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As the European Tour assembled in Malaysia for this year’s Maybank Malaysian Open, Titleist took time out during the practice days to talk to a number of our staffers about playing in Asia. Click the video below to hear how Titleist Ambassadors Tano Goya, Seung Yul Noh, James Kingston, Scott Strange and Pablo Larrazabal prepare for events on the Asian continent.
Add comment April 15th, 2011
No matter how much equipment a player has access to there’s still nothing quite like the feel of a new putter to put a smile on the face of a European Tour pro. And, when that putter has been custom made to your exact specifications in the legendary Scotty Cameron Putter Studio in California, that feeling of excitement is turned up to eleven. And, when you are somewhat of a putter aficionado like Titleist Ambassador Pablo Larrazabal, delivery of a brand new Studio Select Squareback Xperimental Prototype with tour black finish and custom white paintfill is going to be a day to remember and have you running to the nearest putting green.
Regular readers of the Titleist European Tour Blog will remember Pablo’s bag of Titleist equipment going AWOL on route to the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship forcing Pablo to use an entirely new bag of equipment. This equipment included a Studio Select Squareback borrowed from Titleist Tour Technician Mattias Jelver. Pablo and the Squareback developed an immediate chemistry and he was somewhat loathed to return the putter to Mattias when his equipment finally arrived at the event. Fortunately however, the Titleist Team knew just the man who could reunite Pablo with his beloved Squareback and an order was placed with the Cameron Studio in California for the tour black Xperimental Squareback.
We wanted to give our Blog followers the first look at Pablo’s new putter before we ship it to the rightful owner. These snaps were taken earlier today in our European Tour Workshop back at Titleist HQ and, for any Cameron fan, there is no doubt that this flatstick is a thing of beauty.
Enjoy!!!!!
Add comment April 7th, 2011
As the start of the Trophee Hassan II event draws nearer the players pre-tournament practice regiments are really starting to step-up. Many players are taking advantage of the excellent weather in Agadir and testing out new equipment options. One such player is young Austrian Titleist Ambassador Bernd Wiesberger who hit the range for a Trackman session with his 910 driver.
Bernd has been playing 910 for a little while and whilst loving the overall performance his assessment was that he would prefer a more penetrating flight. This is where the SureFit Tour (SFT) Hosel Technology that exists within every 910 product really comes into its own. Rather than having to assemble a whole new driver for Bernd we were simply able to make a quick adjustment to the SFT setting of the driver from A1 to D1 to gave the desired reduction in both launch and spin. The switch from an A1 SFT setting to the new position of D1 reduces the effective loft of the driver by 0.75° without effecting the lie angle of the product.
With the new SFT setting locked in Wiesberger really was Bern-ing it up on the range and his Trackman numbers illustrated a total distance gain of 8-9 yards. With a ball speed up around 175mph the young Austrian definitely isn’t short of power. He’s currently ranked 26th in driving distance on the European Tour and with the fine tuning of his 910 driver setup complete we’d expect to see him rise further up the list of the European Tour’s power hitters.
Add comment March 30th, 2011
The European Tour is back in Africa this week as Agadir, Morocco plays host to the Trophee Hassan II. The event made it’s first appearance on the European Tour schedule in 2010 and saw Titleist Pro V1 loyalist Rhys Davies walking away with a maiden European Tour title.
A number of Titleist Ambassadors are in the field in Agadir this week looking to follow the example of Rhys Davies and taste European Tour success at the Trophee Hassan II. The Titleist contingent on the European Tour really is a league of nations these days and the field in Morocco is packed full of Ambassadors from around the world.
