Archive for March, 2009
The European Tour rolled into Seville, Spain this week for the first event of the season in mainland Europe; the Open de Andalucia held at the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla. Formerly the host venue for the World Cup of Golf in 2004, the layout is a beautiful and challenging parkland design. It features a variety of hazards including 90 bunkers and nine lakes, all bordered by punishing thick rough. The focus will very much be on accuracy this week!
The Titleist Tour Team have been issuing new Pro V1 and Pro V1x balls in earnest this week, as the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) makes its first appearance of the season. A number of players have already made the switch to the new product in recent weeks and this trend continued in Seville this week. Following are some of the players to make the switch just this week:
NEW Pro V1
Gregory Bourdy
Carlos Del Moral
Jose Maria Olazabal
Thomas Levet
NEW Pro V1x
Pablo Larrazabal
Paul Waring
Martin Erlandsson
Branden Grace
Maarten Lafeber
Ross McGowan
Feedback on the new balls has been hugely positive and many other players have already outlined their intentions to switch to the new Pro V1 or Pro V1x in the coming events.
Click here to view the slide show
The TTSV has been very busy this week, with a number of players taking the opportunity to utilise its facilities and to order new equipment.
One player to take advantage of the TTSV was last week’s European Tour winner and Titleist Ambassador Estanislao Goya. The young Argentinean, known affectionately as “Tano”, claimed victory at the Madeira Islands Open BPI in just his sixth start on the European Tour and was understandably in high spirits. Tano popped into the TTSV during practice to order himself some new Vokey wedges which were subsequently built and delivered to him on site. The full specifications are detailed below:
Estanislao Goya
Model: Tour Chrome Vokey
Loft / Bounce: 52.08
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S300
Length: 35.5”
Lie: 64°
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R (Reversed)
Model: Tour Chrome Spin Milled Vokey
Loft / Bounce: 56.10
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S200
Length: 35.25”
Lie: 64°
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R (Reversed)
Model: Tour Chrome Spin Milled T Grind
Loft: 60°
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold S200
Length: 35”
Lie: 64°
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 58R (Reversed)
In addition, he also picked up a selection of Titleist Flex Fit caps each embroidered with “E.GOYA” personalisation. Pictures of Tano’s new Vokey wedges and Titleist caps can be found in this week’s slide show.
Another player in buoyant mood this week was Titleist Ambassador Callum Macaulay. Macaulay pushed Goya all the way in Madeira last week as he carded a final round 64 (-7) including a stunning back nine holes in 28 strokes to claim second place. Callum is understandably delighted with his new 909 DComp driver, put in play before the start of last week’s event, and this week wanted to add a hybrid to his armoury to help with approach shots into par 5’s. Full specifications for Callum’s new 909H are as follows:
Callum Macaulay
Model: 909H
Loft: 17°
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax Prototype Stiff
Length: 41”
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet 60R
Swingweight: D3
Goya and Macaulay were not the only Titleist staffers to receive new equipment this week. Titleist fitting technician Mattias Jelver also spent time on the range conducting club fittings for South African Branden Grance and Spaniard Carlos Del Moral. Both Grace and Del Moral were built new 909 D3 drivers for further testing. The specifications for both are as follows:
Branden Grace
Model: 909 D3
Loft: 8.5°
Shaft: Diamana White Board 73 X-Flex (Tipped 1.5”)
Length: 45”
Grip: Golf Pride Multi-Compound White 58R
Swingweight: D3
Carlos Del Moral
Model: 909 D3
Loft: 8.5°
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki 73 X-Flex (Tipped 1.5”)
Length: 45”
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord 58R
Swingweight: D3
Next week the Tour moves west for the Estoril Open de Portugal where Titleist Ambassador Gregory Bourdy will look to defend his title. The event will be held just outside Lisbon at the magnificent Oitavos Dunes, providing a stern test for the players. The TTSV will again be on site, meaning another busy week of fitting and building product for the players. As always the Tour Blog will have all the information from inside the ropes at the event.
March 27th, 2009
Following a number of early season events in the southern hemisphere the European Tour hits home soil this week for the Madeira Islands Open. The European Tour has already visited a number of spectacular destinations this season but nothing with a landscape quite so imposing as that of Porto Santo Golf Club. This challenging Seve Ballesteros design sits perched on the cliff tops that define Madeira’s magnificent coastline and gives stunning views out over the Atlantic Ocean, especially on holes 13 and 14 which run along the cliff edge. A wayward shot on these holes will be punished by a 500ft drop to a watery grave!!!
Whilst not overly long by European Tour standards at just under 7000 yards, the par 71 layout at Porto Santo has other defences that make it extremely challenging. A combination of small, firm greens and the ever present winds that blow in from the ocean will provide a stern test of shot making and short game skills. Any player hitting more than 50% of greens in regulation across the week will surely be in contention come Sunday.
