Archive for June, 2009
Following last week’s U.S. Open, the European Tour is back in full swing at the BMW International Open, held at Golfclub München Eichenried in Munich, Germany. The 7000 yard, par 72 layout at Eichenried is playing its full length due to heavy rain in recent days but, with the greens receptive and a high quality field, a low winning score is to be expected.
Click here to view the slideshow>
Fresh from a gruelling five days of competition at Bethpage Black, world number 16 Rory McIlroy is straight back into European Tour action and heads a strong contingent of Titleist Ambassadors at this week’s event. Teeing it up this week in Munich are the following Titleist staffers:
Rory McIlroy
Gregory Bourdy
Peter O’Malley
Brett Rumford
Chinnarat Phadungsil
Robert Dinwiddie
Martin Erlandsson
Michael Curtain
Carlos Del Moral
Branden Grace
Seve Benson
Paul Waring
Mikko Ilonen
Michael Hoey
Shane Lowry
Despite being the most recent addition to our playing staff, the name at the bottom of this list is one that many of you will instantly recognise; Irishman Shane Lowry. Back in May Shane became an overnight sensation when he claimed victory as an amateur at the 3 Irish Open and, in so doing, earned himself full playing priveleges on the European Tour. Understandably, Shane has now joined the professional ranks and plans a full playing schedule. Shane will continue to trust in the equipment that served him so well as an amateur and embarks on his professional career with a full bag of Titleist equipment, including the 2009 Pro V1x golf ball. It’s great to have Shane as a Titleist Ambassador and we all wish him well with his European Tour career.
This week in Munich saw Shane check in to see the Titleist Tour Team as he was keen to find a new putter. It seems that despite using a Newport putter of late he has always had a penchant for the larger, mallet-style heads and wanted to see what was available. We knew just what to show him; the Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi!! Shane took an instant shine to the Kombi and it’s straight in play for the event.
Shane Lowry
Model: 909D2
Loft: 8.5°
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 7Z08 X-Stiff
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)
Model: 909F2
Loft: 15.5°
Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 7Z08 X-Stiff
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)
Model: 909H
Loft: 19°
Shaft: Fujikura Speeder 904HB X-Stiff
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)
Model: AP2
Composition: 2-9 iron
Shafts: True Temper Rifle 6.5
Length: +1/4”
Lie: 2° Upright
Loft: 1° Strong
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)
Model: Titleist Vokey Tour Chrome
Loft.Bounce: 48.06, 52.08, 58.08 (Spin Milled)
Shafts: True Temper Project X 6.0
Length: +1/4”
Lie: 1° Upright
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet (+1/32”)
Personalised stamping: SL
Model: Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi
Length: 35”
Grip: Cameron Custom Shop Lime Green Midsize
Weights: 30g (heel & toe), 20g (back)
The heavy rain in Munich rather put pay to the usual raft of equipment testing, meaning that the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) was a little quieter than normal. However, things got a little more hectic when the team discovered that the TTSV was beginning to sink into the practice range!! Obviously the guys weren’t too keen on the idea of having to dig out the near 35-tonne truck and the situation called for immediate action. After a moment of deliberation an evacuation order was issued and, following some handy jack work from Tour representative (and TTSV driver) Ian Martin, the TTSV was back above ground and up and running, much to the delight of everyone concerned.
Despite the persistent deluge there were a couple of Titleist players that braved the elements and hooked up with the team to work on their equipment. The first of these was big-hitting Englishman Paul Waring, who spent some time with Titleist Tour Technician Mattias Jelver working on his fairway metals. Paul wanted to utilise the Trackman system to check the distances and spin rates of his 909F3 fairways. The Trackman did reveal that his spin rates were a little too high but the general consensus was that the wet conditions were probably the cause. A soft surface often forces the player to hit the ball with a steeper angle of attack in order to avoid hitting it heavy. The result of this steeper path into the ball is an increase in spin. Paul was more than happy with the performance of his two 909F3 fairways (15° & 18°) but Mattias decided to build him a 13° version and work with him again at the Open de France next week. Hopefully the weather will be kinder to us all!!
Paul Waring
Model: 909F3
Lofts: 13°, 15°, 18°
Shafts: Grafalloy Blue X-Flex
Lengths: 43” (13° & 15°), 42.5” (18°)
Grips: Golf Pride Multi-Compound – Red / Black (+1/32”)
Swingweight: D3
Another player working on his metals in Munich was Titleist Ambassador Martin Erlandsson. Martin has had a Titleist 905R driver in the bag for some time as he was happy with the performance, but we felt that we could improve on this with a 909. Martin’s preferred shot shape is a soft draw and at the beginning of our testing we were having difficulties finding a shaft that delivered the appropriate combination of launch and spin whilst allowing Martin to retain his stock right-to-left flight. In the end, however, we identified the right combination and Martin has put his new 909D2 in play for this week’s event.
