Mid Handicap Journey to Improve Iron Play With Callaway

Custom Fitting is an experience that more golfers are undertaking each year, with technology and analysis matching them up with equipment that is most suited to their swing, technique and body shape. To explore the process and benefits, this season on Golfshake, we ran a campaign to identify three individual golfers and take them for a Custom Fitting Session with Callaway Golf, fitting them with a new set of irons, and following their progress throughout 2019 to see the difference it makes to their games.

On April 3rd, we took the guys along to Callaway's European Fitting Centre with Custom Fit Supervisor Mike Clark.

Golfshake Member Andy Hammond is a 17-handicap golfer, who we invited along to go through the fitting, and begin his journey to better iron play with his new Callaway Apex Irons. You can meet Andy in the video, and in the Q&A below, see how he got on during the process using TrackMan, what set he was fitted with, and why these were the right clubs for him, providing an insight behind Custom Fitting and the role it could play in lowering your handicap.

Q&A with Andy

Had you ever been fitted before for golf clubs? 

"I’ve never been fitted for golf clubs before."

How did you feel before going in for the fitting?

"I felt a bit nervous as I didn’t want to waste the fitter's time hitting awful (fats/thins/slice/hooks) shots."

How was the fitting experience? 

"It was brilliant experience, once I’d hit my first couple of shots the nerves went. It was all relaxed and went too quickly."

Did it all make sense as Mike explained the fitting process as you went through it?

"Absolutely! Just a subtle changes of shaft flex and weights and lie angles were explained simply."

How did you feel after the fitting?

"Just couldn’t wait to get the new clubs!"

How long did it take to receive your new clubs?

"They arrived a week after the fitting."

How much practice have you done with the new clubs?

"Not enough! First outing was in a club comp. So I didn’t know distances for the new irons. So I’m still working out distances and start direction."

What's the biggest difference you have noticed since getting your custom fitted clubs?

"After using clubs which were over 20 years old the biggest difference in the extra distance and forgiveness and having the confidence to hit shots."

Have you noticed any significant improvements so far? 

"When they go, they go!"

Would you recommend a custom fitting? 

"Totally!" 

Andy's final specs were:

? APEX 19 IRONS - 4-P
? HEAD LIE ANGLE - FLAT1
? HEAD LOFT - STD
? SHAFT MODEL - NIPPON MODUS 3 120 TOUR STIFF
? SHAFT CUT GENDER - MEN'S STD LENGTH
? SHAFT CUT ADJ - -1/2
? GRIP MODEL - GP TOUR VELVET 360

For more on Callaway and its 2019 range of clubs, visit https://www.golfshake.com/news/gear/2019/callaway/.