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So much for club fitters

sol adoni

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So 3 weeks ago I go to Edwin Watts to pickup a 7.5 degree 913 D3

The fitter says no one stocks them, 8.5 is normal low degree.

He puts me on a monitor cold in sandals, says you need 10.5, I laugh, really, I played 7 degree for years, and now it's a 8.5 Razr fit that has too high of a ball flight, so I want a 7.5.

Guy convinces me 9.5 is perfect once I warm up, which I wasn't.

So I went to get rid of a 8.5 that was going too high to get a 7.5 and walk out with a 9.5.

3 weeks I'm hitting this, and it's plugging in fairways around 250 to 260 yards off the tee.

So when I was in the store getting new Vokeys I complain to the manager, I wanted a 7.5 and got talked into a 9.5 that turned down .75 is still not going low when I try to hit a stinger.

He looks at the driver, says ok take an 8.5 and turn it down to 7.75, but don't come back when you can't hit it.

So I go to the range and say to the pro I know, you know so and so over at Watts, he says yeah, he says I can't get this 8.5 turned down to 7.75 off the ground. I then hit 5 bombs to the end of his range with a little help from the wind, around 300 yards or so.

He laughs, wait til I see the manager, he thinks he knows everything about club fitting.

So first tee I hit a tight draw around 300 yards down wind, and then put a 4 wood on a 535 yard par 5 in two.

I hit the driver exactly how I used to hit my old 7 degree drivers years ago.

I don't care what the launch monitors say, a lower degree driver will go lower on launch, and you sure can hit it better when you try to hit a low stinger.

A Par 5 into the wind, I hit a stinger driver that rolled out to 280 INTO the wind, yesterday, no way could I hit that shot with a 9.5.

Sometimes you just have to hit the club, and play with it, and see how it performs. If you want a lower ball flight you do not go higher in driver degree, I don't care what the computer numbers say, lower degree drivers will flight lower, and yes, if you don't have a fast decent swing, you can't hit a 7.5 or 8.5, but when a guy can hit an 8.5 and says I want a lower ball, you do not sell him a 9.5.
 

BigJim13

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First, welcome to the board!

Second, if you KNOW as certainly as you seem to that you need a certain loft, it's on you as much as anybody for walking out with a different loft. Being a major retailer, I bet they could have ordered the 7.5*, I can't blame them for not sticking them though. The vast majority of folders they see are not likely to fit well in that loft.
 
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sol adoni

sol adoni

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They put u on a machine, and start spitting numbers at you. The numbers mean nothing, it takes a while to get warmed up and you sure can't hit it pure in sandals. So the guy 'sold' me on 'tech bs', when I should have known better. I hit a 7 degree driver pretty high, not as high as an 8.5 and certainly not as high as a 9.5. But they spin you with the BS on spin and launch angle etc. If you swing at a higher speed and have a consistent face at impact, you can hit most lofts. Sure maybe they can tweak a tour level swing some, but for me, I want to do two things with my driver, hit it high with the wind and low into the wind, the lower the degree the lower the stinger into the wind, the lower the degree, the lower the normal flight of a normal shot is, so you can get some run out and not constant plugs in the fairway. I should of said, order me the 7.5, but you get on those monitors and start to see numbers that are not real, you aren't warmed up and you aren't focused, etc. And you buy into the retail BS. Yep, my bad on not saying ORDER THE 7.5.
 

BigJim13

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They put u on a machine, and start spitting numbers at you. The numbers mean nothing, it takes a while to get warmed up and you sure can't hit it pure in sandals. So the guy 'sold' me on 'tech bs', when I should have known better. I hit a 7 degree driver pretty high, not as high as an 8.5 and certainly not as high as a 9.5. But they spin you with the BS on spin and launch angle etc. If you swing at a higher speed and have a consistent face at impact, you can hit most lofts. Sure maybe they can tweak a tour level swing some, but for me, I want to do two things with my driver, hit it high with the wind and low into the wind, the lower the degree the lower the stinger into the wind, the lower the degree, the lower the normal flight of a normal shot is, so you can get some run out and not constant plugs in the fairway. I should of said, order me the 7.5, but you get on those monitors and start to see numbers that are not real, you aren't warmed up and you aren't focused, etc. And you buy into the retail BS. Yep, my bad on not saying ORDER THE 7.5.
I have never been on a launch monitor but I know what your saying about the #'s, it can make your head spin.

