I had the best driver fitting ever. Here’s why.

I recently visited the headquarters of TaylorMade, in Carlsbad, California, where I had the best driver fitting ever. Here’s what made it so special.

As bunkered’s Gear Editor, I’m very lucky with all the places I get to visit and some of the coolest experiences come when you get to see the headquarters of brands.

I went to TaylorMade’s HQ in Carlsbad where I got to not only see the full facility, but also step on the range where so many great golfers have been. That range is part of The Kingdom.

The Kingdom was awesome. You go through big medieval looking doors into a big open reception, where there is a locker room on the left. In that room there’s this bag, which serves as a reminder of the players that have gone before you here.

There is a mini workshop, a fitting studio and a putting studio where you can get a putter made that is going to suit you.

After I had made myself at home, it was time to head through the doors and get down to the driver fitting. Immediately, I could tell this was going to be an incredible experience.

With the GCQuad set up to the side of me and the Trackman behind me there was a lot going on, but I love that. After hitting some shots to get warmed up, it was go time on the driver. 

I’ve had many fittings before, but what was different about this one was that the first factor was to find a shaft that fitted me and look at the misses from right to left.

This was done with the data gathered on the GCQuad and with the new TaylorMade Qi35 fitting heads.

These heads made things incredibly easy, with the built-in reflectors on each side of the clubface. This measured the rate of closure of the club face showing how much or how little the club head releases right at the point of impact. With this data, we were able to eliminate a two-way-miss and make my dispersion even tighter off the tee by being able to identify the shaft with the correct torque profile. Which was incredibly impressive. Then, we tried a couple more shafts to find the right swing weight which, again, tightened my dispersion and gave me even more confidence.

I got put into a Ventus Blue VeloCore+. Despite not even being available to buy yet, the team at TaylorMade were able to fit me into it, as it helped me release the club at the perfect time.

What you also find when do have the right shaft is the consistency in ball striking really does increase. Consistency in ball striking means that shots will be straighter and longer more often, so it’s crucial to have the right one in your hands.

The next stage of the process was the easiest and that was finding the right driver head for my game. I tried all of them but for me and my faster swing speed, the Qi35 LS was the best option.

It kept the spin low, but with all the adjustability on sole and in the hosel, you’re able to dial it in even more and make it even more consistent and work in the best possible way for you.

After the fitting, I honestly felt like I couldn’t miss the middle of the face or the fairway. The ball speeds from the Qi35 drivers are impressive, the adjustability gives you so many options and the fitting process is what ties everything together. I was blown away by the whole experience. It just shows with these new Qi35 fitting heads it gives you such accurate data feedback to get the exact shaft and driver combination. Just shows you what a great custom fitting and accurate data driven custom fitting can do. 

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James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor