I just got back from my fitting session at the TPI Oceanside facility just outside of San Diego. Left Midland, Tx on Wed morning 2/16, landed in San Diego at about 10:30 am. My fitting session wasn't until Thursday morning, so my plan was to see if I could get on Torrey South. I made the drive North and checked in with the starter who told me a twosome was about to tee off in 10 minutes and it was pretty full the rest of the afternoon. So I went for it and played that track with out any sort of warm up. Needless to say, Torrey is everything I had heard and more. Great golf course, and the Pacific is a great backdrop. I shot 88 which is high for me (I'm an 8 hdcp). We Texans aren't used to playing in the rain and it rained for most of the back nine. I haven't had that many long iron second shots in to greens in a long time. Nevertheless, it was a great experience and I would do it again in a second. The price is a little steep, $228 with cart, but how many chances do you get to play a US Open course?
Now for the fitting.....
I showed up at The TPI facility on Thursday at 8:30 am. What some of the other posters have said about the security around the facility is true. The perimeter fence is completely tarped, so you can not see in. The gate guard was very friendly and informative. I parked my rental and went inside. It's pretty neat, because the facility looks like any office complex you would work in, but behind it is the most neatly manicured golf range you'll ever see. They were filming a Golf Channel - Titleist Performance Institute fitness program in the studio so as I was checking in I tried to see what was going on with that. They said the series would air on the Golf Channel some time after the Masters.
My fitter was Jim Watkins and he was excellent. We went out to the range and I got to warm up for a couple of minutes while he set up the laptop computer and the Tour Tracker launch monitor. Jim was very thorough. We talked about my game and what I was looking for in getting fitted. Once I was warmed up we started with the driver. I hit my driver (Titleist 907 D2 9.5 with a stiff Blue Byou shaft) for 5 or 6 shots so he could get a baseline. I forgot to mention, before I hit any of my clubs he put them on a machine to determine the exact loft and lie that I was playing with. I hit both the 910 D2 and D3 in 9.5 and 10.5 lofts. I probably hit a half dozen different shafts. We zero'ed in on the 910 D2 9.5 with the Diamana Kai' Li 65 stiff shaft in the C2 setting.
We then jumped to fairway woods. I really have been struggling with my 3 wood (Titleist 904F 15deg with stiff Aldila) for the last couple of years and I struggled with the shots I took on the range. Jim said that the new 910F was a lot easier to hit and he was right. I hit that club in the neutral A1 setting and was striping it 220 to 230 yards down the middle. Sold!!
We then moved to hybrids. I hit a Nickent 17 deg hybrid that I struggle with. In fact, I hit my 3 iron better than my hybrid, so I end up avoiding the hybrid. I really didn't hit the new 910H any better than my club, so that result was not what I was looking for.
Jim made a real effort to keep me in a stock shaft in my woods, and it paid off. I called my club pro this morning to see if he had the driver and 3 wood in stock and he did!!!! So the clubs are in my bag ready to go tomorrow morning. I'm really excited to play clubs that I know are fitted to me.
I also got fitted for irons. I presently hit Taylor R7s tp with S300 shafts. We tried out the AP2s and the CBs. Jim really worked with the lie on both the demos that I hit. I hit the 3, 5, and 8 iron in each of those models. The Taylor R7 is a great iron, but I like the look and feel of the AP2. They seem to have a thinner profile at address which I like. I'm not going to pull the trigger on irons just yet (I've spent over $1000 bucks on the fitting, driver, and 3 wood) but I'll probably trade up late this year.
Finally, we went to the wedge area and worked on short game. I carry a Vokey 52-8 and 56-10. I like both clubs, but when I tried out the new TVD's that are made with bounce that makes it very easy to open and close the club face for different shots around the green, I was sold. The TVD doesn't dig in to the turf like my 56 does, so it's a lot easier to hit a more aggressive shot that has good spin. So I'm going to retire the 56 and buy one of the personalized TVD 58s on the Vokey web site.
All in all this was a great experience an I highly recommend it. One caveat: don't do this unless you are ready to buy some clubs because you will be so impressed with these new 910s and TVDs that you will want to trade up. Jim took a full 3-1/2 hrs with me. He was very patient and helpful. He's a PGA pro, so I even got some helpful swing tips out of this fitting.
Sorry this was so long, but there was a lot to cover.