WHAT'S IN THE BAG?

by Tom Sialiano, Director of Instruction
GolfTEC White Plains

I have always had a very low ball flight and I instinctively knew my clubs had to be changed. My goal was to hit the ball higher and longer with less effort. My first step was to get fitted properly using the GolfTEC g-FIT system. I knew that the fitting session was going to give me my own personal specifications such as shaft flex, shaft weight, lie of the club, grip size, club head design, and the correct set configuration for my game and goals.

My first change was a completely different set of irons and configuration. I was playing with Callaway Fusion irons with a standard steel stiff shaft that was 1-degree upright with a standard rubber grip. I changed to the Cleveland CG Gold graphite stiff shafted irons with a lie angle of two degrees upright. I also went to a bigger grip that conformed to the size of my hands better. My iron shots are now higher and longer with less effort.

I also added two new Cleveland tour wedges — a 52-degree gap wedge and a 49-degree pitching wedge and kept my old 56-degree Wilson JP wedge that I had for over 20 years.  Now I have a 3-wedge system that David Pelz recommends. I eliminated my 3- and 4-iron completely from my set and added a Cleveland high-bore graphite 4-iron that replaced my standard 4-iron. It’s a great club and very easy to get up in the air. My 3-iron was replaced with an Adams hybrid 23-degree with a standard stock graphite stiff shaft. I loved the Adams hybrid so much that I added a 19-degree hybrid that I can hit from 185 to 215 yards. Using hybrids has given me more confidence on long par 3s and I also use them for my second shots on very long
par 4s.

My driver is the Taylor Made R-7 Super quad that I re-shafted with a UST Pro-force stiff shaft. The result is that my dispersion pattern is tighter and misses are not quite as bad as before. I kept my Taylor Made graphite 3-wood because I hit it off the fairway very well. Lastly I had putted with a Wilson 8813 blade putter for the last 35 years and knew I had to change to new technology. I changed to an Odyssey White Hot number 9 which is also a blade putter. My putts are now rolling closer to the ground and the putter has an excellent feel.

The old adage, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” didn’t apply in this case. I knew I needed help and immediately used the technology that we have at GolfTEC to help myself become a better player. The result is better equipment for my swing and a much better set configuration. Help yourself and book a fitting session with your GolfTEC Coach. You will be amazed at the results.