RECAPS: The TaylorMade #TwistFaceExperience. 7 GolfWRX members visit The Kingdom for an exclusive M3

[DavePelz4]

I’ve been telling my wife since Christmas that I’m heading out to California to get fit for a TaylorMade driver not yet available to the public. By some of the best fitters on the planet in a mystical Kingdom.

 

Did I believe it? Nope. Did she? No at all. She’s heard that one before.

 

I just walked in from a subzero run with frozen things on my face. Not entirely happy. Until I saw a PM from HipCheck.

 

“Want to get fit for a TaylorMade M3/M4?”

 

 

We live in the suburbs of Philadelphia and the weather here has been awful. Besides a balmy 34 degree day on Christmas, mostly every day since has been in the teens or worse. So great timing.

 

I’m 48. I didn’t start taking golf seriously until my late 30’s. Before that, I’d play maybe 10 times a year. I wasn’t very good.

 

I joined a club near me about 10 years ago and met a guy whose love for golf was infectious. He and I play 100+ rounds per year now. He’s member on here.

 

I finished this season at 2.7. I’m not a great ball striker. If you saw me swing a club, you’d probably know I’ve had too many knee and ankle surgeries. But I’m pretty comfortable with any shot most days. If one part of the game is letting me down, something else usually picks me up. But the short game, especially putting, is my strength.

 

My driving has gotten better over the past few years but still needs improvement. My miss is left. I miss big. The first thought I had when I saw the new twist face tech was, that’s for me….IF it actually works.

 

I’ve been fit for all of my clubs at one time or another. But the level of the driver fitting was not great. I did learn enough to know what I need to optimize my numbers. I’ve been on trackman a bunch. On the course testing, for long periods of time, is the only way to really know IMO.

 

I’ve owned just about every head and many top exotic shafts over the past 4-5 years. I enjoy testing golf equipment very much.

 

We had such diverse group of guys. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them all and learning more about them. We were communication since the 4th. It's a nice way to break the ice. Rob (HipCheck) did a lot of work to make all of this happen and was phenomenal through out the entire process. Thank you Rob!

 

And thank you Jory and Ryan! What hosts these dude are. Awesome to hang with. We had a lot of one on one conversations about products I liked and didn't. They never had a negative thing to say about their competition. Quite the opposite actually. I really enjoyed my time with them.

 

When we got in, I wanted range time asap. Tim, Calvin and I headed over we tried to find our swing. Chris, who I made the trip out with, came over shortly to join us. It surprised me he could find the range. :taunt: Once my back was sufficiently tweaked, we decided to chip and putt for a bit. I was ready to head back but the others came then and back to the range we went. Rookie mistake but it just felt so good hitting balls again. I think I left my best stuff over there.

Dinner with Ryan and Jory was too good to describe. The conversation was pretty lively. The acoustics in that room was wild. I was hearing every voice bouncing around and slamming me in the head. Fun night.

 

When I woke up the next day I was fired up. Too much energy too soon tho. I did my best to burn some of it up.

 

We had a great breakfast in their cafeteria ( if you can call it that ) had a little tour and then met with Brain.

 

Seeing the film of Brian’s initial meeting with Rose, Rory, DJ, Rahm and Day, I was getting pretty pumped up again. I’ll admit, knowing the Kingdom was waiting, I felt like Charlie Brown listening to his teacher in class. Glad others were taking notes.

 

Finally time for the Kingdom. My fitter, Perry, introduced himself and lead me out. Walking through the doors leading out to the hitting bay reminded me of my first trip to Veterans Stadium as a kid. First you see daylight, then the turf and it does something to you. I also felt a little like Gladiator, tho I knew no one would be entertained.

 

Earlier I wrote a little about what happened next. It kind of threw me for a loop. I just got warmed up and was loose and ready to go. But 5 minutes into it we had to stop and go find me a shaft and head. Watching Perry build it was a lot of fun.

 

My back got a little tight again but luckily it was short lived. It was fun swinging and hearing Perry's response. I know he's seen way better than what he was looking at but he made me feel confident and relaxed.

 

He was sure the M3 head was the only way to go for me. I never hit another head until the back 9 on Friday when I tried the M4. I never got my full trackman results, so sorry, I don't have break down difference. But I know what I saw and that was an entirely different ball flight. One was flatter and powerful looking and the other seem to float a bit.

 

He then worked me thru the bag and was just laughing. He asked what my goals are. Did I like scoring better or did I like to work hard? So you want to be good at golf??? Ok, let's try some other set ups.

 

I saw the same thing with each club in the bag. Too high, too much spin. I know the question will be was I ever fit properly? Obviously not. But I was under the impression I was. Top dude in my area, some would say. You just never know if what you're doing is right....until right laughs at you at the Kingdom.

 

Needless to say, there will be a fire sale upcoming.

 

We all got to hit two balls for longest and 2 for straightest and one 4 iron and one wedge. To win something. I was lucky to move anything at that point. But it was fun.

 

After that they took us inside and gave us some reeeeally sweet vintage looking bags. These should be checked out if you're in the market. Best pockets I've seen and very comfy for walking.

 

 

It’s no secret that TM’s goal is to find more fans of their brand. I think there’s big difference between Kool-Aid drinking and learning more about something and liking what you’ve learned. I got the distinct feeling that they loved what they do and the only thing that matters is making great products. There was very strong positive vibe everywhere we went.

 

Heading out for our round on Friday, I told Kenton that what happened with my clubs was a little like just learning your girlfriend is ugly as sin. You just couldn't see it but when you do....OMG.

 

So confidence was a little low and I was playing with some serious dudes. Patrick Baxter and Chris Rollins from TM and Kenton (Ron Swanson). All great guys, all great players. I had a few hiccups during the round but played fairly well for a dude with 12 ugly girlfriends. We hit driver on pretty much every hole and we probably should have hit it 7-8 times max. But we both did pretty well in the end.

 

The par 4 413 yard 18th hole was fun. They tried to talk us out of hitting driver (AGAIN) over the water into a heavy wind. We didn't listen (AGAIN) and both ended up dead center abut 90 and 95 out. Great ending to a great day.

 

We had to book to make our flights and barely did.

 

Thank you again Gwrx and TaylorMade!

 

I'll get my pics up asap.

 

You had a helluva week...the Kingdom and the Eagles winning?

[CheckJV]

“12 Ugly Girlfriends” might be the best line ever written on GolfWRX, ever. If I owned a golf club manufacturer I’d hook you up with 12 pretty girls, just because.

[jpdx]

Amazing. Simply amazing fellas. Thanks for the write ups I wasn't sure I would've make it so I passed on even applying. Some of my favorite posts that I've read here are by a few of you gents. Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to join a trip. For now. Thank you all for the recaps and pictures!

[kyle75]

Nice write up Calvin. I agree on how the trips can be physically & mentally demanding at times, I wasn't prepared for that.

[scottaz]

That's how you do it Calvin!

 

Let's see who wants to follow THAT!

 

 

I made sure to get mine in before him Tim. :taunt:

[WHC888]

That's how you do it Calvin!

 

Let's see who wants to follow THAT!

 

 

I made sure to get mine in before him Tim. :taunt:

you guys are just being too nice, my review is no where close to some of yours.

[scottaz]

 

 

I'll get my pics up asap.

 

You had a helluva week...the Kingdom and the Eagles winning?

