Get the right loft

It wasn’t all that long ago that choosing a new driver was a relatively straight-forward process. But things have come a long way in the last six or seven years. And TaylorMade Brand Director (EMEA and Pacific) Jason Howarth is quick to champion the invaluable role of custom-fitting.

“Golfers should be professionally fitted to optimise the most important club in the bag,” he says. TaylorMade’s flagship driver for 2013 – the R1 – has a whopping 168 adjustable options and Jason is of the belief that golfers who do get fitted properly will see huge improvements.

“From our years of research we continue to find that many golfers do not have enough loft on their driver, which can result in not enough spin and the ball dropping out of its flight. Golfers will be surprised how much distance can be achieved by being professionally fitted for the right launch angle and spin rate relative to their ball speed.”

Leigh Davies, European Marketing Manager, Titleist Golf Clubs, agrees. “For any player looking to purchase a new driver we would always recommend that they be fitted for the product. If we look at the new Titleist 913 drivers, there are a number of variables that must be optimised for the player in order to deliver maximum performance.

“These variables include head type, loft, shaft type, shaft flex, grip type and grip thickness. In addition, the 913 drivers also feature patented SureFit Tour hosel technology which allows a fitter to precisely dial in driver launch conditions through independent loft and lie adjustment.

“Custom fitting is the only way to ensure that you are maximising the performance of your driver.”