Martin Erlandsson
Model: 909D2
Loft: 8.5°
Shafts: Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki 63 X-Stiff
Length: 45”
Grip: Golf Pride Multi-Compound Round – Red / Black (Standard & Reversed)
Swingweight: D3
Next week the Tour moves to Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris for the Open de France ALSTOM. Last year’s event saw Titleist Ambassador Pablo Larrazabal claim a maiden victory on the European Tour on his way to being named 2008 European Tour Rookie of the Year. The charismatic Spaniard will again be in the field and have high hopes of retaining his title. However, he will undoubtedly face stiff competition from another quality field which will include fellow Titleist Ambassadors Robert Karlsson and Soren Hansen, as well as Pro V1 loyalists Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood.
The European Tour Blog will be back at the same time next week, but in the meantime be sure to check out the slideshow which includes some great shots from this week in Munich, not least a particularly interesting pose from Scott Strange. No, we can’t figure out what he’s doing either!!
June 26th, 2009
The eyes of the golfing world are once again focused stateside this week for the 109th playing of the U.S Open Championship at Bethpage State Park, New York. The Black Course at Bethpage hosts the event for the second time and the near 7500 yard, rain soaked monster offers up one of the most severe tests of golf anywhere on the planet. Our man on the ground at Bethpage for the European Titleist Tour Team is Jonathan “J-Lo” Loosemore, and he spent time on Tuesday following Titleist Ambassador Ross Fisher and Titleist Pro V1 loyalist Ian Poulter during their practice round. On course opinion certainly appears to justify the hype surrounding the difficulty of the course with both Ian and Ross reporting it to be brutally tough following their Tuesday practice round.
Click here to view the slideshow
With little golf having been played at the time of writing – following a first round rain delay – it’s far too early to tell which player will claim top spot come Sunday. However, it is not too early to tell which ball will claim the top spot at the event as, for the 61st consecutive year, the Titleist golf ball will again be the #1 ball at the U.S Open. This is further proof that more of the best players in the world continue to play a Titleist golf ball and, when faced with one of the world’s toughest examinations, the Titleist Pro V1 is the preferred ball of choice. In addition to taking the #1 ball streak to 61 years, hopes are also high for continuing the Pro V1 major championship winning streak. Titleist Pro V1 has already claimed the last three major titles for Padraig Harrington (2008 Open Championship & 2008 USPGA Championship) and Angel Cabrera (2009 Masters). With such a high percentage of the field teeing up a Pro V1 the chances of a fourth consecutive major at Bethpage look strong.
Elsewhere this week, the European Tour has moved to Lumbres, Northern France, for the Saint Omer Open; a co-sanctioned event with the European Challenge Tour. For those players that haven’t made it to Bethpage, the event provides a real opportunity to elevate their standing on the European Tour and boost their ranking in the inaugural Race to Dubai. The undulating par-71 layout at the Aa Saint Omer Golf Club features a number of elevation changes that result in many shots being played blind to the target. The premium this week will be on positioning the ball in the right areas of the course in order to gain the best angle of approach to the target. At just 6845 yards the course is modest in length by European Tour standards meaning that the driver will often take a back seat in favour of fairway metals, hybrids and long irons from the tee.
The Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) was on site for the event which gave a number of the Challenge Tour players in the field an opportunity to utilise the facility. The guys certainly took this opportunity and our stock of Vokey wedge heads on board has taken a direct hit!! It was great to see the popularity of the Vokeys among the Challenge Tour guys and given access to a stock of tour issue options they simply flew out of the door.
When our technicians weren’t busy building Vokey wedges they also spent some time working with a couple of Titleist Ambassadors on their equipment set-up. Carlos Del Moral was one of the guys to check in with the Titleist team. It’s the first full season on the European Tour for Carlos having qualified through Q-school in 2008 and he is looking for a strong finish this week to help ensure a top 115 finish in the Race to Dubai and European Tour playing privileges for 2010. Del Moral popped into the TTSV to discuss his driver requirements as he felt that he was generating too much spin from his 8.5° 909D2. Hooking Carlos up to the Trackman system revealed perfect launch and spin numbers for on-centre hits but the occasional miss-hit resulted in a marked increase in spin and a stalling ball flight. The decision was taken to build Carlos a 7.5° version of his 909D2 which yielded the lower spin rate that he was looking for. He must have liked it as it’s straight in the bag for the event.
