New 718 Iron Fitting Update

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By Darius V

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  • 9 Replies
  1. Darius V

    Darius V
    Barrie, ON

    I had the pleasure of visiting the Titleist National Fitting Centre at Eagles Nest today for my scheduled iron fitting.

    First of all, my wife and I were warmly greeted by Ryan and given a brief tour of the newly completed facility. I have to say, the new facility is awesome. A far cry from the small building they had the last time I was there. The new facility has a large indoor putting green as well as a more than impressive indoor simulator area enabling Chris and the gang to offer fitting experiences year round !

    After the grand tour by Ryan, Chris got me out to warm up with my current set of clubs with my choice of either ProV1 or ProV1x balls.

    When it was time to start, we had a brief discussion regarding what I was looking for as a result of changing my irons. Was I looking for a higher ball flight, more distance, better control, more forgiveness, or something in line with how my current clubs project the ball but with an upgrade in technology ?

    For me, it was time for an upgrade and based on my performance, perhaps a higher ball flight to give me more accurate distance control relative to where my ball lands.

    Chris had me hit a few of my own irons to give him a base line on the track man with which to register any improvement. Since I currently play with 712 AP1's, we started with the new 718 AP1's to see if that was the best option. I then tried out a couple of swings with the AP2, but when we switched to the AP3's it was obvious that this was the club/shaft combination that was going to give me the absolute best improvement.

    It was quite impressive to see the change in ball flight, carry distance, total distance, and spin rate by switching to the AP3's. It turns out that I also need to have my lie angle adjusted a bit as well. I had originally had my irons set 2 degrees up and over time, that lie angle has changed a bit. My new irons will be adjusted to 3 degrees up to get that toe up a little higher (primarily due to my height) I also need a 1/2 inch added to the shaft lengths.

    I also asked Chris to verify the specs from an earlier fitting ( not with him ) for a new 917 D2 to make sure I was getting the right shaft. Turns out I am very glad we did, as we changed not only the shaft, but also moved to a 10.5 loft driver rather than a 9.5 driver adjusted to 10.5. I am really looking forward to putting this in play as I was gaining about 15 yards with a baby draw with this new set-up. I don't know of anyone that wouldn't be happy with an extra 15 yards :). I am far from tour distance, so any extra yardage is greatly appreciated !!!

    So - the end result ?

    I have sent the information provided to me by Chris directly to my local club pro and asked him to place the orders as soon as possible.

    A new 718 AP1 4 iron - Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage TiNi 85 (Stiff) A new set of 5 through PW 718 AP3's - Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage TiNi 85 (Stiff) A new 917 D2 driver. - Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana Ltd M+ Red 50 (Stiff)

    Many thanks to Chris and Ryan for your kind hospitality and professionalism.

    To those who have often wondered about going for a fitting, I can personally say that I highly recommend it. This was my 4th fitting for Titleist products and I am still amazed at how skilled Chris is as selecting just the right shaft and club combination to get the absolute most out of my swing.

  2. Alex Z

    Alex Z
    Toronto, ON

    Thanks for the review Darius, glad you enjoyed it. I havent seen the new digs yet either but I am planning on venturing there in the spring. I think Titleist is going to have a huge winner with the AP3's.
  3. Barry S

    Barry S
    Oakville, ON

    Thanks for the report Darius.
    How much distance would you say you gained per iron with the AP3's set up over your current AP1's?
  4. BMaddigan

    BMaddigan

    Sounds like quite a day. I am sure the new clubs will lead to lower scores. Good luck.
  5. FJL

    FJL
    Kitchener, ON

    Thanks for sharing your experience with us Darius, looks like you will be all set for next year, go get 'em!
  6. Todd J

    Todd J
    Calgary, Alberta 🇨🇦

    Sounds like the fitting was a great investment, did you get it all done in an hour?
  7. Scott D

    Scott D
    Lethbridge,

    Well Done Darius! Sounds like you learned a lot. Soon you have clubs that not only will look good and preform great. Again Titleist shows that they are committed to great products and superb customer service.

    Good luck and great golfing with the new clubs!
  8. MB

    MB
    Kingston

    Sounds like a great experience! I plan on making the pilgrimage in a couple years. My clubs are still new, so I'd get in trouble if I brought home a second set.

    Do they tell you which ball you should play as well?

    Sounds like you had a blast, thanks for sharing.
  9. Darius V

    Darius V
    Barrie, ON

    Thanks for the feedback guys... A few questions came up that I will try to answer.

    Barry - How much distance did I gain with the irons ?
    Answer - NONE ! For the fitting, I was clear with Chris that I was not looking to change the distance I had with my irons as I am quite happy with my current distances, and did not want to re-learn how far each club goes. Further to that, it would have created a gap between my new SM6 wedges I got fitted for last year and my 816 hybrid which was fit to replace my 3 iron. With that in mind, Chris did ensure that in the fitting I got the proper spin rate and launch angle to help me get the same distance but now the ball will get there with carry rather than roll. This should mean that with a proper swing the ball should land and stop quicker at the distance I want.

    Tod - Did Chris get it all done in an hour ?
    Answer - Yes, Sort of :)
    The fitting spanned the full hour, but I did get there early as suggested by Chris, and spent a half hour warming up so that my body was ready for the fitting.

    MB - Did Chris tell me which ball I should use ?
    Answer - No, he asked me which ball I prefer to play with ProV1 or ProV1x ? I actually use both depending on the temperature but mostly I use the X so we did the fitting using the new 2017 ProV1x balls.

    Over all, you are all correct - It was a blast and I had a great time. I have told a bunch of guys I play with about the experience, and hopefully they listen and take advantage of such an opportunity themselves. One of them is interested in taking my old clubs off my hands as well to keep me from being tempted to alternate from set to set. So nice of him don't you think :)
    I have a feeling that when the other members at my club see the new sticks we may find a few more Titleist players at my club !!!
  10. Chris H

    Chris H
    Peterborough, ON

    I will echo all of Darius' comments on the fitting process. It is very informative, a lot of fun, and also a bit tiring (hitting a lot of shots to verify the numbers). It was my 3rd time, but the first to the new building and it is great. Chris' expertise is also something to experience. He has a terrific sense of what will work best & then uses Trackman to verify the actual numbers. I was a bit surprised with what we came up with for irons (TMB 5 iron & 6-P AP2's, Project X LZ 6.0 shafts) that seemed to be the best for distance, gaps, & spin rate. Also a great suggestion to try V vs. X to further reduce iron spin with the ball I play.

















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