CLUB FITTING
“The world is what you make of it, friend. If it doesn’t fit, you make alterations.” – Stella the saloonkeep,
Linda Hunt’s character in Silverado. by ken vanvechten
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ave some nefarious cloning experiment from a post-apocalyptical sci-fi thriller, we’re all unique. “Standard” abounds across consumer products, of course, including golf: standard length, standard lie, stock shaft, stock grip. Yet there are kajillions of permutations in the clubhead/shaft/grip/ length/lie matrix so standard can’t be all that normal. And everyone knows normal is boring. “Why do this?” asks Brandon Dickinson, rhetorically. “Why adjust the seat when buying a new car? Why not just buy W W W.GOLFOKL AHOMA.ORG
a suit off the rack? for a skosh more forgiveness and Rogue Golfers are mak- ST Pro through gap wedge, Project X LS ing an investment 6.0, standard length and lie. The specified in golf clubs and clubs have less offset than my sticks and for a small invest- the shafts are swing-specific upgrades to ment of time and a the stock offerings. moderate fee (typically waived with Callaway (Swing Speed/Ball Speed/Spin Rate/Carry Yardage/Total Yardage – 7i) purchase) you get Current Apex: clubs built for you 81/112/7000/150/155 and massive perRouge ST Pro: formance gains.” 81/112/6400/159/168 Dickinson is a fitter and researchCobra (Swing Speed/Ball Speed/Spin and-development Rate/Carry Yardage/Total Yardage – 7i) technician with Current Apex: Cobra Puma Golf. 79.1/106.1/6000/147.5/152.8 (And he let me Forged Tec: hit a mockup of 83.9/112/5100/157.6/169.4 Bryson DeChambeau’s driver. I actually got it THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS: • Based on ball speed, which is a funcairborne with a draw. Its shaft is tion of swing speed and efficiency of a stave. The grip strike, the Rogue Pro ST outperformed seems as thick as the Forged Tec – more ball speed out of a freakin’ rolling less swing speed. Interesting but not critipin. Don’t try this cal other than there might be more gas left in the tank with the Cobra irons; faster at home.) I had the chance speed with improved strike capability this spring to visit equals greater yield. Interestingly, equal Cobra and Calla- club and ball speed with the Callaway way Golf at their clubs yielded significantly different yardproprietary fit- ages … shaft, can you dig it? • My spin rates with my clubs were far ting facilities in north San Diego higher when testing at Callaway than County. It was time to again at Cobra. Could that be a function kick the tires on new offerof time of day – 9a vs. 3p? Balls ings and look under the hood of – Chrome Soft X vs. Srixon what I’ve been playing for the Z-Star XV, respectively? past six years. A fitting session Calibration of the respecis straightforward, hitting my tive monitors and algocurrent irons – Callaway Apex rithms? Turf conditions? CF16, 4i-gap wedge, with (nonDespite disparate condistock) Project X PXi 6.0 shafts, tions, end results were standard length and lie angle – to Callaway similar, which goes to the establish a baseline and then goRouge ST Pro fact that a swing is a coning through various model and tract between clubhead, shaft combinations, varying lengths shaft and humans. and lie angles, until finding the op• Improved distance is obtimal match. If it’s been a few vious. What’s not highlightmodel cycles – and as our ed above is significant imbodies and swings change provement in dispersion. over time – odds are the In one testing session, new combination will distance from target line outperform what’s curwas on average 31 yards left rently in the bag. with my clubs – excessive Based on the numbers, draw spin – and that came Cobra directed me to its Callaway down to a miss-on-the-green, new Forged Tec irons, 4i-gap Apex CF16 maybe-the-fringe, not-in-thewedge, Dynamic Gold 120 S300, lake range of 7 yards for the standard length and 1° flat. Callaway sugRogue Pro ST and 12 yards for gested a mixed set: Apex 21 in 4i and 5i JUNE/JULY 2022 • GOLF OKL AHOMA
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