Young Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, Argentinean Tano Goya and Chile’s Mark Tullo will add some Latin flair to proceedings whilst the French are represented by Gregory Bourdy, European Tour rookie Romain Wattel and the effervescent Thomas Levet. England’s Robert Dinwiddie, Seve Benson, Kenneth Ferrie and Paul Waring are all in the field to spearhead the English contingent and big hitting George Coetzee will be looking to power his way to victory for South Africa. Scandanavia is also well represented by the likes of Sweden’s Michael Jonzon, compatriot Oscar Floren and ‘Flying Finn’ Mikko Ilonen. The Titleist ranks in Morocco are also bolstered this week by a pair of young Americans in the shape of 2007 British Amateur Champion Drew Weaver and Indiana native Chis Baker.
The field in Morocco really does highlight the cosmopolitan nature of the European Tour and with so many young, talented, up-and-coming players within the Titleist ranks it’s a lot of fun to be out on Tour watching their progress.
Check out the slideshow for a few pictures from inside the ropes at the Trophee Hassan II.
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Add comment March 29th, 2011
Titleist Ambassador Rafael Cabrera-Bello working on a new iron configuration on the range in Andalucia.
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As the European Tour heads for sunny Spain for the 2011 Open de Andalucia the appearance of the Titleist Tour Support Vehicle (TTSV) provides many players with the ideal opportunity for some equipment testing. One such player is young Titleist Staffer Rafa Cabrera Bello who, after a solid start to his 2011 season, is looking to make a change to his iron set-up in order to achieve a more controlled flight. Rafa is one of the fittest players on the European Tour and, although ranked 62nd in driving distance for the season, you always feel that he has power in reserve should he need it. With that in mind, Rafa needs a suitably strong specification in all of his clubs to give him the necessary control.
As Rafa took to the range in Andalucia with Titleist Tour Technican Phil Dimmock he did so with a very clear view of what he was trying to achieve, namely a flatter, more controllable ball flight from his Titleist irons. A tweak of Rafa’s lofts may have flattened out his ball flight but this option would not provide him with additional control, so Phil took the decision to look at a stiffer shaft option. After assessing Rafa’s ball flight the Project X 7.0 shafts were identified by both player and fitter as the best option with the Trackman Launch Monitor showing good shot dispersion and a flight which had a lower peak height than that with his current shafts.
Given the importance of knowing your distances going into a tournament week, Rafa won’t make the switch for this week’s Andalucia event and it is likely he will do some more testing over the coming weeks before putting the new shafts in play. The flatter flight may adjust his distances with each iron to a certain degree and, with the precise level that a European Tour professional works at, it would be risky for Rafa to put the new shafts straight in play.
Add comment March 22nd, 2011
As we all know, the one area where any player can make or break their score is the short game. Having a strong wedge game and the ability to get up and down around the greens is key to the success of any player on the European Tour. It’s little wonder then that so many European Tour and amateur players alike trust their wedge game to Bob Vokey and his now legendary Spin Milled wedges.
Of course, 2010 saw the introduction of a new R&A groove ruling which required all players on the European Tour to convert over to the C-C version of the Spin Milled wedge. A year down the line from this change and the players have fully acclimatised to the C-C groove which did require them to adapt their approach to certain shots, particularly when playing from the rough where the reduction in spin was significant. However, when playing from the manicured fairways out on the European Tour the players are still able to generate similar spin rates with the C-C groove as they did with the original Spin Milled groove. This is particularly evident among the power hitters who generally create high spin conditions as a result of their high club-head speed.
One player who would definitely fall into this category is Titleist Ambassador Paul Waring. Paul has averaged a driving distance of between 295-300 yards over the past three seasons and generates tremendous speed, and spin, with all his clubs. Even with a switch the the C-C version of the Spin Milled groove Paul is still capable of zipping the ball back on the greens and this can, on occasions, be to his detriment as solid wedge shots can spin too much. Paul joined up with the Titleist Team in Dubai this week as he prepared for the Dubai Desert Classic and placed an order for new Vokey Spin Milled C-C wedges fitted with True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts. Paul has typically played the S300 shaft in his wedges before now but the stronger X100 option will help to reduce the spin on his wedge shots and offer him improved control.