Carlos Del Moral
> Model: 909D2
> Loft: 7.5°
> Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Whiteboard 73 X-Flex
> Length: 45”
> Grip: Golf Pride Multi-Compound (White/Black) +1/64”
> Swingweight: D3
Titleist Ambassador Michael Curtain was another player to pay a visit to the TTSV. As with every European Tour professional, Michael hits a lot of balls and was concerned that the constant pounding of club into turf had adjusted the lofts and lies of his AP2 irons. Titleist Tour Technicians Karl Arthur and Phil Dimmock spent time checking the set against the specification kept on file and made the necessary adjustments. Michael headed back to the range and was much happier with his set-up. This is a real lesson for those of you that play a lot of golf. Clubs will move over time due to constant use so it’s essential to regularly check your loft and lies to ensure your clubs are set-up as intended.
Michael Curtain
> Model: AP2
> Composition: #3-9 iron
> Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100
> Length: +1/4” (#6 @ 37.75”)
> Lie: Std (#6 @ 62.5”)
> Loft: Std (#6 @ 31°)
> Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .580 Round (+1/32”)
The BMW International Open is the next event in the European Tour calendar and it will be a quick turnaround for a number of the U.S Open participants that are entered in the field. Titleist Ambassadors Rory McIlroy and Ross Fisher are just two of the players that will be jetting back across the Atlantic for the event and, whilst they are likely to be a little battle weary from their Bethpage experience, both are sure to be among the favourites for the event. The Titleist Team will be on hand with the TTSV and the Blog will have your weekly update this time next week. Enjoy the U.S Open!!
June 19th, 2009
Both Ryder Cup captains have taken an early chance to view the 2010 venue, at this week’s Celtic Manor Wales Open, being played over the Twenty Ten Course. Titleist ball loyalists Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin took the opportunity to tee it up at The Celtic Manor Resort near Newport in Wales, with much talk about how Montgomerie may set up the course for one of golf’s most hotly contested events!
Away from the conjecture about course layout, the Titleist Tour Team have again been busy working with Titleist staffers to deliver the advantages that can make the difference between vital places in counting towards the Order of Merit and the Race to Dubai.
Click here to view the slideshow
Last year’s defending champion and full line staffer Scott Strange is in the field looking for his second win of the season, trying to follow up his triumph in China at the Volvo China Open in April. Scott was a visitor to the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV), initially looking for a back up 3-wood. After some work on the range with Fitting Technician Mattias Jelver, Scott tried a lighter shaft than the Rombax 8Z08 he was already using. Scott loved the 60g version of the shaft and ended up asking for a matching 5-wood to be built as well.
The specs for the two clubs were:
Head: 909 F2 15.5°
Shaft: Rombax 6Z08 X – tipped 2”
Length: 43”
Grip: Gripmaster 0+1
Swingweight: D4
Head: 909 F2 18.5°
Shaft: Rombax 6Z08 X – tipped 2.5”
Length: 42.5”
Grip: Gripmaster 0+1
Swingweight: D4
The Titleist Tour Team also believe that full line staffer Mikko Ilonen is on the verge of posting some good scores, having worked hard with him on the range. Mikko wanted to particularly look at his drivers this week, as he wanted to ensure he had stability for the windy conditions expected in Wales.
Mikko’s back up driver specs are:
Head: 909 D2 9.5°
Shaft: Fubuki 63 S – tipped 1.5”
Length: 45”
Grip: Tour Velvet 58R 1+1
Swingweight: D2
Austrian full line player Bernd Wiesberger is in the same position as Mikko – he’s got a great driver in the bag and a little stiffer driver as a back up. Bernd put the back up driver in the bag for this week’s blowy conditions:
Head: 909 D3 9.5°
Shaft: Fujikura Motore F1 75gr X
Length: 45”
Grip: Tour Velvet 58R 1+1
Swingweight: D3
Bernd also picked up a new wedge so he can get some extra spin this week, with a Flying T stamping on the back of the wedge which you can see in this week’s slideshow….very nice!
Head: Vokey Raw Spin Milled 60-T
Shaft: X100
Length: 35.75”
Lie: 1′ Upright
Grip: Tour Velvet 58R 3+1
Swingweight: D4
One of our new staffers this year is Chinnarat Phadungsil from Thailand. He was still using his 905R driver, so after showing him the 909 heads again, a little discussion and a little fitting, he ended up with 12 yards more carry and a total distance improvement of 20 yards! Impressive! Chinnarat seems almost certain to have this in his bag in time for his next European Tour event which is St Omer Open in two weeks time. The specs of the new driver are:
Head: 909D2 8.5°
Shaft: Diamana Kai’Li 70X – tipped 1.5”
Length: 45”
Grip: Tour Velvet Cord 60R 0+1
Swingweight: D3
This really has been a week for driver fittings as staffer Gregory Bourdy has also made a permanent switch going from his old 907 D2 7.5° to the new 909 D2 7.5°- staying with the Vista Tour 60X shaft that has served him well.