 

Two more would be nice. Yup, good week for sure

[Smitty120]

Thanks for all the info and question answers! I just wish there was some way for Taylormade to let us WRX guys preorder and have early access. Just wishfull thinking. :)

[Divot2]

Thanks for all the info and question answers! I just wish there was some way for Taylormade to let us WRX guys preorder and have early access. Just wishfull thinking. :)

 

That is the beat idea I ha e heard so far this year! I have already made room in the bag for at least a new M3/M4 driver and a p790 2 UDI. Between those 2, my p790s, spider putter, and wedges, I am looking like a TM fanboy and I'm proud of it! TM is pumping out some nice products lately and I can't get enough!

[Smitty120]

It would be a great thing. I have a TM account. I mean just say the words Taylormade and I shall send you funds. “Who is with me here”? :) :)

[Divot2]

It would be a great thing. I have a TM account. I mean just say the words Taylormade and I shall send you funds. “Who is with me here”? :) :)

 

I'm with you!

[TheMoneyShot]

Here's a few close ups of the M3 440 they found for me and a some with the g400 8.5 LST for head comparisons.

 

I've always liked deep face, smaller profile heads.

 

That M3 440 is a sexy beast!

 

Very tempting. But not sure I have enough talent.

 

Ed l, you are the freakin man! You can definitely bag the 440!

[jchaywood]

I’ve been telling my wife since Christmas that I’m heading out to California to get fit for a TaylorMade driver not yet available to the public. By some of the best fitters on the planet in a mystical Kingdom.

 

You had a helluva week...the Kingdom and the Eagles winning?

 

I didn't get to fly to California to be fit for Taylormade's unreleased drivers by the best fitters on the planet, but at least the birds won :taunt:

 

But seriously, the trip looked like a blast, and I'm happy that y'all had a great time

[Homerun2Birdie]

Calvin with the most exceptional post this site has ever known.

[RSinSG]

Thanks for all the feedback - this has been fun to read. In addition to a top shelf fitting and getting some crazy good stuff, you guys had a great experience and got to make friends with fellow WRXr's. I always thought it would be fun to hang with some of the guys on this site. I've played one random round with a WRX member, but I don't think he was all that active. Even though there are a lot of members on the site, there is a much smaller number of active posters, and after a few years it seems like you can get to know them (a little.)

 

I've learned a lot from this thread and experience. Foremost lesson learned was I have modified my on course policy of never checking emails while playing as I missed the

 

Want to get fit at TaylorMade?

 

 

one from Rob. I'm thinking about photoshopping myself into your group shot in front of TM.

[Breezy-3-]

Scott I’m curious about what you are planning to dump your 12 ugly girlfriends for? As a result of this trip did you identify any Other TM clubs you’ll be putting in the bag in aggition to the driver?

[TaylorMadeLuv]

Did Brian Bazzel or any of the engineers go more into the twist face tech?

 

I've heard different people give their thoughts, but from what I gather, simply put, twist face is done by changing the axis of the bulge clockwise (looking at the face) a number of degrees to better account for the strike pattern on the face and to reduce the side spin from off Center strikes? Is this off base??

 

I'm not looking for trade secrets, but I haven't seen a very good explanation that people can understand.

 

I would also like to hear them talk a little bit more about the technical aspects of TwistFace and how it differs from Cobra's tech, for example. I was under the impression that TwistFace is more than just tilting the axis of the bulge & roll, which is what Cobra has been doing. I know they're addressing a similar problem, but I thought they were doing it in different ways. But it would be nice to hear TM differentiate them to answer this common question.

 

I bet a penny to a punch of salt that TM will ignore any reference to Cobra tech as TM is a new Revolution in face tech (in their mind any ways) even though we all know the truth.

 

I have a pet goldfish named Kenny.

 

I figured since we were talking about things that are irrelevant, i would let you know of a random “fact” about me too. ;)

 

It doesn’t really matter who came up with an idea first, it matters who executes it best. I can’t wait to post about this on my Friendster account too. You know I still post on Friendster since they came up with social media before Facebook... said no one ever in 2018.

 

The tech works very well for those with the predominant misses in the toe or heel. If you give it a chance with no preconceived prejudices you may be able to really help your game.

