Motore F1 Tourissue 70 gram in x flex and he thought that might be similar and I could try it.  It was not available for his fittings, so I didn’t have a chance to hit it on the monitor, but I agreed and he shafted it up, hot melted my driver head to proper swing weight and I was off. 

 

The next day I couldn’t wait to play, I was as patient as I could be warming up hitting irons.  Now is the moment of true, here I am with thoughts of the extra 20 yards that I gained through the fitting and I just know that I am going to crush it; I will be hitting approach shots from where I never have before.  I teed up my ball and swung…..uh, not any better.  I went to where my ball came to rest in the fairway and it was the exact same place that I normally would have hit from.  The Fuji Motore F1 Tourissue 70x shaft felt like it was maybe a little too stiff and it felt a touch heavy as well.  It’s hard to explain, but it didn’t feel as good as I remembered the Fuji Pro.  The rest of the day I didn’t hit many good drives.  The 4 wood off of the tee was unbelievable, but driver not so much.  Also, the hot melted head makes a totally different sound.  I am not saying it is bad, just a lot different than it used to sound.  So I finish the round and give Mike a call.  Told him that I didn’t think the driver shaft was a good fit and he said no problem, mail it back to me and I will send you the one we fit you for that I didn’t have in stock.  I was very happy to hear that!  What a wonderful gesture for Mike to do this and he said if that one isn’t any better mail it back too.  He promised that we would get it right, but I think as soon as the Fuji Pro 63x gets here, it will be the one.  At least I demoed it and know that I swing it well.  So I mailed the F1 off to Mike and am hoping to receive the Pro in the mail today.  I will play with it today and let you all know the results!

 

One last thing, I can’t say enough great things about Golf MD.  It was a top notch place with great people working there.  I was very pleased with the whole aspect of the fitting.  I had to drive a long ways to get there, but am very glad that I did and I will definitely being going back.  Mike was just a real pleasure to work with and I not only hit the ball better, I learned a lot more about equipment too.  Thanks Mike!!  I urge anyone in the KC area that is thinking about getting fit, I would go to Golf MD and you will not be disappointed.  I highly recommend it!!!!

 

[High Draw]

Driver did not get delivered last night before my round so will update it later on. TEE 4 wood is great however. Was able to hit a lot of fairways with added distance.

[asimone]

Hate to bump such an old thread but anyone who has been to Golf MD, do they waive the fitting fee or apply any of it to new clubs if you buy through them? Was looking at Golf MD or Robin Nigro for the next time I buy clubs.