How Getting Fitted for Custom Titleist Clubs Unlocked a New Level of Confidence, Joy and Performance in my Golf

Words: Kate Allman

It’s the biggest gripe I have with golf equipment: standard women’s clubs don’t work for me, a woman.

A “women’s” set makes assumptions about how we are built and play – traits like being shorter than men, with slower swing speed, less power, less loft. For me – a 176cm woman, 33 years old, athletic, who can generate plenty of power having played field hockey my entire life – those assumptions make no sense.

When I first took up golf three years ago, I was gifted a hand-me-down set of women’s clubs from my mother-in-law. They were too short for me. I’d have to crouch down to reach the ball and regularly sent a topped iron shot bounding at ground level over the back of the green.

When I borrowed my husband’s clubs, I could stand upright and lay into the ball with meaning. But swapping between different sets meant I could never generate consistency.

Gene Saunders, Golf Club Business Manager (Australia & New Zealand) at Titleist explained my predicament when he met me at Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Sydney for my first custom club fitting experience.

“If your clubs are set up and they’re not quite right for you, it can really hold back your development and skill level,” he told me.

“Getting your clubs fitted for you as an individual, with the right length, flex, loft and angle, can help you improve far more rapidly.” 

Photo: Kate Allman at her Titleist fitting. Photo courtesy of Titleist.   

Titleist have a major point of difference from other brands. They don’t use the terms “men’s” clubs or “women’s” clubs. Saunders said they dropped the gender classifications and instead began marketing clubs simply for “golfers”. Because, as any woman who doesn’t fit the “standard” knows, we’re all different.

“The golf club doesn’t know your gender, doesn’t know your age. It just responds to the pressure you apply to the golf ball,” Saunders said.

My fitting experience

I was booked in for a two-hour fitting at the outdoor range with Jason Butt, a golf pro and Titleist club fitter. Under the shade of a cabana chock full of every size and shape club you can imagine, Jason asked me about my game. How long I’d been playing, how often I’d get a round in, which of the clubs in my hand-me-down set worked best, which were the worst, and what my typical bad shot looked like. Low and left was my tendency: I’d top the ball and send non-deliberate fades into the trees.

Hitting balls in front of new people is always intimidating. My first swings were stiff – but Jason quickly made me feel at ease. Armed with a crank-handled screwdriver, he set about building clubs that might help smooth out my inconsistent shots by screwing in different heads to different shafts, testing angles, loft, shaft length, weight and flex. I would hit about five balls with a club then we’d examine the data generated by a Trackman monitor. It was measuring every aspect of my shot from height and carry to angle and what part of the clubface I hit.

Seeing your shots translated into numbers on an iPad is empowering because it turns gut feel into fact. Jason’s guidance helped me understand why my good shots were good, and what kind of club might help reduce my bad shots.

From the data, it soon became clear which combinations were working for me. A stiffer iron with less flex and a longer shaft, combined with a head offering greater loft, sailed straight and high in almost the same path every time. More importantly – hitting good shots felt effortless.

   
Photo: Inside the Titleist fitting tent. Photos courtesy of Titleist

We moved onto hybrids, drivers and woods, settling on the combinations that offered the greatest consistency of good shots. A weighty and stiff hybrid – much like my hockey stick – sent balls zinging long and high through the air. A driver with a shorter shaft straightened my slice and kept long balls on the fairway. The irons that worked best for me combined a traditional “men’s” length, flex and material with club heads that you might traditionally find on a women’s set.

All of my choices were carefully recorded and plugged into an order form, then sent to the Titleist factory in Melbourne to be built.

Tracey’s experience

Tracey Leitch, 62 – a PR professional who plays nine holes weekly with a ladies’ group – was booked in for a fitting on the same day as me. She had taken up golf two years ago, was competitive on the course and came from great sporting pedigree. Her father’s cousin was Betty Douglas, the first Australian woman golfer to turn professional.

“I didn’t want a package deal,” Tracey said. “A few of the girls I play with had bought package sets of women’s clubs, but they’re not personalised. Not every guy suits heavy clubs, and not every woman wants pink frills. I wanted something that was right for me.”

Photo: Tracey Leitch at her Titleist fitting. Photo courtesy of Titleist

Tracey needed more flex and less weight in her clubs than me. But we both felt the same magic when we matched with the right one.

“I had a real wow moment,” she said. “You stand back and go, ‘Where did that come from?’ It had the loft, the distance. It just felt so good.”

The end result

My clubs arrived in boxes and bubble wrap via courier two weeks later. Opening them felt like early Christmas – their spotless shiny faces glinting, begging me to go play. A chic leather Titleist bag swaddled them stylishly, a massive upgrade from the daggy old one cradling my hand-me-downs. I strutted out to my local nine-hole course brimming with new confidence. Look good, feel good, play good is a mantra I live by and with my shiny new set I felt like a legitimate golfer for the first time.

Confidence is through the roof –but how has my game changed? Substantially. My shots are straighter and more reliable. I can hit further and higher, so the ball “sits” delightfully when it lands on the green. Mishits are becoming rarer and less punishing. Importantly, I’m having a lot more fun.

“My game has lifted significantly,” agreed Tracey. “The inconsistency is decreasing. And the shots that work now are really good.”

She grinned, and added, “The first nine holes with my new clubs – I won the comp. That was the first time I had them out.”

Nothing beats new-club energy.