 

 

 

 

Anyone mention the toe push miss ? Still haven’t heard anything on that .

 

Don’t do it. Fore right!

[Bomber_11]

Not sure if its been asked/mentioned...

 

But did you guys see/hear/feel any significant differences between the M3 and M4?

 

What about between the M3 440 and 460?

 

WHC888 that was a heck of a post about your trip! That's the kind of stuff I love seeing when guys go on these trips. So detailed and captured that it makes us all feel like we got to attend! Minus the free driver and swag :)

[RonSwanson]

The write ups posted so far have been fantastic and painted a perfect picture of the details of the trip. Really well done fellas. I was there and still found some new info in Calvin’s post. I know the membership appreciates his talent behind the camera as well. My sincere thanks to Jory, Ryan and the entire team at TaylorMade for their hospitality. The entire trip start to finish was top notch.

 

I tried to document my experience as it was happening, so I am going to keep this write up more equipment and fitting focused. Also, I believe I amone of the few that have received their Trackman data, so I wanted to get that up for the numbers guys.

 

My game and Driver:

 

Currently a 2 handicap with swing speed bouncing around in the mid to upper 110s. I play about 20-30 rounds a year now that I’m married with a 2 year old son, but I did play competitive golf in my high school and college days. I’ll post trackman data to give you guys a better idea, but if you’re curious my swing is also in the video from Calvin’s post (I’m the second guy from the right in the green shirt). I have played every 2016 and 2017 M1 and M2 driver (aside from the D-Type, which I still think is a good club) for at least a handful of rounds over the last couple years. I’ve had both retail and tour issue versions of most of them as well, so I feel like I have a solid knowledge of what a TM driver can/will do for me. Outside of TM, I’ve only gamed Ping drivers of the last several years. The driver I brought with me is a Ping G400 10* LST w/ Diamana B 70 X. Notice I did not say gamer. In full disclosure, I have never gamed this driver. In fact, I took the plastic off the head on the range at Aviara on Wednesday. I kind of blew up the top end of my golf back after my last round the first week of October and decided I wanted to try the G400 LST. I still don’t currently have a fairway wood.

 

My last fitting was in April of last year and I was fit for an M1 440 9.5 w/ HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5 shaft. I have the trackman data from the fitting to compare to the M3/M4 fitting. On perfect/very good strikes, the M1 440 was incredibly impressive, however with my practice time (none) it wasn’t as consistent as I needed it to be. I ended up playing most of the year with a M1 460 9.5 and experimented a little with the M2.

 

The Kingdom Fitting:

 

 

 

I was matched up with Jason Werner for my fitting. Jory said he picked each fitter based on what he gathered from our game/setup/posts. Our personalities seemed similar and it things went smoothly. I started my warm up working through my bag as if I was playing a round. LW, PW, 7 irons and 3 irons. I wanted to make sure I was warm when I hit the G400 to give it a fair shake. The G400 LST performed very well considering I was not fit for this driver. I had played similar set ups in the past with good results, so it wasn’t exactly blind but you get the idea. The first TM setup Jason put together for me was the M4 9.5 w/ Atmos Red 7x. The numbers were good, but the feel wasn’t there for me at all. I prefer more of a one piece feel. Any time I can sense the shaft loading at the top, it feels like it’s wrapping around my back and I have no control of the clubface whatsoever. Jason then switched in the Atmos Blue 7x. This felt better than the red, but still not what I was looking for at all. He mentioned again, that the numbers were good, but we could do a little better and we had to get the feel sorted out. The third setup I hit was the M4 9.5 w/ Tour AD BB 7x. After two shots, I turned and said it was by far the best feeling setup of the three so far and Jason replied, “good, because these are the best numbers we’ve had too”. I hit 5-8 more shots with this combo and we both knew it was going to be tough to beat.

