The Ultimate Titleist 917 Driver Fitting at TPI Oceanside (Launch Monitor Data Added Pg. 4)

[BigHook25]

Ok, so I've read the entire thread and general consensus would make you believe that the 917 is better then the 915...and maybe it is. I guess my issue is with the fittings it appears that the fitters do everything they can to tinker the 917 to work better, but don't do the same as someone's current gamer.

 

I'm just wondering if they spent as much time "fitting" and "adjusting" someone into their current 915 (or whatever older model) as the 917 if the results wouldn't be as different as they were.

[MB Dirtyy]

Ok, so I've read the entire thread and general consensus would make you believe that the 917 is better then the 915...and maybe it is. I guess my issue is with the fittings it appears that the fitters do everything they can to tinker the 917 to work better, but don't do the same as someone's current gamer.

 

I'm just wondering if they spent as much time "fitting" and "adjusting" someone into their current 915 (or whatever older model) as the 917 if the results wouldn't be as different as they were.

Fair question! I do think distance wise, they're close. But for dispersion, my settings were nearly the same as my 915 with the exception of higher swing weight, and the 917 felt more forgiving for me. Toe shots and heel shots on the 917 don't move much whereas the 915, I'd curve maybe 10-15 yards right or left. Plus the addition of the cg weight, even more adjustment left or right. How drastic it is, I have no experience. I'm going to find out soon though.

[MB Dirtyy]

Anyone else put their finger on the feel off the face?? A much better feel than my 915, but still not "soft" like 910/913? Love it anyway! Titleist hit a home run

I think the shaft has a huge part in how a driver feels. I swear have not swung a softer feeling driver than a 910 with a tour ad di.

 

With that said, same shaft in all heads, I think it's 910-917----915. Softest to hardest. I haven't swung the 913 outside.

 

But, I prefer to say if a driver has a muted, crack, or tingy sound. 910 felt like a soft crack. 915 had a tingy crack. 917 has a high pitched crack.

[brushie]

Maybe we could have

Ok, so I've read the entire thread and general consensus would make you believe that the 917 is better then the 915...and maybe it is. I guess my issue is with the fittings it appears that the fitters do everything they can to tinker the 917 to work better, but don't do the same as someone's current gamer.

 

I'm just wondering if they spent as much time "fitting" and "adjusting" someone into their current 915 (or whatever older model) as the 917 if the results wouldn't be as different as they were.

Fair question! I do think distance wise, they're close. But for dispersion, my settings were nearly the same as my 915 with the exception of higher swing weight, and the 917 felt more forgiving for me. Toe shots and heel shots on the 917 don't move much whereas the 915, I'd curve maybe 10-15 yards right or left. Plus the addition of the cg weight, even more adjustment left or right. How drastic it is, I have no experience. I'm going to find out soon though.

 

Yeah, what you may not see in the numbers is the added forgiveness. The 917 is absolutely more forgiving.

[Tony_Ireland]

Ok, so I've read the entire thread and general consensus would make you believe that the 917 is better then the 915...and maybe it is. I guess my issue is with the fittings it appears that the fitters do everything they can to tinker the 917 to work better, but don't do the same as someone's current gamer.

 

I'm just wondering if they spent as much time "fitting" and "adjusting" someone into their current 915 (or whatever older model) as the 917 if the results wouldn't be as different as they were.

 

Hmmm cant speak for anyone elses fitting but mine didnt have much "tinkering". 12g weight in heel, different shaft but didnt take long to see which one suited me, same loft as my previous 2 drivers. Standard d4 setting. At the end of the day, if you were fit proper for 915 then for 917 the differences might be minimal, same for any driver imo.

 

What I will say though is, i hot two out of the bottom/centre today and to my surprise they still flew, normally that sort of strike for me would spin an awful lot and get nothing out of it. For me, this will be a much better driver to me than my D4 was, (which was great)

[BigHook25]

Maybe we could have

Ok, so I've read the entire thread and general consensus would make you believe that the 917 is better then the 915...and maybe it is. I guess my issue is with the fittings it appears that the fitters do everything they can to tinker the 917 to work better, but don't do the same as someone's current gamer.