I prefer on course testing or at least outdoor testing. Of course, I just shot 97 and ballooned every driver shot I hit...so much for going to a 10.5 head.
 
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sol adoni

sol adoni

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These monitors might be ok for young guns, I'm an old head, I have to warm up like Jimenez, haha, and yeah I have a cigar and LONGER HAIR, hehe. Then I can start to try to swing and after a while I might have the old bones moving enough to start to break 100MPH or so, in 20 years I gained 40 lbs and lost 40 yards and I lost over 20MPH on my driver. LOL

But I still hit ok for a fat old guy.
 

Rockford35

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Please don't confuse a fitter with Edwin Watts. The guy that was "fitting" you likely sold cell phones 3 weeks prior.

Go to a certified fit center. Take all the time you need and get fit to proper lengths, lie angles and shafts. It makes a world of difference - even for fat guys.

R35
 
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sol adoni

sol adoni

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Personally, nothing against the guys at Watts or the other retailers, they should be pushing most players to higher degree lofts, since most can't hit lower degree drivers well. I'm just mad at myself for letting them talk me into a higher degree driver, the last few rounds I used what I should of been using for me, a very low degree driver, and now I have the flight I was used to on my driver, especially a stinger into the wind.

Golf is a very mental game, and if it's in your head you prefer a certain degree, that's more important than what a launch monitor says IMO, as long as you feel good over a tee shot, you should be ok, if it's 7.5 or 10.5 it doesn't really matter unless you are one of the top 200 or so players in the world. Whatever you use, if you hit 9 to 11 fairways with decent length the driver is good whatever the number says.

And your average weekend warrior would probably be way better off with a higher degree loft. But for me, a guy that when he plays, plays almost everyday, it's what I want to see in my bag that matters, I can hit all of the drivers I've played around with, but right now I have the flight I'm used to seeing, and now my ball is going where I expect it to. So I'm happy, but I did put 3 weeks into a driver I got rid of, now it's the same club, same shaft (which is probably the most important thing) and when I step over a tee shot into the wind and choke down and tee the ball low, I hit exactly what I want, a low penetrating draw that can bore through the wind and roll out to 280 like I was doing other day with it. Today the fairways were mud, so roll out was no existent. But the trajectory was what I wanted to see, so I'm very happy I got what I wanted and got talked out of by sales guys a few weeks ago.
 

William Tipton

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When I go into the store they give me what I want or they get no sale.
You have to go in and let them know right off that youre not there to negotiate that you are looking for (fill in the blank) and if they dont have it and cant order it you'll go somewhere that does or can.
Sometimes I really cant stand salesmen. Some of them really dont give a shxt what you need, they just want to sell you whatever they can. I usually just run them off first chance I get so I can shop around without being hassled.
 

MattyB

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Finally pulled the trigger and decided to get a fitted driver.
Going in this arvo so lets hope it's worth it. Not many options to get fitted in my town but the sole golf shop seems to be set up enough to do it properly.

Might have to part ways with my RBZ in a few hours lol.
 

TEA Time

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Reminds me of the time I went into Best Buy for a calculator and walked out of there with a laptop. Boy was I steamed at that slick salesman! Luckily I know the CEO of Dell and he was able to show me how to use the computer's calculator. But still, what kind of salesman tries to sell you stuff you don't need?! :mad:
 

William Tipton

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So I went to get rid of a 8.5 that was going too high to get a 7.5 and walk out with a 9.5.

Somewhere around here I have a Titleist 7.5* head that I got from Play It Again Sports months ago.
Seemed like it hit really well. I have an 8* Nickent head on a stiff steel shaft in the bag now. Hits great for my level of play.
I like it because on days like today where the wind is bad I can tee down and keep the ball low and out of the hurricane, plus it runs for a country mile when its dry out.
 

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