Quote:
Originally Posted by kkcountry
Recently did a full bag (-putter) fitting at club champion - would never have paid full price, but saw a $100 deal maybe a month ago, and figured even if I didn't buy anything, 3+ hours of dedicated trackman time would be worth it.
I currently have a Cobra 10.5* F9+ with a NV 65-x I've always had a super high ball flight just getting murdered in the wind, and thought it was because of spin. Turns out while I've lost some swing speed since my college days/the last time I got fit, I've really improved how I present the club at impact (6-8 degrees upward angle of attack) leading to 20+ degrees of dynamic loft between the shaft + 10.5* head
Got fitted to a Rogue St Max LS 8.5* with a Fuji Ventus Black w/ Velocore 6x - an almost $1100 setup o_O
I'm playing maybe once a week so wasn't ready to drop that (nor the $4800 for the whole bag) so I found an 8.5* Epic Flash subzero with a HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 6.5 for less than a quarter of the price elsewhere. I haven't really kept up with the latest in drivers, seems like there's really not much difference in anything out since 2019 or so?
The rest of the bag was interesting too, couldn't really improve my dispersion on my irons, but I was hitting anything new nearly two clubs longer with SteelFiber FC115 CWs. Again, those were a $115 each upcharge o_O. Probably part juiced lofts, part me being too washed for tour weight steel in my current gamers, part better launch dynamics from the steelfibers
My 3 wood is my oldest club in the bag (original tour edge exotics) and was amazed at how much further I was hitting the rogue st and stealth plus 3ws, with Ventus black 7x
I've never gotten along with hybrids, but the fitter was able to set me up with a T-200 3iron with a ventus black 7x, the first time I've hit a modern long iron with a fairway wood shaft. I am going to put something similar together.
My fitter was great (Jake in Bedford if you're in MA) and I think I certainly got my $100 worth, but maybe wish I would have been more straight up with my budget limitations as now I'm playing a little bit of a guessing game when shopping used. Definitely exited to try the new big stick out
Definitely a lot to unpack here, glad you got to have your eyes opened with what can be done these days with fitting.
First off, there are tons of differences between driver heads even in the last 3 years. When a model changes, it basically changes everything. Example, an Epic Flash Sub is completely different from a Rogue Max. A Ping G425 is very similar to a Ping G410. All of these driver heads are good, the question is if a specific driver head is good for you.
So you switched both head and shaft from what you were fitted for. But here's the ultimate kicker that very few outside the business know. A HZRDUS shaft that comes stock with a driver is not even close to the same HZRDUS shaft that you might get fitted for and then procured straight from True Temper. A stock HZRDUS shaft contains much less carbon and the quality control is not the same. The stock shafts are made cheaply for the club companies. This is why there is no upcharge for a lot of stock shafts but if purchased from the manufacturer can be several hundred dollars.
Something to know, as a general rule, Callaway drivers and fairway woods are the highest spinning on the market due to the carbon composite crowns which weigh less and cause spin. As I mentioned, they are good clubs, just something to keep in mind.
Aerotech SteelFiber shafts are an awesome compromise for good players who might be getting older. The consistency of steel with the softness of graphite. There is no comparable substitute on the market.
Regarding the utility iron shaft, technically it's not a fairway wood shaft, rather a hybrid shaft which usually has a wider tip. Occasionally a builder can have issues trimming the tip in order to fit a utility iron. Little things like this is where a good builder is important.
I hope the driver setup works well for you. But I do get frustrated when players want to get properly fit and then think they can perfectly replicate everything much cheaper. You can't. From the materials to the build. You just can't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nchabazam
SST pure is useless.
We're going to have to agree to disagree here. From a personal perspective, I can tell a noticeable difference in a driver/FW/hybrid graphite shaft that has been pured vs. one that has not. It's a must in those shafts. Steel iron shafts aren't a huge deal one way or another, graphite iron shafts can definitely make a difference but I wouldn't say it's an absolute must.
From a professional perspective, I've had multiple sit downs with Dick Weiss, the inventor and founder of SST Pure. There is a reason why all tour players have it done. If you're willing to spend hundreds of dollar on a graphite shaft, it doesn't make sense not to spend an additional 30 to get it pured.
Last edited by ntnBO; 06-26-2022 at 12:21 PM.