 

I'm just wondering if they spent as much time "fitting" and "adjusting" someone into their current 915 (or whatever older model) as the 917 if the results wouldn't be as different as they were.

Fair question! I do think distance wise, they're close. But for dispersion, my settings were nearly the same as my 915 with the exception of higher swing weight, and the 917 felt more forgiving for me. Toe shots and heel shots on the 917 don't move much whereas the 915, I'd curve maybe 10-15 yards right or left. Plus the addition of the cg weight, even more adjustment left or right. How drastic it is, I have no experience. I'm going to find out soon though.

 

Yeah, what you may not see in the numbers is the added forgiveness. The 917 is absolutely more forgiving.

 

Yea, I have said in another thread that most of the driver technology now is making ball speeds higher when missing the sweet spot. Hopefully you can average slightly higher ball speeds and be more consistent.

[bc1]

Sorry for getting my review out late. I wanted to see the numbers from Titleist before I wrote the review in order to confirm what I remember. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again Zak and Golf WRX!

 

915 Setup: 915D4 8.5 loft, 45" Diamana D+ 70 TX, A1

917 Setup: 917D2 9.5, 44.5" Diamana LTD Blue 80TX, C1

 

Facility:

As you probably have seen in the pictures throughout this thread, TPI is a very special place. As soon as I entered the gate to golfing heaven, I observed one of the most impressive practice ranges that there are. The pristine turf lives on a plot of land that could probably host an executive course. This is the nicest grass I have ever hit off in San Diego county.

 

The interior of TPI is equally impressive. The attention to detail that I witnessed on the range was demonstrated in the state of the art assessment tools (golf motion capture system) and the innovative design of the training facility. I can see why touring pros make a pit stop here when they are in town.

 

Staff:

From the moment I walked in, I was greeted by staff that all seemed to love working there. I could sense that they were all were very passionate about their careers and the product that they were representing. Every question I was asked about my golf game was very specific and thoughtful. I truly believe they listen to their customers and use this information strategically in their product lines.

 

My game:

I will try to make this quick. I have not been swinging particularly well as of late, and my miss is typically a hook (tempo-related). I started playing 10 years ago and my handicap has been dropping ever since. I have improved 2 points on my index over the last 3 months, so I have been happy with the progress I am making with instruction and practice. I have never gone for a fitting, and have been largely self-taught on golf equipment / fitting. GolfWRX is my go-to for golf education. My reasons for never going for a professional fit were two-fold. My swing was never consistent enough on a week to week basis, and I thought I knew a lot of the fitting information already.

 

Over the last 3-4 months, I have observed that my driver distance had dropped, in spite of hitting my irons 3-5 yards further. It was obvious enough to my playing partners as well. Needless to say, I was very excited to get fit since I was struggling with my driver.

 

Fortunately for me, I got to witness firsthand how to utilize technology to optimize both my A game and B game. This could not have been accomplished without Dino's help. I play once a week and in as many club tournaments that I can. When swinging well, I have plenty distance for the courses I play around here. My emphasis has now shifted to scoring. I am looking to get that "optimized" fit with as much playability that I can in order to feel more comfortable pulling driver during my tournaments.

 

Fitting:

All I can say is "Wow!" Dino had me take an abrupt stop in the direction I was going with my independent fitting solution / bias. I was trying to find the stiffest shaft profiles I could to combat my hook. I believed this was an industry standard in fitting. Dino put me in a softer tip shaft to minimize my draw / hook. Yes, I wrote that correctly. He told me not to look at the shaft when he installed it in the 917 head. I blindly went about hitting this combo and loved the feel and reduction in the right to left bend. I was not losing any carry distance either and still had ample roll out. I was unaware of numbers during the fitting, just an occasional carry distance. The priority was in reducing my miss. The combination of the shorter and heavier shaft with a softer tip profile helped my drives dramatically.