 

I switched in an M3 9.5 with the AD BB 7x to make sure we had the right head. While I hit M3 well and I preferred the look slightly, the M4 consistently game me an extra 1-2 MPH ball speed and dispersion was slightly more consistent. I pulled in the M3 440 for a few swings toward the end, but fatigue was setting in a bit and I just wasn’t finding the sweet spot. I know golf isn’t standing there hitting 60 drivers in a row, but it made me think that toward the end of a round, it could be a little more work than I want to be doing.

Throughout the fitting we were aiming between two posts in the fence at the end of the Kingdom range. This “fairway” was about 20 yards wide, so if you were hitting it consistently, you knew you had a winner. There several strikes with the M4/BB combo that felt identical to some from the G400 that held a better line. Again, TwistFace is not a miracle cure-all, but I hit shots within 20 minutes of each other, with strikes that felt the same, react differently with the M4 vs the G400. It’s like a lot of guys have been saying. This isn’t going to put a really poor shot in the fairway, but I believe it may keep a couple balls out of the woods or keep you in the edge of the fairway and out of the second cut in a given round. This was especially true with the toe hook miss.

 

Final Build: M4 9.5, Tour AD BB 7x tipped 1". Set to standard loft, upright lie. Playing 45.5" at D4.

 

Trackman Data:

 

Kingdom Fitting

 

 

 

Club Champion Fitting - 4.3.17 - for comparison

 

 

 

As you can see, many of the numbers were very close with the M4 was marginally longer overall, but I would call it a wash in distance. However, the M4 was much more consistent than the G400 and had faster ball speeds. I would attribute that to the improvements TM has made in the engineering of the M4. In Bazzel’s presentation he showed the M4 sweet spot (the zone of at least .800 COR) was increased by 67% (if I remember correctly), with the majority of that increased area being higher and toward the heel and toe. The M4 wasn’t a monumental improvement for me if you look at the raw numbers, mainly because there was only so much improvement to be had. What the M4 did give me was more consistent ball speed, better dispersion as well as my longest drive of the day, I’ll certainly take that.

 

Another note, this was my first proper outdoor fitting and I don't think I'll be able to trust an indoor fitting again. The ability to see the actual ball flight is invaluable.

 

In my earlier “preview” fitting post, I mentioned an odd experience during the long drive contest. The full story is after our fittings, we had lunch and the driver I was fit with was disassembled as the TM crew were cleaning up the range. When it came time for me to hit, I grabbed a 9.5 M4 and popped the AD BB 7x in there and figured I would be good to go. We had 4 shots to get our longest and straightest drive. I hit my second shot as good as any during my fitting and Perry, who was running the Trackman, shouted out my distance. It was 20 yards short of my average in the fitting. I hit the next two in similar fashion with the same results. Perry said spin was up over 2700. I was suddenly VERY unsure about my fit. After we finished the contests, Jason came back over and talked with me and immediately set up another trackman and we started again. He assembled the driver and after about 10-12 balls, my averages were right back where they were at the end of the first fitting. I’m not sure what happened, I could have put the loft sleeve in incorrectly or used a weird ball or who knows, but I really appreciated Jason taking the time to go back through everything with me while everyone else had moved on. He told me to take it home, play with it and get back to him if there were any issues. Another testament to the pride these guys have in their work and the treatment you get at the Kingdom. I hit the driver really well on Friday at Aviara with the exception of two toe fades that still didn’t get me in any real trouble. I even kept up with Scott a few times. So as of now, I don’t have any complaints. I still have a T1100 65 6.5 with a TM tip, so I may play around with that as well once the season gets going.

 

Final Build: M4 9.5, Tour AD BB 7x tipped 1". Set to standard loft, upright lie. Playing 45.5" at D4.

 

Also, in my opinion, the looks and feel of the M4 are much improved over the ’17 M2. The shape seems slightly more pear shaped and less flat than the ’17 M2. I had two ’17 M2 heads that I simply couldn’t bring myself to play because of the sound. I never thought twice about the sound of the M4. While I didn’t have any M1s to compare to the M3, the sound and shape felt similar to me while the cosmetic changes are nice.

