Driver Fitting with John Irvine – Golf Gains Fitness

Shocking Gains Between Titleist TSI and TSR

Starting with John’s Current Driver

We start by having John hit some shots with his current driver, a Titleist TSi3. John’s average total distance of 325 yards, along with his launch angle, backspin and decent angle all falling into the green sections of our TECFIT fitting software indicate he is starting with a well-fitted driver. However, Coach Troyer says there’s always room for improvement.

Obviously, no one is opposed to adding more distance to their driver, and John is no different. To achieve this, they look into bringing down his spin and launch to really optimize his numbers. By tailoring the spin rate down to around 2,000 rpm to suit John’s swing speed of around 118-120 mph, they would find the optimal range for his shots.

Joe Hooks also visited GOLFTEC Headquarters for a driver fitting. Check out the results here!

Titleist TSR3

The start by testing the newest version of John’s current Titleist, the TSR3. While it’s very similar to the head John is already playing, the newer model will offer more forgiveness and they dialed down the loft. John is playing a nine-degree, lofted up to a ten. Coach Troyer opted for the TSR3 in an eight-degree head, lofted up to nine.

While John achieved impressive distance with this configuration, the spin remained lower than desired causing the ball to dive down out of the air. Coach Troyer also emphasized the impact of the club head on launch angle and spin, dispelling the common misconception that the shaft alone determines performance. He stated that if you have 10 minutes to fit a driver, spend nine minutes on the clubhead and one minute on the shaft.

Titleist TSR2

Next, they tried the Titleist TSR2, which offers a little bit more forgiveness than the TSR3 and a better balance between spin and launch. They still stuck with the eight-degree head lofted up to nine degrees. John immediately noticed the improved forgiveness and overall performance compared to his original driver. With this head, they explored adjusting the loft slightly to fine-tune the launch angle and spin to ideal levels.

Coach Troyer liked the TSR2 better than the TSR3 for John because it offered more forgiveness and John’s misses ended up more on line. They noted that his dispersion was a lot better compared to the TSR3, and finding more fairways is always a good thing. This driver also prevented John from flaring drives out to the right, something he was having problems with in his TSi3 driver.

Callaway Paradym

The final driver John tried was the Callaway Paradym. It aimed to provide additional spin while maintaining a similar loft to John’s current driver. They definitely got what they were after, as his shots with the Paradym added spin and loft. However, it added too much spin and loft, which prevented John from hitting shots that reached optimal levels.

The Callaway Paradym offered forgiveness as well, but because it added too much spin and loft to John’s shots, both he and Coach Troyer decided against fitting John into the Paradym.

After testing various drivers, Coach Troyer concluded that the Titleist TSR2 with an adjusted loft was the best fit for John. This driver provided more forgiveness, improved launch angle, and spin closer to their desired range. John saw an increase in ball speed and distance, with his total distance averaging around 334 yards – almost 10 more yards of distance than his current driver!

John’s experience highlights the crucial role of custom fittings in maximizing performance on the golf course. With the help of a knowledgeable GOLFTEC Coach like Josh Troyer, who understands the intricacies of club fitting, John was able to discover the ideal combination of driver head, loft, and shaft. This personalized approach allowed him to fine-tune his equipment to match his swing characteristics and optimize his ball flight.To find the best driver for your game, we recommend getting fitted by one of our professionals at a local GOLFTEC near you who can assess your swing and recommend the driver that suits you best.

For more content on drivers, check out the videos below from GOLFTEC, including the Top 3 Most Forgiving Drivers of 2023, and the Top 3 Most Draw-Biased Drivers of 2023.

Interested in more instructional content from GOLFTEC?

Fill out the form on this page and you’ll be subscribed to future emails with great videos, tips, drills, and more.

A local Coach will also contact you to discuss your game and how lessons or a fitting at a local Training Center may benefit you.