 

On to spin. I was spinning my D4 in the 1600's. I was certainly not nearly consistent enough with the spin as low as it was. I believed I used to spin the driver a lot more since I was almost always 100% carry on a softer fairway. I think the improvements in my swing have led to better impact position and more typical spin rates.

 

This fitting decreased my typical miss, improved my carry distance, and led to very similar if not better overall distance with a driver 1/2" shorter. These are ideal requirements for me in a driver that I can rely on, especially in tournaments.

 

Well done Dino and Titleist, I can't thank you enough!

That shaft change is very interesting for someone looking to reduce a right to left miss, was there anymore info or explaination why that works for you?

 

Also curious how you guys picked the D2 vs D3 coming from the D4.

 

I am someone who pull hooks shafts that are too stiff for me. The reason? I tend to get quick in the transition, trying to load the shaft. When I get a shaft that is a bit softer, particularly in the tip, I load it better. This is not something that i do consciously. It just seems to work that way, and has been proven over and over again.

 

Take that for what it is worth.

 

If shaft is too stiff it will always kick out in front of hands on downswing. Shaft lag is only possible with something that fits you....so what you were finding makes sense

[KPH808]

Anyone get their drivers yet?

[MB Dirtyy]

Anyone get their drivers yet?

Not yet. Was hoping to use it tomorrow. ?

[brushie]

Nope. Heard they will ship soon.

[oneaugusta]

Anyone get their drivers yet?

Whaaat. had mine for a week, many shipped the 17th

[MB Dirtyy]

Anyone get their drivers yet?

Whaaat. had mine for a week, many shipped the 17th

I think he was referring to the folks who got fitted on the 19th.

[shivasi]

Anyone get their drivers yet?

Nada, over here in the desert.

 

K or Shivasi

[PreppySlapCut]

Don't know about he 910, but on my pseudo-hardness scale (10-hardest/harshest, 1-softest):

 

917 - 7

915 - 9

913 - 8

910 - ?

 

Some other's just for fun:

 

G30 LS - 10

R9 SD - 9

i25 - 9

XR - 9

816DBD - 8

M1 430 - 7

SLDR 430 - 7

R510TP - 6

 

We're assuming solid strikes. Just like golf balls, sound/feel on mis-hits can be all over the place!

If the 510TP was a 6, what's a 1?

[Pure745]

Don't know about he 910, but on my pseudo-hardness scale (10-hardest/harshest, 1-softest):

 

917 - 7

915 - 9

913 - 8

910 - ?

 

Some other's just for fun:

 

G30 LS - 10

R9 SD - 9

i25 - 9

XR - 9

816DBD - 8

M1 430 - 7

SLDR 430 - 7

R510TP - 6

 

We're assuming solid strikes. Just like golf balls, sound/feel on mis-hits can be all over the place!

If the 510TP was a 6, what's a 1?

 

Cotton ball or baby bunny.

[Saskwatch]

Don't know about he 910, but on my pseudo-hardness scale (10-hardest/harshest, 1-softest):

 

917 - 7

915 - 9

913 - 8

910 - ?

 

Some other's just for fun:

 

G30 LS - 10

R9 SD - 9

i25 - 9

XR - 9

816DBD - 8

M1 430 - 7

SLDR 430 - 7

R510TP - 6

 

We're assuming solid strikes. Just like golf balls, sound/feel on mis-hits can be all over the place!

If the 510TP was a 6, what's a 1?

 

Cotton ball or baby bunny.

 

Perhaps Wilson could use either of these references as a name for their new driver :)

 

Lol

[pitchinwedge]

In Crossfield's latest test, he compares the 917D2 and D3 on a real golf hole. Although GC2 indicates relatively small differences in spin/carry, the actual differences in total yardage were much greater (perhaps than expected?). Apparently, the launch monitor data simply doesn't reflect what happens once the ball hits the ground.