 

Misc Fitting:

 

After the driver fitting, we had some time before lunch so Jason went through some fairway woods and driving irons. I started with the M4 tour after talking to him about my previous woods and what I was looking for out of a fairway. The M4 has a great look, but I didn’t hit it as consistently as I would like. That may have been due to the stock shaft, since it’s a glued head and the aftermarket selection was limited. Jason then fit me in the M3 3HL and it was perfect. I ended up in the AD BB 8x .5” short of standard. Launch and spin were great and the shorter shaft gave me the consistency I was looking for. I was also fit in the P790 UDI with an AD DI hybrid shaft.

 

I am happy to answer questions anyone may have and I look forward to the replies picking apart my Trackman numbers.

[blink3665]

Great write-up Kenton! For those that didn't already know, Kenton has a gorgeous swing. It's fluid and looks the way I wish I could swing.

[jll62]

So as of now, I don’t have any complaints. I still have a T1100 65 6.5 with a TM tip, so I may play around with that as well once the season gets going.

 

Spoken like a true WRXer! LOL

 

But seriously, great write up. I was fortunate enough to have my coach get me into the Kingdom five years ago and Jason was my fitter. He’s a good dude and knows what he’s doing. Good luck with the setup!

[KC4441]

Great write ups guys. I really can't wait to try these heads out. I didn't think anything could beat my M1 440 but man it sounds like these could really give it a run. Thanks for all of the detailed insight.

[moonshine]

I'll get my pics up asap.

 

You had a helluva week...the Kingdom and the Eagles winning?

 

Two more would be nice. Yup, good week for sure

As long as Foles hands the ball off, D keeps it up, and your kicker is up to the task. Problem is, Nola has an actual QB that gets it done and offense that won't quit.

 

I was amazed in the DJ vid how little he said he hit the center of the face...and how much his dispersion has improved with new face.

[scottaz]

Scott I’m curious about what you are planning to dump your 12 ugly girlfriends for? As a result of this trip did you identify any Other TM clubs you’ll be putting in the bag in aggition to the driver?

 

It’s more about the set up than the heads. But so much needs to change, I’ll likely start all new.

 

I need to go shorter, flatter, stronger.

 

And the c taper 130x seemed to be better for me.

 

I loved the UDI. I’ll be getting that. I have two wedges coming. Hi toe 64 and not sure what yet. So they’ll get a crack at going in the bag. 790-730 combo maybe. I may wait to see the new Srixon. May tweak mine.

 

 

[TheMoneyShot]

scottaz - I love the 12 ugly girlfriends and the firesale references.

 

What other clubs are you replacing/buying from the feedback you gained on this trip?

[gregh729]

The write ups posted so far have been fantastic and painted a perfect picture of the details of the trip. Really well done fellas. I was there and still found some new info in Calvin’s post. I know the membership appreciates his talent behind the camera as well. My sincere thanks to Jory, Ryan and the entire team at TaylorMade for their hospitality. The entire trip start to finish was top notch.

 

I tried to document my experience as it was happening, so I am going to keep this write up more equipment and fitting focused. Also, I believe I amone of the few that have received their Trackman data, so I wanted to get that up for the numbers guys.

