Tuesday, August 10, 2021

True Spec Golf Fitting Review - Columbus Studio

Last month I chose one of my followers to get fit at True Spec Golf for a new driver, and I tagged along with the winner to document and report on his day.  You saw some of it on twitter and Instagram, and now we're going to dive a little deeper into Rick's fitting.

I'm going to let Rick tell you about his day in his own words below, but first will give you some of my own impressions as I observed the process.  And then will wrap it up with some final thoughts, and also let you know how Rick's driver game stacks up now since he received and put his new driver in play.

Rick received an email from True Spec prior to his fitting, advising him on what to bring, how to dress, generally what to expect and how long the fitting will take along with directions to the studio.

True Spec's Columbus studio is located on the grounds of Brookside Golf and Country Club, a prestigious club that's hosted many Ohio Amateur and U.S. Open Sectional qualifiers.  And driving through the entrance you can't help but immediately feel it's going to be a really special day.

The True Spec Golf indoor/outdoor studio is just off the Brookside driving range, allowing you to actually see the shots you hit during your fitting, while also protecting you from the elements should the weather not cooperate that particular day.  And there is no substitute for watching real ball flight.

When Rick arrived the first thing he noticed (geeked out on really) were the hundreds of shafts lined up along the walls inside.  This isn't because he's a gear-head; quite the opposite actually.  This was Rick's first-ever fitting, and I'm pretty sure he didn't even know so many shafts existed, let alone seen so many in one place.

Rick had two fitters for the day.  Chad was the master club fitter (and PGA professional), and Matt was a fitter being trained (I believe) by Chad.  The two-fitter dynamic isn't one you usually see in any fitting, but I really liked how it made the overall experience feel even more personal.  Chad and Matt talked between themselves analyzing Rick's data, engaged Rick in ways unique to their personalities, and I really believe a two-fitter system is something that we might see more of in the future.

 

But I digress, back to Rick's fitting.  Rick hit multiple drives with his old driver and Chad and Matt gathered up every possible bit of data with Trackman to get a baseline for Rick's swing.  Again it struck me how genuine Chad and Matt were, making Rick feel very comfortable and having some great back and forth conversations about what Rick wanted to accomplish for the day.

Rick is a mid to high handicap player and was skeptical he could find significant distance and accuracy improvements.  He came into the fitting believing he was hitting driver as well as he possibly could.

Next, Rick picked out and hit numerous heads from various OEM's.  He hit particular heads he knew coming in he wanted to try as well as heads he didn't know about but liked how they looked once in the studio.  This gave Chad a good sample size to choose from and started Rick on what would be a  journey into amazing improvement.

Chad had a clear plan for Rick as he analyzed data and listened to Rick giving feedback.  And eventually Chad narrowed it down to a few heads (from the ones Rick initially chose) that were best for Rick's swing in terms of launch and spin.  From there it was time to go to work on shaft selection.

 

As mentioned earlier Rick isn't an equipment nut, but he was of course curious about the process and why certain heads and shafts were being tested and the results they were producing.  Chad answered Rick's questions in a manner that wasn't overly technical but also in a way that wasn't superficial vanilla either.  It was personal to Rick.  And Chad dropping useful information, knowledge really, on Rick just made the entire process even more enjoyable.

And speaking of useful information, Chad also gave Rick a few tips that made Rick's swing a better Rick's swing.  And I thought this was absolutely fantastic.  I'm not talking about anything approaching instruction or lesson or changing Rick's swing.  Instead, just a few simple tips (specifically for Rick's swing) like teeing the ball up a tad higher and stepping back a little bit away from the ball.  They had an amazing discussion about what benefit this had for Rick's swing, and I think also contributed to the success and results Rick was about to see with his customized driver.

Through the shaft testing with different heads, Rick hit different flex shafts, different weight shafts, and different length shafts until that magical combination was found where Rick started to produce, see, and feel control of his pass into the ball.

There's an optimum shaft weight and length for different players that you really aren't going to know without being fit.  For some it will be longer and heavier, for others shorter and lighter, and still others some other combination in between.  Chad explained to Rick how this translated to loading and delivering the club into the ball with the most consistency and control possible.  And Rick's results spoke for themselves.

