‘I asked him to miss to prove he was human, it was amazing to watch’
By James Savage
Most of us will add a new club or two at the start of a season but all 14 of Sergio’s Callaway clubs, plus a new golf ball, all needed dialling in at the start of 2018.
The man tasked with giving the major winner the perfect set-up was Callaway’s head of tour operations Dean Teykl…
Why did the Rogue Sub Zero driver work best?
“It was the shape of Sub Zero that got his attention. He preferred the deeper face and the trailing edge radius.
“Sergio works the ball both ways. With the Sub Zero, he was able to hit both draws and cuts without having to over work either.
“We had to make sure the draw shot spun enough and the cut shot didn’t spin too much.
“He plays golf in an old school sort of way. He plays each shot as he sees the course set up. Example, on a dogleg right, he will hit a cut shot as opposed to trying to carry the corner.”
Sergio says:
This new driver feels really good. I love the flight. I can hit it left to right, right to left, high or low.
[skylab_video id=”135751″]Callaway Rogue Driver YT[/skylab_video]
“I’m a feel player. I obviously want the numbers to be good. But Dean said the spin was actually a bit higher than he liked but it looked great, felt great, it was good to go.”
Did you start the fitting with the driver?
“We always start with the golf ball. We start with short chip and pitch shots.
“We gradually move back from the green to full shots and eventually driver.
“Sergio needed more spin to control the various shots he likes to hit.
[skylab_video id=”138628”]Callaway Rogue vs Callaway Epic Driver Review[/skylab_video]
“He felt the Chrome Soft X gave him the right amount of spin and feel around the green, while still maintaining the proper spin in the long irons and driver.
“He was pleasantly surprised he could have more spin when he needed it and more distance off the driver.”
Sergio says:
The biggest thing was always going to be the golf ball and we’ve found one that feels amazing for me.
Sergio’s Callaway clubs: Why the regular 3-wood but the Sub Zero 5-wood?
“It was more about the shape and feel of the heads. It’s a strong 3-wood but he’s able to launch it easily from the fairway and it is big enough to use comfortably from the tee.
“Even though it is a strong loft, it is the same as he has used in the past.”
Sergio says:
I think the fairway woods in particualr are off the charts. The Epics were good but the Rogues are much better.
Sergio put the Apex MB irons in the bag pretty quickly. Was he tempted by other models or was this an easy one?
“Sergio’s equipment is very much dictated by appearance at address. He hit all models, but was set on the MB due to the classic look of a blade.”
Just how good a ball striker is he?
“I have been doing this for 17 years. I have been blessed to work with the best players in the world.
“I knew Sergio was known for his ball striking, but I had no idea it was that good. He makes my job very easy.
“During our first session, I asked him to miss one so I knew he was human. It was amazing to watch.”
Sergio says:
All my clubs are counterbalanced with more weight added under the grip. So the clubs are really heavy but the swing weight is nice and equal.
We saw Sergio using the Mack Daddy 4 wedges before any other Callaway clubs. Why?
“It was the classic shape and how the leading edge sat the same distance off of the ground with each wedge.
“He liked that the ball came off in the same window from various lies which leads to more consistent distance control.
Sergio says:
The wedges are one of the things I have enjoyed the most.
There are so many options within the Odyssey and Toulon design putter range so has this given Sergio a bit of confidence he’s got the right one?
“Self admittedly, Sergio has struggled with putting. It has been about speed and distance control.
“He has gone through a couple of different models in an effort to be more consistent.
“His current model, Azalea, is a nice combination of a blade type appearance while having the forgiveness of a higher MOI putter.”
WITB: Sergio’s Callaway clubs
Driver: Rogue Sub Zero, 9˚ Mitsubishi KuroKage Dual Core 70-TX shaft
3-wood: Rogue 3+, 13.5˚ Mitsubishi KuroKage XT 80TX shaft
5-wood: Rogue Sub Zero, 18˚ Mitsubishi KuroKage XT 80TX shaft
Irons: Apex Pro 16 Irons (3-4), Apex MB 18 Irons (5-9) Nippon Modus 130x shafts
Wedges: Mack Daddy 4 (48˚, 54˚, 58˚) Nippon Modus 130x shafts
Putter: Odyssey Toulon Azalea
Ball: 2018 Chrome Soft X (stamped with #17)
More information can be found on the Callaway website.
How does Graphene make Callaway Chrome Soft balls better?
Review: Callaway Rogue driver
Review: Callaway Apex MB irons
James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
