A few weeks back I got an invite from Cathi to be one of the first few to get fitted for the 718 and 818 at Sleepy Hollow in NY. I'm from NH and this would've been a 4 hour drive for me so what the heck! Took the day off and headed down. And let me tell you I am SO HAPPY I did it. I had some regrets as I was driving down, long drive, traffic, etc.. But man it was worth it....
The event took place at Sleep Hollow, a private golf course and WOWZA what a beautiful course. I didn't play it but the view and layout looks pretty amazing and has a great view of the hudson river. Apparently there are a few celebrities that are members there and one of them is in the greatest movie of all time Caddyshack trying to kill those gophers :) Anyways I arrived a little early (probably no surprised to a few of my buddies) and was greeted my Chris (forgot last name, sorry). Super nice and told me to get ready and we'll get started. I was pretty pumped looking at the setup they had and couldn't wait. Before I got fitted, they introduced the line to me and gave me some details on each one. I can tell you right now this is probably the most beautiful line I have ever seen and you can tell Titleist put a lot of effort into this when comparing it to previous models (I've had the 710, 712, 714 and 716. Yes i have a problem). I told them I'm interested in the AP1 and AP3, the others I've never been able to hit that well and numbers weren't good for my game. So, off i went......
My fitter was name Tom. Great guy and VERY knowledgeable about everything. We started off with my current set, 716 AP1 Nippo shaft. Took out my 7 iron and swung away to get some numbers to compare. Mind you, not all my shots were perfect but good enough to get an avg. He then gave me the 718 AP1 w/ the same setup. Took some shots and long story short not much of a difference between the 2. IMO, the only difference that i can tell is the look. The 718 AP1 is beautiful no doubt but not worth the cost for me. Didn't see a reason to upgrade. HOWEVER, if you currently play the older models (710, 712, 714 AP1) I HIGHLY recommend checking this out. And now the fun begins...
Tom asked me do you want to try the AP3, ABSOLUTELY! This is where my fun begins and forgot to mention. While they were giving me details about the line, I told them how much I LOVED the C16 irons. IMO, best irons I have ever hit. Chris looked at me and smiled and told me the AP3 is like the little brother. Man I was PUMPED to hear that. So, Tom gave me the same setup w/ the Nippo shaft and off I went. 3 things; gained 4-6 yards which I know is not a lot but for me it was, 2 the accuracy. Every shot whether it was mishit or a solid shot, it was money, in the zone I was targeting. I felt the accuracy results was much better then the AP1 716 and 718. And I kept hitting and hitting and wow... Amazing.. And 3, the look. Looking down at it is, oh man... So beautiful.. You have to see it in person, picture simply does not do justice.. I walked away knowing the AP3 is the club for me and was well worth the upgrade from the 716 AP1. No question. So yeah, I'll be placing an order..... Getting the AP3 6-Wedge w/ Nippo shaft stiff, std. length, lie, loft and grip.
A few other notes; Yes, I tried multiple shafts and the Nippo continues to be the shaft for me. When these are ready for Sept. 1st, make an appt. and TRY THESE OUT especially the AP3. I think you'll LOVE these. I really think Titleist hit a home run with this one... And as for the 818, I really didn't have a lot of time with those so hopefully I'll set something with the TItleist Thursday event.
Also it was great to see George T from here. Met him a few times at tournaments and it was great to see him. Hopefully he'll chime in on his fitting since he's coming from the 712 family. I'm curious what he'll be doing.
And last but not least, Cathi. I can't say enough good things about her. I was lucky enough to chat with her before my 4 hour trek home. What a treat it was to chat with her. Super nice, super friendly and you can tell she loves doing what she's doing. She's currently traveling around the country promoting the 718 and 818 and apparently yesterday was the first stop. So yeah, I was pretty pumped to know we were the first list of amateurs to try these out. If you ever get a chance to meet Cathi, you have to.
Ok i've said enough. Feel free to ask any questions. I'm still giggling over the AP3... Here some pics...