The first real custom club fitting session I ever had was here in St Andrews with Applied Golf Technologies (AGT) as a 40th birthday treat in 2009. I was immediately hooked on the benefits of custom fitting. Back then, AGT didn't just fit for Callaway but also had other "exotic" brands like Miura, KZG and Vega. I came away with a set of KZG Forged Evolution irons with KBS Tour shafts that were MOI matched to the 6 iron. I thought they were awesome and I really should have kept them longer than I did!
One of the other popular services offered by AGT was called Tour Van Gold. For a small charge, they would do an annual review of your clubs, checking loft and lie and a review of how you were getting on with them. Since that time, the academy has become a dedicated facility for Callaway and the custom fitting services of AGT were not continued. In recent years, my fittings have mostly been done by SGGT and while I could have gone back there this time, it's now almost a 3-hour round trip and I wanted to stay local. Back when I worked in Edinburgh I could pop there at lunchtime or after work.
Having built a decent relationship with Adam Legg at Auchterlonies, I wanted to use him this time. They've done a couple of repairs for me, I had a putter session with him last year and we've chatted several times about other clubs and what I've been trying to do with my setup. He remembered the old AGT offer and we talked about his ability to do the same thing. He also knows my coach, Mike Lander, and we spoke about my golfing ambitions for the years ahead.
Reminder of my current clubs: (no changes since my last update - honest!)
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 set at 9.5) with K'aili White stiff shaft (fitted at Drumoig)
3 Wood: Ping G425 LST with Alta CB 70 stiff shaft (self-fitted)
19* Hybrid: Callaway XR16OS with Tour AD-DI 85s hybrid shaft (self-fitted)
23* Hybrid: Callaway Apex Pro (2017) with Tour AD-DI 85s hybrid shaft (self-fitted)
(alternative 4i P790 with KBS TGI 80 stiff shaft - fitted by SGGT)
5-PW: TaylorMade P770's with KBS Tour Lite stiff shafts (fitted by SGGT)
50/54/60 Vokey SM9 wedges with Modus 3 115 stiff shafts (fitted by SGGT)
Putter: Toulon Atlanta (flow neck) and TriHot 5K Three (Toulon trial and error, TriHot fitted at the Academy)
Areas I wanted to examine:
First and foremost this was a gapping session to address a couple of concerns.
Gapping with 9i/PW/50 isn't great and causes indecision when playing.
My long irons/hybrids feel congested and I don't believe I'm getting enough performance out of my 5i, creating further uncertainty with club selection.
Should we consider swapping the 19h for a 7 wood and the 5i for another hybrid?
I'm getting older, so are my shafts still the right fit? I've played a lot of golf this year and have had a bit of elbow fatigue, so is it time to consider graphite shafts?
If we have time, I'd like to check my two putters.
The experience:
The fitting studio is above the shop and it's a bit on the cramped side, also doubling up for putter fitting. I'm fine hitting most clubs in there, but feel a bit constrained/limited with the driver as I worry I'm going to hit something. They have plans to expand into the space behind the shop, improving retail space and adding two dedicated fitting bays. I think that will be a game-changer for them, especially given the number of brands they stock and their ability to make adjustments on-site. Add that to the second-hand shop and the potential to retrofit clubs from there makes for a great combination.
Having already discussed my aims, we went straight into the fitting session.
Short iron gapping. I warmed up with 9i, then added the pitching wedge followed by the 50* wedge. It was immediately apparent that the gapping wasn't right with PW and 9i. We added in a few shots with the 8i to check that gap too. The 9i played short and the PW played long, creating two problems. Tweaking the 9i stronger and PW weaker made the gaps much better.
Next, I hit a few 6i shots to get a baseline for this part of the fitting. Then 5i and 4h were added and we quickly established that I was underperforming with the 5i (we didn't even bother with the 4i I was fitted for when I bought my irons). My Apex Pro hybrid has a compact head shape and we didn't have a 5 hybrid option to match, so we had to use a Ping G430. While I didn't like the visual aspect of the larger head, it served the purpose well and proved that swapping the 5i for a 5 hybrid is the way to go. I've subsequently sourced a newer model Apex Pro 5 hybrid from Callaway pre-owned. When it arrives we will check that it fits the gap as hoped and consider re-shafting it to match the other two.
As an aside, the Callaway pre-owned site is excellent and you can find some real bargains at times https://eu.callawaygolfpreowned.com/gb/en-gb/
We then moved to the 3h and compared it to a 7 wood. I hit the 3h much better than the 7w and the gap to the 4h was also good, so no change required. I also didn't like the look of the 7 wood and preferred the look of the XR16OS, even though it is bigger than the Apex Pro.
To complete the top end we looked at my 3w and driver, both of which were performing fine and didn't need any changes. The only thing we might consider is sourcing a Tour AD-DI fairway shaft to match the hybrids.
Finally, we had a quick look at my putter(s). While the Toulon looks and feels great (and I think Adam took a bit of a fancy to it himself), I had a pronounced right miss with it and my start line was much more consistent with the TriHot. We agreed to do a dedicated SAM session (booked for Dec 21st). Adam asked me to look at different grip options from Garsen and Kotahi as he thought they may complement my recent putting lesson with Mike. He also suggested checking out the trending "Japanese" interlocking fingers grip method: https://youtu.be/3iZShx7g5zY?si=0_wyiDHNxUjqCNhe
Recommended changes:
Short iron lofts tweaked.
For my sore elbows, install softer grips on all clubs and then re-assess after a few rounds. I have new grips ready (Lamkin Sonar) and will install them over winter.
Sell my P790 4 iron (will wait until Spring).
Cally Apex Pro 5 hybrid ordered. Re-shaft to match my other two.
Stick with the TriHot 5k Three but come back in Jan for another session. Research Garsen and Kotahi grips and the Japanese Butterfly grip.
Conclusion
This was an excellent session with Adam and very enjoyable. There was no sales pitch here and it was all about optimising my current set to help me play to my maximum potential. Before going to a session like this it's a good idea to think carefully about what you want it and be properly prepared before you go. Sharing with Adam before the session certainly helped us focus our time together and get the most from it. Finding a fitter like Adam who can make club adjustments in-house so you can test the results immediately is a great advantage too.
I was mentally prepared for Adam to recommend several changes, so coming away with only one is a great result. Dropping the 5 iron and adding another hybrid is just the sad reality of getting older I guess. But why make the game harder than it needs to be? It's certainly nothing to be embarrassed about, although I'm sure my friends will take the mickey about the number of head covers in my bag (until I take the money off them).
So if you're in the St Andrews area and want some good, honest, independent advice on your clubs, then I would highly recommend getting in touch with Adam. It's best to email him at adam@auchterlonies.com or pop into the shop and see if he's around.
We might have a similar number of headcovers soon 🤣