The Titleist European Tour Team were bolstered this week by the arrival of a colleague from the PGA Tour, Titleist Representative Fordie Pitts. Fordie spends a huge amount of his time talking golf balls and testing Titleist golf ball products with the best players in the world. When it comes to Titleist golf balls, Fordie is definitely the man to talk to!! This week the Team were lucky enough to have him on the European Tour and he set straight to work talking with a number of Titleist golf ball loyalists including Ambassador’s Paul Waring and Mikko Ilonen as well as 2010 Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie. This collaboration with the players is essential in making sure the player has the right Titleist golf ball but it is also a hugely valuable research tool for the development of future Titleist golf ball products.
With staffer Ross Fisher just one shot off the lead at the halfway stage (at the time of writing) and Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x loyalists, Jeev Milkha Singh and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, one shot further back, we’re looking forward to a good finish over the weekend! The Titleist Tour Team will be back at Acushnet’s European headquarters in Cambridgeshire, UK, this week, before heading out to France to the Aa Saint Omer GC for the next European Tour event. The Titleist Tour Blog will be on hand to report any new builds back at HQ and to deliver the inside the ropes insight when the TTSV arrives in Saint Omer!
June 5th, 2009
After Ross Fisher’s demolition of the field and the course at last year’s European Open at the London Club in Kent, expectations were high for more low scoring and great golf at the 2009 event. The week got off to a blustery start as players battled against high winds in the practice rounds, but by the time the first players teed it up on Thursday, they were faced with fine weather and perfect golfing conditions.
Titleist golf ball loyalists Gary Orr and Steve Webster (both 2009 Pro V1x users) obviously got to grips with the course and the conditions as they finished joint runners-up – with Webster combining good driving and table topping GIR stats to put himself in contention. Full line Titleist players Soren Hansen, Ben Curtis and Rory McIlroy all put in good performances to see them finish well up the leaderboard.
The Titleist Tour Team was working hard with a number of Titleist staffers this week as they sought to try a few new options. Martin Erlandsson was looking for a new driver and following a successful fitting was built a 909D3 8.5°. The Driver is was fitted with a Fujikura Rombax 6X07 shaft (tipped two inches) and a Golf Pride Multi Compound grip (red / black reversed). Martin and his caddie Chino walked the course with Titleist Fitting Technician Mattias Jelver to see how the new driver performed and we’ll be looking out for updates over the coming weeks.
Click here to view the slideshow
Fellow Titleist staffer Branden Grace decided he was going to put an ”oldie but goldie” into play at the European Open….. a Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Design # 5 (see pictures). The flat stick obviously worked well for Brandon, as he finished 10th in the stats for the number of putts per greens in regulation!
Reigning European Tour Order of Merit Winner and World #11, Robert Karlsson also worked with the Titleist Tour Team to optimise the performance of his fairway wood. Robert’s current fairway is a 909 F2 13.5° at 43.5 inches – made ½” longer to try to gain distance. Having used the longer shaft for a couple of weeks, Robert decided he wanted to go back to the original 43” shaft and so tried out the following:
Model: 909 F3
Loft 1: 15°
Loft 2: 13° bent to 13.5°
Loft 3: 13° bent to 14°
Shafts: Grafalloy Pro-Launch Red Fairway X-Flex
Grips: Golf Pride Multi Compound red / black grips (+1/32”)
Swingweight: D5
Joining the ranks of Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Kombi users this week was Estoril Open De Portugal winner and full line player Michael Hoey. Michael has been trying out the new Kombi Mid with the following specs:
Model: Studio Select Kombi Mid
Length: 43.75”
Loft: 4°
Lie: 69°
The Titleist Tour Team also worked with Michael on a new driver – the results of some thorough testing saw him fitted into a 909 D3, 8.5°, Diamana Kai’li 70, X-flex with Golf Pride Dual Durometer 2 (DD2) yellow grips.
No doubt celebrating his team’s success in the Champions League Final, Barcelona fan and Titleist staffer Pablo Larrazabal wanted to try a Titleist Scotty Cameron Studio Select Squareback. The new putter worked well for Pablo as he posted table-topping putts per GIR stats having put the Squareback straight in his bag at The London Club. The specs for Pablo’s new flat stick were:
Model: Studio Select Squareback
Length: 33”
Loft: 4°
Lie: 71°
Weights: 30g (Heel & Toe)
Pablo also was testing a new 5-wood after he was made a 909 F2, 18.5° fitted with a Grafalloy Comp NT Prototype 85 shaft in X-Flex at 42.5” in length.
All-in-all, another very busy week on the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle, demonstrating how hard the players work on their game and how much store they put by having the right equipment in the bag. This week sees the Tour move to Wales as a strong field will contest the Celtic Manor Wales Open. Defending champion and Titleist staffer, Scott Strange, will be looking to repeat last year’s success and add to this year’s European Tour success at The Volvo China Open. As always, the Titleist Tour Blog will be on hand to bring you all the details from inside the ropes at the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup!
June 3rd, 2009