 

This makes me wonder... how reliable is Trackman's reported total distance? Would Trackman have been able to accurately report the final position of Crossfield's six golf balls?

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/407446/on-course-test-titleist-917d2-and-917d3-drivers/

[Bdmac79]

Crossfield was testing on a links course with a downslope near the landing area of all of the balls he hit. He mentioned that the one straggler way by the rest of them likely hit the downslope.

 

A launch monitor only calculates roll based upon a flat landing area - it's impossible to predict how a ball will react when it hits the ground under normal course conditions with bumps, divots, etc.

[Kye123]

Anyone know how the Blueboard plays in this?

[pitchinwedge]

Anyone know how the Blueboard plays in this?

 

See pg 4.

 

A launch monitor only calculates roll based upon a flat landing area - it's impossible to predict how a ball will react when it hits the ground under normal course conditions with bumps, divots, etc.

 

Yep, just saw the same info on the Trackman website.

 

Interesting though how 4 yards more carry on average with the D3 looks to have yielded maybe 10+yds total for Crossfield (not including the outlier). Kind of hard to tell how far ahead the other two yellow balls were because of the fisheye.

[Bdmac79]

Anyone know how the Blueboard plays in this?

 

See pg 4.

 

A launch monitor only calculates roll based upon a flat landing area - it's impossible to predict how a ball will react when it hits the ground under normal course conditions with bumps, divots, etc.

 

Yep, just saw the same info on the Trackman website.

 

Interesting though how 4 yards more carry on average with the D3 looks to have yielded maybe 10+yds total for Crossfield (not including the outlier). Kind of hard to tell how far ahead the other two yellow balls were because of the fisheye.

 

Very true. While the video didn't truly give too much perspective, he hit the yellow ones on a different line (right) than the white ones (left), which may have had an effect as well.

[Bdmac79]

Curious to know from those of you who play a D2 if there is much difference in appearance between the two? I know it is now gray, just curios if heads are similar in size. I have not seen one in person.

One of the guys (sorry I forgot his name!) said that Adam Scott had a big part in the shaping of the d2 this time around. It's more pear-shaped than previous D2s. Very slight.

 

Yeah I remember him saying that. They also mentioned how guys like Justing Thomas and Charley Hoffman who were D4 users went back to the D2. Because how forgiving it was yet maintaining good spin numbers.

 

I thought that was interesting as well when the seeding process began. I went into my fitting looking to get into the D2...but still couldn't do it. Kept with the trusty D3 shape. Really, really, really wanted to...but couldn't get over how it just doesn't look good to me.

[shivasi]

Anyone know how the Blueboard plays in this?

Did try the Blueboard, but couldn't feel the release point. Shifted back to Mr. Red.

[pitchinwedge]

Anyone get their driver yet? Did anyone even get a tracking #?

[KPH808]

Anyone get their driver yet? Did anyone even get a tracking #?

 

Nope and nope

[beluga99]

I have a wedge fitting setup for next month. Got my 917 F2 and it's a solid club.

 

Would love to hear your thoughts comparing your new F2 and Cobra LTD fairway.

[MB Dirtyy]

Anyone get their driver yet? Did anyone even get a tracking #?

 

Nope and nope

Neg and Neg

No and no.

[LuckyLowbrow]

I got mine yesterday. I live pretty close to Carlsbad, so I think you guys should be getting them today.

[brushie]

I got mine yesterday. I live pretty close to Carlsbad, so I think you guys should be getting them today.

 

Good news!

[DuckHook02]

This is cool and all but it's still laughable to me that the 915 was not a max ball speed driver

 

Do you do anything other than troll in Titleist equipment threads? I'm amazed you haven't had a temporary or permanent ban at this point. You literally contribute nothing of any substance to this board.