Being fit for the 2017 Titleist Pro V1

Why would you go through the trouble of getting fit for clubs, if you don’t know what ball suits you best..

That was the question I was faced with as I strode onto the range at Abu Dhabi Golf Club before my ball fitting with a Titleist golf ball specialist.

To start the process I was told that during the fitting I would be hitting Pro V1’s for the whole session and from that we can deduce whether that ball is spinning enough for me, flying too low ad just to look at the key areas that I want to improve in my game.

I started by hitting a few 50 yard shots and it was stressed to me that I should play this shot exactly how I would play it out on the course.

So for me, as I’m not confident with my wedges, for a 50 yard shot I would generally play it with a pitching wedge, grip down and try and play a sort of chip and run shot.

Obviously this is not the ideal way to play the shot, but as a mid handicap golfer, this is the best I can offer!

The reason we start with a 50 yard shot is because our fitting methodology is green to tee. We believe that golfers of any ability to improve

I then played some 7 iron shots and finished with hitting my driver..

What Titleist are really stressing is that although ball fitting is very important and is something that they would advise everyone to do before choosing the ball they play, you have to get it out on the course aswell.

We try and keep the golf ball the same, we do a lot of our testing with robots and obviously with that we get a very constant strike and a very consistent swing in comparison to when we go into the field with golfers where we dont get the same consistency.

So the only thing that we can keep as a constant throughout is the ball that you are hitting.

Do you find it more difficult to fit a golfer who has a higher handicap as opposed to someone with a very low handicap?

Not necessarily, because I’m interested in the bad shots, but conversely I am really interested in the good shots. If you are playing the wrong golf ball but then put a good swing on it, why should you be punished for that swing?

The Outcome

The ball fitting was process was interesting. For me, I was told that a Pro V1 was probably the best ball for me as I like to see a lower ball flight.

But Titleist stress that in a ball fitting they will only ever really suggest what ball you should use, and not say ‘you definitely need to use this ball.

Having a ball fitting is really beneficial though, you get to see what works best for you specifically as a golfer and can make a decision on what golf ball will suit your game the best.