 

My game and Driver:

 

Currently a 2 handicap with swing speed bouncing around in the mid to upper 110s. I play about 20-30 rounds a year now that I’m married with a 2 year old son, but I did play competitive golf in my high school and college days. I’ll post trackman data to give you guys a better idea, but if you’re curious my swing is also in the video from Calvin’s post (I’m the second guy from the right in the green shirt). I have played every 2016 and 2017 M1 and M2 driver (aside from the D-Type, which I still think is a good club) for at least a handful of rounds over the last couple years. I’ve had both retail and tour issue versions of most of them as well, so I feel like I have a solid knowledge of what a TM driver can/will do for me. Outside of TM, I’ve only gamed Ping drivers of the last several years. The driver I brought with me is a Ping G400 10* LST w/ Diamana B 70 X. Notice I did not say gamer. In full disclosure, I have never gamed this driver. In fact, I took the plastic off the head on the range at Aviara on Wednesday. I kind of blew up the top end of my golf back after my last round the first week of October and decided I wanted to try the G400 LST. I still don’t currently have a fairway wood.

 

My last fitting was in April of last year and I was fit for an M1 440 9.5 w/ HZRDUS T1100 75 6.5 shaft. I have the trackman data from the fitting to compare to the M3/M4 fitting. On perfect/very good strikes, the M1 440 was incredibly impressive, however with my practice time (none) it wasn’t as consistent as I needed it to be. I ended up playing most of the year with a M1 460 9.5 and experimented a little with the M2.

 

The Kingdom Fitting:

 

 

 

I was matched up with Jason Werner for my fitting. Jory said he picked each fitter based on what he gathered from our game/setup/posts. Our personalities seemed similar and it things went smoothly. I started my warm up working through my bag as if I was playing a round. LW, PW, 7 irons and 3 irons. I wanted to make sure I was warm when I hit the G400 to give it a fair shake. The G400 LST performed very well considering I was not fit for this driver. I had played similar set ups in the past with good results, so it wasn’t exactly blind but you get the idea. The first TM setup Jason put together for me was the M4 9.5 w/ Atmos Red 7x. The numbers were good, but the feel wasn’t there for me at all. I prefer more of a one piece feel. Any time I can sense the shaft loading at the top, it feels like it’s wrapping around my back and I have no control of the clubface whatsoever. Jason then switched in the Atmos Blue 7x. This felt better than the red, but still not what I was looking for at all. He mentioned again, that the numbers were good, but we could do a little better and we had to get the feel sorted out. The third setup I hit was the M4 9.5 w/ Tour AD BB 7x. After two shots, I turned and said it was by far the best feeling setup of the three so far and Jason replied, “good, because these are the best numbers we’ve had too”. I hit 5-8 more shots with this combo and we both knew it was going to be tough to beat.

 

I switched in an M3 9.5 with the AD BB 7x to make sure we had the right head. While I hit M3 well and I preferred the look slightly, the M4 consistently game me an extra 1-2 MPH ball speed and dispersion was slightly more consistent. I pulled in the M3 440 for a few swings toward the end, but fatigue was setting in a bit and I just wasn’t finding the sweet spot. I know golf isn’t standing there hitting 60 drivers in a row, but it made me think that toward the end of a round, it could be a little more work than I want to be doing.

Throughout the fitting we were aiming between two posts in the fence at the end of the Kingdom range. This “fairway” was about 20 yards wide, so if you were hitting it consistently, you knew you had a winner. There several strikes with the M4/BB combo that felt identical to some from the G400 that held a better line. Again, TwistFace is not a miracle cure-all, but I hit shots within 20 minutes of each other, with strikes that felt the same, react differently with the M4 vs the G400. It’s like a lot of guys have been saying. This isn’t going to put a really poor shot in the fairway, but I believe it may keep a couple balls out of the woods or keep you in the edge of the fairway and out of the second cut in a given round. This was especially true with the toe hook miss.

 

Trackman Data:

 

Kingdom Fitting

 

 

 

Club Champion Fitting - 4.3.17 - for comparison

 

 

 

As you can see, many of the numbers were very close with the M4 was marginally longer overall, but I would call it a wash in distance. However, the M4 was much more consistent than the G400 and had faster ball speeds. I would attribute that to the improvements TM has made in the engineering of the M4. In Bazzel’s presentation he showed the M4 sweet spot (the zone of at least .800 COR) was increased by 67% (if I remember correctly), with the majority of that increased area being higher and toward the heel and toe. The M4 wasn’t a monumental improvement for me if you look at the raw numbers, mainly because there was only so much improvement to be had. What the M4 did give me was more consistent ball speed, better dispersion as well as my longest drive of the day, I’ll certainly take that.