Click here to view to slide show.
Whilst a number of the more established European Tour players take a break on the back of two WGC events in the last three weeks, the field at the Madeira Islands Open still boasts plenty of talent. Englishman Paul Waring, Argentine Estanislao “Tano” Goya, Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey (who at the time of writing holds the lead at -7) and South African Branden Grace are just four of the Titleist Ambassadors that will be looking to contend this week.
The aforementioned Branden Grace is new to the Titleist ranks for 2009 and, having secured his card at qualifying school in late 2008, has had a number of good finishes back in his native South Africa including a hugely creditable tie for 6th at South African Open. New equipment has been coming thick and fast for Branden in recent weeks with the latest additions to his bag being two new Tour Chrome Spin Milled Wedges. Branden was also particularly excited to receive a batch of Titleist caps this week each with “Gracie” personalisation. It’s always a nice touch for our Titleist Ambassadors to have their own unique moniker on their headwear and Branden’s certainly wearing his with pride.
You can take a look at Branden’s bag and headwear in the slide show and here is full run down of his equipment specifications:
Driver
Model: 909D3
Loft: 8.5
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Javln M6 X-Flex,
Length: 45”
Fairway
Model: 909F2
Loft: 13.5
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 7Z08 X-Flex
Length: 43”
Hybrid
Model: 909H
Loft: 19
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 904HB X-Flex
Length: 40.5”
Irons
Model: AP2
Composition: 3-PW
Shaft: Project X 6.5
Length: Standard (#6 @ 37.5”)
Lie: Standard (#6 @ 62.5)
Wedges
Model: Tour Chrome Spin Milled
Lofts: 54.11 & 60.04
Shaft: Project X 6.0
Length: Std
Lie: Std
Other Titleist Ambassadors in the field this week include Scotsman Callum Macaulay and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, both of whom have been testing new 909 metals this week. Macaulay has been testing the three 909 driver options and has subsequently settled for the 909 DComp which was producing more distance by offering Callum a slightly higher launch and the increase in spin that he required. The new driver has gone straight into play for this week’s event; his specifications are as follows:
Model: 909 DComp
Loft: 9.5
Shaft: Grafalloy ProLaunch Red Stiff (Tipped 1.5”)
Length: 45”
Wiesberger on the other hand recently received a new 909F2 and is continuing to test the club during practice. Below is the full specification for his fairway metal.
Model: 909F2
Loft: 15.5
Shaft: Diamana White Board 83 X-Flex
Next week sees the European Tour hit mainland Europe for the first time this season at the Open de Andalucia in Seville. It will also be the first event of the season for the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle which will be sporting an all new livery (see previous blog entry). With the TTSV out at the event the Titleist team already have a number of fittings booked with Titleist players and are sure to be building plenty of product. As always the Tour Blog is the place to be for “inside the ropes” updates from Seville.
March 20th, 2009
With the European Tour heading back to home soil after a series of events in the southern hemisphere, the Titleist Tour team is busy preparing the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) for its first outing of the season at the Open de Andalucia in two weeks time.
The TTSV plays an important role for Titleist out on the European Tour. Not only is it a mobile workshop, where clubs can be manufactured and adjusted to the needs of our staff players, but it also acts as a mobile office, a meeting room and players lounge.
As part of the preparations for the “domestic” 2009 European Tour season, the TTSV was sent away for a make-over and arrived back at our European Headquarters in St Ives earlier this week sporting an all new livery. The slide show features a look at the new livery in all its glory. Keep an eye out for the TTSV at European Tour events and on the roads of Europe throughout the year.
Click here to view the slide show.
March 13th, 2009
It’s a rare treat when one of our Titleist Brand Ambassadors from the European Tour stops by the Oceanside Test Facility for a tune up during the season. Last Friday, however, was double the pleasure as Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer both paid a visit to our California based facility to prepare for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.
In addition to escaping the winter weather in Northern Ireland to prepare for his first professional start in the U.S., Rory also spent some time working with Bob Vokey and Tour Fitting Manager Cliff Walzak to get fit into a pitching wedge that provides a better yardage gap between his 9-iron and approach wedge. The 19-year-old is currently 17th in the Official World Golf Ranking after picking up his first professional victory recently at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Martin hopped over to Oceanside for the day from his U.S. base in Scottsdale, Arizona to get fit into a new 909 driver. Chris Tuten from the Titleist Leadership Department and Tour Fitter Dino Antenucci worked with the new FittingWorks SureFit System to find the optimum 909 driver for Martin. The two-time European Tour winner is currently ranked 21st in the OWGR heading into the Accenture Championship.
Be sure to click on the image below to view the slideshow of images from Oceanside. For the opportunity to experience a Tour-quality fitting similar to Rory and Martin, read about our new Titleist Factory Fitting program on FittingWorks.com.
Titleist Brand Ambassador Rory McIlroy
March 2nd, 2009