Rick picked up an additional 16 yards of average distance, improved his dispersion on both good strikes and bad ones, and ultimately found a new driver that he hit better, and most importantly, consistently better.  Rick wound up with the TaylorMade SIM2 Max Draw driver, with a UST Mamiya Elements Helium shaft, and a Lampkin Sonar Black grip.  It took about four weeks for him to receive his new driver (two weeks ahead of schedule).

I asked Rick to write me an email and let me know what he thought about his fitting, and here's what he had to say:

I’d like to thank Chad and Matt at True Spec Golf.  It was truly one of my more memorable golf experiences.  It felt like we were just hanging out, talking shop, and hitting balls.  It was very comfortable.

 

However in the background they were going over the data from my hits, making adjustments to different driver heads, changing shafts, and then collecting more data.  Chad was using his years of experience to make tweaks to the data Matt was gathering and using.  Together they made a truly special team.

I really appreciated how they included me throughout the whole process.  I think that was one of the advantages of having two people working at the fitting.  Another advantage was having someone to explain and help me take advantage of the whole process as it was happening while the other person could collect all the data from the tech and use it at the same time.  Very seamless and human approach.

 

Plus the whole time I was having a blast hitting ball after ball.  They even gave me helpful feedback.  Tips on my stance and swing to get more out of my drives. (See golf tips below in this email).  Before I left that day, I was hitting my soon to be new driver sometimes 50 yards further and a lot straighter than the driver I brought with me.

Now a little background on me.  I am a casual nine holes once a week golf league guy with maybe an extra round or two once or twice a month.  I have never had a fitting or even a demo session of different clubs.  I’m not into golf equipment.  I always believed unless you were an avid golfer and played well, a custom fitting and quality club would not make much difference.  My drives before coming in were 200 to 250 (at best and if they went straight).

 

Now, thanks to Chad and Matt at True Spec Golf I have a club I love, hit well consistently and much longer, and have a new confidence in my drives.  I think it has made golf fun for me again, like when you’re first learning and improving so much every time you play.

I also want to thanks Chad for the tips.  It might be amateur stuff for others, but it really helped me get more out of my new club:

-Play ball off left big toe or further forward

-Put right foot back further

-Stand far enough away so ball hits club head in center

-Tee high enough club so head hits ball on or above middle line

-Adjust to hit center of fairway or right of fairway

-Don’t want to hit down on ball causing ball spin because it kills carry and roll

 

It sounds like Rick has a little mental check-list to go along with his new driver, ha.  And here's also another email Rick sent only a few days ago, with an update after a few rounds with his new driver:

First off, holy crap, I’m driving the ball straight and between 250 to 300 yards now consistently.  It feels awesome to wield a piece of equipment that was made and adjusted to fit you.  Not your buddies hand me down that he can’t hit, not a club in a bin at a golf store that will be okay for a ton of people, but not great for anyone.  I can't thank you enough for this opportunity Pete.

Rick also sent me a scorecard from his latest round, one of his best nine-hole scores ever (40) and hitting his new driver long and straight was the key.

And there you have it.  I was tempted to not include any of my impressions in this review, because Rick's emails alone clearly show how much fun he had during his fitting, how much he learned during the process, and of course how excited he was to improve both his distance and accuracy on more consistent levels with his new driver.

For Chad an Matt, they have a real passion for what they do, it goes way beyond merely being a job.  I've been fit many times myself so have quite a bit of experience to draw from, and can tell you they were extremely thorough, friendly, genuine, engaging, and professional.  Really as good as it gets.  They made the process enjoyable and educational for Rick on top of the main goal of fitting Rick for a driver that helps him play better golf.

And isn't that what it's all about?  Whether we play competitively or recreationally, playing better no matter our skill level just makes the game more fun.  Rick's worst drives are now better, his best drives are also better, and he's consistently hitting longer an more accurate drives more often.

Mission accomplished True Spec Golf.  Bravo.

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