 

Another note, this was my first proper outdoor fitting and I don't think I'll be able to trust an indoor fitting again. The ability to see the actual ball flight is invaluable.

 

In my earlier “preview” fitting post, I mentioned an odd experience during the long drive contest. The full story is after our fittings, we had lunch and the driver I was fit with was disassembled as the TM crew were cleaning up the range. When it came time for me to hit, I grabbed a 9.5 M4 and popped the AD BB 7x in there and figured I would be good to go. We had 4 shots to get our longest and straightest drive. I hit my second shot as good as any during my fitting and Perry, who was running the Trackman, shouted out my distance. It was 20 yards short of my average in the fitting. I hit the next two in similar fashion with the same results. Perry said spin was up over 2700. I was suddenly VERY unsure about my fit. After we finished the contests, Jason came back over and talked with me and immediately set up another trackman and we started again. He assembled the driver and after about 10-12 balls, my averages were right back where they were at the end of the first fitting. I’m not sure what happened, I could have put the loft sleeve in incorrectly or used a weird ball or who knows, but I really appreciated Jason taking the time to go back through everything with me while everyone else had moved on. He told me to take it home, play with it and get back to him if there were any issues. Another testament to the pride these guys have in their work and the treatment you get at the Kingdom. I hit the driver really well on Friday at Aviara with the exception of two toe fades that still didn’t get me in any real trouble. I even kept up with Scott a few times. So as of now, I don’t have any complaints. I still have a T1100 65 6.5 with a TM tip, so I may play around with that as well once the season gets going.

 

Also, in my opinion, the looks and feel of the M4 are much improved over the ’17 M2. The shape seems slightly more pear shaped and less flat than the ’17 M2. I had two ’17 M2 heads that I simply couldn’t bring myself to play because of the sound. I never thought twice about the sound of the M4. While I didn’t have any M1s to compare to the M3, the sound and shape felt similar to me while the cosmetic changes are nice.

 

Misc Fitting:

 

After the driver fitting, we had some time before lunch so Jason went through some fairway woods and driving irons. I started with the M4 tour after talking to him about my previous woods and what I was looking for out of a fairway. The M4 has a great look, but I didn’t hit it as consistently as I would like. That may have been due to the stock shaft, since it’s a glued head and the aftermarket selection was limited. Jason then fit me in the M3 3HL and it was perfect. I ended up in the AD BB 8x .5” short of standard. Launch and spin were great and the shorter shaft gave me the consistency I was looking for. I was also fit in the P790 UDI with an AD DI hybrid shaft.

 

I am happy to answer questions anyone may have and I look forward to the replies picking apart my Trackman numbers.

 

Great write up! Way to bring the heat with the driver!

[J13]

That's how you do it Calvin!

 

Let's see who wants to follow THAT!

 

 

I made sure to get mine in before him Tim. :taunt:

 

Fly eagles fly ;)

[drbonesvt]

I'm bored AF so here is the current driver that each member is playing:

 

Blink- Callaway XR 16

Cwing- Callaway Fusion (Wth is that? lol)

Dpb- Callaway Epic SZ

Gamble- Ping G400

Ron Swanson- Ping G400 LST

Scottaz- Ping G400

WHC- Taylormade M2

 

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing WHC's numbers.

 

 

 

Wait, so nobody was fit into the M4?

 

 

 

Didn't see a sheet for Gamble.

 

Awesome thanks for compiling; interesting on the lengths

[getair23]

Any of you guys switching to the TP ball after the trip?

[jcg132]

Interested to know if the larger sweet spot data applies to the M3 440 as well as the 460