Golfers of all abilities can learn a lot from Paul’s decision making here. Over the years there has been a craving amongst the majority golfers for more wedge spin but, whilst we all enjoy watching the ball zip backwards when it hits the green, this is not always conducive to lower scores. Like Paul, it is essential to pay proper attention to your wedge game and evaluate what you need from your wedge set-up. This should take into consideration a number of factors including your regular course conditions, yardage gaps and angle of attack. In addition, as with any club in your bag, a wedge is most effective when fit to your ideal specification in terms of length, lie, shaft type, shaft flex, grip type and grip size. Why not contact your local PGA professional to discuss your wedge game; it really can help lower your scores.
Click here to learn more about the R&A / USGA groove ruling and Titleist Vokey Design wedges.
Add comment February 9th, 2011
As the old saying goes ‘practice makes perfect’ and there are few more perfect places on the planet in which to work at your game than Dubai. The European Tour enters the final leg of the desert swing at its showpiece event, the Dubai Desert Classic, and the range has been a hive of activity thus far as the players take advantage of gorgeous Dubai weather and the stunning visual backdrop to fine tune their game and their equipment. The practice ground at the Emirates Golf Club provides one of the most unique vistas on the European Tour as Dubai’s skyline rises out of the desert in contrast with man-made oasis that is the golf course. It makes for a surreal but nonethelesss stunning view.
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The week certainly got off to a quick start for the Titleist Team and Tour Technicians Phil Dimmock and Scott Morrison were straight out on the range to do some Trackman work with Titleist Ambassadors Tano Goya, Scott Strange and Romain Wattel.
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Add comment February 8th, 2011
The hard work continued on the range today in Qatar with many players making hay while the sun shines and working on their game. Equipment testing has also been very much the order of the day, in this the final practice day before the start of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and one player who was at it again following yesterdays putter testing was Titleist Ambassador Kenneth Ferrie.
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Kenneth has been playing the new 910F for a little while now and has been enjoying the performance of the new metal. However, he has been finding his current specification a little difficult to shape when needed. Titleist Tour Technician Phil Dimmock soon had the Trackman up and running and it soon became clear that a shaft change was required to give Kenneth the characteristics he was looking for. After trialling a couple of different options Kenneth decided upon an old favourite, the Aldila NV, which was offering him a superb flight and improved shot shaping. The change in shaft also added a few extra yards of distance to boot which was a welcome bonus.
Kenneth Ferrie
Model: 910F RH 13.5°
Shaft: Aldila NV75 X-Flex (untipped)
Length: 43″
Grip: Golf Pride Tour Velvet .580 Round (Reversed)
Swingweight: D3
SureFit Tour Hosel Setting: A3
Click here to learn more about the 910F and the innovative SureFit Tour Hosel.
Add comment February 2nd, 2011
Austrian Martin Wiegele is in the field this week for the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and the Titleist Team have put the finishing touches on his Scotty Cameron putter. Martin, who was victorious at last year’s Saint-Omer Open, is playing a stunning Newport 2 Buttonback with a Tour Black finish. The putter has just been given even more cool points with the addition of a yellow Scotty Cameron Custom Shop grip and matching yellow Junkyard dog headcover. The putter was definitely turning some heads on the practice green in Qatar and it’s not hard to see why!!!
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Add comment February 1st, 2011
The European Tour is continuing its desert swing this week in the State of Qatar as another elite field assembles for the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. The likes of World #1 Lee Westwood (Pro V1x), Ian Poulter (Pro V1x) and Open Champion Louis Ooosthuizen (Pro V1x) are all teeing it up alongside Titleist Ambassadors Steve Stricker (Pro V1), Robert Karlsson (Pro V1x) and Ross Fisher (Pro V1x) to name but a few. The desert conditions provide the players with the ideal opportunity for practice and equipment testing and there will be some hard graft on the range throughout the course of the week.
It may only be Tuesday but a number of players have already been hard at work testing new Titleist equipment and the Team have been busy making sure that they get just the right specifications for their game.
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Add comment February 1st, 2011
